In Good Company - A publication of Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers
Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1470470
Used with permission by Sister Madeleva Williams, CSJ. Not for reproduction. On March 19, we celebrate the Catholic feast day of St. Joseph, the namesake of the Sisters of St. Joseph – with special reverence in 2021 for the Year of St. Joseph. Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange ST. JOSEPH'S DAY 2021 Table of the King The Blessed Émilie Gamelin is the foundress of the sisters of Providence. Table of the King is a beloved Providence legacy tradition. On the anniversar y of her death, this celebration honors Émilie Gamelin's ser vice to those who were poor and vulnerable. Table of the King is traditionally celebrated by sharing soup and bread with donations offered to those in need, modeling Émilie Gamelin's practice of ser ving those who were hungr y at her own kitchen table. Is 2021, we commemorated the legacy of Émilie Gamelin in a COVID- safe way, by ser ving a simple meal of soup and bread in "to go" containers, along with a prayer card. Caregivers from our executive team, our South Bay Mission & Mentoring cohor t, Mission, and Spiritual Care ser ved this meal in both ministries. Approximately $80 in donations were received at each ministr y and were placed in the Emilie Gamelin Caregiver Emergency Fund which provides an interest-free loan for caregivers in need. St. Joseph Day St. Joseph Day is one of two systemwide days of celebration we honor as a unified ministr y. St. Joseph is best known in the Catholic tradition as the spouse of Mar y and ear thly father of Jesus. He was steadfast, gentle, faithful, and though ordinar y, he ser ved as an extraordinar y model for those surrounding him. He is the Patron of the Church and the namesake of one of our health system's founding orders, the sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. 2021 marked the 150th Anniversar y of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Church. To mark the occasion, Pope Francis proclaimed Dec. 8, 2020 thru Dec. 8, 2021 as a " Year of Saint Joseph," in an apostolic letter stating that the pandemic has helped us realize the impor tance of "ordinar y " people, such as caregivers and essential workers, who exercise patience and offer hope ever y day. On March 19, we celebrated the Catholic Feast Day of St. Joseph with a special reverence for this Year of St. Joseph. We offered special written and overhead reflections focused on St. Joseph's humble ser vice, compassion, and being open to God 's call and on the many people during the pandemic who have made sacrifices to protect others, including our caregivers, just as St. Joseph quietly protected and cared for Mar y and Jesus. We delivered oranges and cookies to all caregivers, along with a hand-painted inspirational bookmark featuring original ar t of Sister Madeleva Williams, CSJ. Since 1989, she has combined her paint brush with prayer ful reflection to design the annual St. Joseph Day ar twork. 17 strENGtHEN tHE COrE