Mission Effectiveness
Gracenter celebrations abound
Celebrating Mary Euphrasia’s feast day Gracenter celebrations are nothing new. There’s always something going on in the lively and loving environment to rejoice. As an ongoing practice and special way to celebrate St. Mary Euphrasia on her feast day, each Sister in the San Francisco community prays for one of the women who is a resident…
Sister Mary Joy meets Philadelphia’s new Archbishop
Sister Mary Joy Benson attended the installation Mass for Archbishop Nelson J. Perez as the 10th Archbishop of Philadelphia on February 18. She was among the overflow crowd of about 1,500 people who filled the cathedral church. Hundreds more watched the Mass on screens in the adjacent chapel. Archbishop Perez greeted everyone in attendance at…
Single-use plastic is back
Many of us have been striving for years to be less wasteful, especially when it comes to using single-use plastic. Our efforts have collided head-on with the coronavirus pandemic. The crisis has brought about a resurgence of single-use plastics, and people worried about catching a deadly disease don’t care. States like California, Hawaii and Massachusetts…
Buddhist Sisters make masks for Good Shepherd
The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan made masks for Good Shepherd Sisters in April. Buddhist Sisters and volunteers from the Tzu Chi Foundation shared their love and compassion by distributing masks to people around the world. Good Shepherd Sisters were among the recipients of the Buddhist goodwill. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, founded by…
Maria Droste convent closes its doors
Maria Droste Contemplative Community closed its altar bread services on November 30, 2019. For nearly 150 years the Sisters at Maria Droste had provided altar bread hosts for many parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and throughout the Midwest region. The Sisters stopped baking their own altar bread when they left the Marygrove convent…
COVID-19 impact on Good Shepherd
COVID-19 became a household term around the world on March 11, 2020. This is when the World Health Organization declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus disease a pandemic, acknowledging that the virus will likely spread to all countries on the globe. The coronavirus disease (abbreviated “COVID-19”) began in Wuhan, China, and made news for the first…
Province Chapter postponed
COVID-19 health experts continue to emphasize the need for people the world over to shelter in place and avoid gatherings of more than 5-10 people. These recommendations have prompted Mid-North America Province leadership to postpone the Province Chapter until further notice. The Chapter was to have taken place in St. Louis from April 22 –…
CACS planning underway
Sisters on the planning committee for the Congregational Assembly for Contemplative Sisters (CACS) came to the Province Center in St. Louis in March to continue planning the sessions for their Assembly. Sister Janice Rushman facilitated the weeklong meetings from March 9-13, 2020. Members of the CACS planning committee are Sisters Reina Escobar (El Salvador), Maureen…
Opus Prize awarded to Sisters in Congo
The Opus Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions for faith-based, nonprofit innovation and work. Good Shepherd Sisters around the world celebrated when Sister Catherine Mutindi, RGS, received the $1 million Opus Prize last November. The prize benefits the Bon Pasteur program she began in the Kolwezi cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of…