Religious Life--the fabric of Christian life for all ages

Many individuals today believe that religious life is on the decline. Why, some people ask, do you continue to promote religious life?Are you not aging? Diminishing? The answer to that first question is "yes, we are aging". The answer to the second question is "No, religious life is not diminishing"! Like Gideon in the Scriptures whom God asked to reduce his army, so, too, have the number of women and men religious been reduced for various reasons--attrition, fewer individuals answering God's call, fewer families supporting the call of their son or daughter. As with Gideon, however, the power of God is the force that builds religious life, that builds "our armies," and is truly evident in a few good men and women-- yes, ordinary women and men--doing extraordinary things in a variety of ministries. In many cases, women religious are involved in more ministries than when first founded! Through the power of God's Spirit this form of serving the Lord will continue for many, many years to come. It's part of the fabric of Christian life--always has been and always will be, in my estimation.

The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, with fewer members than in the early and mid 1900's, are serving the poor in several countries and in  many more ministries than when first founded. Through the generosity of God's love and the power of God's Spirit, we will continue as we began, uniting action and contemplation as a means of ongoing conversion and that we thus be catalysts in the transformation of the world in which we live. The essence of our lives is this relationship with the Lord and one another, whereby we are transformed and transforming; whereby we grow in trust, in faith, in love and interior strength to serve and seek the Lord above all. Through all these efforts, the refounding of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother continues on a daily basis!