By Sister Stefanie MacDonald, OSB

I have the privilege of teaching preschool in a Catholic school that serves middle- to low-income families. Our families are mostly Latino (over 50%), and the same percentage of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

It’s a privilege to serve families of diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds.

I love sharing my love and joy with the kids, knowing it gets passed along to their siblings and parents. And I just plain love diversity.

This ministry is my passion! And my Sisters are right there with me.

This may not be why I became a Catholic Benedictine Sister, but it’s one reason I remain one.

You see, my community helps me help others.

The Benedictines have a saying: Where there is one of us, there are all of us. Benedictines strongly support one another in whatever ministry they do. I can’t begin to tell you how much that means to me.

Knowing that my Sisters stand beside me, praying for me and my little ones; knowing that when I come home, they will be there to ask me how my day was – these things are priceless to me.

They help in other ways, too: They help cut out construction paper pumpkins and acorns. They help staple books. They are pen pals with my students, visit school and welcome the children to the monastery.