Hopebound Ministries is celebrating Catholic Sisters Week 2023 by featuring a different Felician Sister each day from March 8 - March 14, 2023
Today, we are featuring Sr. Jolene Jasinski, Director of Mission Integration at Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry in Buffalo, NY.
For a little over one year, Sister Jolene Jasinski has shared her “ministry of presence” to the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry, which is situated on the campus of Villa Maria College, and serves the campus community and the residents of three surrounding zip codes. “There something holy about being present to the clients, to the staff. Being present and representing who we are as Felician Sisters” says Sister Jolene.
The most rewarding part of her work as the Director of Mission Integration for the pantry is the opportunity to represent the Felician Sisters’ mission which is part of the mission of the Church to care for those in need. She also enjoys connecting with the pantry staff through presentations about the Felician Core Values for Ministry, the life of Blessed Mary Angela, foundress of the Felician Sisters, and the history of the Congregation in order to help convey to the staff that they are “our partners in ministry.”
Before joining the leadership team at the food pantry, Sister Jolene served on the leadership team for Our Lady of Hope Province. She has also served as a judge in the Tribunal for the Diocese of Buffalo, as a principal in grammar schools, and as a first-grade teacher. Sister Jolene, originally from Buffalo, NY, has a master’s degree in theology from St. Bonaventure University, as well as Certification in School Administration from the State of New York and a J.C.L. degree in Cannon Law from Catholic University of America.
Sister Jolene sees her work with the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry, and her everyday encounters with the Buffalo community, as an extension of the work of the church. “As Felician Sisters we are attentive to the call of the Church in response to reaching out to those in need, showing care and concern for our Mother Earth and responding to the “signs of the times.”
Sister Jolene loves to cook and bake and has many admirers of her cooking efforts among the sisters. “I do basic things in creative ways. It takes me away from everything else, in a different kind of world.” She also enjoys reading well-crafted mysteries – especially those that evoke a specific location or period of history and continues to expand her personal knowledge of topics in church history, such as the role of women in the early church.
What’s one thing Sister Jolene wants readers to know about what it’s like to be a Felician Sister? The rich history of the Felician Sisters! “Since the very beginning of our Congregation, you can read founding stories of our community and our foundress, Blessed Mary Angela, who was committed to go where she was needed.” The Felician Sisters from their founding days have never been focused on just one kind of ministry, but rather commit to stay attuned to the needs of the people in their communities, and all the places they are called to be. “Like the pantry!” says Sister Jolene.
Thank you, Sister Jolene, for all you do for the Sr. Mary Josette Food Pantry, and for sharing your story with us!
