75 Years

Sister Lou Ann Roof

I sum up my 75 years in the Sisters of the Precious Blood with one word: gratitude. I am grateful for the quality of people who touched my life in deep ways and the experiences that formed and shaped my life.

I am also grateful for all of my ministries. One of these was as a counselor in the Ohio prison system. I felt called to work in the prison system because of the incarcerated family members of two of our Sisters. They are still grateful to this day. I found the work in the prison eye-opening and a new way of looking at the Department of Corrections. I utilized my organizational skills daily, worked with social workers around Ohio, and developed presentations for their professional development. I had to be professional. I told the prisoners up for parole to use everything available to them and to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.

I began as a teacher and continued using the skills I developed as an educator in the prison system. The organizational skills were especially helpful in situations where three TVs had to be programmed for the entire unit of 100 men. Whatever you do, treat people with fairness.

I am also grateful to have volunteered with the RCIA. It is the most wonderful, powerful, down-to-earth program for people interested in becoming Catholic. It is a way for people to share deeply in their faith, the process of believing in God, and the depth of that faith. The people who participated in that walk touched my life very deeply. Even today, I keep in contact with some of those people.

Finally, I am grateful for my Sisters. Their sense and depth of faith and enthusiasm for ministry inspire me. Their dedication and support mean so much, in good times and in bad. At Salem Heights, we have a special opportunity to pray for others and to support one another. I treasure praying together in our Blessed Sacrament Chapel. I love singing in the choir, which I joined when I moved to Salem Heights in 2014. We are so blessed to have daily Mass. We are also blessed with so many dedicated staff members.

I am so blessed.

Sister Katie Lett
Sister Katie Lett’s 75th Jubilee comes at a time of transition, acceptance and hope.

Sister Katie’s ministries were varied, and they shape her current outlook on life.

As a teacher, she enjoyed working with her primary-age students, especially in Falls Church, Virginia; she loved the home she lived in and enjoyed her Sisters’ company. As the Congregation’s first vocation director, Sister Katie was part of a community of women promoting the Gospel nationwide and looking for new vocations to religious life. In her various pastoral ministries, Sister Katie listened, counseled and taught countless people, leading them closer to God in the process. In retirement, she volunteered her time and effort to many causes, especially prayer in community with her Sisters.

Today, Sister Katie does all of these things, but in a different way. She is learning to love her new home and enjoys her Sisters’ company when they visit. She promotes the Gospel in her presence to her neighbors. She continues to listen and gives her time to anyone who needs it. Finally, she prays for the causes she cares about, alone and in the community.

In this time of transition, Sister Katie finds hope. She enjoys her time spent in quiet prayer, using her prayer books as a guide. Her happy memories continue to give her peace in difficult times. Her openness to acceptance is growing day by day.

Sister Katie is grateful for her 75 years as a Sister of the Precious Blood.

60 Years

Sister Barbara Brown
As I reflected on where I find hope today, my thoughts first turned to the people who have been guiding stars in my life journey. The first was my Mom. She taught me by her example to pray always whether at work or at prayer. She gave meaning to love and kindness by inviting anyone to share her home, meals and especially her concern for them. Thinking of her continues to give me a hopeful model in my daily challenges.

That same love and guiding hand was extended to me by the Sisters of the Precious Blood who taught me in school, continued through my formation process and extends to this very day. My Sisters in community invited me to be all that I could be, and they walked the journey with me through these 60 years. I see this spirit continuing as we reshape our government structures and take more responsibility for the life of our Congregation, for ourselves and for each other through revised Cluster guidelines. Our life in community gives me hope.

I find hope in our Congregation as we continue to deepen a communal understanding of our call to mission as Sisters of the Precious Blood and to discern God’s will for us as we move forward into the future. Our 2023 Assembly Direction Statements gave us specific areas to pursue. CPPS Leadership has invited us into active participation in processes which address the three Directions. Our willingness to take a realistic look at our Congregation and to change and simplify our government structures gives me hope. That we acknowledge that all our financial resources are gifts to be given and are discerning how to share these consistent with our charism, values and mission gives me hope.

Looking back over the last 60 years, I appreciate more and more how God has been with us from our humble beginnings to this day. I appreciate how those who have gone before us faithfully responded to whatever God was calling them to. This reality challenges me to trust in that faithful God at this time and to trust in our leadership and membership that we will continue to be open to whatever lies before us. I am filled with hope for our future.

Sister Joyce Kahle
As I think about my 60 years as a Sister of the Precious Blood, many things have given me hope. Vatican II was still in session in 1965, and I was excited about the changes happening in the liturgy and religious life. I was very hopeful when we were one of the first Congregations in the area to experiment with our dress, ministries and organizational structures. I knew that this was where I belonged — with a progressive group of women who were meeting the needs of the time. We weren’t focused on looking like people set apart or better than anyone else, but instead, we were one with the people we served.

Being a product of the education at Regina High School that introduced me to issues of justice and service, I was excited to participate in things like the grape boycott in solidarity with the farm workers who were being oppressed. I believe our Way of Life document was the work of the Holy Spirit, and it continues to give me hope! As one song says, we are blessed to be “standing on the shoulders of the ones who went before us.”

I am so grateful for the leaders in our Congregation who were visionary and moved us forward early on so that today we can help others in the United States and around the world with our Heritage Mission Fund. Every time I read our mission statement, which is rooted in prayer and the redeeming love of Jesus, I get filled with hope. The words of a song from 60 years ago come to mind: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of,” and “No, not just for some, but for everyone.”

Our mission, to proclaim God’s love by being a life-giving presence, is certainly needed today, and I am hopeful that together, our loving presence can make a difference in our fractured country and world.