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January 13, 2023, Rome – Pope Benedict XVI was an “accomplished pianist and scholar” who set a precedent for future popes in his surprising decision to retire from the papacy and leave it to another to lead the Catholic Church.

Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP

That’s how Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, Dominican Representative to the UN, remembered Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. She was among a group of Catholic Sisters who reflected on his contributions to the Church shortly after he died on December 31, 2022.

Sister Durstyne was quoted in a January 5, 2023, Global Sisters Report article saying she believes that Pope Benedict will be remembered “as a shy scholar who led the church for eight years,” and as a “student of the Word [who] desired to know Jesus intimately.” She noted his three-volume work on Jesus, which he wrote while in retirement.

Like many others, Sister Durstyne pointed to the importance of his decision to retire. “It paves the way for any pope in the future to do likewise,” she said. “Perhaps this is one of the additional gifts Benedict leaves the Church today.”

Read more of Sister Durstyne’s comments and the reflections of other Sisters in the Global Sisters Report article by Chris Herlinger and Dan Stockman.

November 28, 2022, Washington, D.C. – Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, addressed members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) during its annual assembly on November 15, 2022, for a final time as President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA). The first female to head CCUSA, Sister Donna announced recently that she will retire next year.

CCUSA is a network of agencies through the United States that address the needs of vulnerable people. Sister Donna told the U.S. Bishops that her goal was to "help this ministry become more financially stable and nimble as the entire Catholic Charities network responds to increasing demands to care for growing numbers of disaster victims, migrants, homeless folks, hungry people, mentally ill, addicted people, and families and children in precarious socio-economic situations."

Sister Donna, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation from 2004 to 2010, spoke not only of the needs of people throughout the United States and in territories such as Puerto Rico, but of the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations in helping CCUSA agencies meet those needs. 

"It’s important for you to tell the story of the Catholic Church’s response in this country to people who reside along the margins of our society, the very most fragile, the most vulnerable – to be able to say this is where our Church puts the Gospel into action," Sister Donna said. "It’s where Matthew 25 comes alive palpably every day across the entire country."

Watch the video of Sister Donna’s address.