Celebrating Sr. Catherine Sheehan, DW during Catholic Sisters Week

Today, as a woman religious, I am most passionate about …

As a leader today, one needs to be as concerned about the care of the individual members as one is about the life-form itself.  Margaret Wheatley, an American writer and management consultant in organizational behavior in her book Leadership and the New Science, refers to a “self-renewing system” as “structures that seem capable of maintaining an identity while changing form.”  Theologian, Sandra Schneiders’ comments on Margaret Wheatley’s writings and states that when a system is responsive to the environment and consistent with its own identity, it can be both responsive and resilient.  She further states that a healthy organism develops organic boundaries.  We are where we are today because women religious have and continue to embrace change. 

Presently, our congregation, like many others, is undergoing reconfiguration.  It is another indication of how women religious are continuing to embrace change.  We are still maintaining our identity as Daughters of Wisdom while responding to the signs of the times, the aging demographic of women religious, and fewer members.  The direction of our 2018 General Chapter is “Love Without Borders.”  As leaders, we are called to lead with compassionate and loving hearts keeping in mind the journey is as important as –if not more important than - accomplishing the goal.    

Sr. Catherine Sheehan, Provincial, Daughters of Wisdom, US Province

Sr. Cathy, who has always had rescue cats, is known to make feline friends no matter where she goes. On one occasion, while in France, Robert befriended her while she was outdoors on a break from business. Their break-time visits continued during her stay there. Robert, who was not allowed inside the retreat center, one day made his way up to her second-floor room, and as she was leaving, she found him sitting outside her door!

Today, she is raising Buddy, her most recent rescue, who has already gained stardom through a photo in the local newspaper. These are photos of Robert, on Sr. Cathy’s lap, and Buddy in his debut photo.