Diana Cervantes

Visual Journalist
   
Felician Sisters devote lives to prayer, service
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Nationality: Hispanic
Biography: Diana Cervantes is an Independent Visual Journalist based in New York City and her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cervantes focuses on long-form visual narratives in conservation efforts, the environment, unique intimate bonds between humans... MORE
Private Story
Felician Sisters devote lives to prayer, service
Copyright Diana Cervantes 2024
Date of Work Nov 2018 - Nov 2018
Updated Sep 2019
Topics Documentary, Essays, Photography, Photojournalism, Spirituality
The sound of hymns echoes through the hallway of the Felician Sisters Chapel on a crisp Wednesday morning in November.

It’s 7:15 a.m., and two of the three sisters have been up and going since 5 a.m.

Every morning, the sisters open the chapel to the public to join them in Mass. The women pray twice a day together and individually as needed.

“Well, the most important thing is our prayer life. We have to start our workforce with our prayer life and end with prayer life, or even when we walk, we
pray,” said Sister Angela Parkins, the CEO of St. Felix Pantry.

For each sister, the calling of becoming a nun happened at different times in their lives, at different ages and different education levels. A calling is a spiritual leading or a sense of direction from God.

For Sister Jane Mary Gawlik, it was as young as 5 years old. Parkins had a full career before she entered the convent at 47, and Sister Barbara Kopecki at 17.

“I remember at the end of sophomore year (in high school), one of the girls said …‘I’ve been thinking of becoming a sister.’…I laughed out loud and said, ‘That is the last thing I will ever be,’” recalled Kopecki. “And then that summer, things just changed and I felt that’s what I was called to do. I was 17, and I’m now 77.”

Juggling their own ministries from their everyday lives isn’t easy. Parkins is caught between being a full-time CEO and being present at the convent.

“Well, to be honest with you, I get up at 5 a.m., assess what I have to do, then I go to chapel. I was late today because as you could see, the phone was ringing off the hook to set up schedules. I think I had five phone calls before I got to chapel this morning and then I had another one,” said Parkins. “The sisters know I try to be there whenever I need to be … I’m doing my best to balance it, but it’s all hours.”

According to Gawlik, living as part of a sisterhood can be a mix of emotions.

“Some people will say it’s the best thing, and it’s the worst thing, because No. 1, you have community, it’s your family. These sisters, you cry with them when there’s sad times and you laugh with them when there’s happy times, so you are family,” she said. “But we are human, too, and there are personalities and sometimes you want to tear your hair out.”

Comfort and the companionship of sisters who share the same goals and are supportive of each other are the redeeming qualities of living life in a convent, according to Kopecki.

Despite their busy days, the sisters make time in the afternoons to pray together in their private chapel, followed by dinner together. Afterward, the women read or catch up on sports. For Parkins, it’s watching the Ohio State University football team Monday night.

The convent is undergoing a renovation to better accommodate the women. “Transition is much needed in keeping with the times,” Gawlik said. “We need to be good stewards of our land and our property. It is important to look at how best to use the land and the building.”