Looking forward with Hope
Mother General María and Mother Assistant Joseph Christine traveled to the U.S. last month to help realize the merger of our three U.S. provinces into two, and to help launch a national vocations team who will collaborate in nurturing vocations and make the Congregation better known.
Over the last several years we have withdrawn from a number of Homes across the country in order to consolidate our aging communities and strengthen our religious life, despite a diminished number of vocations.
St. Joseph’s Home will remain the provincial residence for our Chicago province. Along with the two Chicagoland Homes, our province now includes Homes in Kansas City, Louisville, Indianapolis, Mobile (AL), St. Paul, San Francisco and Gallup (NM).
Our other two U.S. provinces merged into the Baltimore-Brooklyn province, comprised of two Homes in metropolitan New York, Pawtucket (RI), Enfield (CT), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Totowa (NJ), Baltimore, Newark (DE) and Washington, D.C., our novitiate in Queens and a retreat house in New Jersey. This province is headquartered at St. Martin’s Home in Baltimore.
Mother General María and Mother Assistant Joseph Christine gathered with the superiors of our U.S. Homes and a group of Little Sisters experienced in vocation work to create an action plan for fostering vocations around the country. The Vocation Team will launch new national and regional projects and assist the local communities to tap into local vocation initiatives.
We know that our foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan is with us, and we look to the future with hope. Please join us in praying hard for a new flourishing of vocations to all ministries in the Church, and especially to our religious family!
Pictured below are the Superiors of the Chicago Province (l-r). First row – Mother Theresa Gertrude (St. Paul), Mother Marguerite (San Francisco), Mother Mercy (Palatine), Mother General Maria, Mother Provincial Julie, Mother Assistant Joseph Christine, Mother Judith (Mobile). Second Row (l-r) Mother Margaret Patricia (Kansas City), Mother Margaret Charles (Chicago), Mother Maria Christine (Indianapolis), Mother Theresa Louisa (Gallup).
Looking forward with Hope