From left, Dianna Bady, a frequent visitor and volunteer, greets Visitation Sisters Katherine Mullen, Karen Mohan and Suzanne Homeyer on the porch of their monastery in north Minneapolis Oct. 22. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Neither increased violence in north Minneapolis nor a pandemic is about to stop a group of religious sisters who have lived in the area for 31 years. The Visitation Sisters continue to help their neighbors, finding creative ways to reach out.

Neighborhood crime escalated following the May 25 officer-involved death of George Floyd, an African American. But Visitation Sister Karen Mohan, one of seven sisters in their 50s to 90 living at the monastery, said that “the primary part of my life just goes on as (before). We hold the world in prayer four times a day.”

Minneapolis Police Department data show that, across the city, incidents of violent crime — murders, rape, aggravated assault (including domestic) and robbery — reached 4,433 from Jan. 1 to Oct. 27 this year. Of that number, 68 were homicides. Violent crime incidents for that same time period last year were 3,653.

Gunshots have rung out in the sisters’ neighborhood, and when it happens, they pray. “We’re concerned for the people who might be out and about,” Sister Karen said.

She acknowledges some escalation in crime but quickly added, “We love our Northside neighborhood. … There is just a wonderful, neighborly spirit here and we … are not afraid.” The sisters do take precautions at night, such as not walking outside after dark, but Sister Karen added, “We have never felt threatened or endangered in any way.”

The shootings make peace more fragile, she said, but she described a strong community spirit, noting in particular the outreach of local churches.

“(All) of these components make for the building of peace,” she said.

As members of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Sister Karen said their charism is about attentiveness to the will of God and liberty of spirit. “We strive to rest in the heart of Jesus and bring the needs of God’s people to his Sacred Heart,” she said. St. Francis de Sales, one of the order’s founders, stressed “the little virtues,” she said, especially humility and gentleness as the great expression of the love of Jesus, citing Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel: “Learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart.”

“In our Minneapolis community, we have been led to express our charism in special relationships with those whom society describes as more vulnerable,” Sister Karen said. “We learn from the poor among us a radical trust in God.”

The north Minneapolis monastery is one of a dozen Visitation monasteries in the U.S., and the only one with a direct ministry of prayer and presence in an inner-city setting, Sister Karen said.

The sisters continue ministering to their neighbors while maintaining health and safety protocols in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They’ve canceled in-person activities such as an annual women’s retreat and inviting neighbors to join them for Mass and community prayer. And they couldn’t sponsor neighborhood children’s stay at Catholic Youth Camp this summer, as the camp was canceled.

That means they’ve looked for new ways to connect. “We have to be creative in our ways of outreach and being present in the neighborhood,” Sister Karen said.

For years, the sisters played host to neighbors on regular evenings for conversation, potluck and fellowship. That gathering went virtual in September using Zoom videoconferencing.

Because neighborhood children couldn’t come inside the monastery for Halloween this year, two students from Visitation School in Mendota Heights were on site to make available wrapped candy — packaged by other Visitation students — for trick-or-treaters. Visitation students will also help the sisters pack food that neighborhood families can pick up for Thanksgiving dinner.

“(We’re) … growing in our ability to reach out, to participate with the broader community and in ways that we hadn’t tried before,” Sister Karen said.

Despite COVID-19, their core “door ministry” remains active. Neighbors in need of transportation or supplemental food can pick up bus tokens and grocery gift cards, and sometimes gas or gift cards. They meet a sister on the front porch while wearing masks.

The sisters view that outreach as a relationship with people who need help while respecting their dignity. Referring to Mary’s visit with Elizabeth, who “welcomed the God who lived within her,” Sister Karen said, “we try to meet Jesus in the people who come to our door.”

A number of partners help ensure the sisters continue to meet community needs. For example, when gift cards run out, the sisters share groceries, often delivered by local churches.

One that “especially shines” is St. Thomas Becket in Eagan, Sister Karen said. Parishioners had planned to send food for the sisters to distribute before Easter last spring, but due to COVID-19, could not deliver it. But a small caravan of its parishioners recently delivered large tubs of food for distribution. “They found a way to make it happen,” she said.

Sister Karen described a strong faith-based network near their monastery, from Christ the King, Ascension and St. Bridget parishes to Shiloh Temple, Lutheran churches and the neighborhood Episcopal church.

“We help each other out,” she said. “It’s a really wonderful feeling that, what we can’t do on our own, others can be with us.”

While grieving the Sept. 22 loss of Sister Mary Margaret McKenzie, 92, a member of the order for more than 65 years, the sisters also look forward to a new monastery. They use two houses as their monastery today, but plan to combine their life into a single, larger, but yet-to-be-built home nearby. In late October, the sisters were still awaiting building permit approval.

“We are getting ready for a new expression of our life in a chapel that will be large enough to fit more people … and a little larger welcoming area for the neighbors,” Sister Karen said. “We’re excited about it.

“We love being part of north Minneapolis,” she said.