Joliet Franciscan Sisters Announce 2017 Honorees
The Joliet Franciscan Sisters will present the annual Mother Alfred Moes Award and Joliet Franciscan Heritage Award at the 28th Annual Franciscan Autumn Feast on Sunday, October 22 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.
The Mother Alfred Moes Award was first presented in 2008. Mother Alfred Moes, Joliet Franciscan foundress, was a woman ahead of her time. A pioneer and a visionary, she used her own dowry to transform her vision into service. Mother Alfred responded not only to the needs of the people of Joliet, but wherever the need of communities across the country called her. This award, named after Mother Alfred, recognizes individuals and organizations who also transform vision into service.
This year, the Mother Alfred Moes Award honoree is St. John the Baptist Parish. In 1863, Mother Alfred was invited by the pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, a parish which was only 11 years old, to come to Joliet and begin teaching the children of the predominantly German immigrant community. All of the Sisters’ ministries, from the beginning of their history, evolved from St. John the Baptist Parish. Throughout its 165 year history, St. John’s has responded to the changing needs of its parish family and beyond through its many programs, including a food pantry.
The Joliet Franciscan Heritage Award was established in 2010 to honor individuals and organizations that recognize the needs of their community and use their gifts of time, talent and treasure to care for those needs. The 2017 Joliet Franciscan Heritage Award honorees are Joe and Jodie (posthumously) Adler. The Adlers were involved with the Christian Family Movement, were founding members of the Will County Conference of Religion and Race and the Spanish Community Center. They were active in the civil rights movement since the 1960s. Joe and Jodie were founding members of the Will County Habitat for Humanity.
After Jodie’s death in 2014, Joe has continued to be a force for peace and justice in the Joliet area through his tireless contributions of time, talent and treasure to the many needs of the Joliet community.
For more information about the 28th Annual Franciscan Autumn Feast, please contact the Joliet Franciscan Sisters’ Mission Advancement office at 815-725-8735, x116.
