Daughters of Divine Charity

Together We Live in the Legacy that is the Daughters of the Divine Charity

Appeals

May 2023 Appeal

                                                                                                                                                Spring 2023

Dear Friends,

The message of the Risen Lord “Do not be afraid for I am with you always” Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that we need to come to Jesus, no matter what the challenges and struggles that might be in our daily lives. Jesus is truly alive in our hearts and souls for He comes to us in LOVE, in the Eucharist, promising to bring us peace as we trust in His divine mercy. Saint Pope John Paul II coined this phrase “Be Not Afraid” often during his papacy and stated that “In the Redemption we find the most profound basis for the words “Be not afraid!”, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” John 3:16.   The resurrection of Jesus proclaims to the world a new hope, renewal, and a strengthening of our spiritual life.

Each year springtime bursts forth the beauty of nature. There is no alarm clock or electrical switch that turns on the vibrant colors of trees, bushes, and flowers that blossom automatically, bringing new life and smiles to our faces as we capture God’s creation being renewed.  This feeling of rebirth penetrates our physical surroundings as we clean, update, reorganize, buy new furnishings, and appliances for our homes.

Sisters at St. Joseph Hill Convent are grateful to all who responded to the digital appeal for new dining room chairs and recliners. Thanks to YOU and your incredible support, I am happy to inform you that the recliners have arrived, with the new dining room chairs on their way.

The St. Mary’s Convent in Akron, Ohio built in 1993 has had minor improvements over the past 30 years. This spring the Sisters will see a major make-over to their community room and kitchen. This project will include:

  • ceiling repairs
  • replacing carpeting with hardwood floors
  • updating radiators and air-conditioning units that will be more energy efficient.

With your generosity, you will be making things new for them by keeping our most senior Sisters with limited accessibility comfortable by accommodating their needs at home with their community with access to a beautiful chapel, allowing them to continue being active in the ministry. 

It is a tremendous responsibility and challenge to meet the changing needs of our Sisters. For those of you caring for a loved one, you know firsthand the importance of maintaining safe, accessible, and comfortable living conditions for our loved ones.

With grateful hearts, we thank you in advance for your support and generosity.  Please know that you are remembered in our daily prayers and Mass intentions.

In Gratitude,

Sister Mary Coffelt, F.D.C.
Provincial Superior

New Chairs will Make a World of Difference

New Chairs will Make a
World of Difference to Our Sisters.
Will You Help Us Today?

Support Our Sisters!

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits as we prepare for the coming Paschal banquet.

Lent is such a special time for those of our faith. A time to contemplate and reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us. As Sisters, this is a time when we focus on mediation. Our communal prayers reflect on the gifts we have shared through our lives and celebrate all those whom we have been able to share God's love with through teaching, nursing, and helping those that could not help themselves.

There is also something special about the seasonal change that occurs during Lent. As the weather begins to warm and flowers begin to bloom, many of the Sisters can often be heard praying in the communal living room or meditating in the gardens. With nearly every Sister in our convents now retired or receiving full-time aid from healthcare professionals, there is a sense of peace and calm knowing they can spend their days in quiet comfort. They are so thankful to all those that contributed to making their homes comfortable and inviting over the years.

Recently the Sisters noticed that despite their efforts to take exceptional care of things like their recliners and dining room chairs, the wear and tear over the last decade is beginning to show. Combined with the changing needs of the elderly Sisters that need strong armrests and chairs that are best suited for their current physical challenges, the Sister who serves as the Convent Administrator, Sister Regina has asked for assistance to replace 35 dining room chairs and 4 recliners. Sister Regina has researched the best available options and is taken aback at the cost of these items. The price of each dining room chair is $275 and the recliners range from $400 to $500.

These are very simple items that greatly alter life in the convent. Being able to confidently rise from the dining room chairs, allowing more Sisters to join the community for shared meals. Otherwise, they hesitate to leave their bedroom leaving them to eat alone or with their health assistant. Appropriate seating in a living room brings all the Sisters together not just for social events but community prayer and discussion.

At this time, I ask that you consider making a donation to our Sisters' new seating. We hope to have all our replacements as soon as possible.

We appreciate your support and thank you for considering our needs.

May St. Joseph continue to bless you.

Yours in prayer,
Sister M. William McGovern, FDC

Preparing For Christmas

PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

Fall 2022

Prayers for the holidays

For many, we are approaching "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Christmas is a season of celebrations rooted in the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

There are signs everywhere to get us into the holiday spirit as early as August. From retail stores and special promotions by email and mail, every brand is competing for our attention. Everyone proclaims theirs is the top item of the year and we must buy it today to send loved ones the latest and greatest gift.

But here in our convent, things are not noisy or distracting. The Sisters have reached the stage of their lives where even at this time of year there is quiet. They can concentrate on Advent, which is the Church’s spiritual preparation for Christmas. Because we wait until December to decorate there are no major distractions. There is little planning and prepping for the holiday. For most Sisters in our convents their families are either far away or have already passed. So, this season can feel a bit empty without our prayers and Advent reflections.

As women who have devoted their lives to Christ and serve those in need, our Sisters cherish their memories of students and patients. They share warm recollections of close friends and often pray to thank God for a full life.

What keeps the Sisters most inspired during this time are the small acts of kindness so many of you perform: Christmas cards and blessings by mail; emails and cards with pictures of former students and friends sharing holidays with friends. Please continue to send us news of your loved ones, and share your intentions and pray with us during this beautiful time of year.

We all have so much to be grateful for, to cherish during these upcoming weeks, especially all that you have given us and continue to do for us.

Gratefully yours,


Sister M. William McGovern, FDC

P.S. Thank you for your steadfast support of all our endeavors throughout the years. Any gift you can make at this time is greatly appreciated by all of our Sisters.

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!



 

The Daughters of Divine Charity have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Join us in prayer on Friday, June 24, 2022 in recognition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Feast Day.

In 1675, Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that He wanted the Feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave. In 1856, the Feast of the Sacred Heart became a universal feast.

St. John Paul II, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart, said, “This feast reminds us of the mystery of the love of God for the people of all times.”

Dear Friends of the Sisters,

Today we are reaching out to you with humbled hearts!

The response to our urgent appeal for a repair to the HVAC system in the Chapel of the convent at Francesca Residence in Akron, Ohio has been overwhelming. Although we have not reached our goal yet, we are confident that we will before the end of June. Fortunately, this means the work can begin before the next heat wave.

Our residents and our Sisters in Akron are extremely grateful to all that have made a donation towards this project.

If you have not been able to send a gift yet, please consider doing so today. Our online donation page is available here. If you prefer, you may mail a gift made out to the Daughters of Divine Charity to 850 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10305.

Thank you again for your generosity. As a special thank you to our donors, the Sisters ask that you join us in prayer on Friday, June 24, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. in celebration of the Scared Heart of Jesus. This is a special day for the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity.

Did you know our Sisters have a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? When founding the congregation, Mother Franciska Lechner dedicated it to the solemnity of Jesus. The original face of their medal was the image of Jesus’s Sacred Heart. This image also appears through the artwork of the convents. And for each Sister, this depiction holds a special place in their hearts and hands, as it is the image on the rings the Sisters received when they professed their vows.

To all our friends and supporters, thank you for the blessing you have been to our Sisters. Praying for you and your loved ones, knowing you are praying with us and for us, gives us the strength to continue our ministry.

May the Holy Family continue to bless you!

Gratefully yours in Christ,
The Daughters of Divine Charity

Current Appeal

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.

See This Week’s Concentration

Current Appeal

Dearest Friends,

As we settle into the fall of 2021, we experience many mixed emotions.  The vaccine allowed for lifted restrictions and more normalcy to return, but a new strain brought a rise in positive cases and a scare that we might repeat another fall and winter season in solitude.  As Catholics, we live on faith. Our lives are fueled by hope for what will come.  Despite this summer setback- we know and trust that God will get us back to normal.  So don’t lose hope—but rather hold on and dig deep.  

No matter what we face in the coming months, the Holy Spirit will be beside us ready for the end of the crisis. Let us hope that although we lost so much time together, and possibly loved ones, we will reunite stronger and more grounded in faith.  Despite this positive outlook, we also feel a bit of trepidation; fear that our world’s faith was tested, fear that the absence of church community due to Covid restriction will result in lower attendance at Mass and devotions, etc.

This “new” life after Covid gives us the opportunity to recommit our lives to our faith and to our Church.  That brings us to our wish for a renewed interest in our Church– for younger generations to grab hold of our Catholic values, for a new generation to be called to religious life.

As Sisters, we have devoted our lives to God, to prayer, and to pass on our faith to students, and the men and women we care for through our many ministries. Thousands of our Sisters have been able to “make God’s love visible” due to the support you have provided in the past. As more of the Sisters pass on, we have turned many of our daily responsibilities over to the laity.  This allows our ministries to thrive—providing safe housing and care for men and women, teaching youth, providing parish outreach, and so much more.  We pray now that the Catholic Church at large may have the same success in pairing new vocations with support from the laity.

Today, we send you a request to multiply the strength of our prayers for these intentions.  Join the Holy Family Province of the Daughters of Divine Charity with a special intention that the Holy Spirit gives our church the fortitude to withstand the changes it faces.  During the year of St. Joseph, we ask for him to intercede, to help us heal not just physically and emotionally, but also in faith.  Our church, like many families, suffered great losses during the pandemic.   With this prayer, our collective intention is for the Holy Spirit to find men and women that will ensure the future of our Catholic faith.  We ask for vocations for priests, brothers, and sisters.  We ask for devoted lay disciplines to return to the Church, not only for the celebration of mass but also for their dedication to their parishes and to their roles in preparing the next generation to continue our traditions. 

Also enclosed is a request for your support. You may choose to send a contribution to our Sisters in retirement; to support our active ministries to the handicapped, women, children, and the elderly; to honor a loved one by enrolling him or her in our St. Joseph Prayer Guild.  Whichever way you wish to support our Sisters, your gift will be recognized and thanked by all our Sisters in their daily prayers.

May God continue to bless you and St. Joseph intercede for us!

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Sister M. William McGovern, FDC

P.S. Please consider making a gift to our Sisters which will be put to immediate use.