Patron Saint Day celebrated

Rawalpindi
The St Joseph's Hospice held its yearly celebration of St Elizabeth Feast Day -- she is the patron saint of all catholic charities and also of nursing care. The event was attended by the Bishop of Rawalpindi, Anthony Rufin; Director, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Westridge, Father Hilary Awiti; Our Lady of Fatima Church, Parish Priest, Islamabad, Father Rehmat and a few donors/supporters as well as the in house patients and staff. Sadly, many invited persons did not show up and I am sure the sisters (one did express her feelings); staff and patients were disappointed!
Anyway, after guests had arrived, in-charge Sister Rufina welcomed the guests; spoke of the significance of the feast and expressed her thanks to well wishers, as the hospice - which had fallen on difficult times during the last few years - could now carry on the work it does, serving the poor and marginalized of society.
The nurses of the hospice then presented a tribute to the saint by singing a song in her praise and staging a tableau on her life. Saint Elizabeth was born in 1207. Her father was Alexander II, the king of Hungary. When she was fourteen, she was married to Louis of Thuringia. According to legend, Elizabeth went out with loaves of bread to feed the poor, and when her husband asked what she was carrying, he saw it was roses, rather than bread! Because of this, she is also known as the patroness of bakers. Louis supported her in all she did to relieve the sufferings of those who were poor or sick. After his death, Elizabeth increased her service to others but died at the age of twenty-four. She was canonized only four years later. After this, in keeping with the occasion, a simple lunch was served to the guests - the patients ate earlier at their regular time as their welfare always come first!
St. Joseph's Hospice is a non-profit organization, chartered by the Pakistan government and run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). Founded in the 1960s, it has grown into a 60 bed residential facility plus outpatient clinic. St. Joseph's Hospice is certified by the Islamabad Medical and Dental College as a teaching facility. For almost 50 years, the Hospice has been giving new hope and a new life to children and adults with no other options. It has provided free quality medical care by skilled doctors and nurses; rehabilitation and physical therapy and a healthy diet, in a clean environment to the stroke victim who cannot function; the mother who is paralyzed from an accident or the burned child needing specialized care during reconstructive surgery, as well as other helpless patients without taking into account their caste or creed. The out-patient clinic serves an average of 100 patients a day at a token fee.