You may have read about the sisters of Our Lady of Peace in the most recent issue of
The Journey, but just in case you missed it, we’re sharing it here:
Sisters’ Corner
We are blessed to have four Franciscan Clarist nuns who live on site at the hospice residence and have dedicated their lives to providing physical and spiritual care for our patients. Their gentle, steady presence is a gift to our organization, and although they typically are loath to spend time in the spotlight, they agreed to let us share their stories in The Sister’s Corner of the Journey, which will be a regular feature in The Journey.
Sister Polsy, Sister Jenny, Sister Gracelet and Sister Metty are originally from Kerala, India, which is located in the southwestern part of the Indian peninsula along the Arabian Sea. They are members of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, an order founded in Kerala in 1888 by Bishop Charles Lavinge. The order draws inspiration from St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. The mission of FCC is to spread the kingdom of God through prayer, humble loving service to all – especially the sick, poor and downtrodden – total trust in the providence of God and leading all people to the love of God by bearing witness to the Gospel values, even being ready to be martyred for the sake of Jesus.
Sister Polsy and Sister Jenny have served at Our Lady of Peace Home since 2003, Sister Metty since 2011 and Sister Gracelet since 2014. Her love for cancer patients – those without money or cure – ran deep. “God surely loves them better than He loves us unless we love them,” Mother Alphonsa wrote. Staying true to her vision feels like a sacred duty, Joe said. He has researched St. Dominic, who founded the Dominican order, and St. Francis, who inspired the Franciscan Health Community that merged with Our Lady of Peace in 2009.
“When I think about the legacy of the sisters and their foundress – they were true to the saints that founded their orders,” Joe said. “I want people to look at this organization as a culmination of hundreds of years of founders. We could go back to Christ if you want to go back to the very beginning. That’s where these saints and sisters came from. There’s a long support for that legacy.”