It’s hard to imagine for Catholics of a certain age, but many young Catholics have never seen a religious sister, much less gotten to know one.
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), a leading voice for religious sisters, shared this heartbreaking and all-too-frequent experience:
So often we have had the experience of visiting a classroom to make a presentation and we’ll begin by asking the children how many of them have ever seen a religious sister. These days, depending on where we are in the country, one or two or three hands may go up.
Children are very often no longer being educated by religious sisters and therefore don’t know any. Too many young people are growing up without considering this as a possibility for their lives.
God still calls, but it is very difficult to understand what He means without this experience.
Young people need to know what it means to be a religious sister in order to know whether God is calling them to that vocation. But how can they see and understand the vocation when there are so few religious sisters?
For Love Alone
CMSWR came up with a solution: a moving and honest look at religious life through a film called For Love Alone. You can watch it for free on YouTube or purchase a DVD.
The 17-minute film uses the testimony of religious sisters, their family members, and those they serve, as well as gripping images and music, to reveal the beauty of religious life. For Love Alone leaves viewers with an unforgettable insight into the mystery of a religious vocation.
Even better, CMSWR created lesson plans to go along with the film for grades 5-12. The film is perfect for sharing in the classroom at your Catholic school or religious education program. Young people, meet religious sisters!
The film brings a message of hope and great love:
There are still young people who are trying to listen and follow the call of God. There are still young people who are willing to stake their lives on God … God is worth the risk. This is a love story; a love story of infinite and eternal proportions.
You can find the lesson plans, film itself, study guides, and other great resources at the For Love Alone website.
A film for everyone
“The film is for everyone,” CMSWR notes on the site. “Certainly, we are hoping to educate and inspire the young generation of Catholics about the beauty of the call to be a religious woman, but we also hope that all Catholics will get the opportunity to see the film and be encouraged to know that religious life is alive and flourishing in the U.S.”
Take the time to check out For Love Alone and share it with the young people in your life. It may just inspire a girl or young woman to pursue a vocation to love as a religious sister.
And today we celebrate...