October 2012 Communigram

Communigram

Leadership Enrichment Program Focuses on Mission, Ministry, Organizational Integrity

Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity October 2012

Volume 46, Issue 8

More than 50 leaders from throughout the FSCCM system recently gathered in Manitowoc, WI, to learn about and discuss institutional identity and integrity, network with colleagues, and get a closer look at Holy Family Memorial, our host for the event. This was the first such gathering to include Silver Lake College of the Holy Family since it became part of the system in January.

Held Sept. 27-28 at the Generose Enrichment Center near the Franciscan Sisters’ Motherhouse, the Leader-ship Enrichment Program (LEP) brought together ex-ecutive teams and senior leaders from each of the sys-tem’s five ministry sites, executives and managers from the system office, and the General Administration of our sponsor, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Chari-ty.

Featured speaker for the program was Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, a Sister of Mercy of the South Central Community, and senior director of sponsor services for the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Sister Mary first led attendees through an exploration of one’s per-sonal vocation as a leader in Catholic health care or higher education. She asked participants to reflect on and discuss a critical question for minis-try leaders: As a leader, how do I promote human dignity and the common good in my sphere of in-fluence?

The second half of Sister Mary’s presentation focused on organiza-tional identity and integrity. She ex-plained that our common purpose—

being ministries of the Catholic Church and of our Sponsor—our traditions, our mission, and our institu-tional culture, all contribute to our identity. Maintain-ing the integrity of our ministry, she said, is dependent on leaders being formed according to our vision and values. Leaders “must have a working knowledge of Catholic faith, an ability to integrate Catholic identity throughout the organization, extend ministry values into the larger community, and recognize and mentor future leaders.”

Program attendees took tours of Holy Family Memori-al, attended Mass in the HFM chapel, and enjoyed one another’s company during a reception and dinner there. In lieu of gifts for LEP attendees, a donation of $1,500 was made to Hope House, a program of The Lakeshore Interfaith Hospitality Network of Mani-towoc County that serves homeless people by provid-ing shelter, food, and resources to help them regain independence. Information about the wonderful min-istry they provide to the community can be found at www.hopehousemc.org.

Franciscan Ministry Award

The Franciscan Ministry Award, a system-wide recognition that honors a senior-level employee for loyalty, dedication and commitment to the sponsor’s health care or educational ministries, is traditionally bestowed at the LEP. This year, Sister Louise Hembrecht, Community Director of the Franciscan Sisters, presented the award to Ron Briggs, President and CEO of Franciscan Care Services in West Point, NE.

Ron Briggs, President and CEO of Fran-ciscan Care Services in West Point, NE received the Franciscan Ministry Award. Pictured with him are Sister Louise Hem-brecht and Sister Laura Wolf.

by Scott McConnaha FSCC Sponsored Ministries, Inc.―Director of Corporate Relations

Sister Catherine Gilles says, “Here I am, newly re-tired from secondary and collegiate teaching and ad-ministering―with a lifetime behind me―so starting with the present, after years in the Midwest, I am helping out at Santa Cruz (pre-K-8) school in Tuc-son, AZ and loving it—well, most of it. Saying Morning Praise at 6:45 a.m. is a huge exception! As ‘new kid on the block’ I’ve also provided a little comic relief. The Sisters here at San Xavier are still laughing because the first time I set the table I did not in-clude plates. Hey! Too many years of going through a cafeteria line!”

Although helping with accreditation doesn’t sound much like retirement, Sister has dubbed this year as her ‘adventure in service,’ As she reflects on some of the questions posed, she realizes that her whole life has been an adventure in the blessings of obedi-ence. Few of the turns her paths through Religious ministry have taken were ones that she would have cho-sen. The initial ones were undertaken with reluctance and trepidation, she says, but all of them proved to be well worth the struggle. And. yes, each of them led to some very wonderful ad-ventures as well as to the sometimes mundane activities of helping students through teaching and administering—and always learning! Although her work now seems like a behind-the-scenes one, it’s not a lonely one, espe-cially at noon, when she eats lunch in the pre-K room where she manages a little adult conversation and some pretty good laughs in between, check-ing to see that the kiddies are eating at least some of the healthy things from their lunches! No doubt some of her former graduate students would say, “Now you know what we were talking about!”

The very quick and sharp turns of her early years—from a year teaching 5th grade to the teaching of six different subjects at a very small high school for a much longer stay at Catholic Me-mor i a l H igh s choo l ,

Waukesha, WI―were not of her choosing. The 13 years of teaching, helping with scheduling, working with student council and chaperoning just about everything were great years. She says, “They shouldn’t be written off in a sentence, but then neither should subsequent assignments. During the years at CMH, I completed a Master’s degree in math at the University of Notre Dame, a place I go back to eve-ry chance I get. The prophetic direc-tor of that NSF (National Science Foundation) began the final convoca-tion with ‘Congratulations to all you future principals!’ And indeed he was right, at least for those of us in the group I hung out with. Sister Bernetta Brislen, our Southern Regional Direc-tor, must have heard him, because after a couple of years I found myself standing in front of the opening as-sembly at St. Willibrord High School, Chicago, as their principal. The grand faux pas of that meeting was introduc-ing everyone and every-thing about the day and the year except me. Fi-nally, one brave young man raised his hand and said, “Sister, who are you?’ I couldn’t help but laugh and everyone laughed with me. After all the time in Waukesha, I just never thought of people not knowing me. Alt-hough unintended, that gaff was the perfect ice-breaker as we all headed off for the first day of school in a laughing mood.”

“That was in the early 1970’s right on the heels of the racial unrest and in a time of changing demographics in that multi-ethnic neighborhood in Chica-go. It was a daunting assignment for a Wisconsin farm girl, who didn’t even know whether she would be preju-diced or not. She wasn’t! Thanks to excellent faculty who were willing to enter discussion about conflicting is-sues and facing them calmly with stu-dents. St. Willy’s had peaceful transi-tion years. The things I remember most from those years are poignant, for example, the black mother who told her daughter to fight so she would have her rights—and never have to take the back of the bus as her mother had to do! The learning for both of them was that no one had to fight for their rights at St. Willy’s; in fact, fighting was counter-productive. It was a learning experience for me as well― one of many in a similar vein.”

Sister adds, “For the most part, it’s the funny things and the small, real adventures along that way that I re-member the best. There were the ‘don’t laugh now’ things with kids. I can still see, and laugh about, the righteous indignation on the face of a young lady who was reported to have information about some missing class

money. She was quite insulted to think that I would believe that she knew about it; she looked up at me, stamped her foot and indignantly said, ‘Sister I am NOT going to tell you that _____ took it!’ I will leave her next facial expression to your imagination! All of the money was returned after a good bit of babysitting on the part of the culprit.

Press-Box of the Notre Dame stadium with a young principal intern Sister is mentoring , with the “Touchdown Jesus” mural on the Library in the background. The intern is in the UND ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) program

By Sister Kay Elmer

Page 2 Communigram Volume 46, I ssue 8

“Another ‘if-looks-could-kill’ scenario: Three freshman boys report that the ‘F’ they received on a science paper was unfair because it was for failing to use correct English, not for lack of science knowledge. That type of com-plaint was fairly common, because all teachers demanded use of correct English. My standard response trap was to put it into the hiring scenar-io—a job application with correct English versus a messed up one with misspelled words and no periods. That was usually met with stony si-lence, but not this time. In no time at all one of them sat straight up on his chair and announced that he would hire the smart one, of course! When asked how he would know which one was the smart one, his response was: “Well, you know, Sister, the one who used … The sentence never got fin-ished as he and his friends suddenly realized what he had done! I had no more complaints from that class!

“Back to my path, but with some gaps. My last pre-retirement assign-ments were at Xavier High School in Appleton, WI and Silver Lake College. The leaking roof should not be the first thing I think about Xavier, but it is what pops into my head. Possibly it should be in the Guinness Book of Records as the only school to wel-come 8th graders to a preview day with a waterfall in the front entrance. Fortunately, the roof did get fixed—and ultimately the building replaced before the new roof gave up. Since that area is also home, I also had the privilege of being close while my niec-es and nephew were growing up. Be-ing able to share in all their important events was a great bonus for me. My only teaching there was an occasional substitution; one of those classes end-ed with an interesting question from one young man. He asked if I was really Mrs. Gilles’ daughter. Luckily, I knew he was from Mackville,WI so I understood the question. When I nod-ded, he said, ‘I thought so; you teach just like she did!’ Learning names was more work there, but with chaperon-

ing, helping with activities and fund-raising, etc, I did manage it, some-times to a student’s chagrin. Such in-volvement brought friendly working relationships with their parents as well.

“Limited space forces me to give short shrift to 26 years at Silver Lake College, starting as Academic Dean. A little time studying Educational Foun-dations at Marquette University gave me a good background for leadership in a Liberal Arts college. It was a valu-able background for the curriculum revisions that were underway there. During that time I also had the chance to work with a few Czech Catholic schools just getting started after the Velvet Revolution of l989. This in-cluded serving as Founder/Director of a ‘Teacher-to-Teacher’ three-year program. We provided workshops on teaching for two summers; the Czech teachers planned and hosted a won-derful ‘history-on-the-move’ course for SLC graduate credit during the last summer. At the same time groups of Czech educators visited Wisconsin, observing in Catholic schools and more. Thanks go to many interested generous friends who donated our travel expenses and/or hosted the visiting teachers. All of us are richer in many ways for these years of sharing, which culminated for me in a chance to spend a Sabbatical year teaching in one of those schools. The program

now is only in memory and in lasting friendships.

“On return from the Sabbatical, I di-rected the School Administration pro-gram which had been initiated while I was away. That work provided my most recent accreditation work—getting initial approval for the compe-tency-based program focused on Serv-ant Leadership, then maintaining it in compliance with all the 2004 regula-tions. The report on our recent review was very positive; I trust Santa Cruz will have the same.

“Oops, the most interesting things are yet unsaid—the many adventuresome things I did with high school students, from Wilderness camping to Europe-an tours; and finally the teacher-to-teacher exchange and my year at the Biskupske Gymnazium in Brno, Czech Republic. Sister presently has one ongoing adventure project for SLC. She says, “Our one international graduate and I are working to develop a collaborative relationship with her school, Loyola Education Centre in Dongguan, China. That is off to a slow start as both of us are embarking on other new ventures as well. Thanks to Skype we can easily connect Arizo-na, Germany and China--wish us luck! Also, thanks to Skype we can maintain personal relationships. Admittedly, a blown kiss from her twenty-month old daughter, my god-daughter, is not the same as one received in person, but it serves!

“Now that I have re-lived my ministe-rial life, I must acknowledge its begin-nings—not the whole family tree I am still trying to discover, but just a cou-ple words to appreciate the family I grew up in, my mother, father, and brother, and the wonderful Franciscan Sisters (both LaCrosse and Mani-towoc) who influenced me along the way.

“I am urged to tell one more story. On the first day of school I went over to help the little ones open some of their lunch items. One of the ‘kinders’ went home that day and told

The Elders with whom I am standing were ready to start their support mission for the pilgrims on the annual pilgrimage to Magdalena in Sonora, Mexico—about 120 miles. I felt honored to be given the sea-shell necklace which has special

meaning for them.


Our Postulants Introduce Themselves

Hello everyone, my name is Mary Rozynek. I am 32 years old and from Lake in the Hills, IL a town that is about 45 minutes west of Chicago. My family consists of my mom Paula, my older sister Rebecca and two younger twin sisters, Rachel and Jessica. Before I came to the convent, I was a youth minister for a local Protestant church, as well as a personal assistant to a retired bishop at a nursing home. It was a joy working with the Protestant youth, as I was able to clarify many misconceptions they had about Catholics! I enjoyed working with the Bishop as well, because it was nice to be able to help someone who had given so much of his life to the church.

I had been discerning religious life for about two years before I came across Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity on the Institute for Religious Life’s website in May of this year. The Lord moved things along at His speed after that! I visited the motherhouse a week after meeting Sisters Mary Ann Spanjers and Julie Ann Sheahan, and fell in love! Everyone was so welcoming, and I felt a very strong sense of peace while I was here. I was asked to come and help at Camp Francis-can, and that experience allowed me to meet several more sisters as well as have a wonderful time with the campers. Shortly after camp, I asked to apply for ad-mittance to the postulancy. After only a few weeks, I received a phone call from Sister Mary Ann while I was chaperoning my youth group’s mission trip in Mil-waukee, letting me know I was accepted for the up-coming Postulancy class! I was so excited! Especially because I was worried that since I had applied so late, I may not be able to enter until the fall of 2013.

Time has been flying since we arrived at the convent back in August. My theology and philosophy classes at Silver Lake College, as well as all our Postulant activi-ties are keeping me very busy, and certainly expanding my knowledge and love of my Catholic faith. I hope to one day either be a pastoral associate or a chaplain at a hospital or nursing home, and I already see how things I am learning both in and out of school will help me achieve that goal. I feel so humbled and honored that the Lord has called me to discern being a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity! Thank you all for being so welcoming, and for your kindness and prayers.

Greetings my dear Sisters! It has been a long journey back home. As most of you know in the summer of 2003, I moved back to Raleigh, Mississippi after two years of formation here with you. I have spent the years between taking care of my parents and working on my education. I completed a year in a practical nursing program in 2006. I am a licensed practical nurse. I have experience in mental health, med-surgical, emergency room, and my true calling ― geri-atrics. During this time I developed relationships with my parents as an adult through which I have been truly blessed.

It was during Advent of last year as the Church prayed, “prepare the way of the Lord,” that I asked God what is my way in this world and where do I be-long? I heard that whisper as we all do down from somewhere inside. It said, “Be still and trust me for I will prepare your way.” Before I knew it I reconnected with our Sisters in Greenwood, MS. Not to my sur-prise, I quickly found that there was but one thing for me to do. I had to ask to come back. As you see I have been welcomed back in the most warm and loving way. I’d like to say from the bottom of my heart thank you Sisters.

I can’t put into words my gratitude to all of you for simply being the women you are and answering God’s call. I left here in 2003 with much turmoil in my heart, but you did not abandon me. I received multitudes of cards, letters and phone calls with encouragement of prayers and support. I carried you in my heart as you gave me much strength to face the challenges in this life. So, as someone said recently I “have been sea-soned and returned to you.” Before I left this past Au-gust, I overheard my Dad tell a friend “I only hope she

Rexann Jenna Mary Chelsea


can be a help and blessing to them as she has been to her Mother and me.” Let me end dear Sisters asking you to continue to pray for me as I discern and learn to live and serve among you. Lovingly, Rexann

Chelsea Marshall

Greetings Sisters! As many of you already know I am a Canadian from Calgary, Alberta (a hop, skip and a jump from the Rocky Mountains) and have been teaching for the past 7 years. I have a degree in Music and a degree in Education and have taught as a Music Specialist in elementary school. Besides music, I have been the homeroom teacher for students in Kindergar-ten and Grades 2-4, teaching subjects such as Lan-guage Arts, Math and Religion. I am a musician, love to sing, play piano and compose my own music. Last June I released a CD entitled “Take Time to Wonder”, a CD of my own original compositions and arrange-ments. In my home parish, I have been involved in the music ministry from an early age and have had the op-portunity to conduct choirs and serve at the diocesan level before leaving for WI. My whole family is musical to different degrees; I have 2 younger brothers and 1 younger sister.

I have thought about religious life off-and-on since my Confirmation and have recently felt encouraged to pursue the discernment of religious life seriously (especially after meaningful experiences during my trip to World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain). Many of you have probably wondered how I found the FSCC―in short; I stumbled upon your website while reading an article about Sister Pamela Catherine Peasel on a voca-tion website. I was very impressed not only by the website but by all it represented and I am thankful and excited now to be welcomed to the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity as a Postulant! I look forward to how God will reveal Himself through all those whom I will meet and through the experiences of the upcom-ing year. Now we just have to wait for that visa! Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers―I have been greatly moved by your loving support. Peace and Blessings to all of you!

Hello, Franciscan Sisters! My name is Jenna Halver-son, and I am so blessed to be here. Thank you for

your prayers. We wouldn’t be here without them! I grew up in a small town of Barnum, Minnesota with an older sister, Jamie (27 y.o.), and a younger brother Hans (21 y.o), but we call him Charlie. Yes, I am the rebellious middle child! My parents are happily married living in the woodsy area where both of their families grew up. My mother, Lisa, has worked through Mercy Hospital for twenty-plus years, and she is now a home health care aid. My father, Dale, has worked at a ceil-ing tile factory since I was born.

When I was confirmed as a senior in high school, I felt very renewed by the Holy Spirit, and I started noticing changes in my behavior, and I had a thirst to grow more in my faith. I attended the University of Wiscon-sin-Superior from 2006 until 2011 and graduated with an Exercise Science degree with a Coaching minor. I met Sisters Mary Ann and Julie Ann through the UWS Newman Center as I was attending college. They invit-ed me to the convent, so I attended a retreat in spring 2008 because I thought it would be fun. A few months later, I started going to daily Mass whenever my class schedule allowed me. I was very drawn to the Eucha-rist, and I started getting involved more with the Ca-thedral Parish in Superior. My best friend and colle-giate track/cross country teammate was the first to mention to me that I should consider living a religious life, and I kept denying that idea, even though it seemed to whisper in the back of my mind.

After I graduated, I was the assistant track and field and cross country coach at UW-Superior, and I also became the Newman Center director on the UWS campus. I loved both of those jobs, but the thought of living as a religious Sister kept coming back. I attended another retreat, here in November of 2011, three and a half years after my first one. After the accumulated years of prayer, I asked for an application to become a postulant near the Feast of the Annunciation. I was ready to “take the plunge,” and discern God’s call deeper. So, here I am.

I look forward to getting to know all of you more. Your joy is definitely contagious, and your prayers are greatly appreciated. May God’s peace and blessings be with you all!

Our Postulants Introduce Themselves (Continued.)


Sisters Unite with Alliance for the Great Lakes and Friends of Manitowoc River Watershed

Something was different about this year’s September 15, 2012 Alliance for the Great Lakes Adopt a Beach event on Manitowoc, WI’s Lake Michigan shoreline.

Since last year a new group of concerned citizens was established who are seeking to increase awareness of the Manitowoc River, its history and ecosystem, and show that people care about it and desire to enhance the water-shed. This new initiative, Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed encouraged over 100 people to beautify not only beaches, but river beds on the yearly Alliance for the Great Lakes September Adopt a Beach date. The Sisters are happy to unite with more individuals, schools and other organizations in preserving Sister Water for future generations of people and wildlife.

In addition to our usual Memorial Drive Wayside Middle location where volunteers collected trash and accounted for debris, these nearby places also received special atten-tion from trained and dedicated volunteers:

• Silver Creek Park Beach

• University Beach

• Red Arrow Park South of Train tracks • Red Arrow Park

• Lincoln High School

• Warm Waters and Ferry

• YMCA

• Blue Rail • Memorial Drive Wayside South (Waldo)

The Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed welcome new members. This group isn’t just for adults; kids and teens are encouraged to join, and are involved with the

meetings and community events. Beach cleanups count as commu-nity service, and if you’re not counting time, it is still a great way to show pride in our local community of Manitowoc. All necessary equipment is provided.

For those who are not acquainted with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, its mission unites an in-credible community of water en-

thusiasts who are all about policy, education and local efforts in conserving and restoring the world’s largest freshwater resource. This year Lake Ontario was added to the Great Lakes served by this program. For more see: http://www.greatlakes.org/

March for the Poor

Every year around the feast of St. Vincent de Paul the March for the Poor is conducted. Saturday, Sep-tember 29, about 15 stu-dents, 4 teachers, I and plenty of parents gathered at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Sierra Vista, AZ for the annual event. Students collected boxes of food in their classroom for the event. We filled three shopping carts and after the 9:00am Mass joined members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and parishioners in the march to the St. Vincent de Paul Store. It was about a mile walk crossing the busy main street in Sierra Vista―Fry Blvd.

It was a challenge at times to push the heavy shopping carts. The cracks in the sidewalk, going from concrete to blacktop and at times dirt presented challenges to those taking turns pushing the carts. Only one cart tipped over and that was in the driveway of the St. Vincent de Paul Store. We made it to the store and all were appre-ciative to have more food to give out. Once everyone finally ended up at the store we were surprised at how many of us there really were.

Sister Carol Seidl at http://sierravistasister-franciscan.blogspot.com/

By Sister Julie Ann Sheahan

Sister Mary Ann Spanjers gave instructions to the volunteers before they ventured upon the clean-up of the Lake Michigan shoreline. Sisters Adrianna Schouten and Marcus Steede combing the beach.


By Sister Caritas Strodthoff

Franciscan Sisters Celebrate 133 Years in Waukesha Parish

Waukesha, WI―Trophies, plaques, medals and corporate awards are common experiences in some settings. For Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity receiving a plaque for 133 years of service in an Archdiocese of Milwaukee parish was a unique experience. Archivist Sister Caritas Strodthoff reports on this September 16th event at St. Joseph Parish, and how it came to be at this time in history.

Five of us recently traveled to St Joseph Parish, Waukesha, WI for a special commemoration. Our Sis-ters taught here for 133 years from 1885 to 1998. When we left in 1998, an anonymous donor donated the statue of St. Francis for placement in a side chapel in gratitude for our years of service. Rita Feldsmeier recently took over the his-torical department of the church. She noticed that there was no plaque on the statue identifying the do-nor and reason for it’s being given to the church. So she had a plaque made and planned a commemoration service inviting our Sisters to return and celebrate once again. We were invited to the 9:30 a.m. Mass and asked to bring up the gifts of bread and wine. A reception followed at which the plaque was “unveiled”.

Our Sisters present for this flashback in time were Sister Paschal Bay-lon (front center) was a former teacher at the school. Sister Mary Fi-delia Mindeman, Sister Emy Beth Furrer and Sister Patricia Gallitz were happy to be there as proud Sister-daughters of the parish. As archivist, I, too, was blessed to see history celebrated and meet some truly wonderful people. Father Bill Key is pastor of St. Joseph’s parish.

The plaque reads: This statue was donated by a generous parishioner in honor of 113 years of service by the Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity 1885-1998

We continue to weave threads of social doctrine, justice and peace with strands of faith displayed in the lives of our Saints. October bids us look to the example of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez. A Jesuit lay brother, Alphonsus served as porter for 40 years and was determined to welcome each caller as if he were Christ Himself. His faith and love shown through his daily oc-cupation. Though his life was punctuated with per-sonal tragedies and disappointments, and though he left no special writings or teachings, the impact of his person on the people he met was his legacy. He opened His broken heart to God and consequently

served with such love that the act of opening the door became a sacramental gesture. He shows us a way to turn a seemingly ordinary life into a practice of faithful justice.

Consider: Has my faith challenged me to infuse today’s service, today’s ministry, today’s tasks with a sense of justice, a

longing for peace and a love inspired by Jesus?

Pray: God of all, inspire us to remember that our simplest acts can be vehicles for your love active among your people. Help us to live our faith in lov-ing service, we pray…

Ad ment By Sister Kathleen Murphy

Social Justice Commission

www.jesuitscalifornia.org


Franciscan Postulant’s Blog Mirrors New Evangelization

New Experience-New Car

http://mirrorlyamusing.blogspot.ca/2012/09/yet-i-will-praise-you.html

Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Postulant Chelsea is doing her part in the New Evangelization. She began sharing her thoughts on the Sunday Gospel in her ‘Mirrorly aMusing’ blog March 2012. As she titles it: A place for reflection and musings on the mysteries of LOVE, our Lord and our Faith.

We invite you to read her most recent posting, but also scroll back and reflect on her other entries explaining her choice of name for her blog and more. For those discerning a call from God, you may find comfort in her honest, straight-forward comments in living a Gospel life.

Tucson, AZ ― The Sisters at San Xavier Mission had a memorable ending of August and beginning of Septem-ber. A community car which was used by the Sisters com-muting to Santa Cruz School developed serious problems and it was decided to purchase a new car. Fortunately for the Sisters an expert at such things is residing at San Xavi-er Mission. Father Tom Frost ministered on the Tohono O’odham Reservation many years and had lots of practice purchasing cars. Being retired now, Father Tom was de-lighted to do the footwork. He took the guidelines Sister Myra Jean Sweigart gave and searched the internet for the best trade in and purchase. He accompanied Sisters Pat Sevcik, Catherine Gilles and Carla Riach to Precision Toyota and amazed them with his skill. By the end of the

deal the Sisters were asking some intelligent questions. The end result was the purchase of a 2012 Toyota Camry.

First Road Trip

The Sisters enjoyed an outing to Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David village for their Community Days. Here is a bit about the community from their website. “The Monas-tery's composition is unique. It is made up of 3 communi-ties―the Monks, the Sisters of Holy Family Convent and satellite Oblates who live in their own homes on the grounds. There is also a growing group of RVers, who

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Yet I Will Praise You

It seems the past few days have really been an inspiration and invitation to enter more deeply into our Lord's passion and resurrection as well as what He asks of us, His disciples.

Friday we celebrated the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, yesterday we celebrated the memorial of Our Lady of Sor-rows and in today's gospel (Mark 8:27-35) Jesus says to His followers that following Him entails a personal knowledge of him plus a giving of one's self in order to "take up your cross and follow me".

"God manifests Himself in the beauty of creation and in the midst of human darkness when it is assumed. We cannot dismiss either one. The praise of God can burst forth as much from contemplating the admirable order of creation as from the depths of human suffering."(Matura, p.132)

In creating this collage I was reflecting on what may seem a crazy idea to some ―that God is manifested and beautiful just as much in suffering as in the beauty of the nature

around us. I must admit that is hard to completely under-stand as the beauty of creation is something that deeply moves me and I haven't related that to my experience with suffering before. Fr. Andrew pointed out in his homily this morning―Jesus asks us to answer the personal question: "Who do YOU say that I AM?" and if we believe He is the Messiah, our Lord and Savior then it behooves us to "take up our cross", accept His teachings and follow Him―even if that means it will not always be fun, pretty or easy. This goes against the prevalent hedonism of our time.

Yesterday, Fr. Wilbert spoke about Mary's suffering, her sorrows in walking with her son through His life. He re-minded us that we do indeed know what suffering is, even if it's not to the degree of our Mother Mary or our neigh-bors in war-torn countries or other grave situations that our brothers and sisters face every day, around the world. De-spite what our sufferings are, we are invited to unite them with the sufferings of our Lord and we are encouraged to not lose HOPE, like Mary never lost hope. We will one day walk in the land of the living with our God (Psalm 116), singing praises of joy!


Pen-Pals Enjoy Time Together

Manitowoc, WI― Many of the Sisters at St. Francis Con-vent and the Motherhouse are familiar with our pen pals at West Bend, WI. In the fall of the year, Sisters are invited to pair with second graders from two clas-ses at Holy Angels School in West Bend. This has been occurring since we were at Slinger, WI. One of the highlights of the year is when the pen pals meet each other. Usually, the students from West Bend come to visit us. However, there have been years when this was not possible.

It just so happens that five members of the Chemer family have had Sister pen pals. What is unique is the fact that the two eldest, Casey (17), and Michael (16), have kept in contact since they were second graders. Recently, the Chemers (5 children and Mom) came to the Motherhouse for a visit (Dad was working.). Sister Evelyn Ann Schumacher is pictured with Casey who is a senior and continues to correspond, now with Sis-ter Jean Anne Moser. Sis-ter Evelyn Ann told Casey that she still remembers their first meeting at Slinger like it was yesterday. Mi-chael, who is a junior and Sister Mary Frances Maher,

met for the first time this summer. Neither had the opportunity to meet before but have kept in touch. Cassidy has been writing to Sister Jean Phillipson and will be a sixth grader. Cassidy distributed colorful duct taped bookmarks that she made to every Sister she met. Taylor, a fourth grader, spent time talking with his pen pal, Sister Michael Majeskie. Lola will be a third grader and she has been writing to Sister Mary Frances. Lola met Sister Mary Frances in May when the two classes came for a bus trip at the end of the school year.

The Sisters and the Chemer Family enjoyed their visit and lunch. As the family prepared to leave, the Sisters promised continued prayers as well as letters to their pen pals. We (Sisters) know that the family is very busy and so letters now and then will be much appreciated. We are grateful for their interest in us and allowing us to get to know them.

come each year to assist the community in many ways. They have been nicknamed "The Holy Hoboes".

In keeping with the spirituality of St. Benedict, the Divine Office is observed daily. This prayer life is shared with visitors and retreatants alike. The community's rule was written by St. Benedict (480-547), who established monas-teries in Italy.

Approximately 750 lay oblates, living in their U.S. home communities and some overseas, are affiliated with Holy Trinity Monastery's oblate programs. Fr. Henri ministers to oblate groups in El Paso, TX and San Diego, CA. Local oblates from all over Cochise County, Nogales, Tucson and other surrounding areas come to the monastery for monthly oblate meetings.”

St. David is located on the San Pedro River, is higher in elevation and a bit cool-er than Tucson. The huge Cotton Wood trees, ponds and roaming peacocks were a pleasant change of scenery. The resident community and other guests offered gracious hospitality.

The Sisters came home Sunday afternoon refreshed after sharing prayer, play, and community. The new car rode quietly & smoothly; the air conditioning worked and the windows went up and down―a couple defects in the old car. Submitted by Sister Carla Riach

Photos by Mrs. Chemer

Submitted by Sister Mary Frances Maher


Mississippi Experiences

Greenwood, MS― If you are in Mississippi long enough, the chances are very high that you will have a close en-counter with extremely tiny, but ferocious, Fire Ants. They don't survive well in cold weather, so you don't see them the further north you go.

They can cover your feet and ankles in seconds. You know it by the multitude of stings you feel all at the same time. They are so tiny, that by the time you look down they have climbed the mountain of your shoe and proceeded to infiltrate the inner sanctum where you cannot get them out easily. You feel the major sting immediately coming from several of them at the same time. After recovering from the initial attack and the itching that follows, a very red raised pus filled area will form within a day or two and your focus will be pulled to the itching and discomfort of them. They start subsiding after a week or two.

Why does one ever get near them? If they are still a small colony, their ant hill will not be that noticeable. However, the larger their colony becomes, the bigger their mound shaped hills will appear. These are easy to avoid. However, all it takes is for you to stop in the vicinity of their living quarters and they think it is an attack and know how to react quickly. So a casual walk or pausing to look at something, or working in a flower bed can cause one to quickly do an unanticipated dance. Once you have had an unfortunate encounter, you will never forget the event and add it to your list of Mississippi experiences.

This is a picture of a fire ant sting on the little finger about 3-4 days after the encounter. The actual size of the fire ant is much smaller than this and thus it is difficult to get a picture that would truly rep-resent its size.

Discovering Mississippi

The outing for our fall community days in Greenwood

sent us to Merigold, Mississippi, just over an hour

northwest of Greenwood, to a unique pottery place.

The popularity of McCarty's pottery comes from the

simple designs, the use of Mississippi clay and the

unique displays in the barn and gardens. Many of the

pieces have a trademark jagged black squiggle, repre-

senting the Mississippi River. After viewing the varied

items, we had lunch in their restaurant, where all the

decorations and dishware were the work of the master,

a delightful 80+ year old gentleman we had the privi-

lege to meet. After being served soup and mini corn

muffins immediately upon being seated, we had a

choice of one of three items on a simple menu. After

enjoying these moments, we headed to Mound Bayou

to Peter's Pottery. Peter was a student of Mr. McCarty

and had a beautiful display of his works. What a treas-

ure of talent here in Mississippi!

We purchased one of the ceramic

bowls from McCarty's Pottery that

we use for incense during our Holy

Hour. Notice the black squiggle

representing the Mississippi River.

Special September School Events for St. Francis

Do you like donuts? Then picture what a room filled with 1,483 dozen boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts was like on a Friday afternoon. Also picture what it was like to be the principal, Sister Mary Ann Tuby, waiting for the 1:00 delivery which came at 3:00 p.m.―dismissal time. Incredibly, all donuts were distributed to the 124 students before they left for the weekend. That effort brought in a $5,500 profit.

The school also took part in the "Paint it Purple," a statewide initiative to bring Alzheimer's awareness to Mississippi residents. Stu-dents and faculty were able to purchase $1 purple Alz-heimer's awareness bracelets. On Friday of that week, students were able to dress out of uniform if they wore purple. The week long awareness was successful throughout the city of Greenwood.


Submitted by Sister Mary Beth Kornely

Kekaha, HI― We decided to go to the National Tropi-cal Botanical Garden on our Community Outing. On the way, we stopped at Spouting Horn which is a hole that the lava made, and water from the surf shoots up through it, making a cool site to see. While we were there, we had a picnic that Sister Hannah Johnecheck prepared for us. It was so good that we even had chickens come and beg.

We had a fun tour a the Botanical Gardens. Every-thing was stunning, and I loved learning about the his-tory of the plant life in Hawaii. Our tour guide, Mar-tin, was both entertaining and knowledgeable.

September 26th was a very special day at St. Theresa School! We celebrated the Feastdays of both St. There-sa and St. Francis of Assisi. We had a special Mass, and

Fr. Arnel shared at his homily how similar St. Francis and St. Theresa were, along with their messages for us who are living today. On her Pilgrimage to Assisi this past June, Sr. Carol Ann Gambsky generously picked up Tau Cross necklaces for all the students. The sev-enth graders put them on the children. We had a procession to the Statue of St. Theresa after Mass. One of the things I like about this school is the mentoring program. The older grades partner up with the younger grades for activities.

The children were hap-py to eat their Lady Jacoba-inspired cook-ies! Sr. Carol Ann dis-tributed coloring pages to the teachers. It gave me an opportunity to teach my students more about St. Francis. It gave my students a chance to recover from their sugar-high and all the excitement of the morning!

Gleaned from Habitually Speaking by Sister Mon-ica -http://habituallyspeaking.blogspot.com/

Sister Monica and most of her students.

Bapchule, AZ―For a day of Community gathering, the Desert Sisters traveled to Scottsdale, AZ to spend the day at The Casa―a Franciscan retreat and confer-ence center.

In the spirit of St. Francis and St Clare, the Sisters reserved the Portiuncula to have their meetings. They ended their day with prayer in the presence of the Lord. Peace & All Good!

Kauai Outing and School Feastday Celebration

Desert Sisters Travel to Scottsdale Follow the Sisters at: http://bapconvent.blogspot.com/


Construction of Silver Lake College and Holy Family Conservatory

Music Education and Performance Center Under Way

Moving soil → from here (field west of St. Francis Convent drive) → to there.

Eager sea gulls await dinner as construction workers grade soil for the storm retention pond in front of Silver Lake College.

Drive provided for access to

St. Francis Convent.

Documents

October 2012 Communigram