Newsletter: April 2025
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
For many people — us included — Fridays in Lent mean going to church for a service called the Way of the Cross. It’s also called the Stations of the Cross, and this devotion leads us prayerfully along the mile-long journey Jesus made from Pilate’s court to Mount Calvary and the tomb. The Way of the Cross allows us to accompany our Lord in spirit during His Passion, and to remember the suffering He endured for our sake. It is the necessary prelude to celebrating Easter.
In a sense, though, the Way of the Cross is not confined to a particular time and place. As Blessed Basil Moreau pointed out,
“Human life is only a long Way of the Cross. It is not necessary to enter the chapel or the church to run over the various stations. The Way of the Cross is everywhere, and we walk along it every day in spite of ourselves and often unknown to us.”
That helps us to see life differently, doesn’t it? When we give our burdens to the Lord, unite our suffering with His, we share in the redemptive Cross of Christ (Rom 8:17; Gal 2:20). So as we go about our daily rounds, carrying our crosses, facing our trials, we can see it as walking our own Stations of the Cross. Even if we pass through the “valley of tears,” it is never in vain — when we embrace the cross we stay close to our Lord.
This new perspective should fill us with hope because the cross is never the end of the story. Otherwise, life would be unbearable.
Each one of us knows very well the crosses we carry in this life. We might feel their weight in our daily work, our health, our family life or circumstances. Sometimes no one else knows how heavy they are. But what if we could see the crosses other people carry? We might not be willing to trade!
It is in a spirit of compassion and solidarity that we welcome people to the Joseph House Crisis Center. The poor come to us with their burdens dragging them down, but not every cross is meant to be carried alone: Jesus Himself received help from Simon of Cyrene as He walked with faltering steps on the way to Calvary.
Thanks to your generous support, we can give immediate and tangible assistance to people in need. You make a real difference in their lives, and they, and we, are so grateful.
A few weeks ago, Omar, 48, limped his way into the Crisis Center and literally needed help so he would not fall over. He has been plagued with infections and circulation problems in his legs, resulting in the amputation of a toe on his right foot and the complete removal of his left leg. He has to contend with a lot of pain in addition to his impaired mobility. Right now, Omar’s disability claim is under review and he is receiving only $79 a month in temporary benefits. His situation is desperate. With the electricity about to be cut off in his home, the Joseph House paid the overdue bill in full.
Sabrina, 18, began an arduous journey at a young age. Her mother died three years ago, scattering her family to the four winds. Sabrina’s older siblings became homeless, while everyone else was sent to foster homes. After Sabrina was emancipated, she found a job at the hospital delivering food to patients. Her living arrangements were very unstable, staying here and there with friends. Along the way she became pregnant and just recently gave birth to a healthy baby.
Sabrina likes working at the hospital and hopes to become a nursing assistant. Achieving this goal will take many steps. The first was to find a place to live, somewhere safe for her baby and affordable too. Sabrina managed to do that, and although she has returned to work she could not afford to pay the security deposit. To help this young mother who has known nothing but struggle, the Joseph House paid it.
Rosemarie, 79, has lived alone in her house for about 30 years. She had to have a new well dug since the old one dried up. The water from the new well, however, is not clear and Rosemarie cannot drink it. She now buys her water in gallon jugs.
More and more, Rosemarie is having difficulty trying to deal with issues like this. She gets confused about many things. When she came to our Crisis Center she was extremely frightened about the power being turned off in her home. One of our volunteers spent time with Rosemarie and went over her budget. As it is for many people on a fixed income, any extra expense means something will have to be cut. The problem is, that means something essential like electricity! Thankfully, we could put Rosemarie’s mind at ease and pay her electric bill.
Denise, 42, has been living in her car with her two children for more than a year. A high rent forced her into this situation. Until recently, Denise had a job at a discount store, but she was laid off when it went out of business. With her Unemployment, Denise is trying to save enough money for a place to live. That is very hard to do since her car payment takes half of her check. This family has so many needs. Denise was most concerned about making the car payment. We decided to cover that for one month to give Denise extra funds from her Unemployment to move into a place to live.
Walter, 72, had liver cancer. Although a liver transplant saved his life, he has been going through a rough time. His wife knows the exhaustion that comes with being a care giver. A high electric bill was too much for their fixed income. The Joseph House made a payment so the power would not be cut off in their home.
Lydia, 71, has been feeling numb, both inside and out. Her husband died last fall, and then a few weeks later she fell and needed emergency surgery on her neck. She now lives with widespread numbness in her body and can no longer drive a car. Lydia had to quit her job that was supplementing her Social Security. The Joseph House paid her overdue water bill.
These are just a few recent case stories. Indeed, “The Way of the Cross is everywhere.”
The wood of the cross has become the tree of life, the fruit of which is the gift of salvation (cf. Rev 2:7, 22:2). Nature has gotten a head start in celebrating Easter this year since it falls so late in the calendar. We don’t mind, we love seeing the renewal of creation all around us — especially the dogwood blossoms, which give our streets a light and airy feel.
But Easter is not here yet. The journey through Holy Week awaits us, a time of prayer and recollection, a time to remember the true meaning of love that Christ showed us. Consider reading (or listening to) the Passion Narrative in the Gospel of John, starting with the Last Supper. And when Easter Sunday dawns, we hope your celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection fills you with joyful anticipation of what is to come. May God bless you with an abundance of light, life, and love!
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
Prayer Requests: Send us your special intentions and the Little Sisters will pray for you: Contact Form.
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To pray when lonely.
To reach out towards suffering
and not walk from it.
To share our weakness,
not simply our strength.
To give help because it is needed,
not deserved.
To build bridges instead of walls.
To reach across our understanding,
not hide behind it.
To grant justice.
To be merciful,
and all of this in the face of the pain
and evil sin creates . . .
this is how we believe in
the Risen Lord.
This is how we see the Christ Risen,
walking amongst us now,
walking within us now.
Rev. Mark-David Janus, C.S.P.
President and Publisher
Paulist Press