“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 November 1
Feast of All Saints
I read recently that a thousand deaths is a statistic, but one death is a tragedy. That’s because, generally speaking, we don’t know those thousand people, but we do know the one. Multiplied out, though, the thousand deaths are a thousand tragedies, and the deaths from all the recent wars and crimes and diseases have a huge impact. So it can be hard for us to hear the Beatitudes, as we will this Sunday — blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are persecuted, and so on — how can they be blessed when we know their suffering? But put into the perspective of eternity, and the 4-billion year history of humans on earth, we need to look at the big picture, the lo-o-ong picture. While this may be the only life we know, even the number of lives that have been lived since the earthly days of Jesus are nearly infinite to our brains. Once again, we need to trust God for the answer, for the mystery, for what we will not know nor fully understand until we too are blessed, for we too will be comforted, satisfied and shown 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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