Sisters of the Holy Family | Advocating for the underserved in our community

“Their sturdy backs bent down, by labor and fatigue, their eyes intent upon the earth, sift through stubble discarded by the reapers.”

—Sister Michaela O’Connor

 

 

Above: The Gleaners, by Jean-François Millet (1857), depicting three peasant women gleaning a field of stray stalks of wheat after the harvest.
(funeral to be held September 2024)

Our Mission:
To seek out and advocate for the poor and needy, especially families, for the Kingdom of God since 1872

 

Celebrating Our Legacy
Past

As Gleaners, we stood at the edge of society where Christ was encountered in word, silence, and action as the power of His Kingdom pushed out the boundaries of our world. We have been recognized by our simplicity of life and visible presence among the most abandoned.

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Celebrating Our Legacy
Present

Our mission as Gleaners is to serve segments of the population who are underserved by Church and social institutions. As we celebrate this time in our history, our ministries will focus on children, homelessness, food insecurity, immigrants, refugees, and healthcare.

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Celebrating Our Legacy
Future

Reflecting the heart of our mission our legacy will live on into the future for others through the Gardens at Palmdale, our Opportunity Fund with Abode Services, our Archives Collection, and Early Childhood Education Scholarships.

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Sunday Scripture Reflection for November 10, 2024
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.” And the rich man saw what she was doing, and said to his rich friend, “Well, if she has money to give away, she doesn’t need our help.” Well, scripture doesn’t say that, but I can easily imagine it. The church has been in existence for nearly 2000 years, and other faiths for even longer, so how is it possible that there are still poor people in the world? How is it possible that there are still poor Catholics? How is it possible that between 20,000 and 25,000 people die of starvation every day? How did money get to be such a priority in our lives? There are more billionaires than ever before, many of them fairly recent. And that’s billionaire with a B, not millionaires. There is so much in the world that I do not understand, and economics is certainly one of them. I’d fix it if I could, but it’s well beyond me. I know Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you,” but I don’t think he was recommending it or mandating it. I guess he just understood economics better than I do.

Join Us

There are a number of ways you can join our Family of Friends, including donations, prayer requests, connecting with a Sister, and joining our mailing list.

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Prayer

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or a loved one, please let us know.

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News

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