Food For Thought
The Caldwell Dominican Sisters
** Members please note: All unclaimed produce and extras left at the end of each Downtown Harvest delivery night (Wednesdays at 5:30pm until 8:00pm @ 120 Sussex Street - the garage immediately to the right of the OLC church front doors) will be donated to the Mary House Emergency Food Pantry of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, located at 93 Clerk Street in Jersey City. They are overjoyed with all of our pledges to help them provide healthy food to not-so-fortunate families in the area.
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows is a small but dynamic, multi-cultural parish family in Jersey City with a special concern for issues of social justice. Their various social ministries include: the Mary House Emergency Food Pantry, Lord and Luke (a clothing and household items distribution ministry) and Hudson Hospice Volunteers. In addition, there is a monthly Bible Study for adults on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 - all are welcome.
Another one of their projects is a community garden on the church property. Each plot is sponsored for $25, (anyone can sponsor a plot) and the money raised is then used to pay stipends to neighborhood children to tend the gardens.
As a designated Peace Site, Our Lady of Sorrows hosts the Benincasa Center for Peace and Development, a place in Jersey City where people can find resources for building a life that is both peace-filled and enriching. Their mission statement is as follows:
Benincasa Center exists to encourage a holistic sense of reflection and response in the community of Jersey City
It is particularly sensitive to the needs of the most vulnerable of its sisters and brothers
It is driven by a sense of peace and justice
It is committed to the unifying sense of our common humanity and to non-violence
Their motto is: "To live well, we must breathe… Inhale - reflect. Exhale - respond."
Some activities to be found at the Benincasa Center are lectures, discussion groups, films, book study, field trips and retreat experiences.
The Mary House Emergency Food Pantry of Our Lady of Sorrows Church exists to help families and individuals who are experiencing an emergency need for food. Such emergencies can be due to loss of jobs, bills that exhaust existing resources, robbery, illness or some other similar reason. It is our purpose to be a "life raft" until the emergency is past.
The food pantry depends entirely on the generosity of our parishioners and our other supporters. Parish volunteers staff the pantry.
The Emergency Food Pantry is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Clients should be referred by community agencies that are assisting them through their emergency situations. Those without these contacts must bring identification including proof of address and family size, and income.
To learn more about the history of Our Lady of Sorrows and their various ministries, visit their website at www.olsjc.com or call 201-433-0626.
The Caldwell Dominican Sisters
The Caldwell Dominican Sisters trace their roots to the Order established by Saint Dominic of Caleruega, Spain. From its very inception, the Order has been global, democratic, and committed to liberating humanity from economic and spiritual poverty by translating the joyful message of the Gospel into a life of shared prayer and shared resources.
Caldwell Dominicans are women of prayer who believe that God answers prayers through the responsible action of people. Therefore, you will find us not only in classrooms, child-care center, churches, boardrooms and senior housing facilities, but also on the streets and on the internet - standing in solidarity with all those who advocate government policies, corporate practices, and individual lifestyles that promote human dignity, economic and environmental justice, and peaceable solutions to global problems.
Over the past 120 years, Caldwell Dominicans have expanded their ministries to include traditional and new forms of education, pastoral life, affordable-housing, and social services. Recently, through preaching, publishing, and programs at Genesis Farm (A Learning Center for Earth Studies and Community Supported Biodynamic Garden in Blairstown, New Jersey) they have become nationally-recognized leaders in advocacy for Environmental Justice.
For more information on the Caldwell Dominican Sisters visit their website at www.caldwellop.org.
