Bi-monthly e-newsletter giving witness to our Precious Blood Spirituality,
grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and Gospel values
Updates from Sister Jean Rene Hoying
I enjoy golden opportunities to be a life-giving, reconciling presence in our fractured world through various volunteer ministries in the Dayton area.
For the past four years, I and three dedicated friends have assisted families arriving in the U.S. from Africa with refugee status. Many of these families are being placed in depressed areas of Dayton. The language barrier (they speak Swahili) is a constant challenge for our team. However, with various translators, we are able to support the families by providing food, clothing, beds, furniture and other basic necessities needed for daily living as they get settled. These services are made possible by the generous financial support of the Precious Blood Community. To relieve their suffering and make life a little more bearable for parents and their children has been the most gratifying, revealing, challenging and rewarding ministry for me. I feel blessed and privileged to be of service to those who ask for so little but yet need so much.
With constant support and encouragement from the Precious Blood Community, another gratifying ministry has been Food for the Journey Project (FJP). This is a nonprofit organization that serves free, hot nutritious meals to families, the elderly, the isolated and marginalized in the Dayton area. In addition to food, personal hygiene items, socks and other small supplies are also provided. Read More
Update from Sister Terry Maher
Sister Terry Maher and St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California, appeared in the January issue of This Good Work after the hospital was featured in national news reports for the extraordinary number of COVID cases there.
In addition to the news outlets mentioned in that article, Sister Terry’s ministry was also featured in a report by CBS This Morning. To date, over 2,600 people have died of COVID in San Bernardino County, where St. Mary Medical Center is located.
More recently, a report in the Daily Press (Victorville, California) highlighted a signal of hope: the removal of the triage tent that had been erected in the hospital parking lot. Read More
Update from Sister Donna Liette
Sister Donna Liette will participate as a panelist in a discussion titled “Lent, Forgiveness, and Restorative Justice” hosted by the Death Penalty Abolition and Restorative Justice Issue Team of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative.
The discussion (via Zoom) is scheduled for 7:30 to 9 p.m. E.T., Thursday, March 4.
Sister Donna works with mothers who have lost children to violence or incarceration and is a part of the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation team in Chicago. Panelists also include: Read More
Update from Sister Mumbi Kigutha
Global Sisters Report recently published an article titled “The battle is far from over for justice, truth in America” by Sister Mumbi Kigutha.
Reflecting on Inauguration Day, Sister Mumbi writes, “Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman proclaimed, ‘Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.’ Still, it is very hard — almost impossible — for me to imagine a United States in which I will not be afraid. I know I am not alone as I say this; many Black, Brown and Indigenous folks would echo this sentiment.” Read More
Catholicism & Racial Justice — Join us!
Join the Sisters of the Precious Blood at 6:15 p.m. ET, March 17, as we begin a webinar series titled “Catholicism and Racial Justice.” The first webinar in the series features Olga Segura, a freelance writer and the opinion editor at National Catholic Reporter. She is the author of Birth of A Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church. Previously, she was an associate editor at America Media and is a co-founder and former co-host of the podcast Jesuitical.
Register online at www.tinyURL.com/PBRacialjustice. Read More