Parish Ministries

"Because parish activities embrace a wide variety of cultures and a diversity of needs, I am enriched by the mutual exchange. I experience living our common mission of active and inclusive love."

Sister Stephanie Sinkewicz CSJ

What it is

Sisters of St. Joseph participate in the life of the parish, building community with parish priests and their parishioners. They assist with such efforts as outreach programs, religious education, visits and a whole range of activities having to do with fulfilling Christ's mission here on earth.

Meet some sisters…

Each of these ministries is different, responding to the needs of the parish. Perhaps the best way to describe them is to meet some of the individual sisters involved in this ministry:

Sister Rosalie Siegler CSJ

"I have been working in parish ministry since 1975. It started from a rekindling of Vatican II and the knowledge that we all had a mission in the church. I am pastoral assistant at St. Raphael's Parish in Burlington and working with the Conventual Franciscans. My aspects of ministry include the faith community of the parish: sacramental preparation, visitation to the sick, ministry to the bereaved, children's liturgy, RCIA coordination, parish pastoral council and other pastoral concerns as they unfold."

Sister Margaret Feeley CSJ

"In 1996 I became a volunteer member of St. Paul's Basilica Pastoral Team with an emphasis on the Social Outreach Programs. That takes in the Breakfast Club, the Food Bank, Visitation and Eucharistic Minister and involvement in the liturgical life of the parish. Committee work within the Regent Park Community allows me the opportunity to examine with the residents ways of improving their quality of life."

Sister Enid Selke CSJ

"In 1983, I began my ministry on St. Patrick's Parish Pastoral Team in Kapuskasing. Providing Adult Faith Education for parishioners, facilitating the RCIA Program and offering sacramental programs for St. Patrick's School children and adults—all have been part of my Ministry over the years. In 1989, at the request of Bishop Roger Despatie, I became the Animator of Ministry for the English-speaking people in the Hearst Diocese. This Ministry is carried out as Administrator of the Frank J. Selke Memorial Resource Centre. I work providing cultural, social, spiritual, recreational and educational activities to enhance the lives of participants of all faiths in Kapuskasing and across the Diocese of Hearst. My ministry takes me to Chapleau, Cochrane, Geraldton, Hearst, Hornpayne, Longlac and, of course, Kapuskasing."

Sister Stephanie Sinkewicz CSJ

"I divide my time between St. Peter's Parish, Toronto, and The O'Neill Centre, a Long Term Care and Retirement Residence. Through the church, I do home visiting and communion service to seniors and in a group home. I am also a lector and on the Volunteer Screening Committee. At the center, I visit 20-25 residents each week. I am on the Foot-Care Team at the "Out of the Cold" Program."

Many other Sisters are involved in parish ministry, which some do over and above their other ministry work.