Newsletter: March 2026
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
Last October, Pope Leo issued Dilexi te (Latin for “I have loved you”), a document that reflects on Christ’s love for the poor. There is a paragraph near the end that we wanted to share with you:
I would like to close by saying something about almsgiving, which nowadays is not looked upon favorably even among believers. Not only is it rarely practiced, but it is even at times disparaged. Let me state once again that the most important way to help the disadvantaged is to assist them in finding a good job, so that they can lead a more dignified life by developing their abilities and contributing their fair share. In this sense, “lack of work means far more than simply not having a steady source of income. Work is also this, but it is much, much more. By working we become a fuller person, our humanity flourishes, young people become adults only by working. The Church’s social doctrine has always seen human work as a participation in God’s work of creation that continues every day, also thanks to the hands, mind and heart of the workers.” On the other hand, where this is not possible, we cannot risk abandoning others to the fate of lacking the necessities for a dignified life. Consequently, almsgiving remains, for the time being, a necessary means of contact, encounter and empathy with those less fortunate.
We felt encouraged reading this because Pope Leo addressed the two main components of the Joseph House mission. At the Joseph House Workshop, we help men leave homelessness behind and develop themselves and find their place in society through work. And at the Joseph House Crisis Center, we give direct financial and material assistance to people in need. Job preparation and the sharing of resources, the two branches of our ministry — both are needed, and your support makes them possible.
We also really like the Pope’s choice of words in the last sentence: contact, encounter and empathy. They get to the heart of what the Joseph House is all about. Our goal is to bring people together and unite them in a spirit of love and concern for each other. It’s not about hand-outs. We are members of one human family, brothers and sisters all, sharers of a common destiny beyond this life. To lose sight of this is to lose sight of our humanity. When that happens, the results are plain to see: violence, hatred, and injustice. Each of us, created in the image of God, was made for something else, something worthy of our Creator.
We know that not everyone is called to direct service, but through the stories we share we bring you close to the people assisted by the Joseph House. You are behind every act of kindness and every word of encouragement. Your goodness keeps the Joseph House going. We hope these stories help you realize your value:
Lynda is only 38, but she said she is “an old woman in a young woman’s body.” She hasn’t been able to work for 15 years. Her health has never been good, and now she has cancer. Our volunteer who spoke with Lynda said she carries no resentment over what she’s been through; he described her as a “gentle sufferer.”
Lynda’s only income is SSI (Supplemental Security Income). It amounts to $870 per month, but then $750 goes toward the rent. Of course, as you know, there are other bills to pay: gas, electric, water, food. It can be hard for anyone to stay afloat, but for the poor it’s impossible — there’s nothing on which to cut back! If Lynda tries to pay her other necessary expenses, she never has enough for the rent. The Joseph House stepped in and made a full rent payment to give her a hand.
Trisha, 22, is coping with a lot. She was physically beaten by her husband and needed to call the police. She is also healing from a miscarriage. Trisha has moved into her own apartment, but the wages from her part-time job (at $14.50 per hour) barely cover the rent. She was falling behind and was fearful of getting evicted. The Joseph House made a sizable payment toward the back rent to keep Trisha sheltered while she looks for more work.
For six months, Nora, 66, was homeless and living in her car. She was able to move into a senior living apartment, but she left because there were rats! Looking around for a new place to live, Nora hit a deer with her car, causing extensive damage. With no other options, Nora accepted the offer of an apartment manager to sleep on the attic floor of his building. It’s very hard to move on from rock bottom without any help. Nora had only $100 to apply toward the security deposit for an actual apartment. The Joseph House paid the remainder.
Marian, 50, was facing the imminent cut-off of electricity in her home and she had no way of paying the bill. Her husband injured his back two years ago doing farm work. So far, his disability claim has been denied. Marian was working until she became the full-time caregiver for her ailing father. He recently passed away, and Marian has begun looking for a job. With the cut-off date rapidly approaching, the Joseph House made a payment to the utility company to help this struggling family.
Wyatt, 64, became homeless as winter was getting underway. Getting back on his feet proved to be extra challenging because of his impaired health. He receives a small disability check, but after losing his housing he was spending most of his money to keep his few possessions in a storage unit. The Joseph House paid the security deposit so Wyatt could get a room in a boarding house.
Shantae, 45, is a hard-working mother supporting a large extended family. One of her daughters is disabled, and when she turned 18 there was a disruption in her Social Security checks. The loss of this extra income meant Shantae could not pay her electric bill. She has a demanding job caring for residents in a nursing home; now she needed someone to assist her. The Joseph House paid the amount required to stop the cut-off.
Looking at the big picture, sinful economic and social structures are the main culprits in creating poverty and keeping people poor. We must never settle for using almsgiving as a “guilt tax” — it needs to go hand-in-hand with advancing the cause of righteousness. The first step is always converting our hearts. Nothing changes until we love other people as much as we love ourselves. May God open our eyes, free us from selfishness, and give us the strength to persevere.
Thank you for every show of support. It all helps and we are very grateful for everything.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
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The Value of Giving Alms
Almsgiving at least offers us a chance to halt before the poor, to look into their eyes, to touch them and to share something of ourselves with them. In any event, almsgiving, however modest, brings a touch of pietas [a sense of dutiful love to God and others] into a society otherwise marked by the frenetic pursuit of personal gain. In the words of the Book of Proverbs: “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor” (22:9). . . .
Our love and our deepest convictions need to be continually cultivated, and we do so through our concrete actions. Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away.
For this very reason, we Christians must not abandon almsgiving. It can be done in different ways, and surely more effectively, but it must continue to be done. It is always better at least to do something rather than nothing.
Whatever form it may take, almsgiving will touch and soften our hardened hearts. It will not solve the problem of world poverty, yet it must still be carried out, with intelligence, diligence and social responsibility. For our part, we need to give alms as a way of reaching out and touching the suffering flesh of the poor.
Pope Leo XIV
Dilexi te, 116, 119
Reasons to Celebrate
Feast of St. Patrick – March 17
Feast of St. Joseph – March 19
First day of spring – March 20
Feast of the Annunciation – March 25
A lovely sequence of days!