NC - Winter 2021

MESSAGE FROM THE PROVINCIAL SUPERIOR
Dear Friends of Nazareth,
This time of Advent calls me to
deep reflection of the Incarnation
and the Holy Family. It humbles me
to think of all the ways God could
have manifested Himself, He chose
to physically come into the world
through a humble little family.
Family. It is the heart of our mission
as the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth. As professed Sisters of the
Holy Family of Nazareth, we commit
ourselves in our Covenant of Love, to
a Life of Service “acknowledging that
holy, healthy families are central to the
transformation of the world” (CL 5.4).
Throughout these past almost two
years, holy, healthy families have been
a saving blessing for many people, and
yet for many others, family continues
to bear the active wounds of deep
brokenness, pain, hurt, abuse, and
isolation.
I most recently was reminded of this
reality as I reviewed a report of our
website analytics that notes the pages
most visited on nazarethcsfn.org. Over
the past year, we have had a growing
number of visitors finding comfort in
the Healing Rosary for Families and our
Novena to the Holy Family.
As Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, we commit ourselves and
resources to enhancing the quality of
family life. In lieu of our traditional
Advent/Christmas Issue of Nazareth
Connections, I would like to share
with you this special Prayers of
the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth edition, which I pray will be
a resource to you and your families.
My prayer for you is that these
enclosed prayers will serve as a
source of peace, grace, and guidance
for you and your families. I would
also like to invite you to join our
community in praying the Novena to
the Holy Family (p. 8), which begins
Friday, December 17, and leads into
the Feast of the Holy Family on
Sunday, December 26.
In closing, I leave you with the words
of our Mother Foundress, Blessed
Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
from a letter she wrote to one of our
sisters on December 22, 1893.
“Just as Jesus came to
form the Kingdom of His
Love in the midst of the
Blessed Virgin and St.
Joseph, may the Divine
Infant establish the same
Kingdom in your soul.
May He endow you with
His gifts and graces, and,
above all, I entreat Him to
grant you inner peace and
serenity, His Spirit, and
an understanding of His
love and His ways.”
(Letter 158)
As we contemplate the great
mystery of God becoming man, let
us remember that He who came
into the world physically through the
Holy Family of Nazareth is named
Jesus, which means “God saves.” May
He who as our Mother Foundress
said, endow you and your families
with His gifts, graces, and grant you
inner peace, serenity, His Spirit, and an
understanding of His love and His ways.
In The Holy Family,
Sister Kathleen Maciej, CSFN
HOW ARE YOU CALLED TO LOVE?
We invite you to pray with us, to listen to God’s call with us, and to love with
us as we find God in ordinary experiences. Learn more about our community
life, our ministries, and our mission at nazarethcsfn.org/join-us. Or contact
Sr. Emmanuela Le, CSFN, National Vocation Director, at 972-641-4496 ext. 111
or vocations@nazarethcsfn.org.
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