A beautiful aspect of our Catholic faith is there is such an emphasis on love in action—hopeful actions like the ones we’ve seen throughout this campaign as so many of you respond to the needs of families in our Seton community.
Yet our actions, when fed by the graces that come from prayer, are especially powerful. That’s why I’m so grateful that our Seton families who are part of Immaculate Conception School on the South Side of Chicago are surrounded by prayer warriors like the Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Guadalupe.
From the earliest days of the COVID-19 crisis, these sisters have provided their school community with a vital resource—the opportunity to gather together virtually in the praying of a nightly rosary via Facebook Live.
Parents, grandparents, and other relatives of Immaculate Conception scholars are taking part in this sacred time—and you are welcome to join them in prayer. For Sister Claudia, the school’s principal, one literal glimmer of hope in the darkness are the photos families are sharing praying the rosary and of their home altars, illuminated by candles.
“Families are the Domestic Church, and cells of the Body of Christ,” says Sister Claudia.“Seeing them united in prayer gives us a beautiful ray of hope. Not everything is lost—as long as there is faith, hope and love for one another as Jesus taught us.”
Yet a continuing challenge for this community is that nearly all of the school’s families live at a high level of poverty. This means some lack the home internet and computers that make it possible to keep up with their education and join in the evening rosary.
Others face even more urgent challenges, like this Immaculate Conception family of six, pictured above: The father is blind and cannot work, and the mother washed dishes at a nearby restaurant, but was recently let go when the restaurant had to close due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Two of the four children attend Immaculate Conception School, one is an alumni, and the other suffers from a disability requiring extra care. The Sisters have been helping to keep the family fed—but they are still struggling to pay for rent, utility bills, internet and other necessities.
Will you help us raise $1,500 for this part of Christ’s Body?
A generous donor will match any donations up to $5,000 that are made on behalf of this beautiful family, and any extra funds will go toward supporting other Immaculate Conception families in need—and there are many.
As Sister Claudia reminds us, “We believe that through the prayer of the rosary, Mary, Our Blessed Mother, embraces each one of us—giving us comfort, peace and love as only a Mother can.”
So please give a gift of Living Hope that not only helps a family get through the next month, but enables them to virtually take part in the peace of the nightly devotions Sister Claudia and her fellow nuns are offering their community.
Together, we can strengthen the Domestic Church—one gift and one prayer at a time.
