By: Bill Mayfield, Communications Intern
Sister Réjane Cytacki has been a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth for 18 years. With a zestful energy that can fill the room, Sister Réjane loves her ministry, A Nun’s Life. She is able to connect the world to Catholic sisters and answer questions about faith, God, and religious life using a virtual community space. Social media, the Nuns Life website, and podcasting are tools she uses in her ministry to connect with the people. She loves telling the story of religious life one sister at a time.
As a vocational point person and mentor, she is the one that women who want to become a Sister talk to. Though she has never guided somebody through the process in person, she has used Zoom to walk with people interested in religious life. A lot of what she does is explain the ins and outs of what it means to be a Sister and the requirements you have to meet. She also gives recommendations on where someone should start or their next steps.
Using the virtual world gives Sister Réjane a broader landscape to reach people. On Facebook Live, she has an event called “Praying with the Sisters.” She usually invites another Sister to host with her. She has a simple format for it: an opening prayer, the psalm reading of the day, the gospel of the day, and a short reflection. She then opens the forum for anyone who has questions or comments. She closes it with a prayer and asks for petitions or intercessions that people want them to pray for.
Sister Réjane wishes that she had something similar when she was considering a religious life to help inform and prepare her for becoming a Sister. “Back then, we had books and magazines, which were sometimes overwhelming.” You can find sister Réjane’s content on https://anunslife.org/.
