ASSOCIATION OF LADIES OF CHARITY 

DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH 

111 Boulevard of the Allies 
Pittsburgh, PA 15222 
April 3, 2019

Dear Ladies,

"A plowman has to wait a long time before seeing the fruits of his plowing, and sometimes he does not see the abundant harvest his sowing has produced.” 
- St. Vincent de Paul

Reflection:

• How does this quote speak to you? ….to your parish grouping?
• How can we grow our trust in the Holy Trinity to become a greater ministry within our parish groupings and a greater example to the Church?
• What obstacles are on the path to allowing you to serve with humility, simplicity, and charity?
• Call upon the Holy Trinity to bestow the grace and guidance upon us to live up to the name of our ministry – Ladies of Charity

Ladies of Charity: Becoming One By Letting Go and Letting God – The April President’s Meeting will be held at North American Martyrs, 2526 Haymaker Rd, Monroeville, PA 15146.  The President’s Meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.  We will have a fairly full agenda.  Please RSVP by calling the office, calling me at 412-496-3638 or emailing me at bfj1227@gmail.com no later than Monday, April 8 in order for me to provide a headcount to the ladies at North American Martyrs.  Directions are attached. 

We must think long and hard and ponder the following questions:

• Am I willing to trust unconditionally as God loves me unconditionally?
• How can I help those around me strengthen their trust in God’s plan for our parishes, our ministry, and His Church?
• Am I willing to open my mind to the vast possibilities of how, by letting go of some our former ways, letting God to be ever present in our meetings and interactions with one another and becoming one within our parish groupings, we can expand upon the ministry we have been doing?

I remind each of you that the Transition Team is here to support you and guide you through this process.  Also, the Transition Team is working to assist you in making the short-term adjustments we are each being asked to make within our parish groupings.  The work of the Transition Team will also be looking for more long-term ways in which the Ladies of Charity, Diocese of Pittsburgh will function. I know many of you have thoughts and ideas of how you’d like to see our ministry function long term.  We will reach out to you for your input as we progress with our work. 

Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Transition Team if there is anything we can do for you at this time.  Also, we are willing to travel to a meeting within your parish grouping to work with you one on one through this process.  Please contact the Diocesan Office to schedule time.  The Transition Team Members are:

• Bernadette Jaketic, ALCDP President
• Karen Radu, Extension Chair               
• Peggy Keene, LCUSA President Elect   
• Claudia Van, Treasurer
• Linda Farmerie, Parliamentarian           
• Rose Parente, Vicariate 1
• Cindy Smith, Vicariate 2
• Fran Smith, Vicariate 3
• Laura Smagala, Vicariate 4

Ladies of Charity Caregiving – Do you know of someone who would be a good candidate as a client for the Ladies of Charity Caregiving initiative?  Do you know someone who would be a good candidate to be a caregiver….is that person you?  Do you know of someone who would be a wonderful mentor to a caregiver….is that person you?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, please contact the Ladies of Charity Caregiving office at 412-731-4100.  As a reminder, the caregiver role is a paid position which comes with a robust training program.  No experience is required.  The caregiving that is offered is non-medical (light housekeeping, assisting the client with bathing, preparing lunch, being a companion to the client, etc.)

You are cordially invited to attend the Ladies of Charity grand opening on Thursday, October 10, 2019 from 4 p.m. til 6 p.m. at the Caregiving office located at 7604 Charleston Avenue, Room 20.  The ribbon cutting will be at 5 p.m.  Included with this month’s President’s Letter is an invitation to this event.  We hope to see many of you there.

November President’s Meeting – The November President’s meeting will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.  All presidents and treasurers are invited to attend this meeting as there will be a good deal of discussion regarding the 501C3 process and how it will impact each parish.  Representatives from the accounting firm assisting us with this process will be on hand to begin earnest discussions regarding the forms and accounting methodology we will be required to follow.  In addition, as parishes begin to receive their new names and are ready to migrate under the ALCDP 501C3 umbrella, representatives from the Diocesan Board 501C3 committee are willing to travel to your parishes to provide one on one support as this transition takes place. We hope to see many of you at the President’s Meeting.

The Spiritual Society of the Unclaimed Dead – As Catholics, when we lose a loved one, friend, or acquaintance, we make it a practice to pray for their soul after their death.  Imagine having no one to pray for you, or, even worse, having no one to claim your remains at the time of your death.  Philly Sysak is the committee chair for the Spiritual Society of the Unclaimed Dead.  Philly regularly contacts the Allegheny County Morgue and Barbara DiRenzo regularly contacts the Butler County Morgue and they obtain the names of those decedents whose remains have never been claimed.  Sadly, this often includes the remains of babies.  When requested, a decedent’s name is assigned to the requestor and a stipend of $10 is paid by the requestor to the Seraphic Mass Association.  A beautiful memorial card is sent from the Seraphic Mass Association to the requestor containing the name of the decedent.  The requestor then remembers the decedent in their daily prayers.  We currently still have several names available.  Please contact the office for more information.

October Rosary Intention:  We pray for our Diocese as we continue to work together to form strong parish groupings through the On Mission! For the Church Alive process.

Please know of my prayers for each of you, your families, and your parish associations as we continue our transitions within our parish groupings.

Prayer to the Vincentian Family

Lord Jesus, you who willed to become poor, gives us eyes and a heart directed to the poor.  Help us to recognize you in them in their thirst, their hunger, their loneliness, their misfortune.  Enkindle within our Vincentian Family unity, simplicity, humility, and the fire of love that burned in St. Vincent DePaul.

Strengthen us so that faithful to the practice of these virtues, we may contemplate you and serve you in the person of the poor and may one day be united with you and them in your kingdom.  Amen

Upcoming Dates:

• November President’s Meeting:  November 16, 2019 – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
• Day of Reflection:  March 7, 2020 – St. Richard Parish, Richland Township
• Investiture:  April 26, 2020, St. Paul Cathedral and Rodef Shalom Ballroom

Ways to stay connected:

• Pittsburgh Website:    locpittsburgh.org
• LCUSA Website:    aic.ladiesofcharity.us
   (Be sure to subscribe and list your parish, city, and state when registering)
• Vincentian Family:  http://famvin.org
• FACEBOOK:  Ladies of Charity USA &  Association of Ladies of Charity Diocese of Pittsburgh

If you have questions or suggestions, please call and leave a message with the LOC office at 412-456-6924.  Thank you for all that you do!

In the Vincentian Spirit,

Bernadette Jaketic, President
Association of the Ladies of Charity
Diocese of Pittsburgh