September 2008
September 28, 2008
Introduce the Sisters of St. Joseph
Four years ago the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation realized that in order to keep serving such an enormous number of people, we would need to:
· double our Annual Fund;
· raise the endowment by 5 million dollars;
· give donors the opportunity to remember the CSJ Ministries Foundation in their estate plans; and
· get the word out that if people want their gift to really make an impact, the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation is the place to give.
So where are we with these goals?
· The Annual Fund has reached its goals and is on track to double the amount it raises by 2009.
· We have strengthened our estate planning and people have responded.
· We are developing an extraordinary niche in asking for and receiving unneeded insurance policies as estate gifts.
· We’ve raise almost our $5.5 million endowment goal and hope to reach a stretch goal of $6 million by June 2009.
At this point you may be thinking that you could do more for the CSJs but wonder what it might be. Let me offer one thought for you to ponder. Ask yourself: who do you respect so much that you wish they, too, could have the opportunity to hear what the CSJs are doing and why it is important?
These people need the story of hope, and I need you to help me meet them. My email address is: ioneill@csjstpaul.org. Let’s set up a visit! If we continue to increase the numbers on our team of help and hope, we can change the world for the better!
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September 22, 2008
A Good Investment
What a year we’ve had! The total of help and hope from the Sisters of St. Joseph network of programs far exceeds the sum of gifts given. Take a moment and see if it tallies up that way for you as well.
· St. Mary Health Clinics: 12,000 patient visits took place in our clinics and not in expensive emergency rooms.
· Sarah’s…an Oasis for Women, our home for women who have been tortured or seeking asylum, helped 40 more women move from societal dependence to contributing citizen. These 40 women join more than 700 other women who moved from Sarah's into independence as well.
· Learning In Style, our English Language Learning School (ELL), taught 385 students English - many of whom, as a result, obtained employment.
· St. Joseph Workers (SJWs), who make a year-long commitment to live in community, work in our ministries, and learn how to be leaders, reached out in service to 3,000 individuals.
By my calculations, you more than triple the value of your funds if you invest them in the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Ministries Foundation—Ministries Foundation for short. We are happy to put your investments to work for you!
Possumus!
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September 7, 2008
To Give is to Have
I'm sure it's no surprise that at any time of the day I have “giving” on my mind. My personal experience with giving is that it’s how I have a life that feels wholly worthwhile.
It's a weird hyperbole to know that to give is to have. The more I give the more I have; which allows me more to give...you see how it goes. Recently I looked up “give” in the dictionary to see if my reality is reflected there.
My pocket Webster School and Office Dictionary listed twelve definitions: 1. to bestow 2. to yield 3 to deliver 4.to emit 5. to pass into keeping 6. to convey 7. to impart 8. to sponsor 9. to proffer 10. enact 11. to set or place 12. to sacrifice 13. to dedicate.
My experience wasn’t there so I searched another source — Google! There I found this etymology:
1give
Pronunciation: \giv\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): gave \gav\; giv·en \gi-v?n\; giv·ing
Etymology: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish giva to give; akin to Old English giefan, gifan to give, and perhaps to Latin habere to have, hold
Date: 13th century
The underlining is my emphasis. There it is — to give is (perhaps) to have. Wouldn’t it be amazing if each one of us was taught that to give is to have? We would spend our entire lives practicing and enjoying the reality and learning about what it is that we have when we give. Erase “Give until it hurts” and replace it with, “Give until it feels good!”
Possumus!
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September 3, 2008
Casting a Shadow
Have you ever thought much about St. Joseph? Not much is mentioned about him in the Bible, but we CSJs think about him a lot none the less.
We have an artist, Madeleva Williams, CSJ, from Orange, California who dedicates time each year to produce a poster about St. Joseph. At the center of each piece is a thought about Joseph that helps us to think about the man about whom very little is known.
In her recent visit to St. Paul, Madeleva was asked about the inspiration for her posters, she explained that she “waits and prays.”
“I remember looking at trees, saying, come on, Joseph, help me here.’ I looked out and saw gorgeous shadows and thought, ‘Joseph cast a long shadow.” The sentiment became the quote for a recent poster.
Will your shadow inspire love several generations out?
Possumus
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