The Napa Institute's Annual Summer Conference is known for bringing together Catholic leaders for a week of intellectual formation, beautiful liturgy, and community in the stunning landscape of Napa Valley.
But this year's conference featured an unexpected highlight that captured hearts both at the event and across social media: religious sisters hitting the bowling alley.
On Friday evening, following dinner, over a dozen sisters from various communities—including Sisters of Life, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa—laced up their bowling shoes at the Meritage Resort & Spa for an evening of joy and friendly competition.
Equipped with Trinitas Cellars bowling balls and infectious enthusiasm, the sisters brought their joyful spirit to the lanes.
The impromptu bowling night was organized by some of the sisters themselves, who wanted to create a fun opportunity for religious from different communities to come together and enjoy each other's company.
What resulted was an evening filled with laughter, strikes, spares, and the kind of authentic joy that drew smiles from everyone watching from the sidelines.
"For many Catholics, it is rare that they see women's religious life in large numbers," observed one conference attendee.
"Seeing religious sisters from various communities around the Meritage is a breath of fresh air. Our world needs to see the zeal of women religious more often."
The sisters' attendance at the conference is made possible through the generosity of donors, and their presence adds a special vitality to the event.
Their public witness serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty of religious life and the joy that comes from living fully dedicated to Jesus Christ.
Photos and videos from the bowling night, shared by the Napa Institute, quickly went viral, garnering tens of thousands of views and spreading countless smiles across social media.
The images captured something beautiful: religious sisters embracing fellowship, and showing the world that holiness and fun go hand in hand.
As we witness the joy these sisters bring wherever they go, we're reminded to pray for vocations to religious life. Their public witness to God's love is exactly what our world needs to see.