Words of heartfelt gratitude have been expressed for the life-changing help and support many have received from Sisters across the Archdiocese of Boston.

"Sister has been a tremendous support and resource for me during the time that my son has been struggling with addiction. She leads a "Hope and Strength Prayer Group" that helps me and many other parents of children struggling with addiction, in recovery and in a special way for those souls who lost their battle with addiction, and for the families they left behind. This group and Sister's constant help have been lifelines for me during a difficult time. I remain extremely grateful for the genuine concern, support and friendship that she has offered me." -- Teresa Murano, Rosary Prayer Group for families with loved ones suffering from addiction, Sacred Heart Church, Quincy.

"The guidance and help that Sisters of different orders have offered me along my life journey cannot be fully measured. My mother moved my young sisters and me out of an abusive marriage back to the security and comfort of my grandparents' home in the Boston area. This sense of a new beginning was shattered when I lost my mother in a head-on car accident two and a half years later. I was nine years old.

"The Sisters at the Catholic School I attended took me under their collective wing during that critical time and continued to watch over me during my elementary school years. Sisters from another order helped me to navigate my high school years, encouraging me to write, perform in school musicals and run for student government. And I did!

"It was through the help and guidance of Sisters, yet again, that I was able to successfully complete my education in college, later becoming an English teacher and a young business professional.

"My grandmother, who stepped up -- at the age of 72 -- to care for me, often said that it was only with the help of the Sisters that she was able to raise me. I am now a mother of two grown children and still remain grateful for the care and concern I received throughout my childhood and young-adult life. I recently visited two retired Sisters to say thank you once again." -- Janet Fay Johnson.

1,820 Sisters. A remarkable 51,290 years of combined service. Please consider making a contribution on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 to the Retired Sisters Fund to support these women who have given so much to so many.