Greetings Friends of St. Bakhita Catholic Worker!
I pray that your Lenten journeys have been fruitful and that you are as excited as I am to reach the glorious day of His Resurrection! We have been waiting to update you on our progress until after we had a clearer picture of our launch plans at St. Bakhita Catholic Worker House. I am sure the Capuchin Franciscans, the generous donors of our new home, join me in thanking God for teaching us patience during this great season of growth.
As you may know, supply chain issues have delayed the Franciscans from moving into their new residence at St. Francis Parish. The good news is that we are getting very, very close to occupancy. However, we do need to share with you that we will not be fully situated and ready to host our anticipated May 1st Open House launch. Fully accepting of God’s plan , we are using the gift of time given to us during this delay to continue to gather the resources and nurture the relationships we need to build our loving St. Bakhita Catholic Worker faith filled community of hospitality, education and retreat. As Paul shared in his letter to the Romans “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
We have been blessed to share word of our community with several gatherings of friends over the last month. Sharing our journey with the MUHS Mother’s Guild for a Lenten Morning of Reflection was such a blessed opportunity to meet strong and loving women open to the Spirit. If you belong to a group or a parish that might want to learn about our mission please do not hesitate to ask for a visit. There is so much we can learn from one another!
We also have been working on the necessary legal work needed to complete the property transfer of our home. It is all going very well, just not as quickly as we hoped. I think that delays are just part of our new reality. We know that patience is a virtue. And that there is no better time than Lent to carry one’s cross without complaint.
We hope the longer days and warmer weather that is inching its way towards us brings you joy. Don’t you think we need to lean into such gifts? It certainly helps when there is so much to pray for these days. Please pray for women survivors of sexual exploitation, for peace in Ukraine and all war zones throughout the world, and for the life and dignity of all people—no exceptions. St. Bakhita, patron saint of hope, pray for us.
Stay tuned for our sign-up volunteer opportunities and more definitive dates in the near future. We feel so very blessed by your support!
In peace and love,
Anne
For I know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29: 11
