Appeals

Dear Friend, 

We hope this letter finds you well and filled the joy of the Christmas season. On behalf of the Daughters of Divine Charity, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous support of our retired sisters. Your kindness and thoughtfulness embody the true spirit of Christmas, and we are truly blessed by your generosity.

As we reflected on the glorious gift of Christ’s love, we were reminded of the strength and comfort that come from our community. Thanks to your contribution, our retired sisters will be able to enjoy their golden years with dignity, receiving the care and support they need and deserve. Your gift not only provides for their physical needs but also uplifts their spirits, reminding them that they are loved and cherished by those they have served throughout their lives.

With each prayer, each act of kindness, and each moment of compassion shared by our sisters, they continue to touch the lives of many, inspiring us all to live out the values of love and service that define our faith. Your support reinforces their mission and allows them to share Christ’s light with others, even in this new chapter of life.

Thank you once again for your generosity. May God bless you abundantly during this Christmas season and in the coming year. Your kindness is a beautiful reminder of God’s love and grace at work in our community. We look forward to keeping you updated on the impact of your generosity and the continued journey of our sisters.

Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy, and fulfillment during this blessed season.

In Christ’s Love,
Elizabeth P. Cotter
Director of Development
Daughters of Divine Charity

Help us to Renovate
St. Mary’s Convent

Spring 2024

Dear Friends,

St. Joseph the Worker is celebrated each year on May 1st. As this feast day celebrates all workers, it is fitting for the Daughters of Divine Charity to share our thoughts and needs of support for our Sisters in our spring appeal.

Considering the recent updates made to most of our convents, it was quite simple for our Council to work with the Development staff to identify the greatest need of support for the 2024 St. Joseph’s Day appeal.

In evaluating the current needs of the Sisters, a unanimous decision was made by the Council to focus efforts on St. Mary’s Convent in Manhattan, founded in 1913.

This mission continues to serve hundreds of young women living in Manhattan whether to start a career or to study while living under the supervision of the Sisters which fulfills the legacy of our Foundress, Servant of God, Mother Franziska Lechner’s desire to care for young women during the 1860’s. We, her Daughters continue this mission that was so close to her heart for the past one hundred eleven years.

During COVID this mission underwent a substantial economic loss of 50% of its revenue due to the declining number of residents. The Sisters always have put the needs of those in their care before their own.

After many decades of no renovations to the Sisters living space the convent area is now in urgent need of renovation. This renovation will focus on the second floor dedicated as the living space for the Sisters known as the convent. The renovation will include replacing the old carpeting in the hallways and kitchen with flooring that is more suitable for walkers and canes. The living room furniture will be replaced. All rooms will be painted and the bathrooms will be made handicapped accessible. These needed modifications will provide our dedicated Sisters to this mission with a more suitable, safer living spaces for all the Sisters.

You, our dear benefactors, have helped us in so many ways throughout the years and we ask that you consider contributing to the needs of St. Mary’s Convent by renewing your generous gift. Each monetary gift, no matter the size, when joined with others does indeed make a difference in the outcome of the appeal.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and ongoing commitment to the Daughters of Divine Charity who have touched the lives of so many by serving women, youth, and the elderly in the United States since 1913.

May Our Foundress, Servant of God, Mother Franziska Lechner intercede for your needs and intentions. May the carpenter, St. Joseph, our patron, and guide bless you and your families as we all “make God’s LOVE visible” in the world today by our example, service, and generosity.

With love, prayer, and gratitude,

Sister Mary Coffelt, F.D.C.
Daughters of Divine Charity

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

The feast of the Epiphany, the Three Kings, traditionally celebrated on January 6^th reminds us of the perseverance, curiosity and desire of the Magi in following the spectacular star, the uncharted path, to find the one who was foretold to come.   Discovering the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, must have been an awesome, humbling experience which brought inexpressible joy as they presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to honor Him.   

Like the Magi, the women who have entered the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity have followed not a bright star, but answered a call from within, searching for the community to which they would be able to respond to their vocation of serving the people of God “making HIS love visible”. Being that beacon of love and light, uplifting and supporting each other in prayer and community.

The Sisters have indeed spent their lives faithfully devoted to bringing the love of Jesus to others, as they have encountered the family of God, as teachers, nurses, catechists, administrators, sacristans, care givers in the hope that others will also live their lives in service for Jesus.  

For the retired Sisters, their service doesn’t end when they announce their retirement.  The Sisters are beacons of light in the lives of many friends and families.  Their daily prayers and Mass intentions are most often for those whom they have served throughout the years or for prayer requests they have promised to pray for.      

The beauty and splendor of the autumn season is approaching with its brilliant fall colors reminding us that Thanksgiving will soon be upon us followed by the Advent season, anticipating the joyful celebration of the Birth of our Savior.

Today in this season of thanksgiving, I wish to thank you on behalf of all the Sisters for being a part of their history and for allowing them to make a lasting impression in your life.  We are so grateful that you continue to keep them in your prayers and are so thoughtful and generous in your support of the Daughters of Divine Charity as we continue to care for our most senior and infirm Sisters.  

With gratitude to God, we thank you in advance for your financial support.  Please know that your needs and intentions are remembered in the Sisters’ daily prayers and monthly Mass intention for all our friends and benefactors.  

God Bless YOU!

With love, prayer and gratitude, 
Sister Mary Coffelt, F.D.C.
Provincial Superior

P.S. I hope that we can count on you for a contribution towards the care of our Sisters. Thank you, again, for your generosity and prayers.

Spring 2022

Dear Friends,

By now we all hoped and prayed the pandemic would have come to an end. Yet, we find ourselves with more boosters, more testing, more masks, and uncertainty that there will be a true end date to our adjusted ways of life.

Fortunately for the Sisters in the United States convents, we have been safe and well cared for—not just by our healthcare workers, but also by you- our loyal friends and family of supporters. In the past, we prepared a St. Joseph’s Appeal at this time of year. This was our annual request for a particular project for the Sisters or for a special need the Sisters required for their care in retirement. However, with the overwhelming generosity you have shown the Sisters during the years of the pandemic, we do not have a major project on our calendar.

Instead of a request for a physical need, our appeal this year is one for prayer. This year with Easter falling in mid-April, we have a unique opportunity.  We ask that you join us for a few moments each week for the duration of Lent and Easter Sunday. This allows us to concentrate our prayers and meditations on one area of faith during the Lenten season and celebrate the resurrection!

Thank you again for your love and support of all our Sisters. We are so grateful to have you here with us in spirit. Please continue to send us your intentions. It is our honor to be here to share the love you have for those you honor and remember, to be a part of the milestones you celebrate, and to be here to share God’s love with those that are in the greatest need of strength from Him.

Yours in Prayer,

Sister M. William McGovern, FDC

P.S. Please remember to use the enclosed card and envelope to send us your special intentions.