Weekend plans

We're looking forward to the fourth annual Women's Conference of the Diocese of Paterson on Saturday at St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison, NJ.  Sister Ann Marie will be one of the speakers and Sister Elaine will be managing the sale of our women's crocheted and quilted items.  We are honored and grateful to be a part of such a wonderful day.  Click here for more information.

Then on Sunday at 4 pm, we plan to attend the annual diocesan Vespers in celebration of Consecrated Life at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton.  

It will be a busy weekend.  We hope to be able to share some pictures with you next week!

Listening to the Still, Small Dog

As our faithful readers know, from time to time we share spiritual essays in this space.  Today, we share with you an essay by Sister Ann Marie -- "Sometimes It's Not the Sunrise: Listening to the Still, Small Dog" --  that was published on the website, Global Sisters Report.  Click here to access the essay.

National Catholic Sisters Week

Because the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women involves collaboration among the religious communities of the Diocese of Paterson, it is appropriate that we share with you that March 8-14 is National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW).  Supported by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, NCSW is a "series of events that instruct, enlighten and bring greater focus to the lives of women religious."  Click here to learn more about the week.

As part of NCSW, Sister Ann Marie was invited to join an online conversation with other women religious about the past, present and future of religious life.  The video of that conversation, held on Wednesday, March 8, is below.  (Email subscribers who do not see the video embedded in their email may click here to view it on YouTube.)

Where Have We Been?

Hello, faithful readers of Passaic Neighborhood for Women's blog!  Can you believe it's been almost two months since we last posted?

Here's what's been happening:

• With the help of friends, we have continued our monthly "Know Your Rights" workshops for immigrants.  We continue to provide timely information to our women about where to find assistance with immigration questions and documents.  We are grateful to everyone who has helped us, including Claudia and Rosa and everyone from Make the Road New Jersey.   Additionally, Sister Ann Marie and several of our women participated in the "Know Your Rights" workshop offered by Mayor Lora at City Hall.  By encouraging our women to obtain information from the best possible sources, we hope to diminish their fears.  
• We have completed the grant application for the fourth season of our garden.
• In February, the "Agua Viva" women's group returned and will continue for two evenings each month.
• Sister Pat Reynolds, SC,  is now teaching her Tuesday quilting class via Skype!  While this would not work in every situation, the relationship that Sr. Pat has formed with the women over the past 3+ years has allowed for a smooth transition into this phase of learning.
• Speaking of the quilters:  Both they and the crocheters are busily preparing to be able to sell some of their items at the Diocesan Women's Conference to be held April 1 at St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison, NJ.  Our women are grateful to have been asked to sell their items there.  If you're not busy on Saturday, April 1 from 9 to 1:30, why not come over to St. Paul Inside the Walls for the conference?  (Our Director, Sister Ann Marie, is one of the three speakers.  Click the link above for registration information.)
• We have had lots of visits from collaborators:  Araceli and Joanne from the City of Passaic Department of Health have come by to talk about more formal collaboration; Liz, the new Director of Constituent Services of Assemblyman Gary Schaer, came by to see how their office could be of assistance to our women; Casey, the Associate Director of Mission Advancement for the Sisters of Christian Charity, came by to learn more about our ministry.
• Sister Elaine is coordinating our first professionally-produced promotional video, in collaboration with Caitlin Fitzgerald from the Diocese of Paterson (and made possible by a grant from the Franciscan Sisters of Peace).

There's more to report, so stay tuned . . . In the meantime, we ask for your prayers for our women and their families, as we continue to pray for all of you!