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Edition No. 24   November 15, 2016  
Welcome
New SSJ Associates in Mission
November 6, 2016
On Sunday, November 6, 2016, at the 10:00 AM Liturgy in the Motherhouse Chapel, four women made their commitment as Associates in Mission: Lisa Hibberd, Dot McNamee, Jody Romano and Danielle Rossi.

Lisa Hibberd, a licensed Massage Therapist, has offered this service for many years at Saint Mary by-the-Sea. Dot McNamee does volunteer work at Saint Joseph Villa. Jody Romano is Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Danielle Rossi is an Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts at Chestnut Hill College.

We extend a warm welcome to our new Associates in Mission as they continue to embrace with enthusiasm the mission of unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God.

 
  Pictured from left: Jody Romano, Danielle Rossi, Rita Woehlcke SSJ, Lisa Hibberd and Dot McNamee 
La Salle Academy
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Annual Mass of Thanksgiving
November 6, 2016
Through the hard work and generosity of hundreds of people, the doors of La Salle Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania opened in September 2003 in the former convent of Saint Michael Parish, with thirty students in grades three and four. Open to students of all faiths and backgrounds, La Salle Academy now educates 92 students in grades three through eight who are uniquely diverse.

Armed with Five Goals — to be Peaceful, to be Responsible, to be Consistent, to be Motivated and to be Respectful — La Salle Academy students infuse their homes and neighborhoods with this unique spirit.

A Graduate Support Program, designed to provide the students with the assistance necessary to be successful in high school and to be prepared for higher education and the workforce, enhances the curriculum. The services begin in eighth grade with the search for a proper high school, followed by applications for admission and financial aid, and continue with caring encouragement through the social and academic challenges of high school. La Salle Academy is more than a school. It is a place where the students are loved, nurtured and feel safe. 

On Sunday, November 6, 2016, Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald presided at La Salle Academy’s Annual Mass of Thanksgiving held at Saint Michael Church.
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At the close of the Mass, Sister Jeanne McGowan SSJ , President, thanked Board Members, benefactors, families, faculty, students, staff and friends for their support, presence and dedication. Jeanne then recognized and specially thanked Sister Margaret Anne Birtwistle SSJ , Graduate Support Director, who this year celebrates 50 years of service as a Sister of Saint Joseph.

Congratulations to the La Salle Academy family and to Margaret Anne!
Margaret Anne Birtwistle SSJ and Richard Eckert, graduate of La Salle Academy and senior at
La Salle University
Pictured from left:
Margaret Anne Birtwistle SSJ,
Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald and
Jeanne McGowan SSJ
Photos courtesy Sharon White SSJ
Election Day Tradition
Saint Joseph Villa and Williamson’s Restaurant  
 
By Dorothy Apprich SSJ
November’s Election Day has special meaning to the Sisters who live at Saint Joseph Villa, in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.  For the last 28 years, we have been treated to dinner at Williamson’s 5-Star Restaurant in Horsham, Pennsylvania. It has been known at the Villa fondly as the “Night of Miracles” since close to 100 sisters gather at the front door ready to board buses and cars — some in wheelchairs — many with walkers and canes —all eager to enjoy a night out on the town!
 
This year’s celebration was bittersweet as it marked the end to this tradition. The restaurant will be closing at the end of 2016. Needless to say, we wanted to show our gratitude to our host, Mr. Richard Williamson, and honor his father as well, who began the tradition many years ago. A special proclamation was given to Richard marking the Second Tuesday of November each year as The Williamson Family Day of Prayer at the Villa. We also gave Richard a box filled with our notes of gratitude for him to read at his leisure. 
 
The Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Williamson family have enjoyed a strong relationship for over three generations dating back to the 1940’s. We look forward to continuing that relationship for years to come!

Pictured:  Sister Dorothy Apprich SSJ and Mr. Richard Williamson 
 
Proclamation honoring Richard Williamson

Whereas,         
    A spirit of hospitality and relationship building are core values of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Saint Joseph Villa; and

Whereas,         
      The Williamson Family has been in the hospitality business for three generations dating back to 1943; and

Whereas,
         The Sisters of St. Joseph and the Williamson Family have enjoyed a close relationship throughout those three generations; and

Whereas,         
         Williamson’s Restaurant in Horsham has hosted the Sisters from Saint Joseph Villa for dinner on the second Tuesday of November, Election Day, each year; and

Whereas,         
         Thousands of Sisters have gathered over the years to enjoy an evening out, coming in wheelchairs, or with walkers and canes thus earning the name the “Night of Miracles;”

Now, therefore we, the current residents of Saint Joseph Villa, in a spirit of deep gratitude for the generosity of Richard Williamson and his father before him, do gladly hereby proclaim the Second Tuesday of November each year, as:

“The Williamson Family Day of Prayer”
 
 
Photos courtesy Louise Kane SSJ
Gathering of Gratitude
Cecilian Convent
November 13, 2016 
 
In an effort to let our donors know how much we appreciate their support, the Development Office Staff of the Sisters of Saint Joseph sponsored an Open House at Cecilian Convent in Mount Airy on Sunday, November 13, 2016.

We welcomed donors from the area, shared coffee and pastry and got to know one another a bit better. Those who came by enjoyed meeting the sisters who live at Cecilian and members of the Development Office Staff. while there they took a tour of the Convent, shared stories of experiences with our sisters, and met other people who also contribute financially to support our ministries. 

May God bless all those who share their time, talent and treasure with us!
 
 
"This life of consecrated obedience we live then as a sign and pledge of our desire to respond to the will of God in trusting faith and selfless love."
                                                                                — SSJ Constitutions #91

Editor, Sister Carole Pollock SSJ | 215.248.7269 | cpollock@ssjphila.org | http://ssjphila.org/new/