When Jesus began his public ministry it was by word of mouth and deed that people began to see more than “just  another prophet.”   Some saw him only as a prophet though and could not open their hearts to the possibility that he really was the long awaited Messiah that John the Baptist announced.    

 The Gospel today (Mark 6:14-29) shows how the last days of John the Baptist parallels that of Jesus’ passion and death.  Herod even thinks that Jesus is John raised from the dead.  Today, aside from the oral and written words (Scripture) of our faith, through modern technology using the internet and Googling, etc, we have the benefit of learning about Jesus.  Who do we follow?  Can we see the real Jesus?  This is our challenge today – ask yourself, who is Jesus for me and how can I follow him more closely?  Does knowing Jesus help me to understand my vocation in life?  God’s will for me?

The history of the Sisters of Bon Secours has been captured in a series of two printed books.  Those books are now available online!

A Century of Caring, 1881-1981, this book covers the early history in Paris, France and early USA ministries. This book is a PDF document which requires a free PDF reader. * NOTE: This book is 12 MB in size and may take up to several minutes to download over a high speed Internet connection.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

History of the Congregation of Bon Secours of Paris, this book covers the history of the Sisters of Bon Secours in Paris, France during 1824 to 1902. This book is a PDF document which requires a free PDF reader. * NOTE: This book is 20 MB in size and may take up to several minutes to download over a high speed Internet connection.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Jennifer has arrived!
I am so happy to announce that after two years of searching for a Communications Associate, God has brought Jennifer Murphy to the Vocations office.  She comes to us with experience as a director of public relations for a college, a freelance editor and writer with community relations, website content and layout, crisis relations, special events planning, and general promotions.

Jen will be spearheading our advertising and marketing campaigns and will be an integral part of our website optimization project.

Our department is very excited about continuing to take the Sisters of Bon Secours further into the technological age, and I think Jen will be a great asset to that goal.  Welcome, Jen!

Our Lady of Bon Secours

Greetings!

We invite you to pray with us as we celebrate the 189th anniversary of the Sisters of Bon Secours.  We want to share with you the reflections Sr. Mary Leamy, CBS who was asked to give reflections at a Mass yesterday in Makhado, Tzaneen, in S. Africa where we have a mission to serve people with HIV/AIDS.  Today our co-workers world-wide celebrate this day with us.  We are indeed blessed by God as we give witness to his healing, compassionate and liberating love in the world. 

The following brief description of our foundation is taken from a history book on the Sisters of Bon Secours.

“The profession ceremony for the first twelve women was held on January 24, 1824, in the Lady Chapel of St. Sulpice in Paris, and it was there that the seeds of Bon Secours were sown. Archbishop de Quelen placed the newly professed sisters under the invocation of Our Lady of Help Christians, with … continue reading…

We attended a special prayer service here in our Chapel yesterday for those who have suffered from last week’s earthquake in Haiti.   Prayer is powerful and we reach out to those affected by this terrible catastrophe.
Sr. Rosemary Moynihan SC, Director of Ecology and Global Ministry, gave us an introduction to the Bon Secours mission focused on Haiti, which includes aid for immediate needs, as well as a several-year plan to support the rebuilding process. 

She mentioned that we (Bon Secours) have a doctor and several nurses that are volunteering their medical skills in Haiti and encouraged our personal response through prayer and assistance.  After the service, Sr. Pat … continue reading…

About 100 sisters from across the USA participated in a seminar given by Sr. Sandra Schneiders, IHM entitled, “God So Loved The World…” Ministerial Religious Life in the 21st Century, including 9 of us Sisters of Bon Secours.  Because the seminar coincided with our international leadership team meeting, even some of our leadership members from other countries were able to come early to participate in the seminar.

Sr. Sandra spoke on how active women religious now understand their call to be active and itinerant, following in the footsteps of Jesus who was an itinerant rabbi teacher who called a small band of women and men to be in his company 24/7 to participate in his daily full-time ministry; and who sent out his disciples, (also itinerant) to share the “Gospel” in word and deed with people and to witness to God’s presence in the world.

Sr. Sandra talked … continue reading…

7.0 on the richter scale.  The small island of Haiti.  Two thoughts you would never want to place in the same sentence, much less in reality.  But it is reality.

Several days after the fact, the world saw the devastated faces of lost and suffering Haitians.  Now, people all around, both Christians and Non-Christians, are pulling together a relief effort to help save the lives of those in need.

I don’t think I need to give you details about the physical or emotional suffering of the people in Haiti.  I am sure you don’t want a description of the environment.  You can find this on any news station in the US. 

Instead, I want to reach out to YOU…and ask you to look inside your own heart to find the compassion and depth needed for prayer.  Look around you…do you have a roof over your head?  Do you have food to eat?  What blessings has God bestowed upon you?  Are your loved ones nearby and safe?

My request is two-fold…take a sincere and focused look into your heart and how God has blessed you…even the … continue reading…

The Catholic Review features Sister Bernie Claps’ first vow ceremony. Please review this article by George Matysek, Jr.

CLICK HERE for the full article.

I received another update message from Sister Elaine in South Africa:
Hi everyone,

The clinic finally opened after being closed for the Christmas holiday.  The first day back wasn’t too busy, but next Tuesday is already is packed full now that the folks know we’re open again.

Only a little more than a week till I get back.  While it’s been a wonderful experience here, I am looking forward to coming home!

Love,

Sister Elaine

The Sisters of Bon Secours are so blessed with the newest five members of our Volunteer Ministry. 

The five girls are living in the Baltimore volunteer house and working for the Bon Secours Hospital, where they will each provide “Good Help To Those In Need” for the next year. 

Not too long ago, the volunteers opened their door to the Sisters and others at Bon Secours with an open house to remember.  Here is an account of the night by Kathleen:
It was a beautiful occasion.  Despite the frigid cold weather that hit us that week, our guests bore it out to offer some warmth to our house by simply being present. 

It was a real delight even planning our menu for our open house.  We were all so excited to bake and prepare dishes for people we care about and respect so much.  It really meant a lot to us that so many people took time out of their schedule to simply visit us in our home.  They … continue reading…