Dear friends and benefactors,
“If we walk in hope, we have joy in our hearts and we cannot fail to be witnesses of this joy…” These very words of our beloved Pope Francis bring strength to us—the Sisters of Mary and all the children in our care—as we deeply feel the loss of a loving father and true shepherd of the flock. What a beautiful time to return to the Lord—on Easter Monday—to be with what his Holiness hoped for, Christ Himself.
We certainly miss him, his smile, his words of wisdom, his presence among us, his love for all, especially for the poor, the suffering, the forgotten. He embraced each person with simplicity, humility, courage, and joy—an expression of his love of God, of the Blessed Mother, and of humanity!
May we continue his legacy by living out his mission of love. As we, Sisters, go out to the peripheries to seek those in need and smell like the sheep, we remember him saying, “whenever possible, give a smile to a stranger in the street. It may be the only gesture of love he sees that day.“ With a smile, we invite them to our Girlstowns and Boystowns, and with your support, which is your gesture of love, we provide them with their needs and prepare them to live with dignity.
Thank you for all that you do! Let us join together in prayer for Pope Francis. With hope in our hearts, may we continue to be witnesses of that hope—sharing who we are and what we have with those in need.
God bless you!
