Newsletter: September 2025
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
The mission of the Joseph House is to “Cry the Gospel with your life!” We strive to do that at our Crisis Center, the Workshop, and at home in our convent. And also the grocery store, the post office, on the road, and anywhere we might be. In other words, all the time. Our mission is never just a 9-to-5 job—it’s a way of life.
To live this way means to live with intention. It requires guidance and self-awareness, and one of the best sources for the help we need is found in the lives of the saints. For every time and place, the saints show us how to live the Gospel and be conformed to Christ. They show how God moves among us, and how His power can be subtle yet do the impossible. Through their love and their faith, they show how each of us, no matter who we are, can be saints, too. In the end, nothing else matters.
For our community, the most important saints are our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and St. Charles de Foucauld. Another saint near the top of the list is St. Therese of Lisieux. Canonized exactly 100 years ago, her “little way” perfectly maps out our approach to life and ministry.
We’ve been thinking about Therese because of her centennial; her feast day is also coming up on October 1. She is loved by many so maybe you are familiar with her. She was a cloistered Carmelite nun in France and died at a young age, only 24, in 1897. Her life may seem far removed from us today, but it’s similar in that it was very unremarkable. She did not perform any miracles or great feats of charity, was not a missionary to faraway lands, and was not the founder of any movements or institutions. Instead, she fully embraced the many opportunities for love and sacrifice that are found in everyday living. Being in a cloister is hard—there’s no escape from other community members—and in this crucible Therese learned the meaning of love. Even the smallest acts are of great importance. This gets to the heart of her “little way,” although there is more to it.
In her autobiography, Therese wrote:
“I can prove my love only by scattering flowers, that is to say, by never letting slip a single little sacrifice, a single glance, a single word; by making profit of the very smallest actions, by doing them all for love. I want to suffer and even rejoice for love.”
This expresses the foundation of our ministry. With your support we build upon it, doing so much for those in difficulty and need. Just take a look at some recent case stories from our Crisis Center:
Brooke’s life fell apart last fall when her family home did. Three generations were living there: Brooke and her two children, her mother (who owned the house), and three other family members. The house had been in the family for a long time. It was showing its age, but routine maintenance had become too expensive. When a hole opened up in the roof, Brooke and her family tried their best to cope with it. But then the foundation started to collapse and they had no choice but to leave. The entire family became homeless, each member in desperate need of shelter.
Brooke seemed to land on her feet at first. Her job as a home health aide enabled her to rent an apartment. She was pregnant, and after she went on maternity leave her life was uprooted again: with no income, she and her children were evicted from their home. Brooke told us she will be okay once she returns to work, which will be soon. She has resolve. Her main concern was paying the storage fee at the facility where all of her belongings are kept. The Joseph House paid for three months so she and her children would not lose everything they have.
Kaitlin, 44, was working two jobs to provide for her four children. After she injured her knee in a car accident, she had to take a leave of absence from her job as a nursing assistant. She can still work at her second job as a receptionist, but that is only part-time. Kaitlin was behind almost $800 in the rent and she could only pay half. The Joseph House paid the rest. When she’s able to, Kaitlin takes classes to become an R.N. It is a long process, but she is determined to reach her goal.
Identity theft is causing terrible problems for Adelaide, age 63 and disabled. Her Social Security has been suspended and she can’t renew her driver’s license because of unpaid traffic fines—but she doesn’t even own a car! Her SNAP benefits (food stamps) are thankfully still available; otherwise, she would have nothing. As Adelaide gets the mess sorted out, the Joseph House paid her rent in full.
Cindy, 66, has had two strokes and gets around with a walker. She was living with a family member, but then that person decided to move out of state. Cindy could not afford to pay the rent on her own. She found a less expensive place, although the rent will take more than half of her Social Security. To move in she needed to pay two months’ rent in advance, which was more money than she had. The Joseph House, however, was able to help her out. Cindy is intelligent and gentle, but also frail. We are glad to hear that a visiting nurse will keep an eye on her.
Mason, 52, is a veteran who lives alone. He is receiving psychiatric treatment and can no longer work. His only income at the moment is $546 monthly in temporary benefits. His rent is $480, and with his other expenses, even though they are minimal, he could not pay all of it. The Joseph House paid every cent Mason needed so he would not be evicted.
In some ways, Betty, 59, lives like it was 40 years ago. Her car was made in 1983 and her TV is hooked up to an antenna. Her bills, unfortunately, are not like they were in the past. After paying her rent, she has less than $200 left of her fixed monthly income. Betty was living by herself, but now a grandson is with her. The Joseph House paid her past-due electric bill.
When Tori, 47, came to see us, the power was already off in the home where she lives with her unemployed husband and their six children. We wanted to pay their electric bill, but the minimum amount was out of reach for us. Then one of our volunteers stepped in and made a sizable contribution to what was needed. As happy as we were, deep down we were not completely shocked because our volunteers are the best.
Our mission is fundamentally one of joy. It is light and life in a world that has lost its bearings. Thank you for sharing in the mission of the Joseph House. Your prayers, encouragement, and donations are essential to what we do for the poor. In return, we offer you our prayers. They are humble but always full of gratitude.
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.
St. Therese on the “Little Way”
It is the way of spiritual childhood. It is the path of total abandonment and confidence. I would show them the little method I have found so perfectly successful and tell them there is but one thing to do on earth: to cast before Jesus the flowers of little sacrifices. That is what I have done.
On the meaning of being “little”
To be little . . . is not to attribute to ourselves the virtues we practice, nor to believe ourselves capable of practicing virtue at all. It is rather to recognize the fact that God puts treasures of virtue into the hands of His little children to make use of them in time of need, but they remain always treasures of the good God. Finally, to be little means that we must never be discouraged over our faults, for children often fall but they are too small to harm themselves very much.
Therese saw herself as God’s little flower, giving Him glory with beautiful simplicity. She wrote:
After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved.
St. Therese Online Archives
archives.carmeldelisieux.fr/en/
This website hosts a fascinating collection of photographs of St. Therese, including personal items she used, the Carmelite Monastery in Lisieux, her community and family.
These photos are a reminder that holiness is always incarnate within a particular set of circumstances. Do you look upon where you live and work as holy ground? Those are the places where we become saints.
St. Therese Books
The Institute for Carmelite Studies has an excellent catalog of books. When our bookstore was in operation we carried many of their titles.
They have several books pertaining to St. Therese, including her autobiography, Story of a Soul. For this and other books that make good spiritual reading, please visit their website: