Sisters of the Good Shepherd
We, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, bring the compassion and mercy of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to women and girls who need deep healing in their lives. An international congregation of religious sisters founded by St. Mary Euphrasia Pellitier in Angers, France in 1835, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, as the loving Shepherd.
“I have come that you may have life,
and have it to the full.”
-John 10:10.
“I myself will look after and tend my sheep.…I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, shepherding them rightly.”
-Ezekiel 34:12-16.
We believe that “One person is of more value than a world.” This belief extends especially to women who have suffered after having an abortion. God deeply desires for you to be restored to the fullness of life. God, through the resurrection of His Son, Jesus, will go beyond that, and give you new life.
The Sisters take a fourth vow of Zeal, to pray and work for the salvation of persons. We share the mercy, peace, and joy of Jesus, who is most compassionate. The Sisters pray daily for all women who need peace and assistance in becoming fully the persons that God desires for them to become. Our Contemplative Sisters devote their entire lives for this mission of prayer and sacrifice for those most in need of inner peace and reconciliation. Jesus wants to bring healing to deep hurts and fractured lives.
The Sisters of The Good Shepherd serve women and girls of all faiths, in 67 countries. We run residential treatment centers for teenage girls with emotional/behavioral problems, domestic violence shelters, homes for women in transition from difficult situations, counseling centers, programs for single mothers, etc. At Bethesda, the House of Mercy, the spirit of St. Mary Euphrasia is alive in the women who serve as peer support in your healing process. You will find compassionate women with listening hearts who will help you to know that:
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.” -Psalm 23:1-3
We, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, are praying for you daily. Take a leap of faith into the loving heart of God!