Newsletter: October 2026
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
Years ago, there was a poster pinned to the pantry door in our convent that said, “The truth will set you free – but first it will make you miserable!”
The poster showed a rag doll, looking a bit worse for wear, being squeezed by a wooden vise. The doll had a half-hearted smile, which helped to soften the bluntness of the message. It seemed to convey the end result will be worth it.
Our founder, Sr. Mary Elizabeth, was undoubtedly the one who put the poster up. We’re not surprised it caught her attention and that she wanted it placed in a highly visible location. The poster, of course, is a play on the famous verse from the Gospel: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31-32).
Sr. Mary Elizabeth also had a great love for truth. Imprinted in our brains is one of her sayings: “We can only deal with the Truth. Anything is possible with the Truth. Nothing is possible without it.” In fact, we made a little poster of that to hang up in our Crisis Center!
We’re musing on truth because last month in our Newsletter we wrote about how when people need help, they need an encounter with love. That is first and foremost, but they also need an encounter with truth.
In our work at the Joseph House, the relevant facts of someone’s situation need to be brought out so we can respond in the best possible way. But there is a deeper truth that people need to experience, and that is that each individual is a person of value and dignity. Each person deserves respect and to be seen and heard. Each life story is precious, and each story can change for the better, even by the smallest increment, because we all have the power to make good decisions.
People are starved for the truth that they matter. Although we can tell them, our words really make an impact when they are backed up by our actions. We are grateful that the Joseph House can count on you to be part of our effort. By working together we help a lot of people.
A good number of those we assist at the Joseph House Crisis Center are elderly and frail. It’s easy for them to feel alone in this rapidly changing world. The message they receive is that nobody cares, but we and our volunteers are here for them.
Ruben, 67, was one recent visitor. He had to face a choice that no one should have to make: use his meager resources to pay for housing or life-saving medication. Ruben has blood clots in his lungs, and the treatment involves taking expensive blood thinners. Ruben paid the high co-pay for the medicine, but this left him short of funds for his rent. The Joseph House made a full rent payment to his landlord.
Gracie, 84, is also struggling with the high cost of prescription medications. She has resorted to using credit cards to pay for them. The monthly payments, fueled by high interest rates, keep getting bigger. Her other bills are going unpaid. Gracie owed $990 to the gas company. We paid more than half of what was due.
Clark came to see us the day before his 74th birthday. He did not feel like celebrating. His golden years have been filled with worry about his health (heart attacks and arthritis) and trying to get by on a pitiful fixed income. The sizable payment we made toward his electric bill kept the power on in his home.
Irene, 63, needed moral support in addition to financial assistance. Her spirits were really failing. Her damaged lungs require a heavy load of supplemental oxygen. She also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Irene used to work as a cashier, but her job came to an abrupt end when she was shot during a robbery. The ordeal still haunts her. Adding to her aches and pains, she had recently fallen, and her swollen wrist was still hurting. The rent payment the Joseph House made helped to put Irene’s mind at ease. We also trust that the calm, welcoming presence of the volunteer who sat with her was a comfort as well.
Consuelo, 67, was already marginalized by being illiterate, and then she became homeless, isolating her even more. Moving into a furnished room cost more than her monthly Social Security. The Joseph House paid a sizable chunk of what she needed. Although Consuelo now has a place to live, the rent takes close to 80% of her check each month. She is far from being alone in that regard. High housing costs make life precarious for many.
Our mission extends to all people, all ages. Michelle, 30, is a working mother with two children. The father was removed from the home after he dropped the youngest child (less than a year old), who suffered a fractured skull and ribs. This was traumatizing for everyone. The father is unemployed and is not able to offer any support; it all falls on Michelle. She has been missing a lot of work at her job at a fast food restaurant because her baby needs extra care. There was one week when Michelle had no income, and she was falling rapidly behind in the rent. We sent a check to her landlord.
Dominique is another young working mother who needed help. She is 24 and has a toddler. They were living with family members until everyone had to vacate the house. Dominique and her child were left on their own and became homeless. With her paycheck, Dominique found temporary refuge in a motel. The weekly bill, however, prevented her from saving up for a security deposit for rental housing. The Joseph House was able to assist Dominique and her child move into a proper place to live.
Lamar, 47, has been struggling ever since his son died of cancer. The cost of the funeral put Lamar in a deep financial hole. We paid his electric bill so the power would not be disconnected in his home.
Truth needs love, and love needs truth: they go hand-in-hand, each giving the other integrity. By staying together they keep to the path that leads to their goal, which is the good of others.
Thank you for being part of our mission to love and serve the poor. You are more than simply a part, however; your support is essential for what we do. We work on your behalf, sharing with those in need the love and concern you have for them. Our prayers of gratitude for you are raised up to God every day.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
Prayer Requests: Send us your special intentions and the Little Sisters will pray for you: Contact Form.
Donations: Your contribution will help people in need: Donate.
“She was like this great shining comet going across the sky, leading the way for people to care about the poor.”
That was how Sr. Connie Ladd described our founder, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling, who passed away in 2004 on the 27th of October. Now Sr. Connie, who sparkled brightly in her own right, has joined her in heaven, having left us this past June.
We’ve always remembered our founder in a special way at this time of year. Summer has drifted away, the leaves are changing, and we’re reminded once again of how quickly the years go by. Our memories bring us comfort, but hope is the real consolation. What lies ahead is where our gaze must settle.
We pray for Sr. Mary Elizabeth and all the departed members of our community, and we know they are interceding for us. The bonds of our little family are never gone.
May God in His great mercy gives us a share of our sisters’ everlasting joy. May He keep us faithful to our founder’s vision, and send us new little sisters to share in our life of loving the poor.
Have that tender care that expresses itself in the little things that are like a balm for the heart. . . . With our neighbors go into the smallest details, whether it is a question of health, of consolation, of prayerfulness, or of need. Console and ease the pain of others through the tiniest of attentions. . . . As much as possible be an element of consolation for those around us, as soothing balm, as our Lord was towards all those who drew near to Him.
-St. Charles de Foucauld