For the past two days, we had the extraordinary opportunity to spend time with one of America's most well-known and respected communities of spirituality - the Felician Sisters - who trace their heritage back to Poland at 1825.
From their significant presence in Livonia, Michigan, on their campus where the works of spirituality flows like a fast-moving grand river, it is here, through their ministries of environmental stewardship, justice and peace, support of those who are poor or disabled, childcare, care for the sick and elderly , affordable housing as well as at-risk youth ministries, that their ministry thrives.
Today, there are roughly 350 Felician Sisters in North America and 1000 around the globe, offering a vast array of services during these complicated times in which we live.
While all of this is truly impressive and moving, it was our time spent with many of the sisters who shared their personal life journey, helping us better understand their lives behind the habit.
The Felician Sisters have such a fascinating and rich history that you can easily see how their story, similar to the IHM sisters, could be its own entire series.
One part of their history that fascinated me was how they came to the aid of young Jewish children in Poland, helping hide them amongst Christian orphans in an effort to save them from the atrocities of WWII.
Through our sit-down talks, we were given a very personal look into the lives of these highly educated sisters, whose personalities exude the Catholic faith along with a deep sense understanding the world. Having been a child who was taught by very strict sisters in the 60's, it was so wonderful to see the humorous, witty sides of these ladies.
Some of the discussions took us down the path of why sisters and nuns seem to have the recipe for a healthy longevity, with low rates of various forms of dementia. They talked about a medical study done several years ago, which found that their lifestyle having a purpose, living in community and prayer has helped shield them from the various forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s.
They reflected on their journey with COVID-19, during which they lost 13 sisters - one every other day - during that tumultuous time.They now have a special place in the garden on their property where they can sit and reflect of the lives of their fellow sisters. There is a cross representing each sister’s life in the garden. The sisters all remained in their rooms and were not able to attend any of the funerals that took place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield Michigan.
There is no question that through education, medical leadership, community support in so many ways, as one sister said, “We are in our community members’ lives from the womb to the tomb.”
It’s hard to imagine a world without our wonderful Felician Sisters.
We are thrilled to be able to feature the Felician Sisters in our film The Calling.