“Their sturdy backs bent down, by labor and fatigue, their eyes intent upon the earth, sift through stubble discarded by the reapers.”
—Sister Michaela O’Connor
The Gleaners, by Jean-François Millet (1857), depicts three peasant women gleaning a field of stray stalks of wheat after the harvest
Our Mission
To seek out and advocate for the poor and needy, especially families, for the Kingdom of God since 1872.
Obituaries
We remember and celebrate the lives of the remarkable women who dedicated themselves to service, faith, and community. Their legacy continues to guide and inspire us each day. Click on the button below to view the obituaries of our sisters who have gone before us, and join us in honoring their enduring contributions and cherished memories.
Celebrating Our Legacy
Past
As Gleaners, we stood at the edge of society where Christ was encountered in word, silence, and action as the power of His Kingdom pushed out the boundaries of our world. We have been recognized by our simplicity of life and visible presence among the most abandoned.
Present
Our mission as Gleaners is to serve segments of the population who are underserved by Church and social institutions. As we celebrate this time in our history, our ministries will focus on children, homelessness, food insecurity, immigrants, refugees, and healthcare.
Future
Reflecting the heart of our mission our legacy will live on into the future for others through the Gardens at Palmdale, our Opportunity Fund with Abode Services, our Archives Collection, and Early Childhood Education Scholarships.
Sunday Scripture Reflection for October 18
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When God gets involved in international politics, strange and unexpected things can happen. For example, in this Sunday’s first reading, God speaks to his anointed, Cyrus — Wait a minute! What?! Cyrus is God’s anointed? He’s not even Jewish — he’s a Persian! But God works in strange ways and uses whom He will. We might take note of this little surprise today when we watch current “history” unfolding on our iPhones. We pray for our nation, but we are not, in fact, “the chosen people,” and I can barely understand God’s ways among my friends and family, let alone among the billions of people on Earth. We do what we can, and we trust in God to work things out. In the Big Picture as well as in the little picture, God is to be trusted. In the words of St. Teresa of Avila, “Solo Dios basta — God alone is enough.”
Get Involved with Sisters of the Holy Family
There are a number of ways you can join our Family of Friends, including donations, prayer requests, connecting with a Sister, and joining our mailing list. If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or a loved one, please let us know.
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