Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

For much of the spring summer, resident talk in the Cenacle dining room focused on family, flowers, and recipes. Residents of the female persuasion tended to be vocal, and they seasoned the chatter with words like “adorable, “precious,”...

It's not a coincidence that GOD and DOG are palindromes of each other. Dogs are the real proof that God loves us.  Holiday lights, snowy walks, and tables full of holiday treats are treasures, but my all-time favorite Christmas gifts are two of my...

SERVING WITH AN ATTENTIVE EAR AND A COURAGEOUS HEART I was born and raised in the Back of the Yards in Chicago’s southwest side in the 1940s-50s when Chicago was the “hog butcher capital of the world.” It was a community with twelve...

About 20 years ago, the Poor Handmaids decided to name the four dining halls of the Motherhouse. Leadership designed a contest in which Sisters would suggest four names, with the requirement that they be related by a common theme—all named after...

As she reflects on the experiences Lindenwood offered in 2023 and looks forward to 2024, Retreat Development Manager Weslee Aristor considers herself a vessel for what the community needs rather than the creator of...

German Background: Around the 1800’s, nativities were banned in Germany. By the time Sebastian Osterrieder was born in 1864, they were being allowed again, but nativities were never as popular in Germany as they were in Italy. By the late 1800s in...

Many years ago, a brother of Sister Kathleen Quinn, PHJC, married Ross Johnson’s sister. Ross, who lived in Whiting, Indiana, and Sister Kathleen—one of the founding Sisters of Sojourner Truth House (STH)—became good friends. When she lived at...

On a radiant fall afternoon as a cadre of Poor Handmaid volunteers packed groceries for delivery to those in need at two Plymouth motels, volunteer Sister Marlene Ann Lama contemplated those that the food will nourish. “We learn to see God in the...

Prepare to be enchanted by the harmonious melodies and celestial voices at the upcoming Messiah Concert, set to captivate hearts and souls on November 18th, 2023.  This remarkable event promises an evening of transcendent music, showcasing the...

To some degree, life in Maria Center validates Ecclesiastes, one of the Old Testament’s books of Wisdom, which states there is a time to live and a time to die, a time to embrace and a time to let go . . . a time for every purpose under heaven. All...