Congratulations to Our Partners in Ministry, the Sisters of Charity

St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic, NJ

Sr. Elaine and Sister Ann Marie had the opportunity to visit St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic on Monday to celebrate Foundation Day with the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth who minister there.  On September 29, 1859, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth formally opened at St. Mary's in Newark, eventually settling in Convent Station, NJ.  The Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women has benefited so greatly from its collaboration with the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth and with the staff of St. Mary's Hospital, one of their sponsored works. Congratulations, Sisters!  Ad multos annos!
(Go to http://www.scnj.org/ to learn more about the Sisters of Charity.  Click on http://www.smh-passaic.org/ to learn more about St. Mary's Hospital.)

Sister Marion Scranton, SC, Vice President of Mission at St. Mary's Hospital, speaks with co-workers.  In the background, Sister Elaine Maguire, FSP, speaks with Sister Mary Canavan, SC.

Update

We opened our doors to welcome the women of Passaic on Tuesday and Thursday this week.  About 30 friends have passed through the doors during these two days (closer to 40 if you count the children).  Several have expressed an interest in learning or strengthening their English skills.  Others have already registered for a quilting class to be offered by Sister Pat Reynolds, SC, starting October 22.  Click here to view photos from Thursday.  Because none of the photos from Tuesday or Thursday are captioned, you might want to know that the staff currently (and thankfully) consists of:

Sister Ursula Carr, SC, Volunteer
Sister Mary Culhane, SC, Volunteer
Nancy DiRocco, Volunteer
Sister Catherine Drury, SC, Volunteer
Sister Elaine Maguire, FSP, Associate Director
Sister Ann Marie Paul, SCC, Director

You will also see a photo of Lydia, the crossing guard at State Street and Washington Place (that is, right outside the door), who has been very instrumental in getting the word out to the women in the neighborhood.  We are grateful for her commitment to the women of Passaic and grateful to God for her charism of hospitality.

Opening Day

Thank you to everyone who played any part in getting us to opening day.  Click here to view a few photos from our first step.

September 24 Opening

We will open the doors of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women on Tuesday, September 24 at 9:30 am and will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 am - noon and 1:00 - 3:30.  Being open only two days per week with limited hours at the beginning allows us to evaluate and update as we go.  We hope to be fully opened by the week of October 21.  If you'd like to view the flyers we are using to advertise the opening click here (for English) or here (for Spanish).  Above all, please keep this new ministry in your prayers.  Thank you and God bless you!