The Council of Religious for the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., honored women religious celebrating jubilees of religious profession this year during its Oct. 22, 2016, prayer service at St. Martin Church, Owensboro.
Bishop William Medley said the 11 sisters being honored represented more than 600 years of consecrated life.
“How many shoe laces have you tied? How many noses have you wiped?” he asked. “How many times have you said your morning prayers? Hundreds of thousands.”
He then wondered how many times these sisters had come before the altar of the Lord.
“Maybe I should get my calculator out. Whether it’s a million times or one time, we believe it is the perfect sacrifice,” he said.
The prayer service was on the same day as the Feast of John Paul II, whose papacy was needed because there was a Church that need to be shaped, Bishop Medley said.
“There was a Church to shape because women religious have taken the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” he said. “For some of you, that may be only in Kentucky. For others, it may be why you came to Kentucky.”
Each of the sisters celebrating jubilees shook Bishop Medley’s hand and received a certificate of thanks and a gift. Not all the sisters could be present, including Ursuline Sisters Pauletta McCarty, who is celebrating 75 years, and Rita Scott, celebrating 50 years, who had a maintenance emergency at Maple Mount. A Passionist Nun, a Franciscan Sister and a Glenmary Sister were also honored.
The Council of Religious is made up of Ursuline Sisters Pat Rhoten, Julia Head and Nancy Murphy, and Sister Jeannette Fennewald, a School Sister of Notre Dame. Following the prayer service, lunch was served courtesy of the Serra Clubs of Owensboro and Henderson.
Here are some photos from the prayer service: