By Andrew Winter
1. The Pink Sisters in Lincoln are part of a larger religious congregation founded in the Netherlands in 1896 by St. Arnold Janssen and Mother Mary Michael. The official name of the congregation is Sister-Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration. They are called “Pink Sisters” because of their rose-colored habits, which signify the joy of their vocation.
2. Arnold Janssen (1837-1909) was born in Germany, and throughout his life, wanted to call and train German missionaries to spread the Gospel worldwide. To accomplish this, he founded three religious congregations as well as a newspaper, The Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart. Father Janssen wrote: “Deem it something great that God has deigned to choose you for his service.”
3. The other two congregations which Father Janssen founded are the Society of the Divine Word and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit. The first is a group of fathers and brothers committed to preaching and charitable acts. In the early days of the Society of the Divine Word, many women joined them in their work, so in 1889 Father Janssen founded the Missionary Sisters. Today the Missionary Sisters serve in 48 countries, while the Society of the Divine Word has nearly 6,000 missionaries working in 79 countries.
4. The Pink Sisters grew rapidly from their founding in 1896, and now have 22 communities in 12 countries on five continents. Altogether there are about 350 Pink Sisters.
5. In the United States there are four Pink Sister convents: Christ the King Convent in Lincoln, Blessed Sacrament Convent in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Convent of Divine Love in Philadelphia, and Mount Grace Convent in St. Louis.
6. Christ the King Convent in Lincoln was founded by Bishop Glennon Flavin in 1973. They were the first community of cloistered nuns in the Diocese of Lincoln.
7. The chief charism (or spiritual specialty) of the Pink Sisters is perpetual adoration. Where the convents are large enough, Pink Sister communities have the Eucharist exposed 24/7. During the day, the nuns take 30-minute shifts of adoration and 60-minute slots at night. Other charisms of the Pink Sisters include the Liturgy of the Hours, intercession for priests, and prayer for the needs of the world generally.
8. As the Pink Sisters are a cloistered community, they spend most of their days in silent prayer and work, and almost never leave the convent. The large garden of Christ the King Convent is entirely enclosed by a stone wall. Though they are usually silent, the sisters know the importance of recreation and communal time to refresh the mind and body.
9. Alongside the Pink Sisters, Bishop Flavin founded the King’s Men, the Ladies of the Eucharist, and Pink Sisters Auxiliary of Women. These lay groups work alongside the sisters and imitate their charisms while living in the world.
