The Holy Spirit has historically used our Sisterhood as a catalyst for founding new ministries to address the immediate needs of His people.
In the early 20th century, the Spirit led the Sisters to found a home for aging ladies whose finances were limited in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dedicated to St. Anna, the aged prophetess who held the Christ Child in her arms, that work served the elderly for nearly 80 years.
St. Anna’s Convent
In the early 21st century the work continues as St. Anna’s Convent and is the Community’s house in Philadelphia. It is a mission house and as such its primary goals are to continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to teach the faith, and to minister to the various needs of the people who come in contact with the Sisters and with the house. Our spirit is the same as that of the Priory, with the living of the Monastic Life, which includes the six Offices, Mass, regular individual prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, and the reading of Scripture daily in chapel.
St. Anna’s has two Spirituality Groups that meet at the Convent for lunch and Bible Study. The Sister in Charge of this work explains; “We teach in a local parish and work in a homeless program in Camden, New Jersey. In addition, we give what immediate help we can to the homeless on the streets and we can take in two overnight guests who come to Philadelphia for medical and/or religious purposes. We are situated in a very friendly area—the people are grateful for our presence and we are grateful for their acceptance of Sisters who wear the religious habit on the streets in order to further the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The Holy Spirit also guides the Sisters to help found ministries for needs of His flock yet are not intended to be direct missions of the sisterhood. Such was the Joseph Richey House of Baltimore, a free standing, fully accredited hospice, which was co-founded in 1987 by the All Saints Sisters and Mount Calvary Parish, providing a homelike atmosphere for those with a terminal illness.
That said, WE FULLY EXPECT that our Lord, the Holy Spirit, will call our sisterhood as another catalyst in the 21st century. In our spiritually starved culture there is great need for those with the courage and faith to bring the Good News to dark corners of our own towns and neighborhoods.