In this Issue:

Vow Renewal

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Foundation

Motherhouse Happenings

May Birthday List

Cards for Jubilarians

Send Us Your News

Renewal of Vows & Recommitment

By: Linda Dees, Associate Co-Director

A beautiful Renewal of Vows and Recommitment ceremony was held April 16 at Immaculate Conception convent in Jamaica.

Our Sisters renewed their vows as they do annually. Sister Terisita lit her candle from the Easter candle then the rest of the Sisters lit theirs. They renewed their vows and then passed their candle to an Associate to recommit to The Associate Way of Life for another year. Each promised support “to join daily in spirit and prayer.” 

Monsignor Michael Pallud and Father Samuel Alloggia concelebrated this festive occasion that included Father Sam on violin, Allison Wallace Fletcher on organ and our own Sister Celia on the drum. The Chapel was rocking. What an honor for Sr. Colleen, Paula Lyn and myself to be here for this joyous celebration! 

The Sisters graciously hosted the Associates at a festive dinner celebration following this joyous renewal/recommitment ceremony. 

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Foundation

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation announced a $50 million gift from the Pagidipati family of Tampa to support the future of pediatric health care in the Tampa Bay community. 

Tampa business leader and philanthropist Sidd Pagidipati, along with his brother Rahul and sister Srujani, made this transformative donation to honor their parents’ legacy as health care providers, their 50th wedding anniversary and their 50th anniversary of coming to the United States. The gift will support the new, specially designed pediatric facility for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, which BayCare announced in October as part of a strategic effort to increase the region's access to high-quality, state-of-the-art health care for children.

When the new children’s hospital facility opens, it will be named “Pagidipati Children’s Hospital at St. Joseph’s” in recognition of the generosity of the Pagidipati family. The new hospital building is scheduled to open by 2030.

Sisters Cathy Cahill, Pat Tyre, and Pat Shirley were among the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany who were on hand for the announcement. 

You can read more here: https://baycare.org/newsroom/2024/april/sjch-receives-historic-donation

Also, BayCare recently released its 2023 Report to the Community. You can read that here: BayCare 2023 Report to the Community

St. Elizabeth Motherhouse Happenings

It was an eventful couple of weeks in Allegany with the Sisters participating in a variety of events.

Happy Birthday!

Cards for Jubilarians

By Laura Whitford, St. Elizabeth Mission Society

Help the Jubilee Sisters "celebrate their journey" with a special Jubilee Mass enrollment card from the St. Elizabeth Mission Society. As members of the Mission Society, their intentions will be remembered at Masses celebrated throughout the year in the Motherhouse Chapel. As always, they will also share in the prayers and good works of our Sisters in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

As a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society shares in its spiritual aims, one of which is to advance the awareness of God's love. Donations given for the cards are used to support the ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and their Associates who work to educate, heal, clothe, feed and be present for those who are experiencing poverty in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

Jubilee cards, as well as various other enrollment cards, can be ordered online at https://www.franciscanhope.org/shop/ or you can call the Mission Society office at (716) 373-1130 or e-mail the staff at StEliz.Office.Manager@FSAllegany.org for more information about ordering the enrollment cards. Jubilee cards will also be available in the Mission Society office. 

We Want to Hear From You!

We would love to include more news from Brazil, Bolivia, Jamaica and Mozambique in our newsletter. If you have any pictures, tidbits of information or bigger stories you’d like to share please email them to FSA Communications Coordinator Anne Holliday anne.holliday@fsallegany.org. If you have any questions about whether it’s something that could or should go in this newsletter, you can ask Anne about that, too. But she’ll probably say, “Yes, send it.” 😊