Sister Danielle Lussier and Sister Theresa Alethia pose for a portrait on the front porch of their home in Mt.Sterling, Ky., in April.
Natosha Via for NPR hide caption Sister Theresa Alethia and Sister Danielle Lussier stand out at daily Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Lexington, Ky.Their heads are covered in waist-length teal veils, and black canvas work aprons cover their gray habits.
The aprons feature an embroidered image of Jesus on the cross, alive and gasping for air."It is an important moment for us, when Jesus calls out to the Father, 'My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?'" Sister Theresa Alethia says."That's the moment that we enter into with the people that we serve."Alethia and Lussier call themselves the Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth and Goodness.
They spend most of their time praying for and meeting with people who have experienced abuse of various kinds, including emotional, financial, spiritual or sexual.It's a daunting and complex mission: serving the Catholic Church by caring for people harmed by it.
Right now, Alethia and Lussier are the only community of religious sisters in the Catholic Church fully dedicated to serving abuse victims.Sister Danielle Lussier and Sister Theresa Alethia sing morning prayers in the chapel next to their home in Mt.
Sterling, Ky., in April.Natosha Via for NPR hide caption And they have more plans for the future.
The two sisters are working to establish themselves as an official, full-fledged order in the Catholic Church – a long process that depends on the cooperation of the local bishop, the growth of the order, and, as the women say, "God's timing."Catholic researchers say there are nearly 2,000 orders of Catholic nuns ...