When Sister Luke Boiarski asked the volunteers in the room to stand, people rose throughout the gathering. Each had answered an invitation to serve alongside the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Each carried a story from the experience.
That moment was at the heart of Celebrate the Journey 2026, held Sept. 24 at the Nazareth Motherhouse Campus. Sisters, Associates, volunteers, donors and friends gathered to recognize Sister Luke as she retired from leading the SCN Lay Mission Volunteer Program, a ministry she had guided since 2008.
Under her leadership, volunteers traveled to communities recovering from disasters and joined Sisters in ministries across the world. Sister Luke made 22 trips to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, led volunteers who helped build 51 homes in Belize and spent 10 summers serving alongside communities on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Teams also traveled to Botswana, India and Nepal.
Sister Luke Boiarski is presented with the key to the city by Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton.
Volunteer Ronnie Mattingly, who has served with the Sisters for 18 years, said Sister Luke taught him to look beyond the work at hand. “The work matters, but the people matter most,” he said. Volunteers often arrived thinking about what they could accomplish, he said, and returned home thinking about the people they had met.
Sister Luke agreed. “When I look back over these years, what stays with me most are the people,” she told the audience. She spoke of families who welcomed volunteers into their homes, communities that trusted them and volunteers willing to try unfamiliar work. She thanked the colleagues and Sisters who supported the program, including Sister Ann Magruder, who helped her prepare for trips and welcomed her home.
“This mission, this ministry, never belonged to me,” Sister Luke said. “It belongs to all of us. So keep saying yes.”
Congregational President Sister Jackulin Jesu presented Sister Luke with a plaque recognizing her years of service. Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton presented a city proclamation and a key to the city. Former Office of Mission Advancement Director Patsie O’Toole then invited guests to plant packets of seeds, a symbol of the service and growth Sister Luke had encouraged in others.
The day also looked beyond Sister Luke’s ministry. In an opening ceremony led by Sister Tonya Severin, a lantern, footprints, a globe and a cross represented the Congregation’s history, its global reach and the faith at the center of its mission. During lunch, Sister Jackulin remembered Sister Paula Merrill, SCN, and Sister Margaret Held, OSF, 10 years after their deaths in Mississippi, where they had provided health care to people with limited access to it.
A video brought guests to Nepal, where Sister Oliva Kujur described the Sisters’ response to families affected by recent flash floods. Their first hope, she said, was that those families would know they were not alone.
After a closing blessing, guests could tour St. Vincent de Paul Church, take part in a Nazareth Retreat Center experience or continue the conversation with Sister Luke and the volunteer program. The options reflected the purpose of Celebrate the Journey: to bring people closer to the Sisters’ mission and invite them to take part in it.
Sister Luke left them with a direct invitation:
“When someone needs help, show up. When someone is overlooked, make room.”
Learn more about how you can support the missions and ministries of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
Thank you Sr Luke for your life of service, charity, and exuberance in the Lord! You have helped us here in Appalachia to receive grants that have allowed a much needed Food Program for the people here. You have come with work groups and improved the homes of people living in poverty. You have loved us like Jesus and given us hope for the future. We love you and pray God’s continued blessings on you and your community. Our hearts and lives are full of your love. ❤️
Congratulations on your retirement! As you step into this next beautiful chapter of your life, we want to celebrate the incredible, far-reaching legacy you have created. Your dedication and love have known no borders. From local communities to different states and countries, you have poured your heart into serving others and have positively impacted countless lives across the globe. The seeds of kindness, wisdom, and faith you have planted will continue to bloom for generations to come. Thank you for your selfless service and for being such an inspiring beacon of light to so many. May this new season bring you abundant rest, joy, deep peace, and the fulfillment of all your personal dreams. May God’s grace and mercy be with you always! We miss seeing you in Belize!!! Enjoy retirement Sr. Luke
Hello Luke, from the hammer to mayor and the seeds, this all began around a kitchen table with your family, talking about kindness. You may have traveled all over this world, but you never forgot your small-town values. Take a rest, however, the Holy Spirit is watching you.
Many people go through life hoping to do something significant that may touch a life or two in a positive way. Very few have he courage and determination to make it happen. When a person is able to touch so many lives and literally make the world a better place, their names become eternally etched on God’s heart. Thank you for your courage, your determination, and your yes to the call to serve humanity. No doubt you have made a tremendous impact, and created an unmatched legacy that will be long remembered, and celebrated. Just imagine, fifty one homes built by fifty one groups of fourteen people, for families of four with extended members of around thirty. Imagine the ripple effect, as those who accompanied you, those whom you partnered with for support, those you served and the thousands they will encounter in their lived with whom they will create a positive impact. And this is just the fifty one homes built in Belize. When combined with your other missions, think of the hundreds of thousands of lives you have touched, with that little drop of real love, that rippled throughout the vast ocean of global needs. You are truly a child of God. I am blessed to know you as my friend. May our Lord continue to guide you with the health and strength to continue His works of mercy here on earth….well done sister, well done indeed. (And BTW, knowing you, I know that you are not done yet… 🙂 )
Congratulations to Sr Luke, a very special woman who has touched the lives of so many and helped them on their journey. You will always be my role model for service with a smile and without judgment. May the next leg of your next journey be as fulfilling as the leading the volunteer ministry has been.
A wonderful celebration of a beautiful mission and the very special ministry of Sister Luke!!!! Thank you for being the life of very party, celebration, and every trip you made possible!
Never can I recognize adequately the daring prophetism of Luke.
I am deeply touched!
Never too late to express joy and gratitude,!
I share my profound gratitude
and recognize the prophetism in Luke!
You always have been an inspiration for me!!!
Congratulations to SisterLuke for creating an amazing, legacy for her family. You have an open heart and a welcoming hug for everyone.
Congratulations to my aka sister from another mother, aka Aunt, mentor!
I am so thankful you asked me so many years ago to go on a mission trip and ignited a fire in me! You are responsible for doing that to many of us!
We love you!!!
Have fun on your new journey!
Congratulations dear friend . I’m so very proud of you and grateful for the difference you have made in my life. Blessings and love.
Luke, the Class of ‘66 is so proud of you! You have done amazing things in your volunteer ministry and have inspired many others to do the same. Countless lives have been changed by your compassion and your humor. I’m sure I speak for a multitude of friends when I say It is an honor to know you. Blessings to you in your future endeavors; we will be with you in spirit! Much love from all of us.
Sister Luke ( along with sister Judy) let me be on India trip less than a month after my dad died . It was so meaningful and humbling that I wrote an article ‘60 girls, 3 nuns and 1 home! I still have the same feeling about the mission work we did 12 years ago. She also allows me to do mission work in Nepal, again meaningful that brought a sense of peace to my soul! Forever grateful
What an incredible tribute to an incredible Sister of Charity of Nazareth! Sr. Luke has touched and transformed countless lives! How blessed am I to be among them! Thank you Luke for your legacy of life, love, and never ending laughter! You are an inspiration to all who know you! ❤️
And to the Office of Mission Advancement… a fantastic “Celebrate the Journey” event! Most grateful! ❤️
Luke, what a tremendous legacy of courage, vision, and selflessness in care of others in times of grave emergency you have left! Your work will empower so many more who will follow in your footsteps! ❤️ Thank you! As you have been led, so the firm ground you stand upon takes you forward. Blessings 💞!
Congratulations, Sister Luke! What an incredible journey you just completed!!
What is next?
Many blessings in the years ahead.
Maria Melendez