70 Years of Supporting the Missions! We thank YOU!
By Laura Whitford, President, St. Elizabeth Mission Society
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” – Mark 16:15
In January 1879, three Franciscan Sisters of Allegany bravely set sail from New York Harbor to Kingston, Jamaica to become the first American Sisters to undertake foreign missionary work. Our Sisters answered the missionary call again in January 1946 when they arrived in Brazil to help the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province. There, they educated and preached the Gospel to the local people. The Franciscan Friars invited our Sisters to join them again in their ministry in Bolivia in 1965.
After their work began in Brazil, the Reverend Mother at the time, Jean Marie Greeley, recognized the ongoing need for support in the missions. In 1947, St. Elizabeth Mission Society was established to let the Congregation’s friends and benefactors take part in the community’s mission outreach.
The benefactors’ gracious support continues today, 70 years later. Your gifts help St. Elizabeth Mission Society provide grants and ongoing support totaling $150,000 each year.
With every Raffle appeal, a portion of your gift goes to help our Sisters in some way. This year, please consider giving in support of our Sisters’ foreign missionary work. Every month we send $800 to Bolivia, $1,800 to Brazil and $1,800 to Jamaica help mainly with food, medicine and education. I just finished reading our Sisters’ reports on their monthly support and the need is great – food and medicine for a homeless settlement in Palmas, snacks and arts and crafts materials for a youth community center in Anápolis, and hot meals for students in Jamaica, among other things.
We would like to express our gratitude for your generous support throughout the entire year by including your name in our Summer Raffle. This will give you the chance to receive $500, $200 or $100. Just print out the tickets HERE, complete the form, and return them before September 8.
In closing, please know that our Sisters are praying for you and thanking God for your continued support:
“We ask God to continue pouring out blessings on each member of the St. Elizabeth Mission Society. That the generosity of each may be repaid by the joy and gratuity that comes from God.” – Sr. Nara Maria Jaime, Araguacema, Brazil
In honor of our brave missionary Sisters,
Laura Whitford
President, St. Elizabeth Mission Society
To view our 2017 Summer Appeal, click HERE.
Palmas, Brazil – Children living in a homeless settlement camp eat bread given by the Sisters. 80 families live in shacks and are without work.
St. Francis Outreach, Kingston, Jamaica – Over 150 poor, elderly and infirmed line up every month at the Sisters covent for their “Backdoor Ministry.” They have a meal, receive medicine and food to take home.
