Newsletter: March 2025
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
March has arrived, and on the 17th many people, Irish or not, will be wearing green in honor of St. Patrick. But in case you forgot, there is another saint we celebrate this month who is also associated with the color green. That saint, of course, is our beloved patron, St. Joseph, whose feast day is on the 19th.
Maybe you haven’t noticed before, but St. Joseph is commonly depicted wearing a robe of brown and green. Those are not random colors: brown signifies that Joseph was a down-to-earth working man, and green has traditionally been used to represent his faithfulness to God.
We’re not sure why green was chosen for this, but of all his many virtues, the faithfulness of St. Joseph is of paramount importance. It was through his commitment to God’s will that the good work God planned for him came to fruition.
St. Joseph did not have an easy life. He had to persevere through a number of trials. He could have given up when he found out Mary was pregnant with a child not his own. He could have lost hope when there was no room at the inn. He could have given in to despair when he and his precious family had to flee to Egypt and become refugees in a foreign country. Even the long years of working in Nazareth could have grown wearisome. But Joseph did not lose heart, he did not give up his faith in God. His toil — always in the background — was all for the sake of Jesus.
Like all the saints, St. Joseph is here to inspire us. He also leads us to examine our own lives. Maybe we can try a little harder to be faithful to the work God has planned for us.
Thomas Merton wrote, “Every serious Christian is willing to make a few initial sacrifices. It is not hard to make a good start. But it is hard to continue, to carry on the work begun, and to persevere in it through many years until the end.”
Sometimes getting started is half the battle, but as long as we breathe our work is not done. The prayers of St. Joseph will help us to keep going.
Your faithfulness to the Joseph House means everything to us. Our operation depends on your support. What we have to share with those in need comes from you. We never know what to expect at our Crisis Center, but we are ready because of your generosity.
The story of Naomi, age 73, is a good example. When she came to see us on a bitterly cold morning, Sr. Virginia noticed right away that this poor lady was wearing rubber clogs (“Crocs”) and no socks. Her swollen feet were painful to look at. A quick search of our supplies found not only socks, but a pair of orthopedic shoes that had just been donated. Although a little snipping was required for the socks, the shoes fit perfectly!
Naomi was in a bad accident ten years ago and then suffered two strokes. She moves with difficulty using a walker and has a slight speech impediment. The Joseph House helped her purchase the medication she needed but could not afford.
Here are some more stories from a busy winter:
Samantha, 28, works at a restaurant and takes home about $800 per month. She has two children, but their father just got released from jail and is currently in a drug rehab. His lack of financial support resulted in Samantha and her children becoming homeless and living in her car. Determined to give her children a stable life, Samantha has been on the go, searching first of all for an affordable place to live, and then asking at churches and agencies for help paying the security deposit. Our assistance enabled her quest to be completed.
Karen, 28, has four children, one of whom is autistic and engages in self-harm. This child, a little boy, had to give up his dog when the family moved recently. The dog had been a good companion and Karen wanted to get a new one (even her son’s doctor suggested it), but with bills to pay, like an outstanding water bill, that was out of the question.
But, lucky for this family, our Sr. Mary Joseph never gives up. She acquired a puppy, with all veterinary needs taken care of, that was just right for the boy. The Joseph House also paid the water bill. We do all that we can to help families in need.
Bobby and Sasha are a middle-aged couple who were living in their car. They are both disabled and receive monthly SSI checks. This type of income can be enough for a spartan existence, but it offers no hope of getting out of a financial hole. The Joseph House helped this couple pay the security deposit for an apartment.
Tracy, 55, had been homeless since last summer. She has a bi-polar condition and walks everywhere she needs to go, despite having lung and heart issues. On her daily travels Tracy finally found a landlord who would rent her a room. We paid the first month’s rent and provided an electric heater that is safe to use.
Enrique, 57, has lung cancer and is undergoing an intensive treatment of chemo and radiation. Since he is not able to work, his only income is a temporary monthly welfare check for $300. If he did not have the house that once belonged to his parents, Enrique would be homeless. We paid his overdue electric bill.
Clement, 65, lives in a mobile home. His roommate died a few weeks ago, leaving Clement in a real bind. Now paying the bills by himself, his fixed income barely covers the rent. Out of necessity he did some snow shoveling for cash, even though he has heart problems. The $100 he earned went toward the electric bill. Clement had nothing to buy more propane for his heater. The Joseph House got his tank filled and paid the balance due on the electric.
March is a turning point in the year, when the minutes of sunlight each day start to outnumber those of darkness. Let’s take our cue from nature and do what we can to spread more light. The world desperately needs people who are committed to living the Gospel. It is the only way to respond to the discord of our times.
Thank you for all the ways you support our work. May our Lord hold you firmly in His peace.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
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Donations: Your contribution will help people in need: Donate.
“What Scripture gives us explicitly about Saint Joseph is always in reference to the Word of God whom he heeded. He not only displays for us what obedience to God’s Word looks like, but also reflects to us the wisdom of God’s ways.
“The ways of the Lord are not our ways, but we must continually learn the ways of the Lord for our good and the good of all the Church. Joseph is both an example and an efficacious sign of the ways of the Lord. His life is his testimony, and his power is in his faith. To discern Joseph is to discern God’s handiwork.
“This is the man God chose to be as a father to his only-begotten Son. A sinner like us, Joseph was stretched in virtue and filled with the graces of God. God made him capable of this sacred duty — a duty entrusted to Joseph alone. Joseph is a singular figure in salvation history, and yet he shows each of us the way to respond to our vocations as disciples of Jesus and friends of God.
“He listened for God’s voice and acted on what he heard, and he is thus a model of faith and obedience for all Christians. Listening for God’s voice and acting on what he asks of us is the simple, demanding task of the Christian life.
“And as we see with Joseph, out of that simple obedience, God fashioned a great saint.
“What do we gain by spending our days in the company of Saint Joseph — praying with him, offering our petitions to his care, contemplating his life and his witness? What we gain is nothing short of being drawn closer to the mystery of God’s dwelling with us. . . .
“Jesus shares his life with us through his saints. From Joseph, Jesus received a father’s love, and to Joseph, Jesus was an obedient son. For us, Joseph hastens to share the love he lavished on Jesus, and he yearns for nothing more than to draw us near to that blessed child, who is his and our salvation.”
Leonard J. DeLorenzo
From Model of Faith: Reflecting on the Litany of Saint Joseph