By definition, a desert is an empty, arid wasteland. Some would say there is nothing to see. But the desert also brings clarity of vision, and with this clarity Charles de Foucauld saw deep into the mystery of Jesus. In her book, Hidden in God: Discovering the Desert Vision of Charles de Foucauld, Bonnie Thurston…
A canonized saint by definition is someone who practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace. Coming from all walks of life, they show us how any situation can be transformed by the light of the Gospel. To honor the saints, we place them on a pedestal or enshrine them in stained glass,…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: After a short break over Christmas, we are ready to get started in this new year and new decade. There’s always plenty to keep us busy. First of all, at the Joseph House Crisis Center we have our Financial Assistance program, our Food Pantry, Soup Kitchen, and Hospitality Room for…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: When we consider people in need—”the poor”—we may focus on how they’re different from us. Do we ever consider how we’re the same? Does that change how we want to respond to them? Our founder Sr. Mary Elizabeth once shared a story from the early days of the Joseph House…
Charles de Foucauld composed this prayer as he meditated on the death of Jesus on the Cross: “This was the last prayer of our Master, our Beloved. May it also be ours. And may it be not only that of our last moment, but also of our every moment: “Father,I abandon myself into Your hands;do…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: We rarely get the chance to do great things for other people. Our days are filled, however, with moments to do little things. These are precious and not to be squandered—they are capable of doing so much good. Sometimes the moment occurs unexpectedly. The key is to be ready at…
Our founder used to say, “A community is not so much a group of people living together to love Christ as it is a group of people loving Christ together.” Being together physically to form a community is not always possible. Distance can keep people apart, not to mention their commitments and circumstances. Now, thanks…
Every religious community has its own charism, a particular way of life and a spirit that forms its identity. In setting the charism of the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling looked to an obscure French priest who lived from 1858 to 1916. His name was Charles de Foucauld. Charles spent…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Every organization and institution, whether it is civic, business, religious, or charitable, has its own style of operation. It’s not just what they do, but how they do it that sets them apart. This is true of the Joseph House, and our founder Sr. Mary Elizabeth looked to a particular…
During a retreat he made in 1902, Charles de Foucauld wrote down his resolutions for more closely imitating Jesus. He understood that we are what we do. The desires of the heart can become just fantasy if they are not grounded in the reality of our behavior. Charles was driven to imitate the humility of…