Sisters plan to raise funds for charity during Catholic Sisters Week

Catholic Sisters Week is a worldwide celebration of religious women that is celebrated annually between March 8-14. The Sisters of St. Benedict have embraced the event, participating in past years primarily through engagement on campus with students. This year, they have set their sights beyond the student community in partnership with a national organization called Laundry Love. Laundry Love provides assistance to low-income families for laundry services at partnering laundromats. The St. Joseph Laundromat is one of over 200 nationwide laundromats involved in Laundry Love, and one of nine in Minnesota. Families can go to the laundromat and receive funds and laundry supplies.

Sessions are held on the first and third Tuesday nights of the month. Laundry Love aims to have $110 available for each session, and the sisters hope to raise $500 to contribute to this fund. According to the monastery’s press release, the partnership with Laundry Love provides a way for the sisters to engage with the intention of Catholic Sisters Week, “shining a light on the spirituality, mission and community building of women religious” in a meaningful way. Amanda Hackett, communications manager for the sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, has been working with Sister Pat Ruether and Sister Lisa Rose to set up the event. Ruether spoke on the difference between this years’ celebration of Catholic Sisters Week and previous years celebrations. The sisters wanted to connect with the broader community and promote social justice.

It can be difficult to incorporate social justice into their work because it often involves physical activism that is beyond the realm of many sisters. However, the influence and connection that the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict have locally and beyond provides a bridge for this social justice work. Through this outreach, they hope to make a difference in the lives of families and individuals who rely on services like Laundry Love for clean clothing. Ruether also noted just how important a clean pair of clothing can be. At CSB+SJU, these utilities are free, which is not true of many other living situations. Ruether said that the quote on the Laundry Love website was very memorable to her: “If I had clean clothes, people would treat me like a human being.”

The sisters are already on the way toward their goal of raising $500 dollars, with donations already arriving a week in advance of Catholic Sisters Week. A collection jar is located at the reception desk of St. Benedict’s Monastery. Additionally, the sisters will gather in Gorecki Fireside from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 13 to collect donations for Laundry Love.