“This is the charism of the Sisters of Life: to mother the mothers of the unborn; to mother the unborn; to mother all those who are frail, all of those who are vulnerable, all those who are ill, all of those who are in danger of being put to death, all those whose lives the world considers useless. Our Lord says to each Sister of Life, ‘Woman, behold your son. Behold your daughter.’” – John Cardinal O’Connor

The Sisters of Life are a contemplative/active Roman Catholic community of women religious, who profess the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. We were founded by Cardinal John O’Connor in New York in 1991, and received formal approbation as a religious institute in 2004, under Cardinal Edward Egan. We currently serve in the [Arch]dioceses of New York, Albany, Bridgeport, Philadelphia, Denver, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, Canada. Our missions include serving women who are vulnerable to abortion, giving them the support and resources to be able to choose life for themselves and their children; hosting weekend retreats; evangelization; outreach to college students; and helping women who have suffered after abortion to encounter the mercy and healing of Jesus Christ.

We vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life. As spiritual mothers living in the heart of the Church, we experience the threats to human dignity and life all the more deeply. We pray. We fast. We serve. Why? Because we want to uphold the dignity and worth of each person, created from and for God’s great love.