“Sent to Serve: Profiles of religious life in Atlanta” is a regular Georgia Bulletin series sharing the work of the religious order priests and sisters serving in the archdiocese.    

ROME—Between railroad tracks and a shopping center, several people streamed in from all directions to find three Catholic sisters praying and distributing food from the trunk of their van. Some people rode their bikes into the parking lot, and others walked on foot to retrieve bags of sandwiches, a hot meal and snacks—the food that would sustain them for a few days. 

Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ, a community of three sisters living in the nearby small town of Cedartown, deliver food every Monday to the parking lot as part of their charism to serve the poor. Homeless and low-income residents of Rome have found the sisters’ street ministry mostly through word of mouth. 

“Our mission is based on Matthew 25—I was hungry and you gave me food; I was naked and you clothed me,” said Sister Myrian of the Crucified. “If we do this for those in need, then we do it for him (Christ).”  

On a recent evening as the sun was setting, the sisters greeted some familiar faces with hugs. They invited the individuals who were receiving food into conversation if they wanted to talk. Some stayed to share their lives with the sisters, and others retreated into nearby woods with food bags hanging on their bicycle handlebars. 

“Being here and serving the people that God entrusted to us is meaningful because Jesus calls us to bring hope to the people who maybe don’t have hope and light right now,” said Sister Dalva of the Risen Jesus. “Our founder says it’s about being family to the poor. It’s more than just food.” 

Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ was formed in Brazil in 2001 by Father Gilson Sobreiro who felt a calling to serve youth who were suffering from poverty, addiction, violence, unemployment and broken families. A decade later, the first North American mission was established in Kansas. 

Now, the congregation has 80 missions in 16 countries. In the United States, there are four mission houses—Kansas, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Cedartown. 

The Cedartown mission, called Fraternitas St. Katharine Drexel, began in early 2022 at the invitation of Father Tim Gallagher, then pastor of St. Bernadette Catholic Church. The old parish building was converted into a simple convent where three sisters live and pray. 

The sisters keep a daily schedule of personal prayer, communal prayer and worshiping at Mass. They eat together, do chores and have free time for reading or planning retreats. 

In addition to their food ministry, the sisters also serve the St. Bernadette’s parish community that is largely Hispanic and Spanish speaking. They have accompanied grieving families and helped married couples who are struggling. Additionally, they lead formation activities such as eucharistic minister training, confirmation retreats and retreats for catechists. 

The sisters are searching and praying for another outreach to expand their service in the area, Sister Myrian said. 

Sister Dalva of the Risen Jesus,PJC, sorts through piles of donated clothes. She separates them into men’s and women’s to give to the poor and homeless community of Rome. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Spiritual fruits 

Sister Mary of the Obedient Jesus has found that living in Cedartown pushes her to recognize that poverty can take many forms in addition to material poverty. People may be lonely, depressed, or anxious and need the community that the sisters bring to Cedartown and Rome, she said. 

“We come here to create a community with them, to pray with them, and to feed them,” said Sister Mary. “We know the importance of the physical fruit but also the spiritual fruit and recognizing that Christ is with us. Here in Cedartown and Rome, I’ve learned to see the poor in all of us.” 

Sister Mary was living at a mission house in Ontario, Canada, prior to professing vows in January and moving to Cedartown. The poor and homeless were more numerous and visible in Ontario than Cedartown, she said. 

Likewise, Sister Dalva said they don’t see as many homeless as she did at her prior mission in Baltimore, but the poor have similar needs wherever she goes. 

“We see him (Christ) in every culture, every language,” she said. “God is present and we have to be open to that calling as a missionary.” 

On a typical Monday evening, the sisters and volunteers serve food to about 25 to 30 people in Rome. Some weeks, they also have clothing available.  

Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ profess vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. They also profess a fourth vow called availability, which means being open to God’s call like Mary was when she quickly went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. 

eresa of Kolkata who said Christians are “called to be poor with the poor.” Living a life of simplicity and poverty is her way to holiness, she said.  

Marlen Baldizon is a volunteer from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Carrollton who cooks a hot meal once a month to distribute alongside the sisters. The sisters have helped her be courageous in her service to the poor, she said. 

“They are my little angels. They are the bridge to reach people I never thought I would,” said Baldizon, who met the sisters during a retreat. “I love to serve. To serve is to be alive.”