By Laura Whitford, President
St. Elizabeth Mission Society & Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation
Christmastime brings with it a flurry of events, shopping, donating, cooking, visiting and more, but it also brings a sense of peace when we remember that Christ came for us. Isaiah’s prophecy tells us of a great one coming, a Messiah, who would bring peace.
The Gospel says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God.” St. Bonaventure felt that this type of peace came first from within ourselves. Our faith gives us this peace and happiness, which then flows out of us to others.
Our Mission Society helps bring peace and justice to those who are poor. Gifts from our benefactors make many things possible: food, shelter, education and health care. They bring dignity to a person without a home, to a mother who can’t feed her baby, to an older adult who needs medicine and to a child who lives in poverty.
This year, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society has given grants for:
- Bibles, rosaries and pastoral care for prisoners (Camden, NJ)
- Computers for students becoming teachers (Kingston, Jamaica)
- Craft classes to teach income-earning skills (Anápolis, Brazil)
- Transportation to medical appointments, new homes or job interviews for families with very little (Olean, NY)
- Food and heat for the very poor (Lake Providence, LA)
- Exercise equipment for older adults to keep them mentally and physically well (Cortland, NY)
- Rehabilitation equipment for people recovering from illnesses or surgeries who can’t afford this type of care (Anápolis, Brazil)
- A new school for elementary children (La Gonave, Haiti)
- Sandwiches and socks for the homeless (Springfield, MA)
All contributions made to the St. Elizabeth Mission Society provide support for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany to accomplish God’s work in serving those who are poor in Jamaica, Brazil, Bolivia and the United States.
I ask you to prayerfully consider a gift that will bring peace to one who is suffering.
May the love and peace of Jesus Christ be with you this Christmas,
Laura
“For to us a child is born…and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6
