Meet the new superior general for the Sisters of Life
Meet the new superior general for the Sisters of Life
Upon learning that she would take on the role of the new superior general of the Sisters of Life — a group of religious women committed to upholding the intrinsic dignity and value of every individual — Mother Mary Concepta, S.V., felt a sense of gratitude.
“I just express my gratitude to God,” she shared with Our Sunday Visitor regarding her election. “Having faith in his plans, and embracing the legacy of Mother Agnes, the Superior General for 30 years.”
“I aspire to carry on her legacy of selfless love and spiritual nurturing for our sisters, community, and extending to those we assist,” she expressed regarding her predecessor, who had guided the community since 1993. “It has been a validation of my own ability for spiritual nurturing, and now I eagerly anticipate witnessing it expand and grow in the lives of others.”
Mother Mary Concepta attributes her journey to the Sisters of Life to the mothers she has encountered throughout her life. In her vocation story, she discloses the influential pro-life testimony of her mother, who supported expectant high school students, and the intervention of Mother Mary. A university companion, who found herself pregnant due to date rape, connected her with the sisters after looking for their assistance.
One of Mother Mary Concepta’s seven brothers and sisters, Sister Mariae Agnus Dei, also became a member of the Sisters of Life. She shares the incredible story of how their father, an OB-GYN, embraced Catholicism and ceased performing abortions after a family member of a patient inquired about the baby: “Was it alive?”
Their mission
With this background, Mother Mary Concepta now heads the New York-based Sisters of Life established by the late Cardinal John O’Connor in 1991. The sisters take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, and “to safeguard and promote the sanctity of human life.”
Among other activities, they commit their lives to God by assisting women at risk of abortion, offering life-affirming assistance to expectant and parenting women who require help, organizing retreats and holy hours, promoting awareness, engaging with college students, and providing support to women experiencing difficulties following an abortion.
Besides the New York City region, they also operate in Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Toronto, and Catskill, New York.
Mother Mary Concepta, who commenced her role as superior general on June 1, which marks the anniversary of their community’s Foundation Day, arrived to the sisters from Farmington, Maine. She pursued nursing studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and was employed as a nurse in Boston prior to joining the Sisters of Life in 2003.
Currently, she resides at their Annunciation motherhouse in Suffern, New York.
The illustration of mothers
In the course of this change, Mother Mary Concepta discussed ways in which Catholics can assist her and the sisters.
“We must not overlook the strength of prayer,” she emphasized. “The adversary of the culture of death is a spiritual foe. Our community was established to pray and fast for human life, so we encourage you to unite with us in prayer and sacrifice for the dignity of human life and to ensure it is honored.”
As the chief general, she indicated Mary, the Mother of God, as her inspiration.
“The revered Mother serves as my foremost example for life, and her spiritual motherhood encompasses the entire cosmos,” she stated. “She belongs to every individual. Her message is profoundly simple, rooted in her maternal affection for each soul.”
She noticed a concentration, particularly in Our Lady of Guadalupe, she remarked.
“Her message is straightforward; I am here to embrace you and all your challenges, your issues, your sadness, happiness, and envelop all those areas in your heart with love, guiding you to Jesus,” she stated regarding Our Lady, who manifested as a pregnant mother to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531.
“We aspire to embody Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood in the world,” she concluded.
She acknowledged her own mother as her “initial witness to the holiness of human existence.”
“She nurtured the lives of 8 children on her own, while also supporting at-risk high school students, who were pregnant and facing the choice of abortion or the risk of becoming high school dropouts,” Mother Mary Concepta detailed. “She offered direct, generous assistance (we cared for numerous little ones as we were growing up!) so they wouldn’t have to decide between their child’s life and their education.”
“Her dedication to both the mother and the child — each deserving of affection and attention — was uplifting for me to witness,” she remarked.
A brave witness
She also recollected the influence of her university friend who directed her to the Sisters of Life after that friend became expectant due to a date rape. The siblings supported her as she considered putting her child up for adoption.
“I witnessed the change that occurred within her and the profound gift and sacrifice of choosing to place this child for adoption,” Mother Mary Concepta recalled. “By being alongside her in her personal journey, I realized the transformative effect of the unborn child.”
She met the sisters via her friend’s courageous testimony, she mentioned.
“Her testimony guided me on a path to seek a religious vocation and embrace openness,” she remarked. “It’s all a matter of God’s love and his divine call in our lives, and he is encouraging us to be receptive to saying yes.”
She offered her suggestions when interacting with expectant mothers. who feel alone, scared or that abortion is their only option: love.
“As Sisters of Life, we hold that each individual is holy, distinct, and one-of-a-kind, loved eternally by God,” she expressed. “We realize that navigating through life can often lead to forgetting this truth. However, we understand that when individuals are cherished for their identity rather than their actions, contributions, or accomplishments, they flourish and experience the richness of life.”
The sisters, she stated, desire that every individual they meet, particularly every expectant mother, recognizes and realizes her own worth.
“When she realizes that she is cherished, she is capable of achieving anything,” she finished. “When she recognizes the blessing of her own existence, she frequently wishes to select life for her own offspring.”
