Focusing on Prevention

Here is a wonderful example of the collaborative nature of this ministry:  On Thursday, February 27, pediatrician Laura McCracken, M.D. gave a presentation to the Madre a Madre program about preventing tooth decay in children.  Dr. McCracken learned about the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women by reading about us in The Beacon, the newspaper of the Diocese of Paterson.  Sister Ann Marie connected her with the Madre a Madre program, which is a work of the Community Health Department of St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic -- a sponsored work of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station and a very good friend of the Center.  Based on the questions and interests of "the Madres," Dr. McCracken hopes to make monthly visits to assist the mothers to raise healthy children.  We are very grateful to Dr. McCracken for giving of her time and expertise to benefit the families of Passaic.

Dr. McCracken -- with the translation assistance of Luz Flores, Health Outreach Worker from St. Mary's Hospital, Passaic -- explains the prevention of tooth decay to 20 members of the Madre a Madre group that meets at St. Mary's Assumption Church each Thursday.

Sr. Anne Moroney, SC, Director of Community Health Education at St. Mary's Hospital, Luz Flores, Community Outreach Worker for St. Mary's Hospital and Dr. Laura McCracken pose for a photo with "the Madres" at St. Mary's Assumption Church, Passaic, on Thursday, February 27.

Winter: See What Tomorrow Brings

Gayle Caldwell's song, "Cycles," was made famous by Frank Sinatra in the 1960's.  Here's a portion of the lyrics:

"Life is like the seasons
After winter comes the spring
So I'll keep this smile awhile
And see what tomorrow brings."

This winter will go down in the record books as one that required a lot of our attention!  But we keep our smiles as we live in hope for the arrival of spring. We know that nature will once again astonish us with a miraculous array of leaves and flowers currently being prepared under winter's snow and ice. 

While we have continued to operate throughout the winter, the staff members at the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women are also preparing for the miracles that are certain to astonish us in the spring.  This week, we welcome four Montclair State University students who will be with us until the end of April as part of their Psychology of Leadership class.  We are grateful to Sister Elaine for her hard work in bringing this collaboration to fruition. 

We have also been working on a collaboration with City Green as we prepare to plant our very first community garden this spring.  If everything goes as planned, our women will have a great source of fresh vegetables this summer.    We will keep you updated. 

We are so very grateful to our volunteers, whose seemingly endless energy has propelled us through the winter thus far (and who have developed some very creative ways to find parking spaces here in the city despite the cold, snow and ice).  The women of Passaic are fortunate to have such compassionate and determined individuals staffing the Center.

So, friends, stay tuned and see what tomorrow brings!

Visit to Monroe Township

On Wednesday, Sister Ann Marie took the good news of the Center to Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Monroe Township, NJ.  A very active group of Companions of Pauline (Associates of the Sisters of Christian Charity) welcomed the message about our ministry in Passaic. 


Sister Ann Marie with some of the Companions of Pauline from Nativity of Our Lord Parish and their coordinator, Sister Marie Colette Martelli, SCC, Pastoral Associate in the parish.



This group has taken a keen interest in the work of the Center and has promised not only prayerful support, but also a monthly collection of diapers and formula for the children of Passaic.  Already on Wednesday, they filled the car with diapers and formula that will be shared with the Nurse Family Partnership and prayer shawls that will be shared with the patients at St. Mary's Hospital, one of the Center's collaborating organizations.

The Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women is grateful to Father Ed Flanagan, Pastor, Sister Marie Colette, the Companions of Pauline and the parishioners of Nativity of Our Lord.

New year, new women

Despite the frigid temperatures this week, we have warmly welcomed seven women who are new to the Center -- three in quilting, two in English and two at Ladies' Night.  We continue to enjoy the visits of those women who have been coming since Fall, as well. What a blessing these encounters are and what a sign of the presence of God in the heart of the city!  We remain grateful to our benefactors for making this possible and we ask for your continued support and prayers.

Ladies' Night

Tonight was the first of what we hope will be many Ladies' Nights, in which women come together to talk about their needs and hopes.  We are grateful to Miriam Rodriguez for envisioning Ladies' Night and we look forward to the next one on February 26.  Here is a picture of our inaugural group:

Tuesday Happenings

Because of the holidays, snow, ice and cold, it's been several weeks since we've had a full complement of programs on a Tuesday.  However, today we were back to a somewhat normal schedule. The quilters were able to return under the watchful guidance of Sister Pat Reynolds, SC.    Here's a photo of some of our quilters (three of them new to the Center) with Sister Pat.  We were so happy to see everyone who braved the cold today!

Reviewing 2013

We thought you would like to know that, since opening our doors on September 24, 2013:

• We have had over 250 visits from women
• Our volunteers logged over 340 hours of service
• We offered over 60 sessions of our English, quilting and computer classes
• We have collaborated with many organizations in the Passaic area because we know that, together, we can do much more than any of us can do alone.

We look forward to a wonderful 2014, with your help and prayers!