Program helps Gulf coast women religious flourish

Pope Leo XIV greets a group of religious sisters during a recent May 24 meeting at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. A new Loyola Institute of Ministries program based in New Orleans is supporting women religious in the Gulf Coast region, offering spiritual formation, renewal and ministry instruction. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The Flourishing Sisterhood project, an initiative of the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) at Loyola University New Orleans, was made possible by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Rooted in practical theology, the project was designed to enhance the ongoing spiritual formation, well-being and understanding of aging among Catholic sisters in the Gulf South region. Participating sisters also earned a Loyola Certificate in Spirituality. 

For me, this project was a movement of the Holy Spirit, offering me tremendous renewal in my relationship with Jesus, my religious community, my family and my ministry. Over the course of four 10-week terms, more than 60 sisters from about 20 congregations participated in small, intentional learning communities. Each group was led by a trained facilitator and met either in person or on Zoom for two hours a week. While some of the content was new knowledge, other parts served as a renewal of past knowledge that had been set aside due to the many distractions within my ministry. The courses on spirituality, aging and storytelling were practical theology par excellence. They offered practical applications and great relevance to my own personal relationship with Jesus, religious life, ministry and life within the Church and world. It changed my perspective of aging as a religious sister and helped me to look to the future with hope.  

The weekly gatherings offered opportunities for sharing the wealth of wisdom, knowledge and experience amongst sisters, contributing still now to my physical, mental, psychological and spiritual growth and that of the other sisters in my group — I refer to them as “my flourishing sisters.” I felt energized at the end of each Zoom meeting — the two-hour gatherings every week were “holy moments.”  

I always felt the excitement from the sisters, and I looked forward to everyone’s enthusiasm to gain new knowledge to share our lives, our stories and ministries together. The trust we built in one another in the midst of vulnerable sharing, serious moments and even good laughs uplifted my spirit every time we met. We cultivated a safe environment where nobody felt judged.  

As the facilitator for my learning community, I feel fulfilled and can now say to myself, “This is indeed what it means to flourish in religious life!” There were 11 of us sisters in my learning community, and I’m grateful that we were able to complete the program together, using all that we gained from the program as our motivation and enrichment. One sister in our group even transferred to Rome for studies in the middle of the program but remained committed to joining us weekly for the final two courses despite the seven-hour time difference.  

Ours was a diverse group, not only in terms of race and culture but also in being inter-congregational. We shared the unique spiritualities and charisms of our congregations, along with a wealth of ministry experiences from across many continents. We were able to connect deeply through inter-congregational friendship, helping us to share one another’s occasions of joys and sorrows. This is the hope of the Church and of consecrated religious life.  

It can be rather difficult to find that sense of hope when we are aging, but the Flourishing Sisterhood program helps me to look to the future with an open spirit, knowing that we, as religious sisters, can and will continue to flourish at all stages of our lives, even after death. There was no better time to complete the Flourishing Sisterhood Program than during this Jubilee Year of Hope. As Pilgrims of Hope, this program has enhanced our lives with the opportunity to receive the renewing graces of transformation, reconciliation and nourishment. It has helped us to grow in holiness through learning and through sharing of life, knowledge and experiences in communion with one another. 

This is not only about what we can do when we are physically strong but also about the legacy of life we leave behind in sharing our stories, told in our own voices and heard by those who listen now and even those who will listen after we have gone to eternal rest. We remain excited to go forth and continue to flourish as we nourish and enrich the lives of others through our consecration and commitment to serve humanity.

Sister Morenikeji “Francisca” Faseemo, SSMA, is a U.S. mission superior of the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel, a congregation celebrating its 25th year of serving in schools, hospitals and pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese.