About Us
The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (also known as Religious of the Good Shepherd or Good
Shepherd Sisters) is an international congregation of religious women in the
Roman Catholic Church, numbering almost 4,000, present in 70 countries in five
continents .
As religious we are called to a mission of reconciliation, “we express our charism of merciful love through a contemplative life or an apostolic life.” (Constitutions, Article 1)
More and more people are journeying with us in different ways, for example: “Lay Associates of the Good Shepherd”, Friends of the Good Shepherd”, volunteers, benefactors, etc. and in this way we mutually develop our “Shepherding Gifts”.
The motivating force in our lives comes from a sense of being
loved by God and feeling particularly attracted to Christ in His shepherding
expression of this love. This gift or sensitivity is referred to in religious
language as the “charism”.
Apostolic Sisters
Contemplative Sisters
Mission Partners
Our service traditionally and currently is particularly with women and children who have been wounded by life’s circumstances and live on the edge of society. We accompany those who are in need and also network with other groups to change unjust structures in society. In religious language, our service is generally referred to as “ministry” or “apostolate”.
Like other religious, we consecrate ourselves publicly to God
through vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As Good Shepherd Sisters, we
add an additional fourth vow of zeal. Prayer forms an important part of each
day. We live in faith communities of different sizes, related to the needs of
the apostolate.