Celebrations for Jubilees and Halloween held in October

Front row (L to R) Sisters Josepha Butterfield, Edith Paschall, Lilia Fernandez and Eileen Marie Flanagan. Back row (L to R): Sisters Diane Couture, Elizabeth Anne Worley, Carolyn Tucker and Jane Stoecker.    

This October has been an eventful month for the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Augustine. On Oct. 14 we celebrated our annual Jubilee Mass with three bishops and several priests for eight SSJs at St. Anastasia Church. The Mass on Saturday was followed by a catered reception in Celebration Hall at St. Anastasia. More than 350 persons attended. The next day, Oct. 15, we celebrated another Jubilee Mass with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of St. Augustine and Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, N.M. in the Motherhouse chapel at 3 p.m. that was just for Sisters.

Bishop Erik Pohlmeier and Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, N.M. concelebrate Oct. 15 Mass in Motherhouse chapel. 

During the last weekend in October, on Fri., Oct. 27 and Sat., Oct. 28, two Halloween-themed events took place on the Motherhouse campus. On Fri. morning, Oct. 27, 45 kindergartners from Cathedral Parish School visited Our Lady of Lourdes Convent dressed in their Halloween costumes and performed a pumpkin song for the Sisters. The Sisters, in turn, sang a song for them, “This Little Light of Mine,” while wearing t-shirts saying “Shine with the Light of Jesus.”

CPS Kindergartners in Our Lady of Lourdes Convent sing a Halloween song for the Sisters.

Sister Stephanie Flynn with one of the CPS kindergartners.

The second event was a Halloween party hosted by the Sisters for the children of SSJ staff for those aged between 4 and 12. Sister Kathleen Carr, General Superior, led the activities that included a guided meditation in the Motherhouse Chapel, making crafts, playing Corn Hole, and enjoying a hotdog and French fries lunch with the Sisters. About 11 children attended.

Sister Kathleen Carr leads guided reflection/meditation with children in Motherhouse chapel. 

As we conclude the month of October and prepare to celebrate All Saints Day on Nov. 1st, I give thanks for the gift of the witness of our eight Jubilarians, who between them have served God and the Dear Neighbor for a total of 500 years, and for the gift of young children who bring the gifts of simplicity and joy into our lives. Let us all - of all ages - Shine with the Light of Jesus!