PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, which operates several schools in Philadelphia including Holy Family University, is an order with sisters stationed in Ukraine. Their superior general said their courage speaks to their legacy of service and sacrifice.
The sisters teach and provide religious education and activities for children. Some of them are from Poland and had the option to leave Ukraine, but chose to stay.
Philadelphia native Sister Angela Marie Mazzeo, the superior general of the Rome-based order, traveled to Poland to be close to them. She said the sisters there are currently safe, though that was not the case just days ago.
"For now, none of us has left," said Sister Franciszka Tumanevych in a letter posted to their website, "because after all, the people remain here, our people, who need us."
"They are being very brave, hearing the explosions and seeing the panic of the people," said Mazzeo. "They are just exhibiting courage."
This kind of courage is not new to the order. 11 sisters were executed by the Nazis on August 1, 1943.
"The sisters were living at a time where the Germans were arresting people, very often executing them," explained Mazzeo.
"There was a point were there were a number of men who were arrested who had families, and the sisters repeatedly said if there was a sacrifice of life was needed, let it be ours. The sisters were arrested, taken out into the forest and executed. And those prisoners were not. So they basically sacrificed their lives to save these fathers."
Mazzeo asked that people pray for the sisters in Ukraine. As Tumaneyvch wrote, "We will join together and ask that the Lord give us peace."
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Editor's note: Our initial story said that the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth is based in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but it is based in Rome, Italy with the Holy Family Province based in Des Plaines, Illinois. We regret the error.
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