By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic
Ethan Frias, a sixth grader at St. David's School, asks about the Sisters of Life religious order during a pro-life talk given by the nuns at the school, Sept. 26, 2024.
Sister Ann Immaculee speaks while Sister Lumen Gloriae (far left) and Sister Catherine Joy Marie look on. The three sisters are part of the Sisters of Life, a religious order from New York, who visited St. David School in Davie Sept. 26, 2024, to speak to the students about pro-life issues.
Sister Ann Immaculee of the Sisters of Life hands out pro-life stickers to students at St. David School in Davie after a talk on pro-life issues, Sept. 26, 2024.
Sister Catherine Joy Marie of the Sisters of Life hands out pro-life stickers to sixth graders, Paige Malalel and Amara Viveiros after a talk on pro-life issues, Sept. 26, 2024.
Middle school students at St. David School in Davie pray the Hail Mary along with the Sisters of Life who visited the school to speak on pro-life issues, Sept. 26, 2024.
Photography: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
DAVIE | As part of Respect Life Month, the Sisters of Life, a community of nuns dedicated to respecting the sanctity of human life, spoke to middle school students at St. David School in Davie, Sept. 26, 2024, encouraging them to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“We hope that our talk will impact the kids,” said Sister Ann Immaculee, who along with Sister Lumen Gloriae and Sister Catherine Joy Marie, addressed the sixth, seventh and eighth graders, telling them that all life is sacred in the eyes of God.
The sisters are part of a new order of nuns initiated by Cardinal John O’Connor of New York. He wrote a headline in 1991 in a New York Catholic newspaper which said, “Help Wanted, Sisters of Life.” Eight women responded to the call and formed a new community in New York, since then the community has grown to more than a hundred worldwide.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Sister Ann Immaculee plays the guitar and sings as Sister Lumen Gloriae (far left), and Sister Catherine Joy Marie look on. The three sisters are part of the Sisters of Life, a religious order from New York, who visited St. David School in Davie Sept. 26, 2024, to speak to the students about pro-life issues.
The mission of the order is to serve women who are vulnerable to abortion, providing them with the support and resources to choose life for themselves and their children. They hold weekend retreats; evangelize; reach out to college students and help women who have suffered after an abortion to encounter the mercy and healing of Jesus Christ.
The sisters stressed that the events in which they participated in South Florida, including a Sept. 26, panel discussion on abortion with Archbishop Thomas Wenski and other panelists at St. Thomas University, and pro-life rallies at Florida International University, the University of Miami and St. Thomas University on Sept. 27, were not political events.
“We are an army of souls battling a spiritual demon,” Sister Immaculee said. “Every human heart needs to know how sacred they are. You are a gift. We want the kids to know about a culture of life and to live it.”
Some of the students asked questions about the nuns and their order.
“What is your order of nuns about?” asked sixth grader, Ethan Frias, 12. “How was it founded?”
Father Ryan Saunders, administrator of St. David Church, thanked the nuns for visiting the church.
“I hope the sisters’ visit will have an impact on the students,” he said.
Members of the Archdiocese of Miami Respect Life Ministry attended the talk with the sisters. Father Saunders said he has had women who have had abortions come into the confessional and say they are still hurting.
“Thank you for the work you do,” he told the Respect Life ministry members. “If it wasn’t for your work we couldn’t do this ministry.”
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Middle school students at St. David School in Davie pray the Hail Mary along with the Sisters of Life who visited the school to speak on pro-life issues, Sept. 26, 2024.
