“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
The funeral for Sister Michaela O’Connor, SHF, will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Parish Church, located at 43148 Mission Blvd. in Fremont.
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 July 19
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We have more parables about sowing seed this Sunday. In the second one, we hear of the sower sowing mustard seed, which in my experience in 20th- and 21st-century suburban America is usually considered a weed, and I wonder why anyone would sow it in a field, unless they wanted to sow weeds among the wheat. But then, I know yellow mustard, and the biblical sower was probably sowing black mustard, a different plant entirely and which could grow from a tiny seed to a 12-foot shrub in one growing season, and which had multiple uses. In the first parable, we hear about weeds among the wheat, and it’s a good thing I don’t have to make those decisions, because I may not be very good at knowing which is which. Our national track record on the death penalty indicates that we are in general not 100% accurate about separating the weeds from the wheat, so it may be better to wait until the final judgment to make that kind of decision — and to leave it to One Who Knows. And Who Has Mercy.
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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