Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in the USA

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in the USA We are an international congregation of vowed religious. Family is the heart of our mission. They first served at St. That same year, they established a U.S.

The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN) are an international congregation of vowed religious women dedicated to spreading the Kingdom of God’s love, particularly within families. It was founded in Rome in 1875 by Frances Siedliska, a Polish noble woman, in religious life known as Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Today there are some 1,100 sisters serving in 14 countries: Australia, Belarus, France, Ghana, Great Britain, Italy, Israel, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, USA; they are joined by 700 lay associates. In 1885, Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd came to Chicago with a small band of sisters dedicated to serving the families of immigrants from Poland. Josaphat Parish on Chicago’s North Side; rather quickly, their ministry expanded to include health care, education and pastoral ministry. Provincialate in Chicago. Today Holy Family Province, the U.S. province of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, has some 200 sisters serving in Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Provincialate is located in Des Plaines, IL, a Chicago suburb. We share in Jesus’ mission of spreading the Kingdom of God’s love. We do this by serving families through active ministry in schools, hospitals, parishes, prisons, and social service agencies.

Happy Birthday, Mary! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!We love any chance to hono...
09/08/2026

Happy Birthday, Mary! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

We love any chance to honor Our Lady, so much so that each Sister takes a form of Mary as part of her own name. 🌹

Happy Labor Day! Today, in a beautiful way, we celebrate the dignity of work by taking a day of rest. St. Joseph the Wor...
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day! Today, in a beautiful way, we celebrate the dignity of work by taking a day of rest. St. Joseph the Worker reminds us of the holiness found in our simple daily work. He also reminds us we are more than what we accomplish; sometimes it's in the stillness, in our rest, where God desires to lead us and lead the work of our hands.

May you have a safe and restful Labor Day!
St. Joseph the Worker + Pray for us +

Where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is in our midst. That is Christ-centered community.Christ-centered commu...
09/06/2026

Where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is in our midst. That is Christ-centered community.

Christ-centered community can take on many forms: family, religious community, parish community, etc. Some important characteristics of a Christ-centered community are harmony, peacefulness, and unanimity. In uncomfortable situations, our first reactions might be resentful silence, gossiping, or publicly airing our grievances. However, community is meant to be a place where we build each other up and work to resolve conflicts. In describing early Christian communities, it was said, “look how they love each other,” and “the community was of one mind and heart.”

Today’s Gospel reading is brief but clear. If we can’t resolve conflicts among ourselves, then we need to enlist the assistance of others. In our contemporary world, this sometimes translates to seeking the assistance of a third-party professional, such as a therapist or marriage counselor, or simply friends who can provide objectivity. The ultimate purpose of this mediation is not accusation, but support and reconciliation.

Today’s Gospel outlines a series of progressive steps for resolving conflicts...

Read more of Sister Marcella Louise's reflection here: https://bit.ly/4i2jtP

"If sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us...and spare those who have families."Today, we celebrate the feast of...
09/04/2026

"If sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us...and spare those who have families."

Today, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions, Martyrs of Nowogrodek. who laid down their lives to save the lives of family members in Nowogrodek. Let us pray this Litany asking for their intercession for families today.

Congratulations to our Sisters who are celebrating 75 and 50 years of Consecrated Life. God is faithful! We thank them f...
09/03/2026

Congratulations to our Sisters who are celebrating 75 and 50 years of Consecrated Life. God is faithful! We thank them for their vocation and for giving us the joy of sharing life with them.

May the Lord continue to bless your vocation, deepen your joy, and surround you with His love.

This week, Sister Rita and Sister Malgorzata congratulated and offered their prayers for the 18 nursing graduates of the...
09/03/2026

This week, Sister Rita and Sister Malgorzata congratulated and offered their prayers for the 18 nursing graduates of the CHRISTUS Elevate Externship Program!

Let us join them in praying for these future nurses!

Time to taste the fruits of their labor! Sister Daniela and the Garden Club are slicing up one of the first watermelons ...
09/02/2026

Time to taste the fruits of their labor! Sister Daniela and the Garden Club are slicing up one of the first watermelons from their Panther Patch Garden🍉 Enjoy!

SEPTEMBER already! Where has the summer gone? Hopefully summer offered you a time to relax and refresh your spirit! Now ...
09/02/2026

SEPTEMBER already! Where has the summer gone? Hopefully summer offered you a time to relax and refresh your spirit! Now back to the rat race!!! With vacations ending and school starting, it’s tempting to fill the days with all sorts of activities. I recalled a funny cartoon; I’m sure you have seen it – a bunch of elephants jumping into a small rowboat with the caption “Sometimes Less is More”. Less known is the quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

I started a list of less-is-more ideas. Having less is making room for what is more important. Less talking, more listening – leads us to better understanding. Less possessions, more gratitude means less in our hands helps us recognize more in our hearts. Less business, more presence – quiet ourselves to listen to another, myself, nature, and God. Less judgment, more compassion – what’s wrong with that person changes into I wonder what that person is carrying. Less control, more trust – faith helps us live with few answers. Less ego, more love – a chance for self-centeredness to become self-giving. Less fear, more courage – can we live from day to day not knowing the entire trip? Less comparison, more contentment – be grateful for what you have been given. Less noise, more silence – helps us hear the quiet voice of God. Less distraction, more awareness of God – seeing God in the ordinary things of life. And the list can go on.

On September 4th, we celebrate the gift of the Eleven Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who offered their lives to save 120 local men and women in Nowogrodek. They lived with less so others could have more. Sister Stella and Companions, pray for us and our families. Beatified by St. John Paul II in 2000 as “Martyrs for Families,” their selflessness stands as a timeless testament to faith, courage, and unconditional love.

If I empty myself, I can fill myself with what is important and live with less of what keeps me from truly living. What do you need less of? Use your week wisely.

Till next week,
Sister Theresita Donach, CSFN

Jesus “was able to invite others to be attentive to the beauty that there is in the world because he himself was in cons...
09/01/2026

Jesus “was able to invite others to be attentive to the beauty that there is in the world because he himself was in constant touch with nature, lending it an attraction full of fondness and wonder. As he made his way throughout the land, he often stopped to contemplate the beauty sown by his Father, and invited his disciples to perceive a divine message in things”.

Hence, “the creatures of this world no longer appear to us under merely natural guise, because the risen One is mysteriously holding them to himself and directing them towards fullness as their end. The very flowers of the field and the birds which his human eyes contemplated and admired are now imbued with his radiant presence”. If “the universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely… there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face”. The world sings of an infinite Love: how can we fail to care for it?

Pope Francis, Laudate Deum

A little Monday motivation from our Mother Foundress, Bl. Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
08/31/2026

A little Monday motivation from our Mother Foundress, Bl. Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

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310 N River Road
Des Plaines, IL
60016

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