In our ministry with the sick, we often encounter people who are struggling with accepting a particular cross in their lives. Perhaps it's a terminal illness, the limitations that come with advancing age, the worries families face as they provide care for their loved ones. Whatever the difficulty may be, it seems to place a burden on our shoulders that seems too much to bear; we find ourselves faced with our own vulnerability, and we struggle not only to accept the cross but our own weakness as well. The truth is, when we encounter these situations, we are called to take refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to rest in Him, surrendering everything to His care. When we respond to this grace, we discover that we are invited to a privileged place within the Heart of Christ where we don't have to be strong or have all the answers, but rather through faith and childlike trust, we come to the assurance that He will take care of everything. Let us answer His call and draw closer to His Heart which only seeks our good.

“When you find yourself uneasy, go to the Sacred Heart and our Blessed Mother.” -Mother Soledad

- Sister Teresa

               When I was discerning my vocation, my Vocation Directress recommended that I call on the intercession of Our Blessed Mother for guidance. At that time, I was certain that I was called to the religious life but was yet unsure to which community and charism. While I was waiting for the Lord to make it clear, she recommended that I pray, “Mary, show me where your Son wants me to go.” And so I did. Continually. My only desire was to know where God wanted me to be because I knew that this is where I would find true happiness. This prayer was a source of consolation for my soul during a time of uncertainty and waiting, for I was confident that Our Lady would answer. And she eventually did answer. It became very clear that her Son was calling me to be her Servant in our Congregation, and I am very grateful to her for obtaining this grace for me.

               As I grew in my vocation and got to know our Mother Soledad, I learned that she had great confidence in Our Lady’s intercession. In all of life’s ups and downs, she would have recourse to her and say, “I have placed my confidence in Mary.”  Today, as I have the privilege of meeting young women who are discerning their vocation and I witness their great desire to serve the Lord, I offer them the same advice that was given to me and commend them to Our Lady’s care: “Mary, show them where your Son wants them go.” And I know that she will as I say with Mother Soledad, “I have never prayed for a grace through Our Blessed Mother that she has not granted me.”

 -Sister Catherine

On Divine Mercy Sunday, God offers two distinct gifts, each flowing from a different source, yet both overflowing with His desire to renew the human soul. The first gift comes directly from Jesus, revealed privately to Saint Faustina. The second comes from the Church, officially granted by Saint Pope John Paul II. Both are real. Both are powerful. And both are offered to you.

 Gift #1: Jesus’ Promise to Saint Faustina

Through Saint Faustina, Jesus entrusted a message of mercy meant for the whole world, a message the Church has examined and approved. He told her: “Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” This is an extraordinary grace, something Jesus Himself compared to a new baptism; a total renewal of the soul.

How to receive Jesus’ promise:

• Go to Confession
• Receive Holy Communion
• Approach Him with deep trust in His mercy

Gift #2: The Church’s Plenary Indulgence

The second gift is the Plenary Indulgence officially granted by the Church through a decree of the Holy See under Saint Pope John Paul II. This indulgence offers remission of all temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven; the purification we would otherwise undergo in purgatory.

How to receive the Plenary Indulgence:

• Go to Confession
• Receive Holy Communion
• Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father
• Participate in Divine Mercy devotions at church
• Have a heart detached from all sin

For Those Who Cannot Go to Church

The Church makes it clear that no one is excluded from Divine Mercy. Those who are seriously ill, elderly, homebound, caring for the sick, working at sea, displaced by war or disaster, or unable to leave home for a just reason may still receive the Plenary Indulgence.

They may do so by:

• Praying the Our Father and the Creed
• Saying a simple invocation such as “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You”
• Doing this before an image of the Merciful Jesus, if possible
• Intending to complete the usual conditions (Confession, Communion, prayer for the Pope) as soon as they are able

If someone is so ill or hindered that they cannot even do this, they may still receive the indulgence by:

• Uniting themselves spiritually with those celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday
• Offering their sufferings and prayers to the Merciful Lord
• Resolving to fulfill the usual conditions when possible

In every circumstance, God’s mercy reaches them. Two gifts. Two sources. One merciful God. And the beautiful truth? If you fulfill the requirements for one, you are already very close to fulfilling both.

Personally, I entrust every indulgence to our Blessed Mother Mary, giving her full freedom to apply it wherever it is most needed. It brings me peace to let her choose. I’ve always told Our Lord that I don’t want to spend a moment in purgatory. It is not out of fear, but because I long to be with Him immediately. Divine Mercy Sunday reminded me that God desires this even more than I do. The only thing He asks of us is trust. Not perfection. Not extraordinary holiness. Just trust in His mercy.

May we hold one another in prayer and remember that trusting in God’s mercy is a daily decision; and when doubt comes, let us turn to Jesus with the simple prayer of Mark 9:24: “I do believe; help my unbelief.”  saying, Jesus, I trust in You. 

Most Holy Mother Mary, Mother of Mercy,

I offer you everything I receive on this Divine Mercy Sunday — every grace, every indulgence, every prayer.

I hold in my heart those I love:

(Speak their names)

And all the souls in purgatory who have no one to pray for them.

You see what I cannot see. You love them more than I do.

Take everything that I offer today. Dispense it as you see fit, to whoever needs it most.

Jesus, I trust in You. Mary, I trust in You.

Amen.

-Sister Elizabeth

Saint Joseph is a model of all virtues. He was chosen by the Father to care for and protect his Son Jesus who submitted to his foster father Saint Joseph and obeyed him in everything on earth until Joseph’s death in the arms of Jesus and Mary.  Because Jesus continues to obey him as a docile Son, St. Joseph’s intercession is very powerful. He is called Guardian of Virgins, Hope of the Sick, and Patron of the Dying. He is especially present in the ministry of the Servants of Mary since we care for the sick and assist the dying so that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph may be with them in their final days.

Prayer

O Glorious Saint Joseph! You are the faithful and prudent servant to whom the Lord entrusted the care of Jesus and Mary. You were the first to devote yourself to them, giving your life to their service and protection. Awaken in young women the ardent and resolute desire to give their lives to the Lord in the service of the sick as Servants of Mary. May they, following in the footsteps of Saint María Soledad, attain the perfection of charity and win many souls for Christ. Grant us courageous, bold, and generous Servants who are not afraid to leave everything for the Lord, who are willing to work without seeking rest, and to pray without ceasing. May they be determined to give themselves to our religious family as you did in the house of Nazareth. Amen.

-Sister Carmela

Before leaving each night for our ministry, we have time for prayer in our convent chapel. We ask the Lord's blessing before we go out to encounter Him in the sick, praying for the grace needed to carry out our mission faithfully at the bedside of those entrusted to our care. We go from one encounter with Christ to the next, for our faith tells us that it is the same Jesus we kneel before in the Blessed Sacrament, whom we also encounter in our sick brothers and sisters.

I recently had the blessing of witnessing the powerful and yet gentle way our Lord works through this reality of His presence. As I arrived at my patient’s home, the family walked me to the room of their loved one. As they opened the bedroom door, my patient opened his eyes, and it was at that moment that our Lord came to take him home. As I gathered the family around to pray for the soul of their loved one, I realized that evening that I had ushered Jesus into my patient’s home. As Mother Soledad told us, “Have courage, my Daughters in the Lord…there is nothing to fear, not even death itself, because this is what opens the way for us to eternal life.”

- Sister Teresa

“Life is worth defending whether in the womb or in the nursing home.”

I first met our Sisters at our skilled nursing facility Mary Health of the Sick in Newbury Park, California, where I would often visit during my time of vocation discernment. Spending time there with the Sisters and residents taught me valuable life lessons that made a lasting impression on my heart and mind.

One afternoon, I walked out into the beautiful garden at the facility and saw a young woman feeding her great grandmother. The elderly woman could no longer walk or speak, and her eyes remained closed. Many would automatically come to the conclusion that since this woman no longer communicated or responded as before, her life no longer had value or meaning.

But in that quiet moment of observation, I understood something profoundly different. Her life was valuable, infinitely so, and God was working powerfully through her. Without a word, she was teaching her great granddaughter how to love, how to be patient, how to care for another person, and how to give of herself. She was forming a heart to be compassionate simply by her being.

This is what all of us are called to do: to allow God to work through our lives, even in our frailty, even in our silence, even when we can no longer offer anything the world considers “useful.” Our dignity does not come from what we can do, but from who we are, beloved children of God.

On this World Day of the Sick, we remember that the sick, the elderly, the fragile, and the forgotten are not burdens. They are living sacraments of God’s presence. They remind us that every life has a mission, even when that mission is simply to receive love and to inspire it in others.

This is why the tragedy of assisted suicide is so profound. It cuts short the very moments where grace is often the most abundant. It interrupts the sacred time when God is shaping hearts, reconciling relationships, deepening compassion, and preparing the soul for eternity. When we end a life prematurely, we also end the lessons of love that unfold in those final days and hours.

From the moment of conception until natural death, life is sacred.  

And every person is a gift entrusted to us.

- Sister Elizabeth

Sister Elizabeth

Throughout this year, we have the joy of celebrating three milestones within the history of our Congregation: 200 years since the birth of our Foundress, 175 years since the foundation of our Congregation and 150 years since the approval of our Congregation by the Holy See. Such occasions call us to lift our hearts in gratitude to God for his unfailing Providence over these many years, for the privilege of ministering to our sick brothers and sisters and the grace to be instruments of His mercy and love to those we encounter each day.

Referring to Consecrated Life, the Code of Canon Law says that “certain Christian faithful are specially called by God to this state so that they possess a special gift in the life of the Church and contribute to its salvific mission” (can. 574 §2, emphasis added). As Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick, we realize that the charism we have received is indeed a great gift that we are called to live and place at the service of the Church. As we journey through this Jubilee Year as a Religious family, we pray for the grace to live “our gift” more deeply and share the joy of our vocation with others so that like Mother Soledad our lives may redound to God’s greater glory and inspire others to follow God’s call in their lives. “How beautiful this is, my Daughters; let us praise and bless God for everything” (Mother Soledad)

 - Sister Teresa

As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded that Advent is not only about preparing for Christ’s coming, it is also about recognizing His presence already among us. Encountering Christ is the source of our joy. This joy is not fleeting, nor does it come and go with life’s ups and downs. True joy endures because it is not rooted in what is happening around us, but in the One who dwells within us.

"Lord, thank You for the gift of Your presence in my life. You are my source of joy, peace, and strength. Help me to walk in the fullness of that joy today, remembering you are always with me. Fill my heart with Your love and let Your presence be my delight, that I may be a blessing to others. Amen."

- Sister Elizabeth

Peace to all who join us as we set out on our journey of HOPE through this Holy Jubilee Year 2025.

As we begin this year specifically dedicated to reflecting on, praying for and growing in HOPE, we look to the saints who have gone before us and who teach us the way. For me as a Servant of Mary, my favorite saint is our Mother Foundress, Saint Maria Soledad, certainly a great model to follow! Mother Soledad understood that we are “created to be filled by God, but our heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched.” (Spe Salvi, 33) This is hope, desiring to be filled with God and longing for Him despite all difficulties and obstacles. Mother Soledad was able to move forward in hope like Saint Paul, “I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3, 14), and she tells us today, “Do not be afraid, my children, I will go before you.”  So let us take her at her word and walk with her on our journey of hope. No matter where we are on this journey, our personal circumstances, or the pace we are moving at, Mother Soledad will be with us, leading the way. Just one thing is essential: to keep our eyes on the goal, on Jesus Christ!

- Sister Bernadette

Some time ago, a woman was sharing with me her experience of faith as a born again Christian. She attributed part of her recent enthusiasm to popular series the Chosen, which depicts the life of Jesus through the eyes of his disciples. In addition to helping her imagine what the life of Christ and his followers might have been like, she attributed to the show a newfound love for reading the Gospels since she now realized that what is written actually took place some 2000 years ago. She ended the conversation with a comment about how she wished that, similar to the disciples, she could sell everything and spend the rest of her life following Jesus.

Knowing that the woman was actually a fallen away Catholic, I found her comment ironic. What she was unaware of is that within the Catholic Church there are indeed people who have sold everything and given away all their possessions to follow Jesus; we call this the religious life. As the first number in Vita Consecrata states: “In every age, there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father's call and prompted by the Holy Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ”. They, too, have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and put themselves as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. At once a privilege and a responsibility, the religious life is, for those ‘chosen’, a call to “embody the Gospel ..bringing anew the living presence of Jesus" (VC 9), which, we pray by God’s grace may inspire our brothers and sisters to live their discipleship to Christ with renewed enthusiasm.

- Sister Teresa