Sister Jeanette Redmond
In every interview since the launch of our website, our sisters have been asked about hope. Their answers on what gives them hope and how they maintain hope vary, but the sisters are all certain of one thing: they have hope, and they’re proud to bear the name Dominican Sisters of Hope.
The sisters are sure of its presence, yet hope remains an elusive thing. Some get it from watching the news, seeing positive actions, or interacting with young people.
For Dominican Sister of Hope Jeanette Redmond, hope is a gift.
“If I pray to God for hope, He will give it to me,” Sister Jeanette shares. “God is never going to say, ‘No, you can’t have hope today!’”
She admits that this process wasn’t always so easy. Sister Jeanette shares that, in the past, she has covered up hope with “sadness and anger and other things.”
However, she never gave up.
“I began to be honest with God,” she says. “When I’m miserable, I tell Him. I find that hope is always there; I just have to see it.”
Sister Connie Kelly
Dominican Sister of Hope Connie Kelly agrees that it’s “kind of hard” to have hope in a world that is at war and flooded with natural disasters.
However, she also says that never giving up has been the key for her.
“I guess my best hope is God. I know that sounds kind of corny,” Sister Connie says. “There are so many times in my life when I could have easily given up, I could have easily walked away, but, because of God, I’m still here. That peace gives me hope that there will be peace in the world someday.”
Sister Jean Spena
Dominican Sister of Hope Jean Spena doesn’t have to look very far to find hope. She sees hope all around her, especially at Cathedral Kitchen, where she volunteered for ten years. The Camden, New Jersey soup kitchen now has 3000 volunteers, which Sister Jean says is hope alive.
“I do think that there is an awakening in the world; people understand that everybody needs to pitch in and help,” Sister Jean says. “When people help, if they see that the little they do makes a difference, they’ll continue to want to do that.”
Altogether, the sisters agree that there is plenty of hope to be had. We might not be onto any quick solutions for a hurting world, but there is grace among us. There is God among us. And there is a future to which we can look forward.
“I do believe in hope,” Sister Jean says. “I think that we can turn the corner in this world, where there’s so much violence and evil. There are people standing up for justice and righteousness for all people. That takes a lot of courage. And that brings hope.”