Dear SJS Friend,

With great pleasure, I welcome you into the heart of the SJS life in the Province of the Immaculate Conception. In this issue, we attempt to give you a glimpse into a community that celebrates, loves, and prays together.

Celebration: Thanks for your love and good wishes on the occasion of my 50th birthday, your support of our Western event, and your participation in the 90th Anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy in Calexico.

Love: We thank God for the life of service of Sister Margarita Gallardo, SJS in her 50th Anniversary of religious life.

Prayer: We join hearts in prayer and thanksgiving for the eternal life of Sisters Maria de la Luz Gomez, SJS and Hilda Maria de la Paz Reynoso, SJS.

There is so much we want to share with you! Please log onto our website www.usasjs.org and like us on Facebook so we can keep you informed of the SJS journey of love and service. You are part of our SJS family, and as such, are always in our prayers and our hearts. You are a light that shines in our path, and we would not be who we are without you! Please continue to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially for our SJS community.

May our lives be always a reflection of the spirituality of communion that derives from love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the protection of our Immaculate Mother Mary.

Blessings,

Sister Lilia M. Barba, SJSProvincial Superior

SJS News

Blessed be God!

usasjs.org Sister Servants of the Blessed SacramentHermanas Siervas de Jesús Sacramentado

Province of the Immaculate Conception

“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come…” Song of Songs 2:12

Sr. Lilia Barba & Little Sisters

2018 Vol. 1

Thank You!Blessed be God! He has graced us

with so many caring and loving friends! We were counting on your help and in just 4 weeks,

during the busiest time of the year, you came through with hearts full of love for our Sisters.

Many of you gave your best gift ever and some of you gave for the very first-time, together you helped us exceed our Matching Gift Challenge and raised over $50,000!

A very BIG heartfelt ‘”Thank You” to the Mary A. and Chrisman B. Jackson Trust, for being a partner in our mission and providing us with the $25,000 initial investment, making this campaign a success. The fruits received have produced many blessings and we are now on our way to secure the future of all our Sisters, allowing them to live lives with the dignity and grace they deserve. God bless you and your families, we pray every day in thanksgiving for the gift of YOU!

SJS Paparazzi at the 50th Anniversary Mass for Sr. Margarita Gallardo-Rodriguez, SJS

Visit our Website at usasjs.org and sign up for our

weekly reflections!

Our SJS Western BBQ Dinner Dance was held September 23rd at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and School in El Cajon, CA. The indoor silent auction room was filled with over 50 items and our dinner and dance was held under the stars, where the scrumptious smell of BBQ chicken and ribs filled the air.

Our live auction, led by Auctioneer Extraordinaire Steve Hamann, offered bidders many wonderful items such as a 7 day stay in Kauai, San Diego Harbor Yacht Cruise, Mayan Resort Nuevo Vallarta stay for 7 nights and much more. Little Sister Lilia’s specialty drink “Tumbleweed” featured its own SJS engraved mug and was a big hit! Sister Lilia’s Birthday cake was filled with 50 lit candles, and when some of the decorations caught fire it almost became a third alarm emergency! DJ Alvin Angeles kept the music fun and dancing well into the night. Everyone young and old had a rootin’ tootin’ good time!

Thank you to all our many shindig corporate Sponsors, A-1 Storage, Northgate Market, DS Fibertech Corporation and The Nowland Group. A special thank you to Fr. Efrain Bautista, Gigi Clark, Principal Francie Moss, Photographer Domingo Ono, Mary & Donald Ozaki, Fr. Eddie Ruiz, and of course the Corpus Christi Knights of Columbus Council 9065 and all our friends who gave of their time and many talents and treasures, making our event a success! All Sisters dinners were paid for by our generous donors and the event raised more than $35,000. HEE HAW!

SJS WESTERN BBQ DINNER & DANCE 2017

Born in San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco. Sister Margarita attended SJS schools from Kindergarten until the day she entered the convent. As a child, she and one of her brothers spent their summers teaching their friends and neighbors. Her parents allowed them to have their little “summer school” at home, contributing snacks for breaks and school supplies; pencils and notebooks. She was a natural to become an educator.

Throughout Sister Margarita’s childhood she saw many signs from God about His special love in choosing her to follow Him as a religious Sister. “It is God who chooses us to follow and serve Him in different missions”, she said. She has a great love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and feels she protects her. St. Joseph is her Patron Saint, she admires his humility and simple life, her baptismal name is Josefa Margarita.

Sister Margarita recently celebrated her 50th Anniversary as an SJS Sister. She told us, “God’s faithful, unconditional, and merciful love is the greatest reward I have received. Seeing my students succeed in life as good parents, citizens, and Christians is the best reward as a teacher.”

Sister Margarita tells us that God is faithful, loving and merciful. She offers these words of encouragement to those discerning their vocation, “If you know God is calling you, don’t be afraid to say Yes, it is worth it! “

50th Golden Jubilee: Sr. Margarita Gallardo-Rodriguez, SJS

Our Founder’s Corner

In 1901, a thief broke into the parish Church and stole the ciborium, a sacred vessel which contained consecrated hosts. Convinced the sacrilege was out of ignorance, Father Silviano Carrillo was determined to bring God’s word to all. This was a call from the Holy Spirit to found a religious Congregation for women with a dual mission; dedicated to loving and adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and making Him known and loved through Catholic education for children and youth.

On November 25, 1904, our Congregation was born!Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament,

in Spanish “Siervas de Jesus Sacramentado” (SJS)Bishop Silviano Carrillo Cardenas

As Pope Francis says, “Don’t forget to pray

for me!”

THE SCOTT FAMILY

Celebrating 90 Years of Loving and Serving the

Imperial County!

Sr. Maria Elvia Gonzalez, SJS has been Principal at OLGA for 14 years and the school is thriving! With her faithful Catholic community of educators and working together with families in the school community, they have fostered growth in the young minds and hearts of its student body to be faithful, moral and educated persons within their society. Congratulations! May God bless you with many more years serving for His glory!

C - Cares for other’s needsH - Has a personal relationship

with GodR - Respects other’s

differencesI - Incorporates Catholic values

and daily lifeS - Strives for academic

excellenceT - Technology wise and

responsible

The Blessing of New Friends!

REWARDING VOCATIONS RETREAT

OUR MISSIONThe life and mission of the Sisters Servants of the Blessed Sacrament is to

increase the love of Jesus in the Eucharist and Mary, his mother, through the ecclesial ministry of Catholic education.

“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” Mt. 5:8

Blessed be God because, in His great mercy, He gave us the gift of the life and vocation of our beloved Sister, María de la Luz Gómez Vázquez (photo center), whom we dearly called “Sister Chiry.” We give thanks to the “Giver of Life”, because in His infinite wisdom, He granted us the opportunity to share a 40 year journey of joy and love with her.

Sister Chiry led a humble life, using her God-given talents of generosity, joy, fortitude, and union with the Lord, promoting a spirit of cheerfulness, peace and happiness that was contagious to those she met both in the religious and

school communities. Many of us were subject to her “mi amor” call, which always brought a smile to our faces.

She faithfully lived her mission to “love and serve” others. The Lord sanctified Sister Chiry through an illness that she endured bravely for more than 10 years. Honoring her religious name: María de la Luz de “Jesús Hostia”, she became bread that is taken, blessed, broken, and shared for the salvation of all. May her soul, and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

In Loving Memory

Sister Maria del la Luz Gomez Vazquez, SJS

“Play loudly with all your skill and sing to the Lord with full voice”

Sister Hilda Maria entered the convent in 1966. In faith and hope, for 52 years, she offered her life as fragrance to her Divine Spouse. She brought much joy to the classroom with her music and smile. She always sang with her students and she taught many of them to play the guitar. Music was the way Sister Hilda Maria conveyed the spirituality of the SJS. Through her music she inspired students to live out their faith, praise God and grow in their devotion to Mary. Music was her form of prayer.

Sister Hilda Maria was the type of teacher Bishop Silviano Carrillo wanted of all the sisters. She was patient, kind, loving and firm. Her teaching was marked by the love she gave to her students. The trademark she left in the schools and parishes in which she ministered was praising God with joy through music and song, a greater devotion to our Blessed Mother, and the love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

All those who were blessed to have known Sister Hilda Maria will remember her smile, her blissfulness in serving God, her songs of praise and the love she passed on to others. We ask her to watch over us so that we may discover an abundance of God’s joy within our hearts and, like her, we may touch the lives of those around us by the way we live. May she rest in an everlasting peace with our Lord.

Sister Hilda Maria Reynoso, SJS New Life in Heaven in 2017

John Borchard

Genevieve Davison

Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate ConceptionO most Holy Virgin, immaculate in body and spirit, look kindly on me as I Implore your powerful intercession.

O most Holy Mother of Jesus and my Mother, receive my prayers and present them to God.

I implore you Virgin Mother, please bless the Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament and all those who share with them their time, talents and treasures, bringing God’s smile into the world.

O Mary conceived without sin,Pray for us who have recourse to thee

Fr. Silviano, intercede for us.

National Religious Retirement Office

We thank God for our Community Partners

Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament3173 Winnetka DriveBonita, CA 91902(619) 267-0720usasjs.org

Non-Profit OrgU.S. PostagePAIDPermit 751San Diego, CA

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Help an Elderly or Infirm Sister: Financially adopt an elderly and/or sick Sister in retirement. You can assist in easing the challenge of high medical costs.

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Donate online at usasjs.org or return the enclosed envelope.

Donations will be applied as unrestricted funds unless otherwise requested.For more information contact Vicki Whitmire, Development Director at 619-292-2971