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.

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 September 25, 2022

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” This is our Gospel Acclamation for this Sunday, and if we are honest, we would have to say that Jesus Christ was never poor because he was always the Son of God and he always had his faith. Yet poverty is elusive. We as Sisters have taken a vow of poverty, yet our poverty is laughable to anyone who is truly poor. We have secure homes, we have our education, we have the support of so many in our parishes, families and neighborhoods. So where is the poverty? Well, for now at least, we give to others — yet we find that when we give, we also receive, and our generosity is paid back, which is as Jesus said: “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Perhaps “simplicity” is a better word than poverty, for we do try to dress and live simply. Poverty is elusive for us, yet it seems to find some people no matter what they 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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