By Archdiocese of Miami -
Homily by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at Mass with Pastoral Center staff in thanksgiving for Sister Elizabeth Worley, SSJ's 80th birthday. Miami Shores, FL, Jan. 23, 2026.
The Scriptures today – both from the first reading and the gospel – speak of how God chooses unlikely people to carry out his will. In the first reading, we see David, the shepherd boy, who slays Goliath and becomes Israel’s great king. In the gospel, Jesus chooses humble fishermen and will make them the foundation of his Church. Here in Florida, we see how he chose women of faith and grit to aid in the mission of the Church to preach the good news, to cure the sick, and to care for the poor.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of St. Augustine have been an integral part of the history of the Church in Florida. They came from Le Puy, France, to educate the children of freed slaves. Father Jean Pierre Medaille envisioned that the sisters should serve “in whatever service of which women were capable.” Well, here in Florida and elsewhere, the Sisters of St. Joseph have shown themselves capable of serving, and serving well, in just about everything. They staff schools across the State of Florida – and hospitals as well, including Mercy Hospital here in Miami. The Sisters of St. Joseph, still active in ministry, are much fewer in numbers than in the past. From the dozens that used to work here in the Archdiocese, we have just one remaining – and that is Sister Elizabeth Worley, our COO or chancellor for administration. And no, Sister Elizabeth was not my second-grade teacher. But I was educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph at Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth, Florida.
On Sunday, she will celebrate her birthday. The 25th of January, her birthday, is also the Feast Day commemorating the Conversion of St. Paul, whom you might remember encountered the Lord on the road to Damascus when he was thrown from his horse. (No more needs to be said about that.) He was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. The Christians were happy to learn later that St. Paul would be on their side from now on. Sister Elizabeth certainly has some of that zeal that possessed St. Paul, and so we all want her to be on our side.
Sister, your charism of service of the “dear neighbor” with the “cordiale charite” in the manner of St. Joseph, whose name you bear, has contributed to the building up of the Church, the Body of Christ, here in South Florida, in the Archdiocese of Miami. And you, Sister, have excelled in any number of ministries: in education, health care, diocesan administration, and so on. You have served four archbishops – and maybe soon a fifth.
Some time ago, I was reviewing a vocation video on religious life, and one sister who was being interviewed said that one day, while walking down a street, a little girl saw her, pointed to her, and said to her mother: “Mommy, look, there goes the Church.” (Of course, she was not referring to her size but to her habit.)
This little girl grasped a profound truth about the nature of consecrated life. The “consecrated” – religious brothers and sisters - are the Church “concentrated” as it were. Their lives as consecrated religious are at the very heart of the Church because their radical embrace of the Gospel makes manifest the inner nature of every Christian’s calling. Or, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, “the ultimate norm of religious life is the following of Christ" (vitae religiosae ultima norma sequela Christi).
Consecrated religious are vowed to live the evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity, and obedience, which the world - and too often the faithful - see as simply renunciations. The evangelical counsels are not just a “no” but a great “yes.” Each counsel in its own unique way is a specific acceptance of the Mystery of Christ lived within the Church.
As I said, religious sisters are the Church concentrated. And, Sister, through you and your witness, the evangelical counsels - characteristic features of Jesus, the chaste, poor, obedient one - are made constantly visible in the midst of the world.
Happy Birthday!
