Goodwill and blessings are fellow travelers across the spans of a life well lived. When they cross paths, it’s wise to note the circumstances and give thanks before moving on.
One such experience recently sparked a full-circle moment for Sister Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, who was desperately searching for a safe and welcoming home for a woman with four children whom she encountered at her ministry, Border Compassion.
The family had lived in the Posada del Migrantes Shelter in Mexicali, Mexico, for an entire year before receiving permission to cross into the United States legally from Mexico. They are asylum seekers fleeing violence or what is called in the immigration process “a critical fear.”
As Sister Suzanne prayed for a miracle and threw the net wide, she received an offer of assistance from the Los Angeles House of Ruth.
In 1978, a group of Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded the House of Ruth to provider a shelter for homeless women and their children. These founding sisters included Founding Director Linda Pearson (Jennett), Jeanette Van Vleck, Georgeann O’Brien and Judy Molosky—all peers and dear friends of Sister Suzanne. Over 45 years, the founding sisters moved on, and many others took their place. More than 5,000 women and children, most fleeing domestic violence, have found home, help and community at the House of Ruth. For 27 of those years, Sister of Social Service Jennifer Gaeta has led the agency and grown it into an 80-bed transitional shelter.
Through the network of sisters and others aligned around helping women in need, Sister Jennifer heard about Sister Suzanne’s family. A full-circle moment was born.
“When I went to the House of Ruth to meet with the family and stood at the bottom of the stairs, I thought back to how many times I had been there before when I lived in East LA,” recalled Suzanne. “It had been 45 years since I stood at the bottom of those stairs picking up Linda Pearson on her day off. There are so many stories, and it was a moment of déjà vu.”
Though names and faces change, the mission to care for those in need remains constant over time. Blessings and memories flow in moments like these, as does gratitude for the grand, unknowable design that unites us with the Great Love of God.
This story appeared in the 2025 issue of our Los Angeles Jubilee Designs magazine. Find a digital copy of the magazine here.
Border Compassion
Border Compassion, founded in 2021, is a faith-based effort sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministerial Services. It supports 60-150 migrants at Posada del Migrantes Shelter through monthly visits, ESL classes, essential supplies, legal services, trauma-informed care and more. Despite restrictive U.S. immigration policies, Border Compassion continues to aid asylum seekers and deported individuals facing homelessness.
House of Ruth
Los Angeles House of Ruth (LAHR) was founded in 1978 to serve homeless women and children, providing all services free of charge. Many women leave their abuser when they realize their children are also in danger, essentially choosing homelessness over abuse. LAHR provides these brave women and their children a safe and secure place to heal.