SSJ Associate in Mission, Jeanne Zittrauer

Jeanne Zittrauer, SSJ Associate in Mission from Savannah, GA, shares how she lives our mission and shares the charism with the “Dear Neighbor” each day…

In the retirement community where I live, a stranger is a “Dear Neighbor” I have not yet met. Giving him or her a seat at the dinner table lets them know they are accepted and welcome in the community.

Playing bells with other residents or leading the Bel-Tones forms another community of acceptance of the Dear Neighbor, where all are accepted, even if not always perfect in the ringing of their bells.

Making yoga and physical exercise available helps the Dear Neighbor maintain or regain strength, balance, mobility, cognition, and a sense of belonging to community.

These are simple gifts given to my “Dear Neighbors” in the community setting where I live.

“…To deepen and widen our SSJ Spirituality and our lived expression of it in relationships with the dear neighbor, both at the margins, and beside us in the ordinary circumstances of our lives…”