Celebrating Catholic Sisters Week

What is the role of women religious in today’s world? What are the important things to know about women religious, especially School Sisters of Notre Dame? Why consider religious life? These are the types of questions we like to address in our communications throughout the year, but especially during Catholic Sisters Week.

Catholic Sisters Week (CSW) takes place March 8-14 annually and shines a light on the spirituality, mission and community building of women religious around the world. It is a chance to recognize all that sisters are and do, with the hope that as more young women learn about Catholic sisters, they will choose to explore religious life and even hear God’s call to it.

CSW began in 2015 as a part of National Women’s History Month in the U.S. and is now an official component of Women’s History Month. It was authorized by Molly Murphy MacGregor, co-founder of National Women’s History Project, who was educated and deeply influenced by Catholic sisters.

Fifty-two weeks a year, women religious stand with immigrants and those who are poor, teach children, fight injustice, heal those who are sick, share spirituality, empower women, defend the planet, promote peace, create community, offer hope and more.

For this one week, we shine the spotlight on women religious and encourage a wide range of activities that invite all who follow Jesus to:

• Expand and support the gospel witness of Catholic sisters.
• Grow the service networks they have seeded.
• Share their spirituality, charisms, and community.
• Encourage young women to consider a vocation to religious life. 
• Support their pastoral, teaching and prophetic works.
• Focus on the new world they call into being.

During CSW, we encourage others to recognize and appreciate the religious women in their own communities and draw attention to their impact in today’s world. This can be as simple as writing a thank you note to your favorite sister, inviting sisters within your parish or worship community to stand for a special recognition and blessing, or scheduling a visit to or from a sister with your family or class. Here are some other ideas:

• Follow the SSND Facebook page for special video messages throughout CSW 2023.
• Help SSND build a culture of vocation with these events and resources for young adults.
• Attend the SSND Women’s Leadership Luncheons during Women’s History Month.
• Take the “refuse to use” challenge. SSND and many other religious organizations are committed to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, designed to support systemic changes addressing the climate crisis. There is a collective effort during CSW to “refuse to use” single use plastic beverage bottles for the week. Are you up for the challenge? Refuse to Use During Catholic Sisters Week.
• View and/or host conversations around the thought-provoking and engaging dialogue in the Exploring Intersections: Catholic Sisters on Racism, Migration and Climate webinar series, launched during CSW in 2021 with new episodes each month for the following year.
• View and share the Abundant Hope video series. The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) has published 77 videos centered on the theme of “Abundant Hope”. All the videos can be accessed directly through the National Religious Vocation Conference YouTube Channel and shared publicly to amplify hope for religious life. One idea is to share one video a day on your social media platforms throughout Catholic Sisters Week, and show one video a day in classrooms, on campuses, at Board meetings, and at parish events.

More ideas are available at the Catholic Sisters Week website.

What do you see as the role of women religious in today’s world? How are you inspired by women religious in your life? Let us know at communications@ssnd.org.

Happy Catholic Sisters Week!