Highlights

In January, a blessing was offered for the members of the Lay Mission Volunteer Program as they headed to Belize City. There were three volunteer trips in January to Belize. The volunteers worked to build homes for families in need in Belize City and Las Flores. In Tennessee, the Chattanooga SCN Associate faith group gathered at the Greenwood Terrace Community Center for their annual Christmas dinner. The group celebrated with Greenwood residents, stuffed stockings, and delivered Christmas gifts for the children. The SCN Lay Mission Volunteer program sponsored a float in a Christmas parade in Bardstown, Kentucky. The theme was "Helping is Magical." Sisters and volunteers walked alongside the float waving at the crowds.

Leaders of all of the Vincentian branches gathered in Rome, Italy as the Vincentian Family began its 5th century. SCNs Sharon Gray and Amrita Manjoly were in attendance to give input and advice regarding the continued growth of the Vincentian Family.

Margaret Willis, SCN, recently deceased, believed deeply in supporting Toys for Tots which she did for many many years. When she died in April 2019, toys were brought to her funeral. Thousands of toys were collected and donated in her name in December 2019. In Nepal, five students of Navjyoti Center recently were welcomed as guests and delegates during the official inauguration of the 24th Asian Foundation on Intellectual Disability (AFID) Conference in Kathmandu.

Children and their families were brimming with excitement during the annual Doors to Hope Christmas party in Louisville, Kentucky. Volunteers organized gifts, food, and a visit from Santa Claus.

For the last two weeks of December, Camp Maria Retreat Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in southern Maryland, offered a “room in the inn” to guests who otherwise might have slept in the cold.

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth ministry, Vincentian de Marillac, a skilled nursing and long-term care facility in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is piloting a telemedicine program for after-hours care.

Highlights

The Nazareth Archival Center hosted an open house in November 2019 on the Motherhouse Campus, Nazareth, Kentucky, featuring treasures from the Vincentian Sisters of Charity collection. On Nov. 14, 1902, five Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Szatmar, Rumania arrived at New York Harbor to found what would become the Vincentian Sisters of Charity (VSC). On Nov. 15, 2008, the VSCs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania merged with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. In November 2019, 104-year-old Evelyn Hurley, SCN, spoke at the seventh annual Join the Journey luncheon held by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Louisville, Kentucky. The audience was amazed to hear her vocation story, one of 87 years. SCN Associates and inquirers attended a one-day retreat Oct. 19, 2019, in Belize City, Belize. Beverly Hoffman, SCN, and SCN Associates Maggie Vargas and Sonia Ayuso presented the topic “Putting out into the Deep.” A recommitment ceremony and prayer service also took place.

Presentation Academy students joined the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in November 2019, for a trip to the Appalachian region of Kentucky. They helped with preparations for assisting 700 families in need.

Several jubilee celebrations have taken place in Mokama, India: Diamond Jubilees of SCNs Anne Elizabeth Elampalathottiyil, Elizabeth Emmanuel Vattakunnel and Teresa Velloothara; Golden Jubilee of Sunita Vayalipara, SCN; and Silver Jubilees of SCNs Josephine Kisku, Prisca Bilung, and Salomi Linda. Also pictured is Bridget Kappalumakal, who celebrated a Diamond Jubilee.

Sharon Cecil, SCNA, is the newest member of the SCN Associate Core Council and has begun a three-year term. Sharon is replacing Eugenie Coakley, SCNA. Sharon lives in Bardstown, Kentucky.

In Chandapura, India, celebrations also took place: the Diamond Jubilee of Bridget Kappalumakal, SCN, the Golden Jubilee of SCNs Bridget Vadakeattam, Stella Kaiparampatt, and Vandana Velleringatt, and the Silver Jubilee of Lilly Joseph, SCN. The Congregation is gathering data on animal habitat on the Motherhouse campus, Nazareth, Kentucky. Jennifer Snyder, a birder, has been identifying birds. On her first visit, she identified 42 birds, including a pair of courting red-tailed hawks, a winter wren, and a female belted kingfisher. She noted “42 species is amazing for this time of year!”