Sisters of Life
The Sisters of Life is a Catholic religious institute for women that follows the Augustinian rule. It is both a contemplative and active religious community, working in North America for the promotion of anti-abortion causes. Its members use the post-nominal abbreviation '''S.V.'''
Origins
The Sisters of Life were an order first conceived of by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor of New York, on a visit to the remains of a Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Germany. There he placed his hands inside a crematoria oven, "felt the intermingled ashes of Jew and Christian, rabbi, priest and minister," and is recorded as proclaiming, "Good God, how could human beings do this to other human beings?"Several years later, he decided to begin a new religious community in the Church, one dedicated to the promotion of pro-life causes, specifically working for an end to abortion and euthanasia. He proclaimed his intentions in an article entitled "Help Wanted: Sisters of Life" written for the newspaper Catholic New York, in which he asked for women of higher education to especially consider joining. Many women responded to the article, and on Foundation Day, June 1, 1991, eight women joined the order. For thirteen years they remained a public association of the lay faithful—a non-religious Catholic community—until March 25, 2004, when they were formally established as a religious institute of diocesan right by Edward Michael Egan, Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of New York. The first Superior General of the order was Mother Agnes Mary Donovan.
Vows and activities
Like all Catholic religious communities, the Sisters of Life take the three traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The Sisters of Life take an additional fourth vow to "protect and enhance the sacredness of human life." They spend 4 hours a day in common prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, including a daily Holy Hour consisting of the Rosary, 45 minutes of meditation and Vespers. Their daily work includes their aid and support to pregnant women at Saint Peter's Church in Toronto, Canada, and Holy Respite in New York.They run retreats entitled "Enter Canaan" to aid women who have had abortions in finding emotional and spiritual peace. At the request of Cardinal Edward Michael Egan, the Sisters of Life began directing the New York Archdiocesan Family Life/Respect Life Office, which organizes anti-abortion initiatives in the archdiocese. They house the Dr. Joseph Stanton Human Life Issues Library, an archive of legal, medical and catechetical anti-abortion literature, in their New York convent.