Sister Katherine Mary Westhues
Sister Katherine Mary Westhues reflects that her early prayer and faith life were shaped by her father’s faith. “God was always near him. It was a normal part of life,” she says. Her family practiced daily prayer through the rosary, meal blessings, and weekly Sunday Mass.
Sister Katherine Mary’s spiritual journey led her to religious life. “I felt the reason I came to religious life was for God. Teaching was secondary. God was my first reason, and if I didn’t have a relationship with him, the rest of it wouldn’t be any good,” she explains.
The Blessed Sacrament has been central to her spiritual life throughout her years of service. In her current prayer ministry, she treasures daily Mass attendance and expresses gratitude for this blessing each night. Rather than focusing on specific prayer intentions, Sister Katherine Mary prefers to praise God and surrender outcomes to divine wisdom, acknowledging the overwhelming number of worthy causes in today’s troubled world.
Sister Mary Geraldine Yelich
Sister Mary Geraldine Yelich says that people look forward to prayers from the Sisters, which makes her take their requests very seriously. She says her primary mission these days is to pray and be present for others.
This understanding of prayer took a considerable amount of time to develop. Sister Mary Geraldine says she didn’t have the advantage of Catholic schooling, and her parents weren’t particularly religious. Despite this, her mother always ensured that her children attended religious education classes taught by the Sisters during the summertime.
These days, Sister Mary Geraldine finds joy in the many opportunities at the Mother House and Ross Hall to nourish her prayer life. She feels blessed that Father Dennis Schaab, C.PP.S., is on campus and can say Mass every day for the SCL Community. Most of all, Sister Mary Geraldine thinks, “We can be nourished every day with the Eucharist. And I think that should bring the most joy that we can receive Jesus every day.”
This article appeared in the 2025 Summer Edition of Voices of Charity.
