First, we opened with the spirit of founders and the passion for mission that drives our sisters. The second article looked at those groups named for, and dedicated to, the virtue and ministries of charity. Last month, we delved into the Franciscan and Dominican families.

Now, we focus on four groups serving in South Carolina that honor patron saints in their official names: the Congregation of Sisters of St. John the Baptist (CSJB), Missionary Daughters of St. Jerome Emiliani (MHJE), Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel (SSMA) and Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

John the Baptist

The arrival of three of these groups in our diocese is quite recent — after the onset of the third millennium. In the United States, the Sisters of St. John the Baptist are based in Bronx, New York, however, their motherhouse is in Rome, and their reach includes provinces in Zambia and the Philippines. 

Founded by St. Alfonso Maria Fosco in the 19th century, their call is simply “Be Jesus” for all God’s people. Today, the sisters are specifically engaged in teaching, health care, pastoral ministries and social service in 18 nations. 

The Baptistine community is represented in South Carolina by five sisters residing and ministering throughout the diocese. St. Martin de Porres and St. Peter schools in Columbia share the services of a sister as their guidance counselor; St. Joseph School in Greenville ranks among its faculty a sister teaching high school mathematics; St. Mary Magdalene Church in Simpsonville has a CSJB sister teaching in their preschool program. Catholic Charities of South Carolina’s Columbia location has one of the CSJB sisters on staff reaching out to the homeless and assisting Clean of Heart ministries, while another sister serves St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Mauldin as director of religious education. 

The Baptistines see themselves emulating their patron saint by guiding others to Jesus through preparing their hearts.

Jerome Emiliani

The Missionary Daughters of St. Jerome Emiliani (Misioneras Hijas de San Jerónimo Emiliani) are also international. They are part of the Somascan family, since their 16th century patron saint also founded the order of the Clerics Regular of Somasca. St. Jerome Emiliani is especially invoked by those who care for orphans and the poor. 

The sisters describe themselves as “in constant search of those in need of the redeeming and salvific proclamation of the word of God.” They serve in 10 nations, spanning parts of Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Here in the upstate, three MHJE sisters serve in education and in parish ministry, one teaching at St. Anthony School in Greenville, another at St. Paul the Apostle School in Spartanburg and a third serving as parish secretary at Jesus Our Risen Savior Church in Spartanburg. 

The sisters dedicate themselves to the spiritual motherhood of children and youth, especially those who are abandoned and marginalized, and help build Catholic Christian community in cooperation with religious and diocesan priests and laity.

Michael the Archangel

The Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel are another group invited to the diocese very recently. The community was founded in 1986 and is based in the Diocese of Ekiti in Nigeria. Along with sustained growth in membership, the sisters have an extended group of lay people who collaborate with them in apostolate and prayer and are referred to as “the Michaelian family.” Their varied apostolates include catechesis, social work, education, care for the poor and sick, and promotion of justice. 

With these declared purposes, it is no surprise to find them in our diocese as pioneers in staffing the first St. Clare’s Home. The home was established in Greer to house women who are encountering crisis pregnancies and are in need of shelter and guidance throughout their pregnancy. 

A threefold summary of the SSMA missionary spirit is found in these words: service, adoration  and victory. The triumph of Christ himself and the triumph of good over evil found in the angelic ministry of St. Michael is emblazoned on their publications and, as recipients of their care in our diocese can attest, is also emblazoned on their hearts.

Cyril & Methodius

The Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, my community, were founded in 1909 by a Slovak immigrant, Father Matthew Jankola. They were among the many orders called to serve orphans and establish Catholic schools. SSCM sisters ministered in Pennsylvania and at various locations in eight states in the northeast.

Our sisters have been in this diocese since 1946, after Msgr. Joseph O’Brien met and recruited them while he was teaching at Marywood University in Pennsylvania. They first served at St. Patrick School in Charleston and offered catechetical classes at Divine Redeemer in Hanahan. In the early 1950s, they began Blessed Sacrament and Nativity Schools in the Holy City. In 2005, the community was invited to start St. Gregory the Great School in Bluffton and to participate in planning for John Paul II School in Ridgeland. In 2013, we assumed responsibility for the operation of St. Francis Center on St. Helena Island, an outreach ministering to the needs of the elderly poor, persons with disabilities and many more.

Our motto, “Thy Kingdom Come,” is inspired by patrons Cyril and Methodius, the apostles to the Slavs. These holy brothers exemplified love of God, liturgy, the Gospels and devotion to the people whose language and customs they honored as they went on mission.

Three of my sisters currently administer and serve at the St. Francis Center, while I am involved in ecumenical and interreligious ministry, service to women religious working in the diocese and teaching men in formation for the permanent diaconate in South Carolina.

These communities, whether new to South Carolina or here for several generations, have responded to the call to follow Christ in religious life, praying and serving under the inspiration of patron saints and the example of holy predecessors.

Their energy attests to a conviction voiced by St. Paul: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Phil 4:13).