Sister Michelle Farabaugh

I feel like I was destined to be a Benedictine from my birth. Born in Carrolltown, the geographical cradle for Benedictine life in the USA, in a family of 10 children, I was nurtured in the parish and school by Benedictine men and women. I entered the Community at age 16 with the support of my parents and with the conviction that this was my life calling.

During more than sixty years in the Community I have been afforded multiple opportunities for education and service -- from teaching elementary and secondary school to providing Religious Education in a Parish, and Campus Ministry at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I was able to use my gifts in a variety of ways while enabling people to come to know God. I pursued a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1990 which led to working with the seriously mentally ill in an inpatient psychiatric hospital, interacting with the homeless on the street, many of whom suffer from mental illness and finally working as a Care Manager for Behavioral Health at UPMC Health Plan. In between I served two terms as prioress of the Community – from 1982 to 1990 and 2002 to 2008.

Throughout my life as a Benedictine Sister I have cherished the grace of being able to live and pray in Community which enables me then to serve God’s people in ministry in various ways. I value the call in our Rule to live a balanced life with regular prayer while opening ourselves in hospitality to those who are in need in the world around us.