Celebrating Catholic Sisters Week 2025
Each year, from March 8-14, we pause to acknowledge and celebrate Catholic Sisters Week. It provides an opportunity for us to name just a few of the countless ways that sisters made an impact in the mission of Catholic Mobilizing Network.
Since CMN’s founding, fifteen years ago, Catholic Sisters have:
- Helped shape the vision of CMN
- Collaborated with us in our advocacy efforts
- Prayed with us
- Supported us financially both individually and corporately
- Spread the word about our work
To all of our incredible Catholic sisters — thank you, thank you, thank you!
Read below about some of the sisters who are advancing the kind of justice that honors human dignity.
Sr. Rose Ann Hefner, CSJ
Sr. Rose Ann Hefner, CSJ, is a member of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph. She completed the Restorative Justice Circle Process training at Eastern Mennonite University, and is currently one of the facilitators for CMN’s Conversations in Communion companion training, a formation program for Catholic parish and ministry leaders preparing them to facilitate conversations using the restorative practice of circle process.
Sr. Rose Ann says, “Having worked in prisons and with justice impacted people, I value using restorative justice as a way to help people take responsibility for their actions, heal relationships and build community, as well as help end the school to prison pipeline. I believe the circle process can help bridge the divides in our culture and help people build understanding with one another in our schools, churches, and community settings.”
Sr. Rose Ann, thanks for all you do to promote restorative justice in so many diverse settings.
Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI
Sr. Teresa Maya, a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word, took time out from her busy schedule as Director at the Catholic Health Association to share a reflection at CMN’s September 2024 First Friday Prayer Vigil.
Using several classic artistic renderings of the Good Samaritan, Sr. Teresa reminded us of the importance of the question that begins and ends the parable, “who is my neighbor?” The neighbor in this story is the one who is discarded, invisible, and thrown away. She articulated that the road in this story stands for the place of encounter, where we have left our comfort zone and meet our neighbor. The actions of the “good Samaritan” remind us that empathy alone is not enough, we need to allow ourselves to be moved to compassion — to action on behalf of our neighbor.
Sr. Teresa, your words and insights still challenge us and call us to compassion.
Sr. Therese Bangert, SCL
Sr. Therese Bangert, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, was recently asked what got her started in her work against the death penalty. Without hesitation she answered, “the Holy Spirit.”
Way back in 1987, a newly elected governor in Kansas attempted to bring back the death penalty — which the previous governor had vetoed four times. His efforts failed, thanks to advocacy by folks like Sr. Therese. From then on, and still today, she has been dedicated to advocacy on this issue.
She has also come face to face with the death penalty in her role as chaplain to the Kansas City police, when she responded to a call that two policemen had been killed. In addition, she supports one of the nine men on the Kansas death row.
Sr. KC Young, OP
Sr. KC Young, a Sinsinawa Dominican, embodies the mission of CMN in so many ways. She frequently responds to our advocacy requests for those facing the death penalty, and her ministry with the Freedom Project in Washington state prisons is all about restorative justice.
KC describes it this way: “I get to work with people where their hearts get to change through the teaching of nonviolent communication and mindfulness. They learn about connection, compassion, empathy.” Recent research shows those who have participated in Freedom Project’s courses have a 43 percent less chance of returning to prison which saves Washington taxpayers $5 million a year.
KC, we celebrate all the many ways you work to change hearts and begin healing.
Congregation Spotlight: Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, OH
Thirty years ago, Sr. Joanne Mascha, OSU (pictured above), was raped and murdered in the woods behind her Motherhouse in Cleveland.
Daniel Pitcher, the man responsible, was given a life sentence. At the end of last year, the Ursuline Sisters in Cleveland, OH — Sr. Joanne’s sisters — received a letter from Daniel, expressing his sorrow for what he did, and asking for forgiveness.
Their response said, in part, “When you took her life, you deprived our community, her family and God’s world of a gentle person who only wanted to spread God’s love. Nonetheless, we trust that she would want us to offer forgiveness to you in her name.”
It continues, “We accept your apology. We ask you to live out your desire for forgiveness by being a person of goodness, peace and kindness.”
For the Ursuline Sisters, this has also served as a call to action to work to end the death penalty both in Ohio and across the country.
Sisters, your act of forgiveness calls each of us to strive to be persons of “goodness, peace and kindness” and to continue our effort to end the death penalty.
