The Sisters of St. Joseph Auxiliary’s 57th Annual Spring Luncheon was a resounding success! Over the past nine months, our event team of Auxiliary board and planning committee members, Sisters, Associates, volunteers, staff, and Cura partners worked hand-in-hand to raise funds for the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Peace and Justice Ministries. We can’t thank everyone enough!
Our guests had more ways than ever to support the Sisters. Back by popular demand were our extravagant gift basket raffle; our bake sale of fresh breads, pastries and homemade pasta; and our 50-50 raffle. Two new activities also debuted this year: a wine pull of many high-end and Chairman’s Select vintages; and a single item silent auction of an autographed, professionally framed Mario Lemieux jersey. We completely sold out of wine and the winning bid for the Lemieux jersey exceeded expectations; so those kinds of activities will be back next year!
This year’s theme, Weaving Threads of Peace and Justice, offered the opportunity for the Sisters to raise awareness of the Congregation’s work in the areas of human trafficking, environmental stewardship, food insecurity, immigration, racism, and prison ministry. Sisters who are involved in these areas were available to chat with guests.
Sister Rita Murillo, our featured speaker, described her personal journey to become a public defender of children, and cited several poignant examples in which she was the voice for those who could not speak for themselves. Sister Rita credited the Auxiliary with helping her achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer by helping to pay for her education with funds raised at the Luncheon.
As for entertainment, the Sisters of St. Joseph choir serenaded the audience, bringing our audience of 467 people to their feet with their lively rendition of “Hail Holy Queen” (from the movie, “Sister Act”). When a video of our Sisters’ performance was posted to our Facebook page, the Sisters became an immediate sensation, receiving 7000 views!
Once again, we are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to our signature fundraiser’s success. In a few short months, it will be time to begin planning next year’s event which will occur during the Congregation’s 150th anniversary year. To make Spring Luncheon 2020 the true celebration it deserves to be, we’ll need lots of help. To get involved, please contact Jeanne Minnicks, Director of Development at jminnicks@stjoseph-baden.org.