The Sisters of Life: In Love with Life

Now that the Dobbs decision was announced and Roe v. Wade has been reversed, the mission of the Sisters of Life is more important than ever. Founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O'Connor, the Sisters have a unique mission – "to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life." To truly understand what this means, we need to go back to 1975 and accompany Cardinal O'Connor on his visit to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

When he visited Dachau and stood where thousands of men, women, and children were brutally murdered, the Cardinal was struck with horror at the atrocities that had occured there. “My God! How can human beings do this to other human beings?” he said when he stood in front of the giant ovens that had been the instruments of death for thousands of innocent people. In that moment the Cardinal vowed to do everything he could to protect human life.

As a priest, the obvious route of action for O'Connor was to preach and advocate for those who couldn't speak up for themselves. He soon realized that words alone are only so effective. To truly make a change, action was needed; action to defend the totally vulnerable.

And so the idea of the Sisters of Life was born. A congregation of women whose purpose was not just prayer but also to work in the world, helping young women in crisis and truly living out a love of life. On June 1, 1991 the first group of women came to New York and Cardinal O'Connor's vision of the Sisters of Life became a reality. Now the Sisters of Life count among their number women from all over the world, and have missions across the US and in Canada as well.

I have been fortunate enough to have received the opportunity to not only learn about the Sisters of Life and their mission, but to also train with them as a Coworker. The Sisters I have met are all simply amazing women, full of life and love. From varied backgrounds, there’s no doubt that they all could have pursued successful careers. Some of the Sisters did before joining. They all gave up their worldly careers though, and chose to don the blue and white of the Sisters of Life out of love and a drive to help women.

From formula to diapers, toys to books, cloths for children and their mothers, even gift cards for Target and Uber, the Sisters do everything they can to provide the women who come to them with everything that they need in order to make the choice to choose life. And they’re not alone. They have volunteers who are out in the world who help them every day. Women who become friends and supporters of a woman who’s pregnant. Men who serve as mentors and brothers of the fathers, helping guide him to better support the baby’s mother. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who help care for the women and babies during and after pregnancy. Counselors who help the women process what they’re dealing with and support them in continuing to choose life. Families who open their homes to women who need a place to stay. Business men and women who help women find employment. All of these are just some of the people who help the Sisters of Life every single day.

Headquartered in New York City, the Sisters of Life have expanded to outreach missions in Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Toronto. They also have a collegiate spiritual accompaniment program in Colorado, Eucharistic Adoration in our nation’s capital in DC, and a retreat house in Connecticut. Their prayers, though, cover the whole world.

If you want to learn more about the Sisters of Life and how you can help them, visit their website, https://sistersoflife.org/

To support the Sisters and their mission, visit https://sistersoflife.org/donate/ or https://sistersoflife.org/registry/ to send them gift cards and items.

Together, we can all help women choose life.