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Amplifying the voices of Catholic sisters in the public square
The third and final morning of the SIGNIS World Congress focussed on the indispensable contribution of Catholic Sisters to the Church and to society. Sr. Jane Wakahiu, PhD Associate VP of Program Operations & Head, Catholic Sisters Conrad N. Hilton Foundation reflected on her experiences of accompanying women religious around the world.
By Angella Rwezaula, Sr Ernestina Patrick Lasway, Sr Michelle Njeri, Sr FrancineMarie Cooper – Kigali, Rwanda.
Catholic sisters shouldn’t be invisible in the public sphere. Through initiatives such as the Pentecost Project and Wisdom Calls, the Church is investing in communication training to help women religious share the stories emerging from the world’s margins. This commitment to amplifying their voices was at the heart of the third and final morning of the SIGNIS World Congress, which focused on the indispensable contribution of Catholic sisters to the Church and society. Addressing participants, Sr. Jane Wakahiu, PhD, Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, reflected on her experience accompanying women religious around the world.
Project and Wisdom Calls, the Church is investing in communication training to help women religious share the stories emerging from the world’s margins. This commitment to amplifying their voices was at the heart of the third and final morning of the SIGNIS World Congress, which focused on the indispensable contribution of Catholic sisters to the Church and society. Addressing participants, Sr. Jane Wakahiu, PhD, Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, reflected on her experience accompanying women religious around the world.
Addressing communicators at SIGNIS World Congress, on 6th August, 2026, Sr. Jane Wakahiu, focused on two projects: the Pentecost Project implemented by the Dicastery for Communication – a programme to connect, train and amplify the voices of Catholic sisters, and the Wisdom Calls, A project which brings Catholic Sisters with commercial media platforms together.
Prophetic witness
In her presentation, on “Prophetic Witness in Storytelling and Amplifying the Voices of Catholic Sisters in the Public Square,” Sr Jane, focused on five themes: communication as God’s relationship with humanity, communication as a bridge, communication to provide hope, communication to center those at the margins, and communication as an act of love.
God as the origin of communication
“Through the Pentecost and Wisdom Calls projects, we are called to listen, and discern the way we communicate,” she said. Quoting the bible, she emphasized that communication has its origin in God since the creation of the world: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1).
“Communication, therefore, is not simply the transmission of information. It is woven into God’s relationship with humanity. It creates, reveals, calls, and gives life,” she said.
Storytelling as Service to the Gospel
Sr. Jane pointed out that, for those who engage in Catholic communications, storytelling is never merely about publicity. It is an act of service to the Gospel. “It helps people recognize God’s presence in the world and reminds us that even in times of conflict, uncertainty, and suffering, grace continues to unfold quietly, often in places the headlines never reach,” she added.
Sr. Nina Krapić during her presentation on the representation of religious sisters in the media and on the Pentecost Project
Rewriting the narrative about women religious
Reflecting on the representation of Catholic sisters in the media, Sr. Nina Krapić, Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office, called for a more authentic portrayal of the life of religious women that goes beyond the viral images often seen on social media. While light-hearted content can attract attention, she said it should not downplay the reality of sisters’ mission as they serve in hospitals, schools, refugee communities, and places of poverty, accompanying people through some of life’s deepest struggles and greatest joys. Their daily presence on the margins, she noted, offers a wealth of experience and hope that deserves to be shared.
Sr. Nina also presented the Pentecost Project, an initiative that brings together a global network of sisters engaged in communications. Through professional formation and participatory journalism, the project equips sisters to tell stories from the margins alongside the people they serve. By strengthening their voice in the media, she said, the initiative seeks to reveal the enduring witness of religious life and inspire greater solidarity with those most in need.
Sr. Nina Krapić, Dr. Peter Monthienvichienchai (Secretary General SIGNIS/Collaborators in Wisdom Calls Project from Africa, Asia and Latin America), and Sr. Jane Wakahiu
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