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.