Our Work/Outreach
Sister Eleanor Francis and Sister Victoria Michelle with a retreat group at St. Marguerite's
Sister Mary Lynne with orphans at the Good Shepherd Home in Cameroon
Sister Margo with a Celtic Journeys group in the UK
Sister Barbara Jean speaking to a Daytop student at the annual Daytop Brunch
Sister Suzanne Elizabeth leading a National Altar Guild workshop at the Convent
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Our Sisters now work in a variety of settings, including parish ministry and leading of workshops, retreats and quiet days,
Our Convent Guest WIng and our Retreat House provide a sacred space for individuals and groups to find rest, spiritual refreshment, peace, and quiet. We provide the time and space for people to come away from a busy world of distractions for a direct experience of the Divine. Most of the Sisters are also certified Spiritual Directors who provide support for a number of clergy and secular directees from all faiths and all walks of life. Our connections to the dioceses of the area, Newark, New Jersey, and New York, are strong, and Sisters serve on diocesan committees and guilds. Sister Barbara Jean and Sister Eleanor Francis also serve as priests. Sister Margo Elizabeth's Celtic Journeys to holy places in Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland provide a transformational travel experience to dozens of people each year. Sister Suzanne Elizabeth is active with the National Altar Guild and is a renowned expert in ecclesiastical embroidery, vestment repair and vestment preservation. Her ministry of instruction on the care and repair of altar linens and vestments has helped thousands of people and hundreds of parishes in the Episcopal Church. We also support the Good Shepherd Home for children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Cameroon, West Africa. Sister Mary Lynne has made many visits to the Good Shepherd Home, and she continues to help raise funds in the U.S. to support the ministry. Sister Victoria Michelle teaches Sunday School, leads Vacation Bible School and participates in mission trips each year. She also works with Family Promise Homeless Shelter, North Porch for Women & Children, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, The Market Street Mission, and Homeless Solutions. She and Sister Linda Clare lead prayer bead workshops in parishes. Sister Victoria Michelle also serves on the Altar Guild at The Church of the Messiah in Chester. She is a Certified Nurse's Aid and regularly works in home health care. Sister Linda Clare and her helpers grow produce in the Garden of Hope at the Convent and deliver it to the local interfaith food pantry. She also works with Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Family Promise Homeless Shelter, and with the CSJB Buildings and Grounds department to maintain our sacred space. Sister Eleanor Francis works with several interfaith ministries and she coordinates regular panels at the Retreat House with a Jewish Rabbi and a Muslim woman to discuss values that are common to all faiths. She also leads retreats and quiet days, works with the CSJB Oblates and Associates and serves in the United Nations' United Religions Initiative. After 9/11, she served as a chaplain at Ground Zero. Sister Pamela is Novice Director and she coordinates CSJB fundraising events like Concerts at the Convent and the Nun Better Golf Outing. She is also a trained Hospice Chaplain and served in that capacity for many years in Morris County. Sister Laura Katharine is Assistant Superior, and she is in charge of our chapel. She served for 11 years as Sacristan at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City. She is an expert in the Enneagram, and has led many workshops on the subject. Sister Mary Lynne, Sister Suzanne Elizabeth, Sister Victoria Michelle, Sister Margo Elizabeth and Sister Deborah Francis create beautiful cards, jewelry, Anglican rosaries, and other devotional items for the Nun Better Gift shops at the Convent and St. Marguerite's. Sister Deborah Francis and Sister Monica Clare work at All Saints' Church in Millington. Both of them preach there occasionally, and Sister Deborah Francis sometimes helps with the food pantry and healing prayer. Sister Monica Clare designs posters and brochures for the Community and she manages the website and social media pages. She also serves as archivist, scanning and restoring historic Community photographs and preserving archival documents. Many people contact CSJB seeking information on their ancestors who were at our schools, orphanages or girls' homes, and Sister Monica helps them retrieve the records they need. Daytop New Jersey operated a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in the buildings and grounds of our former St. John Baptist School for 26 years - until June 2020. Here children between the ages of 12 and 20 came to a long-term residential treatment community to reclaim their lives from addiction and learn how to live. Many miracles happened and empowered these young people to move from addiction and despair to hope, discipline, and love. Daytop Mendham closed in June 2020 due to state budget cuts, so we are now prayerfully seeking a new organization and a new ministry for our space. 
Sister Pamela and Sister Linda Clare with one of the vegetable gardens at the Convent
Sister Monica and Sister Laura Katharine in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin's Palm Sunday processional in Times Square.
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Our Pets
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