The Sisters of Life

The Sisters of Life were founded in 1991 in New York (USA) by Cardinal John O'Connor. Their mission is to protect and promote the sanctity of all human life. Sister Maria Emmanuel, one of them, tells how the congregation was born:

"During a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp, Cardinal John O'Connor exclaimed: ‘O my God, how can human beings do this to other human beings?’ At that moment, he received a special grace and vowed to do all he could to protect the sanctity of all human life.

Later, as archbishop of New York, he tried to understand why decades of effort by so many souls involved in the pro-life movement failed to produce the desired results ... This inspired him to write in his diocesan newspaper’s column, "Help Wanted: Sisters of Life." To his surprise, he received many letters from women interested in joining this yet non-existent community. This is how the Sisters of Life were born on June 1, 1991.

There are currently just over 100 sisters in the United States. We also have a convent in Toronto, Canada. We have received a regular number of overseas vocations: from Ireland, Spain and Oceania. We are waiting for our first French vocation!

Expectant mothers who contact us cover the entire socio-economic, ethnic and religious spectrum. Living in poverty or holding degrees, all these women have in common the desire to be listened to, and to find hope. We also see many ‘victims’ of abortion in our apostolate of Hope and Healing."

Sister Maria Emmanuel, in an interview for La Nef magazine, April 2018

See also: Sisters of Life