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St. Joseph Worker, Philadelphia Program
by Julie Fertsch SSJ
On August 20, 2016, Alicia Garamy, Arielle Rios, Jessica Perham and Theresa Vencill arrived in Philadelphia to begin their year of service as St. Joseph Workers!
They began the orientation with dinner and a simple sharing in the evening. However, the schedule was packed for the rest of the week. They had the opportunity to meet so many of our sisters and get to know the city a bit. They served together at Joseph’s House in Camden, and at St. John’s Hospice in Philly. They visited their service placements and had the opportunity to engage in deeper conversations about the four values of the St. Joseph Worker Program: Spirituality, Justice, Leadership and Community. Halfway through the orientation, the group travelled to the Poconos for some retreat time. There, they enjoyed nature and each other, tapped into their more creative sides and created their community covenant.
Their commissioning Mass took place on August 27th at Saint Joseph Villa, where so many of our sisters, associates, friends, and partners in mission gathered to celebrate Theresa, Jessica, Arielle and Alicia’s commitment to the St. Joseph Worker Program and to send them forth with a
purpose and a blessing! The liturgy was beautiful!
O
rientation concluded with a trip to Washington, DC to participate in the Rally for Refugees. The week was full and yet so graced! Stay tuned for all that continues to unfold for these four, fine, beautiful people who have opted to spend their year of service as St. Joseph Workers! What a gift they are to all of us and to our world!
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