Dear Friends of Joseph House: Home is where we love and take care of our families. For Charles de Foucauld, family meant everyone. Our freshly-sainted Br. Charles saw himself as a brother to all people, a “universal brother” as he called himself. Deep in the desert lands of Algeria where he lived, he was equally…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: A few months ago, three of us were at a gas station on a rainy morning in late winter when a familiar face appeared. It was Gregory, looking cold and a little down. The Sister at the wheel rolled down the car window.“Hi Gregory, how are you doing?”“Hi Sister. You…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: How would you describe the time in which we live? Scientists say we are in the Anthropocene Epoch, a time when human activity dominates the planet. Technologists say we are in the Information Age, with the Internet and smartphones bringing the world to our fingertips. If you keep up with…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: We are eagerly awaiting the canonization of Charles de Foucauld in May when he will be declared a Saint. We will always think of him as Br. Charles, and his life and spirituality have inspired not only our community, but communities and fraternities around the world. It’s a global family….
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Feed the hungry…Give drink to the thirsty…Clothe the naked…Shelter the homeless…Visit the sick…Visit the imprisoned…Bury the dead. These are the Corporal Works of Mercy, the basic acts of charity and kindness found principally in the Parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and elsewhere in the Bible (Is 58:6-14 and…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: January is the sunrise of the year, the dawn of a new beginning. For us Little Sisters, there’s a prayer we say at the start of each day, and it seems to be fitting as we go forth into another year. It is the Abandonment Prayer of Charles de Foucauld:…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: By far our favorite Christmas decoration is the nativity scene, that representation of the birth of Christ with the Holy Family, shepherds, angels, animals, and wise men. We have more than one set up in our Salisbury convent: there’s one in the chapel, one in the dining room, and one…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Here it is November already, and another year is flying by. It’s a special year, too, the “Year of St. Joseph,” which was declared by Pope Francis as a way to promote this saint whose example offers hope during our troubled times. St. Joseph, of course, is very dear to…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: What is the greatest sin committed against the poor? According to Franciscan priest Raniero Cantalamessa, it is indifference. “Unfortunately, we can get used to anything in time, and we have grown accustomed to other people’s misery,” he writes in his book, Poverty. “It only affects us to a degree, we…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: According to verse twenty-one of the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs, “Many are the plans of the human heart, but it is the decision of the Lord that endures.” A Yiddish proverb puts it another way: “We plan and God laughs.” We all know what it’s like. We have hopes and…