A Message from the Little Sisters of the Poor

May 5, 2021

Dear Families of our Residents,

Since the last letter appeared in this space, Mother Paul left us on April 19th for a time of rest and retreat in our Home of San Pedro, CA before she takes up her new assignment in Denver, CO. She will be sorely missed.

I was privileged to arrive here from our novitiate in Queens Village, NY on April 12th and to benefit of a week with Mother Paul before her departure. We were also blessed with a visit from Mother Provincial Maria Christine, before sadly bidding her farewell as she finished her term as Provincial Superior. She is being replaced in that role by Mother Julie Marie, whom some of you know, and who is a native of Lexington, Kentucky!

Yes, this springtime has certainly been a time of transition, inside and out! Happily, in our Home, everyone has been testing negative for Covid-19. Vaccinated staff are no longer required to be tested. (Unvaccinated staff continue weekly testing.) Starting next week, most Residents of Jeanne Jugan and Holy Family Units will be able to move back to the dining rooms for all three meals each day, with social distancing in place. This will provide some welcome increased socialization! We have already started inviting the Residents to the chapel for Mass and times of prayer. Unfortunately, we still do not have a chaplain, but we look forward to the time when we will have Mass celebrated in our chapel more than a couple of days a week.

We also look forward to the time when social distancing will not be required and we will have space to welcome our vaccinated apartment Residents to the dining room and the chapel.

We had a wonderful Kentucky Derby party on May 1st in the auditorium, complete with fried chicken and Mint Juleps, prepared by our wonderful activity director Maria and our dedicated kitchen staff, with the contribution of Sister Bernard! We have able to welcome some volunteers back into the Home so that helped with the betting fun!

Many of you have been relishing in-person visits with your loved ones this spring. Vaccinated visitors may visit with their Resident in their rooms. After being screened at the front desk, visitors should go directly to their Resident’s room without stopping in other areas on the way. For unvaccinated visitors, visits still need to take place in the visiting room near the front desk or outdoors. For any visits, please call Oglanda in Social Service ahead of time to communicate your desired day/time of visit, or if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing many of you at our Mother’s Day tea on Saturday, May 8th, featuring room service!

We encourage everyone to be vaccinated if you possibly can. This will allow us to open up our Home to a greater degree.

I am happy to be here at St. Joseph’s Home, and I look forward to meeting you soon. As this springtime of transition continues to unfold with nature’s beauties outside, we will be welcoming new life inside as three new Little Sisters will be added to our community, beginning with Sr. Sharon, who will be arriving from Palatine, IL, on May 11th.

God bless you all,
Mother Mary Richard

Previous Updates:
March 17, 2021
February 21, 2021
February 2, 2021
January 3, 2021
December 18, 2020
November 24, 2020
October 29, 2020
October 18, 2020
September 25, 2020
September 14, 2020
September 8, 2020
August 17, 2020
August 7, 2020
July 15, 2020
July 1, 2020
June 11, 2020
May 27, 2020
May 12, 2020
May 5, 2020
April 28, 2020
April 22, 2020

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