Sisters of Loretto Maria Daniel and Samina Iqbal professed final vows on Aug. 8 at the Church of the Seven Dolors on the grounds of the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky.
The women, who are from Pakistan, helped establish the Sisters’ of Loretto first ministry in that country in 2009.
Sisters Daniel and Iqbal help operate St. Albert School, a coeducational school located in the slums of Faisalabad, Pakistan. They educate the sons and daughters of people who earn a living picking through garbage.
They teach girls from preschool to 10th grade and boys from kindergarten to eighth grade.
The sisters, known as “solar sisters” by those they serve, are trained to install and maintain solar panels, which they have added to the school to provide power during daily outages. They have also installed solar panels for other religious communities in the area.
The sisters have also set up a water purification system that serves the school and school families. The system was provided by doctors from Pakistan who now live in Louisville. The same doctors also have provided scholarships for students.
In addition, the sisters teach sewing to women living in poverty who possess few skills. And they help women affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse and imprisonment.
More information about their ministry and serving in Pakistan is on page 5 of this week’s edition. Sisters Daniel and Iqbal have written a guest Time to Speak column about their work.
