This week — March 8-14 — we celebrate Catholic Sisters Week, a time to celebrate Catholic Sisters around the country, including the Felician Sisters, and spoke with Felician Sister Nancy Jamroz.
Sister Nancy Jamroz (third from left) has been a Felician Sister for decades, and while much has changed within the Felician Sisters and their ministries, including at Angela Hospice, a few vital things have stayed the same: including how the Felician Core Values play a role in all the work that is done, and the compassion that is shown by all.
“I could go down the line,” Sister Nancy said about how each of the five core values are being fulfilled at Angela Hospice. “Anybody who has had services with Angela Hospice always talks about their value of being so real, so compassionate; and also, peace and justice through the attitude of the people there.”
She carefully described how each of the Felician Core values – Respect for Human Dignity, Compassion, Transformation, Solidarity with People in Need, and Justice & Peace – are being fulfilled by Angela Hospice, and how the entire team encompasses every one of them.
Sister Nancy has been able to see the core values in action going all the way back to Angela Hospice’s founding in 1985, when she would go to visit patients in their homes, when the primary service being offered was home care.
It’s been truly special for her to watch Angela Hospice grow as it has over nearly 40 years, with the core staying the same of who they are and what they do.
While Sister Nancy has provided compassionate comfort to patients, she’s also seen up close the experience one gets when a loved one is in hospice, like she did when two of her brothers were under Angela Hospice care in 2017 and 2019, as well as during the time a fellow Felician Sister was in hospice.
One of Sister Nancy’s brothers, in particular, didn’t have much to his name, and because he was under Angela Hospice care, he was still able to experience a beautiful time at the end of life.
“My two brothers were blessed to have care from Angela,” Sister Nancy said. “I really appreciated that.”
Her appreciation for being a Felician Sister has grown over the years too.
Sister Nancy knew she wanted to become a Catholic Sister as far back as the third grade, after being surrounded and supported by sisters all throughout her schooling. But it was when she attended Ladywood High School – which she graduated from in 1959 – that it became apparent to her that she wanted to become a Felician Sister.
“We were always taught that we have to look for the guidelines in our life, and to follow God’s will, that’s where we will find our fulfillment and happiness,” Sister Nancy said. “I thought that that’s what I wanted to do, and that I was being called to this type of life.”
She was called to her vocation much like many members of the Angela Hospice staff were called to theirs, and Sister Nancy is steadfast in her support for her fellow Felician Sisters and Angela Hospice. Her gratitude to others who have helped further the mission and core values of the Felician Sisters does not waver.
“We just thank God that there have been people always there to support us; partners to be with us, doing the services, as well as partners in a way to help the money that we need,” she said.
