CSA Sisters honored for 175 years of service, ministry in Diocese of Cleveland

The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine concluded the celebration of 175 years of ministry in the Diocese of Cleveland at a Mass and reception Sept. 12 at St. Albert the Great Parish in North Royalton. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost celebrated the liturgy with Father Don Oleksiak, diocesan vicar general, and Father Ed Estok, St. Albert the Great pastor, as concelebrants. Deacon Mark Yantek, who recently left his position as executive director of Regina Health Center, one of the sisters’ ministries, assisted.

The entrance procession included the CSA sisters and representatives of their ministries in the diocese, in Canton and in South Carolina. One of the sisters carried a book signed by every professed member of the congregation since 1851. Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, congregational leader, said that in front of the altar was a statue of Our Lady of Boulogne, reflecting the sisters’ roots in France, and a crystal heart representing their charism of charity.

“Sisters, since 1851 when Bishop Amadeus Rappe invited members of your community to move from France to Cleveland, you have joyfully embraced the risk of living the hypodeigma (a Greek word meaning pattern or model) of Jesus,” said Bishop Woost. “You have given the gift of yourselves in selfless love by opening hospitals, educating generations of children and teens and inviting lay women and men to share in your charism.”

He noted that in the 1960s, the sisters advocated for better housing initiatives for the poor and disadvantaged. In the 1980s, they established the CSA Health System and in the 1990s, they began compassionate care for HIV/AIDS-positive persons. They also renovated part of their motherhouse in Richfield to become Regina Health Center, a collaborative skilled nursing ministry serving religious, clergy and laity, many of whom are in the final stages of life.

“You continue to be the presence of Jesus in the lives of those most in need – the infirm, the elderly, the homeless, the underserved,” Bishop Woost said. “For 175 years … you have followed the advice of St. Augustine in your prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist … And for 175 years, by the witness of your lives and ministries, you have preached to us … we know that in the preaching of your lives, you ‘let it be with the words of God’ because we have seen God’s word spoken to you incarnated in your love, compassion, dedication, faithfulness, ministry and community according to the pattern of Jesus’ life and love. You are more than just an example to us. You have been – and are – a living sign of what God can accomplish when we use the gifts given ‘to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace,’” he added.

 “Today, with you, we thank God for 175 years of grace and blessings … We also thank God for you. Truly, in you, we see the hypodeigma of Jesus. We see the pattern of life given to us by Christ Jesus – a pattern proclaiming that the only ‘true measure of love is to love without measure,’” the bishop said.

After Mass, Sister Karam and Michael Goar, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System, offered brief remarks and thanks for those who helped the sisters with their ministry.

“We never did this alone,” Sister Karam said.

The sisters posed in front of the altar for a photo with the bishop before moving to the Parish Life Center for a reception.

Learn more about the Sisters of Charity Health System here and click here for additional information about the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.