Joyous Easter Greetings!

May our Easter reflections shatter our fears and fill us with awe so we go forth with hope and purpose.  May new life blossom in and around us as we become more open to mercy and a compassionate presence with one another.

Please pray for out Nigerian Sisters as they touch families and children in their communities through religion classes, at schools and in day cares.  And as they reach out to those hospitalized, imprisoned and displaced by terrorism.

Thank you for being in mission with us through your prayers and generosity.  Starting with two Sisters from Detroit, the HVM community in Nigeria now numbers twenty-five vowed religious women in the Home Visitors congregation.  The building of our formation house and development of the Pastoral Institute in Gwagwalada has been a dream made real through your support.  The chapel still needs to be finished but the classes, library and computer classes are already happening.

Evangelization goes on in many ways.  Our HVM ministry is after all (as it has always been) to build up the Church, not buildings.  Sr. Vivienn is opening a bookstore and day care as well as continuing her pastoral ministry at St. Charles Lawange parish in Apo while Sr. Anne focuses on prison ministry in the Kuje area.  Sr. Lydia opened a second women’s empowerment program to serve victims of human trafficking.  These are just some of the new happenings this year.  May the Spirit continue to guide and empower growth into all it can be.

Thank your for walking with our HVM sisters as they reach out to share the Joy of the Gospel in the lives of others.  We beg you to consider supporting the preparation of religious and laity to help form the growing Catholic family in Nigeria.  We hear how the cost of college education is keeping women from joining religious congregations in the USA; the same is true in Nigeria.  Could you or your Knights of Columbus group or your sorority or church committee adopt a HVM sister’s education?

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Blessings,

Sister Rosemarie Abate, HVM

The children and staff of Holy Name School, Birmingham, MI, put into practice the call of Pope Francis to live the Joy of the Gospel by showing mercy and by sharing our goods with others.

On January 22, the first grade Missionaries of Mercy at Holy Name collected clothing, household items, and toys for donation to St. Raymond – Our Lady of Good Council parish Thrift Store in Detroit.   This project was a great success due to the generosity of Holy Name families.  Two vans full of toys, pots and pans, dishes, and household goods were delivered to the thrift store, where families moving back in to nearby abandoned homes can shop for basic household items with a dollar or less. The thrift store and St. Vincent DePaul parish conference are ways of reaching out with the compassion of Christ.   Sisters Home Visitors of Mary serve in the parish and oversee the Thrift Store.

Under the wonderful formation of their teacher Mrs. Zanda Mitchell, the first graders will also have a bake sale to support their sister school in Ichama, Nigeria. This is the 2nd year that Mrs. Mitchell has linked these young Christians’ hearts and hands to bring her children into mission with the Home Visitors of Mary here at home and in Nigeria.

Little Angels School in Ichama, Nigeria