Embracing Faith Through Community: National Catholic Sisters Week

By Joanna George

In this week's "Embracing Faith" article, we will focus on Embracing Faith through Community.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”-Ephesians 2:10

People celebrate their faith in many different ways. Some celebrate by attending Mass, while others participate in events at church with their local community. For Women Religious, National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW) serves as a way to celebrate their community and faith.

NCSW is a week that is annually observed from March 8th – 14th and raises awareness about Women Religious through events and online campaigns. One of the most notable aspects about NCSW is the opportunity given to the public to learn about Women Religious and the influence they have had on the Catholic Church and overall community. (1)

Sisters Mary Flood, Noreen Walsh, Dottie Maxwell, and Mary Ann Collins at a 2018 National Catholic Sisters Week event.

Beginning in 2014, NCSW was initially a part of National Women’s History Month, and, shortly after, it became independent from National Women’s History Month due to the NSW Sister/Student Conference. This Conference, which took place in Minnesota, brought hundreds of college students and Catholic sisters to connect and discuss the impact of Catholic sisters in our communities and the world. (2)

Over the past few years, the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York have participated in NCSW by hosting many events for the local community such as live Facebook interviews with the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, service projects, movie screenings, and the annual Women’s Celtic Tea. Also, the Congregation and NCSW were recognized by both the Rockland County Legislature and Town of Orangetown with a proclamation.

This year, the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York will host the following events to celebrate NCSW and the Women Religious community.

· March 8th - Proclamation Reading with Orangetown Supervisor Chris Day

· March 10th – Women’s Celtic Tea

· March 11th – Ministry Service Day

· March 12th – Live Interview with the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill

· March 13th – Mission of Hope: Movie Screening and Discussion at Sparkill

· March 18th – Prayer, Pizza, and Conversation

To learn more about these events, contact Katie Beckmann, Communications Manager of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York, at 845-359-7327 or kbeckmann@opblauvelt.org.

Joanna George is a senior at Tappan Zee High School and completing her Senior Seminar Internship project with the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York.