On the morning of July 20, 2023, Gregory Dennis, our custodian at the Joseph House Crisis Center, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Greg was riding his bike on his way to work when the accident happened at Route 50 and Boundary Street in Salisbury. According…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Our actions bring to life our beliefs, values, commitments, and convictions. If our actions were the pages of a book, what would the story tell? Reflecting on the life of Sr. Clare, her book would tell a story of sacrifice in order to care for others, of being generous with…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Nine years after starting the Joseph House, our founder thought it needed a change in focus. The year was 1974 and Sr. Mary Elizabeth had just begun forming our community, the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary, in Baltimore. She thought it was time to provide conferences and days of…
On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, Sr. Clare of the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary, formerly Diane Quinn , 77, was called from the Sisters’ home in Princess Anne, Maryland to her Home with the Lord. Born in Baltimore on October 28, 1945, Diane Carol Douglas was the only child of Ruth H. Clopein Douglas…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Our mission at the Joseph House is to help people in crisis situations, no matter what their needs may be. It doesn’t matter if it’s rent or an electric bill or medical care or anything else—if we can verify the need, and we have the means to help, we go…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: As you know from reading our monthly Newsletter, we attend to many people who come to the Joseph House Crisis Center. Sometimes people travel a considerable distance because they’re desperate and afraid of losing their housing or having their utilities turned off. But not everyone is able to come to…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Last month we presented some thoughts on the Good Samaritan courtesy of Pope Benedict. We’d like to do a little more with help from Pope Francis this time, who wrote an excellent commentary on the parable in his encyclical, On Fraternity and Social Friendship. Francis takes a look at each…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Here’s a fun fact: centuries ago, if you had called a nun “silly,” she would have taken it as a compliment! She probably wouldn’t today (although personally we would smile and nod and say yes, sometimes it’s true), but back in the Middle Ages the word meant pious and devout….
The end of the year is always a busy time at the Joseph House. Thanksgiving and Christmas bring out an abundance of goodwill, and we see it in all the ways people share with those in need. We are grateful to be a part of the season of giving, as we help bring people together…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: January is the doorway into a new year. It’s a threshold we cross, and although symbolic (January 1st was just another day), it is still rich in meaning, like many other thresholds. A literal threshold we cross every day is the one going into our homes. Our front door marks…