Archbishop Sartain praises 'wonderful contribution' of women religious

April 24, 2012: Archbishop Peter J. Sartain of Seattle praised American religious women as a “great gift” days after being asked by Pope Benedict to help reform the U.S.'s Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

“What I hope and pray for every day is that I, first of all, do as the Lord asks and do as the Holy Father asks,” said the archbishop, describing the task of renewal ahead to CNA on Monday.

He said he hopes “to work in a positive way,” recognizing “the wonderful contribution of religious women in the United States, and to work in a way that shows our continued love and support for their extraordinary contribution.”

Archbishop Sartain made his remarks in Rome only days after Pope Benedict XVI also publicly praised the contribution religious women make to the U.S. Church and society.

The archbishop explained that it was the women religious of Archdiocese of Seattle who were the “pioneers” in the “evangelization of the Gospel, care for the poor and the sick and education,” as happened elsewhere across America.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious has more than 1500 members, whose congregations represent over 46,000 religious sisters.