August 2021




IN-BETWEEN TIMES  
a Sacred Space, Place and Time 
 

Letter to the Twenty-four sisters moving
from Carondelet Center to St. John of God 
Care Center–
Dear Ones,

I imagine that not one of you thought that at this stage in your life you would be missioned to a new location with a new mission ... to start a new community. When you were missioned to Holy family Community at Carondelet Center you may have envisioned this to be your last move but yes, here you are. You are the first to be sent and given the task to start something new. I also imagine that ONLY YOU could have answered this quest and answered it well. I also sense that the coming days and weeks will have its challenge, heart ache and feeling of displacement. You have been here before. Remember other times when you had been called and you started packing your trunk with photos, memories, and letters. Then you set off to unfamiliar places with unfamiliar faces. This is sacred space, place, and time The in-between times of leave taking, and arrival is holy. There is the certain emptiness, a silence of things gone and the emptiness of time not yet ripe. This is where God is God fully in you, and you fully in God. Take this moment and realize once more that we are a sisterhood called to be...on the MOVE towards profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction. (Consensus statement of the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.)

A Postscript to the 50 left behind at Carondelet Center:
You are also called and missioned to be and do something new. Take this moment and realize once more that you are a sisterhood called to be ...on the MOVE towards profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.
~ Sister Carol L Smith, CSJ
Get on the Bus Winners
The results are in for the LA2050’s Grant Challenge and Get on the Bus (GOTB) is 2nd place in the LA2050’s Connect category, winning a $50,000 grant! Congratulations GOTB!!
Liz Rios, the Executive Director of Center For Restorative Justice Works, shared with us that GOTB will be using the grant money to reach more people with their Get On The Bus Hubs in LA County. These hubs “provide internet connectivity and safe spaces for video visits, as well as free transportation for in-person visits after the pandemic. GOTB Hubs aren’t just about providing connectivity - they are about bringing together a community of volunteers, local organizations, and people to support one of LA County’s most vulnerable populations.” 

Birthday Bingo Bash

Birthday Bingo Bash!

Join Alexandria House in a special evening of bingo games, trivia, prizes, and fun!

Sunday, August 8th at 7:00pm

We will also be celebrating our founding director, Sister Judy Vaughan’s birthday.
Toast Judy with Alexandria House’s signature drink 
and donate to a special gift in her honor!


Shop Local


BUYING LOCAL
CAN MITIGATE
CLIMATE CHANGE!


When it comes to taking climate action, supporting local businesses may not seem very radical but… Every time you buy produce from a local farmer’s market, you reduce the amount of carbon getting into the atmosphere by reducing the distance your food travels. Local farmers are also more likely to use less packaging, grow organic, and use less harmful fertilizers and pesticides, reducing harm to farmworkers who are usually from marginalized populations.
While the pandemic was a major blow for most small businesses, firms owned by people of color were hit hardest. Supporting them not only helps economic recovery, but also keeps money in the area where it can do the most good. About 65 percent of small business revenue is reinvested into the community, compared to about 34 percent of revenue from national chains. Supporting people over corporations has real consequences for moms and dads trying to put food on the table or student pay for college.
Buying local is an investment in the resilience of your community, and building resilience is an essential component of climate justice.
Learn more:
~ Sister Toni Nash, CSJ
What is White Fragility?
While reading, breathe and ask yourself: “How does this apply to me?” and “How does this change me going forward?”
 
Key word: White Fragility– A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable [for white people], triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. (Robin DiAngelo, “White Fragility” International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 2011.)
 
Examples:
As we read or watch the news, read these key words, have conversations with friends, family, people we just meet concerning racism and white supremacy and our response to what is said/ heard/read is anger, fear, defensiveness, guilt, or withdrawal, I encourage you to breathe, stay with the conversation, and listen. White fragility can quickly turn into active harm towards a Person of Color. Try to de-center yourself and your feelings of discomfort and understand how this is impacting a Person(s) of Color. Later when you have space to process ask yourself where did that reaction come from? What could I do differently next time? Invite Jesus into your reflections.
 White people have little practice in talking about race and this is one reason white fragility is so prevalent. Think about your growing up years, what were the conversations on race like? Did you have any conversations about race? White people need to work on talking about race, “flexing those muscles“ to be with our uncomfortable feelings and remain engaged and receptive in the conversation.
Dive Deeper–
White Fragility | By: Robin DiAngelo
Me + White Supremacy | Layla F. Saad
~ Sister Sally Koch, CSJ
Peru Update

June 2021 Newsletter

Please click below to read the June Newsletter of Peru. The Sisters ask for prayers for the political situation in Peru.

Meaning of Associate Commitment
Prayer . Faith . Ministry
The 2019 Chapter directives call Sisters (and Associates) to articulate and authentically live their vows/commitments. How are Associates responding to this Chapter directive? Perhaps we can start to answer this question by looking at the Associate’s Commitment statement, which says in part, “I commit myself to strive for growth in prayer, faith, and ministry in the spirit of the Congregation.”
 During a recent Associate Leadership Retreat, Sister Carol Zinn said, “Associates are Charism Carriers, you have your own vocation and that vocation is a spark that lights up the Gospel.” Here are just four examples of how Associates are responding to the Chapter directives as Charism Carriers who are living their Associate vocation and lighting up the Gospel of Jesus.
*Pat Holt, Associate since 1984 is a Volunteer Stephen Minister and a volunteer helping feed the homeless. Pat is involved in Parish ministry and she donates to St. Joseph Center. Recently she has made donations to assist the Migrants at the Border. Carol Cabara, Associate Candidate, helps the dear neighbor thru her volunteer ministry at a Domestic Violence Shelter.
*Debra Miller, Associate since 2006 volunteers at Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. She is now in the process of developing a social justice curriculum for children ages four to eight year old.
*Mary Lou Vanderlip, Associate since 2012 is an Associate Group Co-Leader and a Member of the CSJ Jubilee Committee. She is involved in Parish Ministry and volunteers as a Hospital EM. She volunteers at Bumblebee Foundation assisting families of children with cancer. Additionally, for 12 years, Mary Lou was a bus coordinator for the Get On the Bus ministry.
~ Denise Ginty, CSJA Director of Associates

Responding to The Dear Neighbor Booklet

Communications has created a small booklet entitled “Responding to the Dear Neighbor.”

As the needs of the dear neighbor grew and changed, the work of the sisters developed in different areas: in education, healthcare and in varied ministries initiated in response to contemporary needs of the dear neighbor.

The CSJ legacy is alive in this collection of vignettes highlighting some of the ministries developed to meet the needs of people in these times. These stories exemplify the vision and dedication of the sisters who along with partners in mission, individuals, associates and organizations that continue to share the charism today. If you would like to order one of these booklets, we are asking for a $15 donation to help defray the costs.
Please contact:
Upcoming Events
August 6
Remembering the bombing of Hiroshima

August 9
Remembering the bombing of Nagasaki

August 14
Anniversary of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
arrival in Japan