Treasures of the Church: CWL celebrates sisters’ diamond, gold, and silver jubilees

Ask any religious sister, and she will share a litany of lessons and blessings from her time serving the Church. As they celebrate their 60th anniversaries as sisters, the lists Sister Nancy Brown and Sister Margaret Sadler offer are almost too long to record.

Both sisters spoke with The B.C. Catholic during the bi-annual Catholic Women’s League Sisters Appreciation Dinner, held March 3 at the Italian Cultural Centre. This year’s event was one of the largest, with 400 people packing into the large conference hall.

“Nuns don’t retire, they get retreaded,” Sister Sadler joked.

The Saskatchewan-born, B.C.-raised Sadler is a Sister of the Child Jesus. Social justice has always been a significant concern for her and was a focus during her time as a teacher. She has worked with Development and Peace throughout her time as a religious sister.

One of her highlights is the decades she spent working with Indigenous peoples in Northern Manitoba. The First Nations people she worked with challenged her, giving her a deeper appreciation for nature and respect for God’s creation.

After “being retreaded,” Sister Sadler became director of formation for Sisters of the Child Jesus associates, providing spiritual direction to the lay arm of the congregation. order.

During the Jubilee of Hope, the diamond jubilarian said the Holy Spirit gives her hope. “I couldn’t live if I didn’t believe in the Holy Spirit,” she said.

Another of the diamond jubilarians, Sister Nancy Brown, needs no introduction—the occasional B.C. Catholic contributor and founding member of Covenant House Vancouver has a long record of social justice work within the Archdiocese.

With a wry smile, she describes the last 60 years as “interesting.”

Looking at her history, she seems to have done it all: educator, university chaplain, novice director for the Sisters of Charity in Halifax—there aren’t many areas of religious life she hasn’t dedicated at least a small part of her life to.

The most recent chapter of her life as a sister has been the longest and is the one she speaks most about. Her time with Covenant House has been multifaceted: pastoral counsellor, senior manager, ombudsperson—she has done it all.

Her work at Covenant House has fostered her love for social justice, service for the marginalized, and advocacy for those without a voice.

Sister Brown is heartened by the recent trend of lay people taking responsibility for their parishes and for the Church more broadly. Their sincerity gives her hope for the future, she says. “The ministry of Jesus is not just for religious women.”

Archbishop Miller told the gathering it was a pleasure to be in a room with so many “zealous and dedicated women – the CWL is one of the strong pillars of apostolic life in the Archdiocese,” he said.

He added that consecrated women and religious sisters are a witness for all, living a dedicated life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Being able to see this commitment is essential for the life of the Church.

The word “synodality” comes to mind when thinking about the unique ways women live in community, said the archbishop. “It’s almost automatic” for them to form communities of shared work and caring. “They have a lot to teach the wider Archdiocesan community.”

The archbishop announced that two new communities of religious sisters will soon arrive in the Archdiocese. The Dominicans of the Holy Trinity will make St. Andrew’s Parish in Vancouver their home, and two members of the Filial Daughters of the Immaculate Heart will be living at St. John the Apostle in Vancouver.

In honour of Archbishop Miller’s retirement, the Archbishop’s Delegate for Consecrated Life, Sister Mary Martha Hetzler, OP, thanked him for his years of support for women’s vocations. “[Archbishop Miller] shows personal care for sisters,” she said, noting how he always makes an effort to follow up if he learns a local sister is sick or infirm.

Jubilarians

Diamond Jubilee (60 Years)

• Sr. Denece Billesberger, SEJ
• Sr. Nancy Brown, SC
• Sr. Mary Margaret Delaski, FSE
• Sr. Elisa Grignoli, FDCC
• Sr. Margaret Sadler, SEJ

Golden Jubilee (50 Years)

• Sr. Claire Marie Blondin, OSC
• Sr. Marie-Therese Murphy, OSC

Silver Jubilee (25 Years)

• Sr. Teresa Gou, CST
• Gaie Knickel (Order of Virgins)
• Lioba Na (Focolare Movement)
• Sr. Margaret Z. Hkawn Ri, SND
• Patricia Ballard, Daughters of the Church

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