From the Beginning: Original Residents Reflect on Life at Santa Marta
Among the residents who call Santa Marta home today are more than a dozen who have been here since the community’s opening year, nearly 20…
At Santa Marta, we believe in giving the best faith-centered care possible. Our conviction of hospitality and service shapes every decision we make, starting with pastoral care and spiritual support available around the clock.
But a central part of our mission and faith is not doing it alone. We seek out partnerships with people and organizations who share the same devotion to service, like our beloved team member, Sr. Sobha, and her sisterhood, St. Anne’s Congregation in India. Her presence among us is a living reminder that compassion has no borders.
That promise came full circle this month when the very sisterhood that first sent Sr. Sobha returned to see her calling in action.
On Aug. 10, Santa Marta welcomed the Mother Superior of St. Anne’s Congregation, Sr. Anthony. This marked her third visit to Santa Marta since the community first opened its doors in 2005, a milestone that speaks to a relationship built on years of shared purpose.
For Sr. Anthony, the decision to send Sr. Sobha to Santa Marta wasn’t difficult. It was an obvious extension of everything her order stands for.
“At St. Anne, our mission is giving help to the helpless,” Sr. Anthony said. In Santa Marta, she saw a community guided by the same belief that faith is lived through compassion, service, and care for one another.
In the time since, Sr. Sobha has become woven into our Santa Marta family, a steady and beloved presence whose devotion mirrors the values she carried with her from St. Anne.
“Santa Marta is my home now,” Sr. Sobha said.
Faith is an important part of any Catholic person’s life, but Sr. Anthony finds her faith strongest when it is challenged.
“Every moment of our life, there are chances and temptations that we decline through our faith,” Sr. Anthony said. “In every stage, we must be reminded of His presence. Otherwise, we are all shaky people like St. Peter.”
For Sr. Anthony, her faith intensified through profound loss. “My father passed away when I was 10 years old. He passed away in the hands of a nun,” Sr. Anthony said. “I thought after she passed, that, maybe, I had to take care of her place in the congregation.”
A childhood moment of grief became a lifelong calling that would eventually place her at the head of an entire congregation. Today, as Mother Superior, Sr. Anthony oversees an order that cares for just under 800 students, some of whom she teaches herself. She sends sisters out to answer God’s mission in all corners of the globe, with Santa Marta holding a place of its own among them.
Faith, for Santa Marta and St. Anne’s Congregation alike, has never been an abstract idea. It’s a promise we’ve carried through decades, across oceans, and through life’s hardest moments.
Sr. Sobha’s presence at Santa Marta and Sr. Anthony’s visit this August are proof that this promise is still being kept. The same promise of love, care, and compassion that Santa Marta was built on 20 years ago.
What does “faith-centered” care mean at Santa Marta?
It means that spiritual well-being is treated as an integral part of overall care, not separate from it. Pastoral care and spiritual support are available to all residents and families in conjunction with medical and personal care.
What kinds of faith-based opportunities are available at Santa Marta?
Outside of daily Mass in our chapel, there are regular opportunities to pray the rosary, Bible studies, spiritual discussion groups, and many other ways to engage in devotion to Christ with your fellow neighbors.
What if I want to deepen my faith but need additional support from Santa Marta Health Services?
Our spiritual support is designed to meet you wherever you’re at. This includes televised Mass in Memory Care and Skilled Nursing, and regular opportunities to receive the Eucharist outside of the chapel.
If you’re exploring senior living in Johnson County and want a community where mission, hospitality, and meaningful living come together, we would love to connect with you. Whether you’re just beginning your research or ready to take the next step, our team is here to answer questions, schedule a personal visit, or simply have a conversation. Contact one of our senior living sales counselors today.
Photos by Photographer John Caulfield.
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