 Sister Victoria Michelle (R) with the Rev. Margaret Otterburn, preparing meals for residents at Homeless Solutions in Randolph. We pray especially for healthcare workers who bravely serve on the front lines of the pandemic, for the poor who are struggling to survive, for the oppressed who have been severely impacted, and for all those who struggle with loneliness and emotional distress at this time of year. During this especially difficult holiday season, we have set a special intention to reach out by phone, email, letter, and Christmas card to those who will be alone for the holidays. Through our ministry of spiritual direction and our socially-distanced ministry of hospitality, we hope to keep all our loved ones in our circle of love and fellowship as we walk together into a bright and hopeful New Year.
 Children at the Good Shepherd Home in Cameroon, West Africa Sister Jane Mankaa at the Good Shepherd Home in Cameroon, West Africa, says: “We are preparing to celebrate Christmas this week. The children studying outside the Good Shepherd Home are gradually coming home for the holidays. Those studying at Good Shepherd Academy are all home already. Sister Mary Lynne would be happy to know that Neba Richard took the 1st position with an average of 17.5 in his class. Sister Mary Lynne during one of her visits welcomed Richard when he was just two months old. He is doing very well in school and at home. All the 16 Children from the Home who are attending Good Shepherd Academy did extremely well in their exams. This shows how much they have been longing for school after a period of 4 good years without school. It has not been easy to keep children at home for these number of years. We just had to brave it and decided to send the children this year to school. Please keep us in your prayers. We are equally very happy to have Cistus home for the holidays. He has not been able to come home for the past 4 years. Cistus is one of the children in the Home and he is studying Petroleum at Covenant University in Nigeria. The Community of sisters remains small but very active. Prayer is still our priority. It is in prayers that we gather the strength for our many activities. It is prayer that we remember all of you before God as we thank Him for blessing us with such wonderful people like you. It is in prayer that we remain United with the rest of the Body of Christ. The sisters and the children wish you All a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. We believe it will be a good year for all of us. We remain United in Christ’s Love. Yours in Christ. - Sr. Jane” We are deeply grateful to the generous people who have contributed to our appeal for the Home and who provided sponsorships for the children’s’ shoes, clothing, and food for Christmas. If you’d like to help the children of the Good Shepherd Home, CLICK here for more information or email [email protected].
CSJB ASSOCIATE/OBLATE NEWS  The Rev. Ellen Kohn-Perry (center) with the Rev. Tim Carr (L) and the Rev. Ron Young in 2013. CSJB Associate and St. John Baptist School alumna Ellen Kohn-Perry recently celebrated a joyous anniversary. Ellen says, “On December 14th, 2013 I was ordained to the Priesthood at Christ Church, Short Hills in the middle of a snow and ice storm. A blessed day! I had the gift of sharing that rite of passage with two wonderful friends, among others, Tim Carr and Ron Young. We were ordained to the Deaconate together six months earlier.” Ellen is Assistant Rector at St. Paul’s Chatham and in non-COVID times she serves CSJB as a guest celebrant at our daily mass. She is also a member of our St. John Baptist School Board. We give thanks for Ellen and her many ministries.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST SCHOOL NEWS
 Click on the image above for more information about the Clewer Initiative's Lenten Course "Women in the Shadows" OUR SISTERS IN ENGLAND Sister Jane Olive, Sister Anne, and Sister Mary Stephen are now settled into St. Mary’s Convent and Nursing Home in Chiswick, and they and the Rt. Rev. Alastair Redfern are continuing to work with the Clewer Initiative - the ministry they founded to fight human trafficking. The Clewer Initiative is currently producing five hard-hitting mini-films and an accompanying devotional course for Lent 2021. Entitled Women in the Shadows, they are focusing on the suffering facing women and girls who are trapped in sexual exploitation, forced labor, and county lines drug smuggling and the ways in which different organizations are supporting and helping victims and survivors. Sister Monica Clare is also working with Bishop Redfern on a series of podcasts about how the work of our Mother Foundress Harriet Monsell continues to inspire the ministries today.
LOOKING AHEAD
Our many helpers, volunteers, and those who encourage us Hans Dekker and the Hyde and Watson Foundation Patrice and Doug McKenzie Janet Maulbeck and Interweave Connie Moore Barbara Barbeau Ed Roworth Jane Hayden Linda Lee Mundy Chris Chrystal and Myram Borders Julie Crawford The Rev. Kevin Coffey The Rev. Victoria McGrath and the people of All Saints Millington The Rev. Lorna Erixson and the people of St. Mark’s Mendham The Rev. Cynthia L. Black, DD and the people of the Church of the Redeemer The Rev. Margaret Otterburn and the Church of the Messiah The Rev. John A. Rollins Jan Paxton All our CSJB Oblates, Associates, Alumnae, and friends Joe Boney And all those who have generously donated to the Good Shepherd Home, our Capital Campaign, and our general fund despite all the economic uncertainty.
YOUR LEGACY  The lich gate at the CSJB cemetery after the snowstorm. Would you like to include CSJB in your estate planning? If you’d like information on how to arrange a legacy gift, please email Sister Monica Clare at [email protected] or call 973-543-4641 ext. 2. The majority of our buildings, chapel furnishings, Convent and Retreat House furnishings, and ongoing ministry funds were made possible through legacies. It is mainly through the kindness of legacy givers who believed in our mission that we have carried forward the plans of the Holy Spirit for our Community from 1852 to the present time. Your planned giving would help to ensure that the dreams of our Mother Foundress, to continually address "the needs of the day," will live on into the future. We welcome gifts for specific purposes and ministries, for our Capital Campaign to restore and repair our sacred space, or for the general operating fund of the Convent and Retreat House where we welcome an average of 2,000 visitors per year. Our Diocese, along with the Episcopal Church Foundation, provides expert legal and financial guidance to guide you through the process of the many ways of making a planned gift. Please contact Sister Monica at [email protected] or call 973-543-4641 ext. 2 if you’d like to find out more  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Sisters of CSJB (and Jennie)
Photo by the Rev. Cynthia L. Black, DD, Rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown.
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