It’s been ten years since I smelled of Sacred Chrism.

The Christian tradition of pilgrimage is often defined by a profound paradox. It is a quest for spiritual enrichment accomplished by leaving behind the comforts of home.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has brought our country and the pro-life movement to a new political and legal reality. The achievement of that longstanding goal requires us all to consider anew how to best protect unborn life and support families in difficult circumstances.

Before I ever stood behind a desk as a director, I stood in line at shelters. From the age of 16 to 29, my life was defined by homelessness and addiction. Generational poverty, dysfunction, and trauma shaped my path.

As Catholic Sisters, vowed women religious, we deeply value the relationships and encounters we have had with so many of you while serving in schools, parishes, retreat centers, food pantries, and outreach centers.

A former teacher once said: “We must become fully permeated with Liturgy in the very depths of our beings.”

Over two thousand years ago the prophet Amos told Israel that if one wants to stand before God on the Sabbath, then that person must do justice the rest of the week.

Saint Jeanne Jugan, foundress of my community of Little Sisters of the Poor, was a woman of few words. She left behind no letters or other writings but she did impart little bits of advice to the young Little Sisters among whom she spent her final years.