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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016
PARTING SHOT FROM JOSHUA BESSEX
A weekly snapshot from The Daily Astorian and Chinook Observer photographers
The December sun sets over Willapa Bay on the Long Beach (Wash.) Peninsula.
ODDITY
Prayer in pink
Pink Sisters mark 100
years of nonstop prayer,
seek 100 more
By NATALIE POMPILIO
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — For more than 100 years,
the cloistered nuns known as the Pink Sisters have
worked in shifts to ensure nonstop prayer in Phila-
delphia’s Chapel of Divine Love.
Now, to address their shrinking numbers and
ensure their prayers continue for another century,
the Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sisters
have begun quietly reaching out, seeking to grow
their order while carefully maintaining their se-
cluded life.
In the last year, they hung a banner outside their
chapel and convent as a way to let other people
know about their daily public Masses. They’ve
granted more interviews with news reporters.
And they have begun inviting Catholic women’s
organizations and schools to speak to the sisters
— with all conversations taking place through the
grille in the convent visiting room, of course.
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just inside the front door of the chapel. It encour-
ages visitors to ask themselves three questions: Do
you love Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? Do you
realize the power of prayer before the Blessed Sac-
rament? Is Jesus calling you to say ‘yes’ to a life of
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?
“We rarely reached out for vocation promotion
before the centennial. But now we want young la-
dies to see how beautiful the life is and how truer
the joy when it is without the trappings of material
things,” said Sister Maria Clarissa, 55. “We do our
part in addressing these challenges, but at the same
time, we leave it to the Lord. He’s the one who
calls.”
‘He’s the one who calls’
There were once as many as 40 nuns living in
the Philadelphia convent. Now, there are 20: The
youngest is 52, and the oldest is 90.
The order was founded in Holland in 1896 with
a focus on the perpetual adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, the consecrated bread they uphold as
the body and blood of Christ. The rose-hued habits
are meant to symbolize the joy the sisters feel hon-
oring the Holy Spirit.
In 1915, nine of the original sisters left the
motherhouse and came to Philadelphia, where
they were invited to open the order’s second con-
vent.
Today there are about 420 Holy Spirit Adora-
tion sisters living in 22 convents in 12 countries.
There are three other U.S. convents — in St. Lou-
is; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Lincoln, Nebraska.
It may come as a surprise to some that a group
of 20 nuns live a contemplative, secluded life not
far from Philadelphia’s famed museums, historic
landmarks and government. The sisters leave the
cloister only for emergencies, such as medical ap-
pointments. When they do venture out, the sisters
wear gray so as not to draw too much attention to
themselves.
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sory prayers on behalf of people they will never
meet living in places they will never see. They
pray most of the day, together and individually
in shifts before the Blessed Sacrament, generally
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All the sisters have jobs. Some craft Mass cards
and rosaries, the sales of which support the con-
vent. Other sisters respond to letters and answer
the phones. Some callers are lonely; others are sui-
cidal. Just listening, the sisters say, seems to make
a difference.
The sisters get one hour of free time and one
hour of recreation each day. They are allowed vis-
its from family and friends three times a year.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
A Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sister moves to a pew during a pray service in
December at the Chapel of Divine Love in Philadelphia. For 100 years now, twenty-four
hours a day, one of the cloistered nuns in a pink habit pray before the altar at the chapel.
To address their shrinking numbers and ensure their prayers continue for another cen-
tury, the Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sisters have begun quietly reaching out,
seeking to grow their order while carefully maintaining their secluded life.
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Sister Mary Angelica, 55, said she wants peo-
ple who have lost touch with their faith to know
there is always someone praying for them, “no
matter what their need may be.”
The sisters follow current events, but the news-
papers they receive don’t include the sports or en-
tertainment sections.
“We try to be as simple as possible so we can
focus on the Lord,” explained Mary Angelica.
“We are simple in everything, even meals —
though on special occasions, we have ice cream.”
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
The Chapel of Divine Love in Philadelphia.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
A Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sister plays the organ during a pray service in
December.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
A Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sister prays before an alter in December.