Sister retires from butterfly ministry

Old soda bottles and colorful butterflies are not often thought of together, but Sister Barbara Boedeker marries the two beautifully. In her 15-year ministry, she has created over 30,000 hand-cut and hand-painted butterflies from plastic bottles. These butterflies are made into pins or sun catchers. This ministry is coming to an end, though, as she is retiring.

“I wanted to do something with all the wasted bottles, and the idea of butterflies just came to me,” Sister Barb said. “Butterflies have a special meaning to me and to those of us in the Christian faith for their symbolism with resurrection.”

Each butterfly sold comes with a card explaining the religious significance of the insect that Sister Barb wrote. It states:

“The butterfly is a natural symbol of resurrection. As a caterpillar dies, it is transformed into a new creature. This lowly living thing is changed through death into a wonderful, beautiful butterfly.

“Through the transformation of baptism, a person dies into Christ and rises to a new and divine life. The butterfly can signify the beginning of Christian life or it can represent any new beginning in a person’s life. Through pain, tragedy or ‘spiritual dying,’ one can, through faith, come to a glorious resurrection.

“The butterfly also symbolizes the life cycle of Jesus: the caterpillar representing his earthly life; the cocoon representing the tomb; the butterfly representing his resurrection.”

Sister Barb takes care to ensure each butterfly is unique in its coloration. No two are alike, even after creating over 30,000.

She has sold them at craft fairs and in gift shops at Sancta Maria in Ripa and at the Sarah Community, where she currently resides. Pins are $2, while sun catchers are $1, and proceeds benefit School Sisters of Notre Dame ministries and retirement.

However, her ministry is complete. Sister Barb has made the last of her butterflies, and the remainder are available for sale at the Gift Gallery at Sancta Maria in Ripa and in the gift shop at the Sarah Community.

“My fingers are tired of cutting plastic and it’s time,” she said. “I’ve shared this gift for over 15 years and I’m ready for a break.”

Photo by Lauren Huffman