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 October 1, 2023
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings this coming Sunday, the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, focus on mercy. The psalm is an eloquent plea for God’s mercy, and yet when I listen to the news at night or read my news feed on what is going on in the world, there is a strong focus on entitlement and very little about mercy. If we want mercy from God, we need to treat each other with mercy. Yet the feeling of entitlement seems to rule the day, and anything you do that annoys me is an offense against my entitlement, and people get shot for the slightest of offenses. Of all people who should have felt entitled, we have the example of Jesus, who “did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself.” In human likeness and human appearance, he did not claim human “entitlement,” but became obedient even unto death. If Jesus did not count himself equal to God, we should not regard ourselves as equal to God. Let’s have a little more humility out there … , and yes, in here, too!

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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