December
Our Annual Christmas Prayer Service and Luncheon for Sisters and Staff was a meaningful time of fun, friendship and connection. Sisters came together to continue the annual tradition of making holiday care packages for inmates at the Beaver County Jail. Together through song, we celebrated the joy of Christ’s birth at our Christmas Concert led by Jessica Patterson.
November
We were so humbled and grateful to receive the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity Award, named to honor our dear friend and leader in the local movement for racial justice, Minister Shon D. Owens. We also participated in a campus-wide walk to raise awareness and funds to End Alzheimer’s and a Thanksgiving service of gratitude to support our neighbors in the county’s growing Latino community. Other highlights included the beautiful Fall colors and a Wellness Fair!
October
Togetherness filled this beautiful Fall month, from Sisters gathering in Pittsburgh to pray for a future where “everyone thrives, no exceptions” to Baden, where we marked the centennial year of our Motherhouse Chapel with a special Mass and delighted in greeting our campus neighbors at Baden Academy during their annual Halloween parade. A special highlight was the breathtaking wonder of seeing the Northern Lights!
September
Gratitude defined this eventful month, one where we welcomed friends, family, and former students to Baden to unveil an official state historic marker honoring our Sisters’ 155-year legacy of love and celebrated the generosity of our supporters and partners in mission at our annual farm-to-table dinner, Faith. Field. Feast.
August
We were so happy to welcome the young men’s group from TRAILS Minsitries, a local non-profit serving at-risk youth, to spend time on the grounds with our Pets with Heart ambassadors, Buster and Zoey, and complete an important service project along our nature trail on the upper part of the grounds. We also joined advocates, people of faith, and survivors of gun violence at a Safer PA Awareness Event organized by CeaseFirePA in Pittsburgh and shared some lighthearted fun at a Sisters and Staff game day!
July
Full of smiles and sunshine, July was a time of growth and nurturing at our Community Gardens, visited once again by students on their summer break from Saint Peter’s High School Youth Ministry in Greenville, North Carolina. Our grounds were also a summer site for TRAILS Ministries, whose young women involved in the DOVE program helped to build a more spacious and interactive chicken run for our Motherhouse hens.
June
As spring turned to summer, Sisters continued to reach out to meet the needs of the times – standing with our dear neighbors working for racial justice through the Undivided in Christ, Beaver County network, participating in the Shon D. Owens Unity Week, and inviting local students from Geneva College to learn about our approach to integral ecology and caring for these sacred grounds.
May
We were thrilled to welcome so many of our friends and dear neighbors to Baden to commemorate the 100th year of St. Joseph Chapel with a talk by archivist Kathleen Washy. Artist Kathy Rooney shared incredible artwork she’d created that celebrates our history. Sisters continue to be actively involved in local interfaith groups, with Sister Mary Pellegrino participating in a panel discussion on “Unity in the Church” at the Community College of Beaver County.
April
An exciting month filled with joy, Sisters and Auxiliary worked hard to host two big events – the Spring Luncheon and Earth Day! Both drew hundreds of people to learn about and support our mission of loving service to God, the dear neighbor, and all creation. We also (carefully, with the official approved safety glasses!) were wowed by nature’s display of the solar eclipse!
March
A time of prayer, preparation and reflection during the Lenten season and Holy Week, we gave thanks for God’s grace, faithfulness, and the signs of hope blooming all around us. We also joined together in song, having fun with traditional Irish tunes in a St. Patrick’s Day sing-a-long that got everyone laughing and clapping along!
February
From story time at the B.F. Jones Library in Aliquippa to supporting a community of young people considering their vocation through the House of Discernment in Pittsburgh, and plenty of fun times in Baden in between, this chilly month warmed our hearts!
January
We began the year by enjoying a beautiful snowfall! As in past years, we also took part in helping with the Annual “Point in Time” Survey, a national effort that works to identify and report the number of people experiencing homelessness in a 24-hour period in January. While visiting locations around the county, we talked with neighbors and gave out care packages with essential items for warmth, hygiene, and safety and information on local housing and social service resources.
