Sisters Of St. Basil The Great Elect New Provincial And Council

June 20, 2021

The Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great are a pontifical order of Eastern Catholic women whose origins date to the 4th century sibling-saints Basil and Macrina. Today the Sisters of St. Basil live and work around the world, ministering on four continents in education, orphanages, healthcare, pastoral care, and other capacities. The Order is divided into administrative units called provinces, and the Motherhouse in Jenkintown is home to the Jesus, Lover of Humanity Province.

Every five years the members of the Jesus, Lover of Humanity Province hold a Provincial Chapter to elect their leadership team, which consists of a Provincial and three Council members. On Monday, June 14, 2021, the newly elected Sisters were announced: Sister Joann Sosler, Provincial; Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski, Assistant Provincial; Sister Clement Bartholomew, Councilor; Sister Teodora Kopyn, Councilor.

Also during the Chapter, two proposals were made regarding the Jesus, Lover of Humanity Province’s strategic directions. The first put forth four points: exploring possibilities for collaboration, increasing province participation in leadership, revitalizing lay involvement, and pursuing new ministry opportunities. The second proposal focused more specifically on potential collaboration or covenant relationships with other Basilian provinces around the world, along the lines of the relationship now enjoyed with Ukraine’s Holy Trinity Province.

A celebratory dinner was held on Friday evening for the outgoing Provincial and Council while another took place on Monday evening to welcome the new ones. Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak in a phone conversation congratulated Sister Joann on her election. Overall, Sister Teodora described this Provincial Chapter as unfolding very peacefully, while Sister Clement expressed confidence in God’s presence throughout and especially in His role in bringing out the best of the Sisters for the occasion.

My God bless and inspire Sisters Joann, Dorothy Ann, Clement, and Teodora to lead the Province with courage and wisdom for the next five years!

Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great