Sisters of St. Casimir Documentary Project

From August 28 to September 1, I had the honor of working with Connor Allen and the crew from eRiginal Media as they filmed the final liturgy at the SSC Motherhouse, Sister Elizabeth Ann’s tour of the Legacy Space (provided for students, administrators, and faculty from Villa Joseph Marie who had traveled to participate in the closing liturgy), as well as interviewing Sisters Immacula Wendt, SSC, Ellen Maroney, IHM, Margaret Petcavage, SSC, and the sisters living at Franciscan Village. The video will be included in a documentary that chronicles the story of the foundation, history, and current lives of service of the Sisters of St. Casimir. During a meeting with Connor and his crew, a decision was made to expand the interviews to include Daina Cyvas, Communication Director/Project Coordinator for the SSC Congregation, regarding her extended history with the sisters’ presence in Lithuania, and Elizabeth Ann Yocius, SSC, who will address her own story as a student of Maria High School as well as a teacher at Maria and Villa Joseph Marie High Schools. In addition, Connor and team want to capture footage of Villa Joseph Marie in Holland, PA, the Mother Maria Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel, PA, and Marywood University. Additional interviews and video footage will be captured as things evolve.

In conversation with Connor and his team, it was evident that they were deeply touched by the energy and passion of the sisters and their profound love for the people of God, and they wanted to be sure to capture the full story of the foundation and legacy of the congregation. Upon completion, the plan is to market the film to media outlets such as PBS and to include links to the published film on the SSC website.