A Lesson from Lettuce

The rain is pouring steadily in Passaic today.  Luckily, we've had the right combination of sunshine and rain to benefit our vegetable garden, which is growing in leaps and bounds.  This morning, the lettuce, in particular, seemed to beg to deliver a message, so I stopped to listen to the lettuce -- yes, in the pouring rain!  Here's what I learned:

• Make someone's day, even when it's dreary outside! The reason that I noticed the lettuce was because it had grown so much over the weekend that it truly stood out over and above the other vegetables.  It isn't taller than the tomatoes or higher than the herbs, but it just seemed to glow despite the dreariness of this Monday morning.  Perhaps today we could decide to emulate the lettuce and be the glowing, healthy part of another person's day.
• Continue to give, even (and especially) when you've been cut back or torn apart! Claudia, our City Green garden consultant, reminded us that we should cut or tear off a section of the leaves as the lettuce continues to grow.  This section will then produce more leaves.  Isn't that a life lesson?  When we feel cut back or torn apart is when we have the greatest potential for new growth!
• Stay Cool!  I'm told that lettuce is a "cool-season crop" that will be "done" by July.  I thought, perhaps, that the lesson here was to take the summer off, but then I thought twice.  While summer always reminds us to keep our cool, as we scramble for air conditioned places when the mercury reaches 90 degrees and above, perhaps the greater lesson is to "stay cool" and relax in heated situations that would normally cause us stress. 

So today, consider the lessons of lettuce.  If you need some help, here are some photos of lettuce from the garden at 153 Washington Place.  As always, we are grateful to our benefactors who continue to sustain our growth in all ways!

ACS Visit: Group 2

This week we were graced by the visit of the second group of Sisters from Assumption College for Sisters, Mendham, NJ.  We were blessed with great weather again, so we were able to take another outdoor photo in front of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women.

We are grateful for the time they took to visit us and for their thoughtful questions about our ministry and that of Family Promise of Passaic County. 

Welcome, ACS Students!

On Tuesday we welcomed the first of two groups of students from Assumption College for Sisters (ACS), Mendham, NJ (a sponsored work of the Sisters of Christian Charity).  These students are Sisters from various religious communities and various countries, studying for degrees in the United States.  We were happy to welcome the students and ACS President Sister Joseph Spring, SCC and welcome back Sister Mary Irene Sorber, SCC to the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women.  We were also grateful and fortunate to be able to visit Family Promise of Passaic County and hear from its Executive Director Cathy Boccard about the wonderful ministry being done for homeless families there.  We look forward to next Tuesday's visit from the second group of students from ACS.  Enjoy the photos!

Sister-students from Assumption College for Sisters, Mendham, NJ pause at the entrance to the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women with Sister Ann Marie Paul, SCC, Director.

Sister Patricia Reynolds, SC and her quilting students show their latest project to the ACS students and Sister Joseph Spring, SCC, ACS President.

Our guests check the progress of our new vegetable garden.

Cathy Boccard, Executive Director of Family Promise of Passaic County, explains her ministry.

The group poses for a photo at Family Promise of Passaic County.

Before departing, the group stopped to pray at Passaic's shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Madison Street.

Our Garden!

 

On Tuesday we were graced with magnificent weather as we planted the very first vegetable garden at the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women.  We were happy to welcome so many friends: the women of the Center (and some of their children),  Claudia and Jasmine from City Green, Sister Marion, Sister Ann and Luz from St. Mary's Hospital, and Susie and Ann who came all the way from Stirling to help us plant.  Sister Mary Irene, our garden coordinator, directed the planting and will help the women to carry the project through the summer.  We look forward to fresh tomatoes, carrots, onions, lettuce, kale and various herbs this summer.  (Email subscribers: If you do not see the embedded video above, please click here or here to enjoy the video slideshow of the planting.)

English Teachers Meet

On Tuesday, we held the first meeting of our English teachers.  Since most of them teach at different times and/or different days, they rarely cross paths.  This meeting presented a great opportunity for them to share teaching strategies while enjoying each other's company.  After the meeting, the entire staff ate lunch together.  How blessed we are to have such dedicated volunteers who give of themselves wholeheartedly to the women of Passaic. 

Our staff gathers for lunch (left to right):  Sister Charlotte Koch, FSP (English teacher), Sister Elaine Maguire, FSP (Associate Director), Sister Patricia Reynolds, SC (quilting teacher), and English teachers Sister Ursula Carr, SC, Sister Mary Culhane, SC, Sister Eleanor Goekler, SMIC and Mrs. Marie Mead.

Have you told a friend?

Do you remember the post from April 2 in which we asked you to bring a friend to the blog?  Since then, we have increased readership by 18%, which is a wonderful start toward our goal of doubling our subscribers.  So, we are asking you to consider spreading the word about the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women by asking a friend to subscribe to the blog.  Click here to go to the post that gives instructions.  Thanks for considering this!

Visit with the SCC Associates

On Sunday, April 27, Sister Ann Marie Paul, Director of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women, was in Mendham, NJ to introduce the Center to the Companions of Pauline, Associates of the Sisters of Christian Charity during their annual Covenant Day. In her presentation, Sister Ann Marie invited the SCC Associates to focus on how this ministry in Passaic in the 21st century mirrors the early work of the founder of the community, Pauline von Mallinckrodt, in Germany in the 19th century.  In its service to the poor, collaboration and ecumenism and openness to new ways of ministering, the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women mirrors the early (and continued) work of many of the founders of religious communities.  Please contact Sister Ann Marie (sam@patersondiocese.org or (973) 470-0844) if you would like to arrange a presentation for one of your groups. 

Sister Ann Marie addresses the Companions of Pauline, Associates of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, NJ.

The Companions of Pauline gather for a group photo at the end of the day.