---

School Sister of St. Francis Ruth Hoerig has written a book entitled, “Seeds of Hope: Catholic Sisters in Action Around the World.” Published in June of 2009, the book is an outreach effort of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters (CHFS). For more than 20 years the fund has awarded nearly $60 million to sisters’ projects.

The purpose of the book is to share the stories and knowledge that sisters have gained through their ministries around the world. “Some of the best projects around the world, funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, were selected for their vision, initiative, and creativity,” Sister Ruth said. “These diverse projects could be considered best practices on a wide range of topics.” The CHFS hopes that the stories and methods in the book can serve as “how-to” references for people involved in outreach and service to the Church.

The School Sisters of St. Francis Guadalupe Homes Orphanage (Hogares Santa Maria de Guadalupe) is one of the projects highlighted in the book. Ministries of many other congregations are featured on topics such as community development, renewable energy, micro-credit service, community health, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS education and more.

The book took Sister Ruth a year to compile and write. “Working on this book was a fun and interesting experience for me,” Sister Ruth stated. “I learned a great deal through my research and met many wonderful people. It truly was a collaborative project from beginning to end.”

This book is available in several languages in a three-ring binder format or CD format. More information can be found at http://www.hiltonfundforsisters.org/seedsofhope.html. Requested donation of $20 per copy for SISTERS in the U.S. or Western Europe. To place an order, please send an e-mail to: info@hiltonfundforsisters.org