The Blogging Nun
November, 2007
November 20, 2007
A Note of Thanks from a Friend
I can hardly believe it's the week of Thanksgiving! I still have a desk to clear at work and pies to make at home. In the midst of trying to organize my time, the following note came in the mail. It's filled with gratitude and meant to be shared. The author, Mary Zimmer is a good friend of our Sisters.
Recently I read Justice Clarence Thomas' autobiography. Toward the end he mentions those who helped him throughout his life. In addition to family and friends, Justice Thomas thanks the nuns who helped him and had faith in his abilities.
It got me to thinking about all the people in my life who helped me. Have you ever stopped to think about all those who helped you? Thanksgiving week is a perfect time to acknowledge such people.
I give thanks for the Sisters who nourished me during the first three years of my life at St. Joseph's Orphanage in St. Paul, Minnesota. Then, my parents deserve a big thank you. I wonder now if I ever truly thanked them when there were alive? Sometimes we thank our parents years later for their contributions to our well being.
When I put it all together, I realize I owe a huge thank you to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet beginning with my first years of life, continuing through the education I received from them at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul and further still, my professional start was under them at St. Joseph's Hospital. I even spent a few years as a Sister of St. Joseph myself.
All this time the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet helped and encouraged me. My career and livelihood were due to their educating me and I am truly thankful. But then, this is what they do: educate, heal, encourage, lead, serve, and help those in need.
Maybe we could all write our autobiographies—if for no reason other than to illuminate those for whom we are thankful. I rediscovered the Sister of St. Joseph impact in my life. Filled with gratitude, I am truly ready for the holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving
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November 13, 2007
Two Important Programs - You can help
Our Sisters of St. Joseph network of help and hope is in stages of tremendous growth. Board and committee members are spending plenty of extra time in long range planning. I thought I would give you a glimpse into two programs that are planning long range.
Our School: Learning In Style
For more than 12 years, 300-400 immigrants have benefited annually from the Learning In Style program. Today, discussions center around how best to meet more of our students' needs. Education remains the top priority, but it is no longer enough. Currently the school provides a safe place to learn English as well as survival skills — from some of the finest teachers in the Twin Cities — Sisters of St. Joseph and other volunteers with educational M.A. and Ph. D degrees.
Because the students come from all over the world, their needs are multiple. Many speak limited or no English. Some cannot read or write even in their own language. Some are victims of torture and violence.
Their challenge is having enough space and qualified volunteers to expand the list of resources offered the goal is for these individuals to gain language and literacy and the ability to function better as parents, workers, and contributing members of their communities.
Our Volunteer Program: St. Joseph Workers
Since 2002, the CSJs have helped shape the lives of young women as well as built a network of caring, engaged people through the St. Joseph Worker program. Mentored by some of the Sisters’ most gifted leaders and teachers, participants in the program live simply in community, focusing on issues of social justice, developing leadership skills and pursuing their own spirituality.
The challenge is that after spending a year living with other young women committed to social justice, building strong leadership and community-building skills, many of the young women seek an additional year or two to practice what they learned in their first year. This is great news for our Sisters because we have a lot of work that needs to be done by well-trained, energetic individuals — and the St. Joseph Workers fit this bill.
Board and committee members for the St. Joseph Worker (SJW) program are planning for second and third year experiences to allow SJWs to apply their leadership skills in local, national and international programs where we can use their help.
Of course for both our school and our volunteer programs there is the detail of additional cost. But, that’s where you can come in. Every dollar helps. Your gift will literally change the future through the lives of these people. But, you already now that. I mention it because many of you think about Thanksgiving as a time to give in gratitude for the help your ancestors received when they first arrive new to these shores.
Gifts can be made to:
Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation
1884 Randolph Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
Or you can make a donation online
Thank you! Possumus!
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November 2, 2007
Personal Goodness
I noticed as the taxi wound its way from the airport to my home that the leaves were mostly down. The chill in the air was a far cry from the weather I'd just left in California. I asked my Ethiopian driver how he manages winter here. "It took a while," he said. "Maybe two winters." He's worried today however, because more of his loved ones just arrived here and he wants to be sure that they don't freeze like he did. He wants them warm, safe and to feel at home.
He spends his limited free time and money preparing for their safety and comfort. He's seeking a home to rent as well, hopefully in a safe neighborhood with a bit of lawn for the children to play in, and near a good school. The love and hope for his family as well as his outpouring of compasssion for any new immigrant neighbor as winter begins to settle in moved me. Here is a good man.
I asked if he had any leads on a house. He said that getting a home is all about credit card debt. If credit card debt is minimal, then everyone knows you are a good person. He wants people to know that he is a good person.
I'm still shaking my head trying to understand how our society evolved to the point that we judge personal goodness on the level of credit card debt. I'm not saying credit card debt is a great thing, I'm simply dismayed that any correlation is made at all. Perhaps the origin of goodness is a bedrock question that needs exploration. Let's reclaim the real definition!
Possumus
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