Religious life for women
Women religious are an integral part of the Archdiocese of Seattle. These orders work in many areas, including social justice, outreach, education, care for the poor and more. They live the evangelical councils of chastity, poverty and obedience as a sign of their radical availability and fruitfulness for God, the Church and the world.
The following orders serve in the Archdiocese of Seattle, listed in alphabetical order. Browse through the listings, visit their websites and feel free to reach out directly to the communities for more information, to speak about discernment and/or schedule a time to visit!
The Adrian Dominican Sisters are an international congregation of more than 804 vowed women religious whose roots go back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. We are committed to preaching the word of God, the formation of community centered on faith and ministry to further the values of the Gospel among ourselves and in our world.
Our ministries have been developed from the traditional works of education, health care and social work. Our sisters serve in such ministries as education, administration, law, social work, health care, pastoral ministry, music, art and office work. Together, we continue the Dominican tradition of preaching through our prayer, study, ministry and common life.
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Adrian Dominican Sisters serve in Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle and Shoreline.
Sister Sara Fairbanks, OP
Director of Formation/Vocations
Office: 517-266-3532
Cell: 517-270-9293
Toll-free: 1-866-774-0005
Email: vocations@adriandominicans.org
Website: www.adriandominicans.org
The Blessed Sacrament Sisters of Charity are a congregation of religious women of prayer and mission, founded by Father Yoon Ule Su Lawrence in 1956 in Korea. There are about 400 sisters living and serving in Korea, Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia and the United States. Central administration and motherhouse are located in Jounju, Korea. The sisters assist in parishes, nursing homes, homeless centers, homes for handicapped children, orphanages, centers for the elderly, kindergartens and missions in Mongolia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Blessed Sacrament Sisters of Charity are trying to live and serve others following their founder's motto: "I myself have to be happy to share the happiness with others."
Sister Agnes Sunam Cho, BSSC
St. Paul Chong Hasang Parish
1316 62nd Ave E
Fife, WA 98424
Phone: 206-896-4489
Email: stpaulchongparish@gmail.com
The Carmelite Sisters of Our Lady are women religious from the Philippines. Through prayer and mission, the sisters in the Pacific Northwest participate in the redemptive mission through Christian formation, education and other pastoral ministries. With preferential love for the poor, they evangelize, calling people to a deeper faith, responsible action and a role in creating a just society.
The Carmelite Sisters of Our Lady serve in West Seattle at Providence Mount St. Vincent and in Holy Rosary Parish and School.
Sister Regina Christine Aviso, CarmOL
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Community
4731 38th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98136
Phone: 206-933-6439
We belong to the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and her presence pervades our monastery and stamps our life with a distinctly Marian character! Our Carmelite family, in keeping with the example given us by St. Teresa, also lovingly honors St. Joseph.
Holding everything in common, we challenge ourselves to radical self-denial — to right relationship with one another and all creation.
St. Teresa referred to the Carmelite community as "the little college of Christ." Sisters in the community come from broad and varied backgrounds, each bringing their unique gifts and talents ... each discovering new gifts and talents in Carmel.
St. Teresa's ideal, that we live our vocation in an atmosphere that strikes a balance between solitude on the one hand and community life on the other, remains our daily striving and challenge. We believe that within our acts of sisterly kindness and the little ordinary things we do each day is hidden the grace and potential for personal and world transformation.
We have a special focus in our prayer for the Church, for priests and for the missions.
St. Joseph Monastery
Shoreline
Email: seattlecarm@comcast.net
Website: www.seattlecarmel.org
The Dominican Sisters of the congregation of Saint Cecilia, Nashville, Tennessee, were founded in 1860. Our religious life is rooted in a contemplative framework which supports our active apostolate of education, through which we serve in classroom teaching and teacher preparation, faith formation programs and work with young people, and retreats and other catechetical initiatives fostering the New Evangelization. The Congregation currently serves in 17 states and Washington, D.C., as well as in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and Scotland.
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia serve in Bremerton at the parish school of Our Lady Star of the Sea.
Sister Peter Marie, OP
Vocation Director
St. Cecilia Motherhouse
Vocation Office
801 Dominican Drive
Nashville, TN 37228-1909
Phone: 615-256-0147
Email: vocation@op-tn.org
Website: www.nashvilledominican.org
The Tacoma Dominican Sisters, Congregation of St. Thomas Aquinas, have been in the Northwest since 1888. The Tacoma Dominican Community of vowed members and associates minister throughout Washington, California and Arizona. Their ministry and service include education; parish and hospital ministry; ministry to the sick and elderly, new immigrants and the poor and homeless; and to women's empowerment.
Their Dominican tradition of contemplation impels them to collaborate in networks of spiritual, educational and political commitment to create a just society that addresses basic human needs and ends the violence that erodes the planet. They are preachers of peace, justice and joy who have joined together as seekers of truth.
Sister Gretta Woodlock, OP
Tacoma Dominican Center
935 Fawcett Avenue South
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-272-9688
Cell: 253-579-4060
Email: gretta@tacomaop.org
Website: www.tacomaop.org/home-page
Sinsinawa Dominican women are called to proclaim the Gospel through the ministry of preaching and teaching in order to participate in building a holy and just society. The mission of the Sinsinawa Dominicans directs and guides the life and ministries of the sisters and all those who also espouse the mission. As an apostolic religious congregation, the Sinsinawa Dominicans engage in many and varied ministries of preaching and teaching. The congregation sponsors educational institutions. Sinsinawa sisters are also engaged in numerous sponsored ministries, all of which flow from the mission of the congregation.
Sinsinawa Dominicans Membership Office
585 County Road Z
Sinsinawa, WI 53824-9701
We are a community of vowed Franciscan women centered in Eucharist, committed to be loving presence through prayer, witness and service.
True to our Franciscan calling, we commit ourselves to building Christ's kingdom of justice and peace. We continue our efforts to preserve and nurture God's creation, to increase social and global consciousness, to educate ourselves to political awareness and to encourage action to effect change where necessary. (Unity in Diversity #40)
Proudly joined in the FSPA mission and ministry are our affiliates, prayer partners and our partners in sponsored ministries. Members of FSPA minister all around the globe.
Sister Amy Taylor, FSPA
912 Market St.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Email: membership@fspa.org
Website: www.fspa.org
The purpose and mission of the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Go Vap are "to know, love and offer oneself totally to Jesus Christ by diligently contemplating, remembering and imitating His sacrificial life on earth," and "continue his salvific mission through work of intercession in house prayers and in daily life" (Constitution 3 & 4). The sisters serve in different dioceses in Vietnam, Rome, Germany and the United States.
On October 16, 2021, the Sisters celebrated their 350th year:
Archbishop Etienne's Homily On Occasion of 350th Anniversary of Founding Congregation of Lovers Of The Holy Cross
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, they serve in parishes in Everett, Seattle, Tukwila, Mercer Island, Renton, Auburn, Tacoma and Olympia.
Sister Maria Phuong Thi Kim Dinh, LHC
20013 120th Ave SE
Kent, WA 98031
Phone: 253-478-3162
Email: mphuongdinh12@gmail.com
The Missionary Catechists of the Poor is a religious congregation founded in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico, in 1926 during the religious persecution. We are called to offer our life in union with Jesus Christ, serving our brothers and sisters, the most poor and abandoned. We are serving in dioceses in Mexico and the United States, and our main purpose is the evangelization, catechesis and formation of leaders. In the United States, we accompany the Hispanic community, showing them God's merciful love and helping them to become an active part of the Church.
Sister Maria N. Vazquez, MCP
St. Rose de Viterbo Parish
2571 Nichols Blvd.
Longview, WA 98632
Phone: 360-425-4660
The Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Fatima, Diocese of Izcalli, Mexico, serve in religious education training for Hispanics in parishes and missions in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Sister Anabell Carmona, MRF
5518 S Ryan St.
Seattle, WA 98178
Phone: 206-687-9496
Our Lady of the Rock is a community of contemplative Benedictine women dedicated to the praise of God through prayer and work. The monastery, a dependent priory of the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem CT, is set amidst 300 acres of forest and farmland on Shaw Island in the heart of the beautiful San Juan Islands.
The motto of the Order of Saint Benedict, Ora et Labora, is the animating spirit by which the community lives. The nuns chant the Mass and the Divine office each day in their monastic chapel, an architectural jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Lauds and Vespers are sung in Gregorian Chant as is the Mass, following the Novus Ordo form of the Latin Mass from Vatican II.
The nuns at Our Lady of the Rock strive to witness to God's presence in the world by offering a place of prayer and hospitality to others. Guests of all faiths are welcome to pray and work with the nuns in an environment of monastic peace.
Mother Prioress Noella Marcellino, O.S.B.
Our Lady of the Rock Monastery
P.O. Box 425
Shaw Island WA 98286
Website: olrmonastery.org
The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan is a pontifical institute with the goal of the praise and worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the boundless mercy which been revealed through the works of creation, redemption and sanctification. The sisters profess the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, as well as a fourth vow of service.
Our apostolate, as that of all religious, consists primarily in the witness of our consecrated lives. Flowing out of the charism entrusted to our foundress, Venerable Catherine McAuley, we offer that witness in the service of the “poor, sick, ignorant,” predominately in the areas of health care and education.
Sister Margaret Mary Turner, RSM
P.O. Box 314
Shaw Island, WA 98286
Phone: 360-468-3134
Website: rsmofalma.org/vocations
Their mission is to proclaim the good news as School Sisters of Notre Dame, directing their entire lives toward that oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. Their ministry is directed toward education. For them that means enabling persons to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s image and assisting them to direct their gifts toward building the earth. Committed to this goal, they respond to varying needs of church and world through a diversity of ministries. They strive to live and work in ways that reflect and promote the values Christ lived and taught.
Email: Sisters@ssnd.org
Website: www.ssnd.org
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are an international congregation. Their apostolate in the Western states includes California, Oregon and Washington. In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the sisters serve in Seattle, Longview, Monroe and Burien.
Sister Elisabeth Tiernan, SND
15413 11th Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166
Phone: 206-323-5595
Website: www.sndden.org
The Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was founded by Maryknoll Father John Morris in 1932 in Korea. SOLPH community members continue to serve not only in Korea, but also in the United States, Peru, China and Germany. The sisters minister in the areas of parish ministry, hospital ministry and Bible study.
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the sisters minister at St. Andrew Kim Parish in Seattle.
Sister Candida Gui Nyeo Lee, SOLPH
Sister Philia Eunhee Kim, SOLPH
St. Andrew Kim
11700 1st Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98125
Phone: 206-362-2278 or 206-963-7103
Our challenge as Sisters of Providence is to give a human face to Providence and testify to the love of God. We believe that the loving presence of God watches over the entire universe and remains attentive to the needs of all, active in us and through us. This is what we call Providence. We do this by engaging with compassion in prophetic solidarity with the poor — those people whose basic needs are not met, the victims of injustice, the rejected, the marginalized and the voiceless. This commitment requires us to be creative in the use of the talents God has given us, so that our actions are received as an expression of God's love.
The life of a Sister of Providence is challenged through ministry, supported in community and nourished by spirituality. We enjoy an international, intercultural, intergenerational community life, with prayer as the source of our joy. Founded in 1843 by Emilie Tavernier Gamelin in Montreal, our congregation is present and active in the Western U.S., Canada, Chile, Haiti, Egypt, El Salvador and the Philippines through such ministries as health care, education, parish ministry, social services, housing, prison ministry, pastoral care and spiritual direction.
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the sisters serve in Seattle, Renton, Tukwila and Everett.
Sisters of Providence Vocation Office
Phone: 509-474-2323 or 206-979-0577
Email: vocations@providence.org
Website: www.sistersofprovidence.net
St. Placid Priory is a women’s Benedictine monastic community. We come from diverse backgrounds and have pursued many different careers. We are down-to-earth. We follow the Rule of St. Benedict, pray together and extend our Benedictine presence to the local community in the Olympia, Washington, area.
We are healthy risk-takers, willing to follow the call of the Holy Spirit — even when the invitation seems unsure. We are a community with some structure and much freedom. We strive to allow the Rule of Benedict and the prophetic call to influence our lives. We are optimistic about our future and are taking concrete steps to prepare for our monastic future in the next century. We seek to cultivate a gentle spirit, bringing a non-violent stance to our conversation, interactions and ministry.
Sister Julian Cleary, OSB
St. Placid Priory
500 College Street NE
Lacey WA 98516-5339
Phone: 360-438-1771
Email: jcleary@stplacid.org
Website: www.stplacid.org
Gospel Women Making a Difference! Will you join us in following Jesus Christ?
We live the traditional Franciscan Third Order values of contemplation, poverty, humility and continuous conversion through the evangelical vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Community life, prayer and ministry support and express our relationships with God, others, creation and self. We choose to take the necessary risks to be a compassionate presence in our violent world — especially with women, children, those who have no voice and those who are economically poor, marginalized and oppressed.
Our varied ministries allow us to foster right relationships in our Church and promote peace in society in the United States and beyond.
Sister Diane Tomkinson, OSF
609 S Convent Rd
Aston, PA 19014
Phone: 610-558-6789
Email: vocations@osfphila.org
Website: www.osfphila.org
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and our Associates are called to practice hospitality, nonviolence and care for creation in our mission of peace through justice. We respond to God’s people in need and promote social justice as a way to peace. We stand in solidarity and act in justice with marginalized and oppressed people in our society. Our sisters minister in education, health care, parish ministry, social justice advocacy, spiritual direction and peace ministry in the U.S., U.K, Haiti and El Salvador. In the U.S., we serve in Washington, Oregon and on the East Coast. Prayer is fundamental to our life. Our presence to one another in community enables, sustains and challenges us to be responsive to our mission. We welcome new members to our congregation who reflect the rich diversity of people and cultures in our Church and world.
Sister Chero Chuma, CSJP, DNP
US Vocation Director
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
Bellevue, WA
Phone: 425-503-4520
Email: cherochuma@csjp.org
Website: www.csjp.org
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), an international congregation of Catholic sisters, associates and lay consecrated women, are dedicated to the full development of the human person through education, social justice, contemplation and the arts. Since our founding in Longueuil, Quebec, in 1843 by Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, our ministries have been to educate and empower people. Today, more than 400 SNJM sisters and nearly 400 associates are part of the SNJM U.S.-Ontario Province. Worldwide, Sisters of the Holy Names serve in North America, South America and Africa.
We have a special concern for the poor and marginalized, especially women and children. Our recent corporate stands include: support for water as a human right and a public good, opposition to human trafficking and solidarity with migrants and refugees.
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary have served in the Archdiocese of Seattle since 1880, with the opening of Holy Names Academy. We continue to support ministries such as the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center and Mercy Housing Northwest. Whether in schools or parishes, tutoring centers or graduate programs, studios or prisons, immigrant centers or counseling offices, we are committed to following the Gospel and working to promote systemic change. More information can be found on our website.
Sister Teresa Shields, SNJM
Seattle
Phone: 206-364-8155
Email: tshields5145@bellsouth.net
U.S. - Ontario Province
PO Box 398
Marylhurst, OR 97036
Toll Free: 1-877-296-7100
Email: info@snjmuson.org
Website: snjmusontario.org
Facebook: facebook.com/SistersoftheHolyNames
The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an international order that exists on all continents and engages in all forms of education. The motherhouse for the order is in Rome, Italy.
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, three sisters carry out their mission of education by working at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, or in parish, campus ministry or social service programs.
Area Contact:
Sister Marcia O'Dea, RSCJ
Phone: 425-698-1960
Vocations Director:
Mary Finlayson
Email: mfinlayson@rscj.org
Website: https://rscj.org/vocations
A vocation to married life enables us to love more deeply than we can by our own power. It transforms a contract between two people into a way of discipleship and conversion.
The USCCB tells us that vocations must be talked about regularly if a "vocation culture" is to take root in parishes and families.
Cover video clip fromBenedictine Sisters (OSB), Ferdinand, Indiana