Newsletter: October 2024
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
October is the “golden hour” of the calendar year, the equivalent of late afternoon when the day is drawing to a close and the quality of sunlight glazes everything with a soft, warm glow.
These are days of rich autumn colors and pleasant weather, but they are bittersweet because they do not last. In a few weeks the trees will be gray and bare, the leaves swept away — and then one morning the air will no longer be chilly but downright cold and we’ll need our heavy coats. Another winter will be settling in with its blanket of long, dark nights.
This time of year tugs at our heart in another way because it brings to mind the last day and final hours of our founder, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling, who died on October 27, 2004. Twenty years later the memory of her passing is still fresh.
It was at the end of an anxious night at the hospital when she left us, slipping away in silence after we said our goodbyes one by one. We don’t know if she heard what we said, but in great moments there is a communion of love at a deep level and that is what matters.
She died at sunrise, a beautiful moment and a powerful symbol of the life to come. On that morning, looking out the window we saw the sun rising as it always does, nothing spectacular, and that seemed just about right. If there was a message it was, “Life goes on, and here is another day to love and serve the Lord.” Our sadness notwithstanding, it was the start of a new day, and a new chapter for the Joseph House, one to be written without the guiding hand of the founder.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years have come and gone — and the mission of the Joseph House continues. There really is no greater testament that Sr. Mary Elizabeth succeeded in doing her job. What she created has outlasted her, the dream of anyone who has ever poured heart and soul into a project. It will always feel like she left us too soon, but she gave us enough to carry on. Her fundamental lesson? Be faithful to God’s will.
We can go on with our work of helping those in need because of your loyal support. One of our treasured memories of Sr. Mary Elizabeth is that she always carried her little case of correspondence with her wherever she went. If she had a spare moment she was writing thank-you notes. There was no doubt that every friend and supporter of Joseph House was important to her. That sentiment is shared by everyone here today. We are grateful for all that you do for us and the poor.
When we review the cases at the Joseph House Crisis Center, our gratitude for your generosity overflows. Consider the story of Vera, age 73. She shares a home with her granddaughter, who works at a hotel and helps with the household expenses. Her granddaughter, however, was in a serious car accident that broke both of her legs. She is recovering in a rehab facility, and because she is unable to work, has no income.
Vera, meanwhile, has become almost completely bedridden herself. She suffers from an open wound and has seizures. In her condition, she could not handle the bills and received an eviction notice. Luckily, Vera has a friend who alerted us about what was happening before it was too late. The Joseph House was able to pay the full amount of past-due rent ($1,200).
Vera’s friend is a true lifesaver and will continue to look after her. We can all follow her example and check in on our friends, family members, and neighbors, especially if they are alone and vulnerable.
Gilda, 39, lives by herself with no help from family or anyone. She had a good job installing solar panels, but one day she tripped in a parking lot and cracked a bone in her back. She lost her job while she was immobilized in a cast for several weeks. Her savings were exhausted quickly and Gilda sold her clothes online in order to raise money. It wasn’t enough to keep from being served an eviction notice, despite never missing a payment before in eight years. The Joseph House contacted her landlord, who accepted our offer of $1,000 to stop the proceedings.
Our Director spoke with Gilda at length. He was impressed with her determination to get back to work. A two-way communication device was purchased for Gilda (costing $300) so she could begin a new job as a member of a road construction crew.
Santiago, 27, lost both his grandmother and one-year-old child this past year. He stumbled around trying to cope with his grief and eventually lost his job at a fast-food restaurant. In no time at all Santiago was homeless. Taking pity on him, a landlord offered a rental for the bargain price of $50 a week. Santiago was moved by this chance to start over, and he asked for help at our Crisis Center. We paid the rent for the first month, encouraged by the fact that Santiago is actively looking for work at the chicken plants.
Like many seniors on a fixed income, Carolyn, 73, is struggling to make ends meet. Her electric bills seemed higher than normal, so she called the power company and someone was sent over to inspect her home. It was determined that the main culprit behind her exorbitant bills was a faulty A/C unit that was drawing an excessive amount of current. Carolyn’s landlord fixed the problem, but she was stuck with paying the now delinquent electric bills. The $50 she borrowed from a friend was just a drop in the bucket compared with what was due. The Joseph House paid $500, and after calling the power company, got the disconnect order canceled.
We assist dozens of people each week, thanks to you! Putting compassion into action is what makes a difference.
With all the anniversaries we’ve had recently, this has certainly been a year to look back and remember the past. It’s important to do that. Memories give us hope because we see how everything works out. No matter what happened, we survived: grace carried us through it.
May God, who is rich in mercy (Eph 2:4), always be your light and your strength.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
P.S. There is one more special anniversary before this eventful year is over. Stay tuned.
Send us you special intentions and we will remember you in our prayers: Contact Form
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When she started our community in 1974, Sr. Mary Elizabeth knew right from the start that the Little Sisters would wear a habit. It is one of our identifying characteristics, an exterior sign of our religious consecration. Our founder had strong beliefs about its value. Here are a few things she said over the years (we can still hear her voice in these words):
“We wanted to pattern our lives after Br. Charles de Foucauld, and I said ‘We will have a habit.’ It’s a calling card. It’s a witness. . . . it was a counter-cultural thing for us to do. We wanted something that would be simple, non-threatening to the poor.”
…….
“I felt that people who wanted to wear habits should feel free to wear the habit. And I can tell you right now it took us more courage to put on that habit than it did to make vows because everybody criticized us for wearing a habit. Here you are, in the middle of an effort for all the nuns to get some freedom and dress like the people today and you’re putting on a habit. And I said it’s because I believe in habits. And I intend to keep the freedom to wear one. So it was very important to us . . . I still see the importance of it. I have never lost that because it’s what tells people who you are, which is very important.”
…….
“We don’t hide behind our habits. The poor recognize us and know that we are just as poor as they. The habits also keep us from getting caught up in materialistic pursuits.”
More about our habit can be found here: https://thejosephhouse.org/religious-habit/
Extra!
On October 5, Sr. Marilyn and Sr. Virginia attended the Eucharistic Congress that was sponsored by the Diocese of Wilmington and held in Ocean City, MD. Sr. Virginia is quoted in this article, and look through the photo gallery and see if you can spot Sr. Marilyn: