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Ministry
Education
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth have been involved in the field
of education since it's founding in 1875. The Sisters of the Immaculate Conception
Province teach in tall levels of education: pre-school,
elementary, secondary, higher education:
- Nazareth Academy Grade
School, Philadelphia, PA
- Our Lady of Calvary, Philadelphia, PA
- St. Adalbert, Philadelphia, PA
- St. John Cantius
- St. Katherine of Siena
- Visitation B.V.M., Trooper, PA
- Cardinal Dougherty High School, Philadelphia,
PA
- Nazareth Academy High School, Philadelphia,
PA
- Holy Family
University, Philadelphia, Bensalem & Newtown, PA
- Nuestra Senora de Belen, San Juan
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Health Care
The Health Ministry of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth - Immaculate
Conception Province - formally began with the opening of Nazareth Hospital in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 9, 1940. Prior to that date, the Sisters were
prepared for their future roles in administration, nursing, technical areas and ancillary
support. All of these efforts were intended to provide for family-centered care.
The hospital grew from a 116-bed facility to a 347-bed facility and served the varied
health needs of the surrounding areas with programs ranging from maternity and
medical/surgical units to radiation therapy, rehabilitation and a transitional care unit.
With the emphasis now on the provision of care in an outpatient setting, much of
the hospital's services have a large outpatient component.
Recognizing the necessity of partnering to strengthen the base on which the hospital
was founded and of maintaining the Catholic identity of Nazareth Hospital, the Sisters
transferred ownership of Nazareth Hospital to the Franciscan Health Systems on March 1,
1995. In 1996, through the Franciscan Health System, Nazareth Hospital became a
member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). The Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, however, continued to minister at Nazareth Hospital, although no longer in a
sponsorship role.
Also in the Health Ministry, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth serve at St.
John Nursing Home, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In dedicating their
skills to the elderly in administration, nursing support areas, the Sisters extend the
healing ministry to Christ to families in need of these services.
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Social Work
The term family has taken on an entirely different meaning in recent years. In
the past, a family consisted of a mother and father and a few children. Both parents
did not have to work in order to provide the necessities of living. But times have
changed.
Today, a two parent family is the exception. Many families consist of a mother or
a father, working one or two jobs, trying to provide for their children. And some of
them are crushed under the pressure of this type of living.
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are involved in ministering to the broken
families by working in the Thea Center for Women. This center was established to
help those women who want to change their lifestyle from drug addiction and prostitution
to a life of productivity. St. Francis Inn, located in Center City Philadelphia is a
homeless shelter for the poor in the city. Calcutta House, also located in Center
City, is a resident facility for AIDS patients.
St. Mary's Villa for Children and Families in Ambler, PA, is a facility where
86 children live
who have suffered some type of abuse in his/her young life. This facility does not
only deal with the child, but is also involved in family therapy.
St. Mary's has consolidated with Holy Family
Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
Every person who is helped in one or all of those facilities is a member of a family,
the Family of God. Every person we minister to also has a human family. If we
can touch their lives in some way, we are doing what our beloved Foundress established our
community for: to serve the people of God.
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Parish/Pastoral Ministries
"Go out to all the world and tell the Good News." Sometimes the whole
world lies right in your own backyard. For us at Nazareth, our backyard is
worldwide, but specifically in the Immaculate Conception Province, it has been a lot
closer. Several of our Sisters are currently spreading the Gospel in the following
parishes in Philadelphia and surrounding counties:
- St. Ambrose Parish, Schuykill Haven, PA
- St. John the Baptist, Pottsville, PA
- St. Mary Parish, Conshocken, PA
- St. Christopher, Philadelphia, PA
The Sisters' ministries vary from parish to parish. While some may spend time
coordinating food banks, still others are visiting the elderly or shut-ins. Sisters
prepare for liturgies as well as instruction candidates for their profession of faith.
Some Sisters enter classrooms to instruct the children while others run CCD
programs for other children.
Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd felt that ministry to families was an all
important facet of our Congregation. No doubt she is smiling today as she views her
daughters in the hills and valleys bringing the Good News to all!
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Prayer Ministry
Sisters who are most
excited about profession ceremonies are possibly the one s who are not able to attend those
ceremonies. These are the Sisters at our Powerhouse of Prayer - Mount
Nazareth. Day after day for 50, 60, 70, 75 and more years, these Sisters have given
of themselves as our Mother Foundress did. They live the life of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, often hidden in their Nazareth home, supporting each and every one of us as we
go about our daily tasks.
It is not unusual to stop by Mount Nazareth and to see the Sisters praying their
rosaries while walking the halls, making the Stations of the Cross in Chapel, or reading
to one another in a quiet place. It is their perseverance, their daily commitment to
live as Jesus lived, that makes their offering so meaningful to those of us who stop in
and share their spirit for just a few moments.
And while these Sisters are not always able to attend profession ceremonies, or
graduations in schools or nurse patients in a hospital, they live their vows of chastity,
poverty and obedience to the fullest extent. As we read in the document of the
Church, "Vita Consecrata", their consecrated life teaches the universal call to
holiness regardless of differences and human limitations. At Mount Nazareth, this is
a lived reality.
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