Moments of Joy, Service, Gratitude and Grace from 2025, the Jubilee Year of Hope
Our hope is that, through every gathering, outreach, connection, and relationship, we move toward the “perfection of love” – experiencing, sharing, and giving thanks for God’s love. Here are just a few ways that took shape among the life of our Sisters last year:
To view all photos and captions, click (or tap, if using a smartphone or tablet) on the first photo to see each in a larger size.
When we see God’s presence in every living thing, reverence and care naturally follow.
The desire to contribute to building a world where all people and the common home we share is valued; where peace, love and respect are shared freely; equity and equality are realized; relationships are cherished; and the common good is uplifted is deeply rooted in Gospel values and affirmed in the work of our Sisters, staff, and partners and mission over the past year.
Here are a few highlights of that grace-filled work:
Sister Voices: Where We Found Hope in 2025
By Sister Colleen Crossen
I really have been praying about signs of hope I’ve experienced this past year. Three instances keep coming to me:
May 8, 2025 – So many gathered in Medaille Hall and throughout the house to witness our new Pope; “Peace be with you” were his first words and the words he has lived out all over the world.
Several times throughout the year, we have asked staff and sisters to donate to the Ladle, our local food bank and the generous response always fills me with hope!
When so many staff and sisters participated in the non-violent, protest in front of the Beaver County Courthouse, gathering with neighbors for the “No Kings” rally.
Months later, we celebrated the feast of “Christ the King” and Father Frank offered a beautiful reflection of Christ the King – King of the universe, whose “authority” was that of loving service to all, especially the poor and calls us to do the same.
By Sister Kari Pohl
2025 saw the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’, as well as the 50th anniversary of “This Land is Home to Me: A Pastoral Letter on Powerlessness in Appalachia,” which was signed by the bishops and archbishops from 24 Catholic dioceses located in Appalachia.
“This Land is Home to Me” was remarkable in its time for noting the intersections of the extraction of fossil fuels (coal and oil) with exploitative and poverty-producing labor practices in mines and steel mills, recognizing that “if our present system keeps on growing and growing, it will burn up us and our world.” Sadly, in many ways, we’re seeing that prediction come true.
To celebrate the 10th and 50th anniversaries of these groundbreaking documents, the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston hosting “A Healthy Future for this Land” in October. I joined Sisters Barbara Finch, Jan Franklin, Janice Vanderneck, Lyn Szymkiewicz, Director of Ecology and Environment, Jarrod Kinkley, and participants from West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to hear speakers and participate in guided dialogues on labor and care of the land.
Monarch butterflies begin each year in the oyamel fir forests in the mountains of central Mexico.
As the days grow longer in the Spring, they begin flying north and east, laying their eggs on milkweed plants. As the over-wintering generation dies, three or four new generations of monarchs come to adulthood, lay eggs, and die. In late summer/early fall, the last generation of monarchs start their migration back to Mexico—a place to which they’ve never been. This is the generation that will overwinter in Mexico and start the Spring migration all over again.
Because of this magnificent journey of resilience and border-crossing, monarch butterflies have become symbols of immigrant justice. This year, we had the opportunity to participate in an art/contemplative activity to pray for and offer support to immigrants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
In April of 2025, a group at Annunciation House in El Paso, TX decorated paper monarchs with color and blessings for immigrants. These were then joined by butterflies created by the Congregation of St. Joseph at their Chicago and Detroit assemblies.
In June, they arrived in Baden and decorated Medaille Hall during our congregational assembly, where Sisters, Associates, and staff members had the opportunity to add our prayers and blessings. From Baden, they went to Casa San Jose in Pittsburgh and were displayed for the staff and clients, who were given the option of adding to it themselves. From there, they went to the Federation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Event in Kansas City, where participants were given the opportunity to add their art and prayers for immigrants.
From Kansas City, they split into two groups, with half going to Erie, PA and on to Brentwood, NY and the other half going to Boston, MA and on to Toronto, Ontario. In the Fall, they made their way back south and were given to immigrants and organizations serving immigrants along the border in California, Texas, and Mexico.