Summer 2015
Vol. 33 No. 3
Living the Consecrated Life
O ur J ourney Renew, Celebrate, Pray Summer 2015 • Vol. 33 No. 3
In honor of the Year of Consecrated Life, as designated by Pope Francis, Franciscan Associates, employees, volunteers, friends and family joined together to Celebrate the Sisters! The event filled Sacred Heart Chapel and featured choirs from Mary of Lourdes Elementary and Middle Schools and Holy Family Parish in Belle Prairie. People gathered to give thanks, sing and offer support and prayers to the sisters and all those who live the Consecrated Life.
Our Journey is published three times a year by the Community Relations Department of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, for donors, associates, friends, relatives and employees. This publication shares the journeys of our sisters and associates as they work in joyful service in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare. Editorial Team: Deanna V. Boone, director of Community Relations Elizabeth Mahoney Rydeen, editor Jan Roering, editorial assistant Julie Hanson, direct mail specialist Sister Rose Margaret Schneider Sister Elise Saggau Sister Carmen Barsody Printed by: Spectrum Marketing Services, Little Falls, MN To receive this publication, please contact:
The service ended with a blessing for the sisters, priests, brothers and deacons in attendance. Seated: Sisters Bernice Rieland, Maurita Niedzielski and Janice Welle.
Sister Lillian Kroll exhibits art Sister Lillian Kroll’s artwork was featured in a two-month show at the Evelyn Matthies’ Porthole Gallery in Brainerd. This was her third major art show which, she says, at 93, is her last, or maybe not. She relishes in the glory of nature and all of creation, the main focus of her current work. “I find energy and exhilaration seeing color take shape on the paper before me. Painting is a creative process, a stress reliever, even a pain reliever.” Sister Lillian finds that painting heals the body and the spirit. Paintings by Sister Lillian’s cousin, Darlene Kroll, were also on display. Following the death of Darlene’s husband, Sister Lillian encouraged her to take up art as a means to heal during her grieving process. Sister Lillian accompanied Darlene to art classes where she began painting and became excited as her talent was revealed. Darlene Kroll, Sister Lillian Kroll and Evelyn Matthies together at a reception on May 2, 2015, honoring both artists.
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Our Journey • Summer 2015
Community Relations Dept. Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota 116 8th Avenue SE Little Falls, MN 56345 Phone: 320-632-2981
[email protected] • www.fslf.org
Cover: Statue of Saint Francis of Assisi donated by William Clemens. Photo by Kari Ross
Our Mission: We, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, are a community of women religious whose members are called to live the Gospel joyfully and to reverence the earth and all of God’s creation. In the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare, we embody a life of prayer, simple living and service to those in need. We are committed to nonviolence as we recognize the need for healing in ourselves and in our world. We seek to build communities of peace and justice wherever we are called to serve. © June 2015 Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
D
ear Friends,
Each year, as we emerge from a Minnesota winter, we marvel at the miracle of spring. Out of apparently dead, barren ground, green stems push through the dirt eager to blossom into colorful flowers. The birds know when to return, the budding trees produce green leaves, and our sister gardeners are itching to get busy digging in the dirt and planting. Each sign of spring brings an inner knowing that shapes and defines what each created thing will be. The miracle of life and growth and diversity is on display in our created earth and universe. That same inner knowing and creativity is part of our physical, mental and spiritual being. We are all called by God to be and become our unique, best self. Whether we live as a married or single person, vowed religious or priest, we express our faith through relationships lived with generosity, love and joy. As vowed Franciscans, we hear God’s calling and choose in obedience to listen deeply to the voice of God expressed in prayer, in our communal relationship, and in the needs of people, especially those who are poor and discounted; we choose through chastity to make Christ the center of our lives and to reach out in love to all others because of the love God has shown us and them; and through poverty we choose to live with simplicity, generosity and sharing who we are and what we have. We are also called to create community wherever we are through our presence and through the work we do. We have a great model in Saint Francis who lived simply, humbly and with great joy. This issue highlights our sisters who built and sustained many ministries that enabled all of us to touch people’s lives in grace-filled ways. These sisters continue to give through their ministry of prayer and presence even as they receive the care and love of their sisters and care-givers. The articles about St. Francis Music Center, Franciscan Community Volunteers and our ministries in Ecuador and Mexico will give you a sense of the range of our continued outreach. The sisters’ reflections on the three aims identified by Pope Francis for the Year of Consecrated Life offer a glimpse of what motivates and sustains us. In declaring 2015 the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis invited the whole Church and all religious to recognize and celebrate the gift of God witnessed through the lives and ministry of consecrated women and men. A Jesuit himself, Pope Francis says that he and all religious are “called to know and show that God is able to fill our hearts to the brim with happiness. . . . And [to show] that our total self-giving in service to the Church, to families and young people, to the elderly and to the poor brings us life-long personal fulfillment.” You can almost hear him say, “Wake up the world to love! Be filled with joy! Create communion, peace and community wherever you are!” We are grateful to join with you in extending the gift of the Spirit alive in our world today, even in the midst of so much suffering and violence. Let us be peace-makers as we pray together:
God, be in our minds to know You, in our hearts to love You and in our hands to reach out in loving service.
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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Renew, Celebrate, Pray
This issue of Our Journey honors 12 Franciscan Sisters celebrating jubilees. Together, they represent 760 years of vowed membership and many decades of ministry and service to God’s people. Each jubilarian was asked to reflect on her years of living a Consecrated Life and their journey as Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota. Please read their thoughtful responses below.
Sister Doretta Meier
The letter written by Pope Francis declaring 2015 the Year of Consecrated Life led me to reflect on my vocational call and commitment to Consecrated Life. It was the support and encouragement of my family and parish community that greatly influenced my decision to respond to this call as a Franciscan Sister. As I celebrate my 50th jubilee of living a vowed communal life, I look forward to new opportunities as religious life continues to evolve.
50th
Sister Loretta Beyer
Looking back on my 60 years in religious life, I am most grateful for working with children in the organic gardening project in Mississippi and taking care of Mother Earth in the spirit of Saint Francis.
60th Sister Loretta Denfeld
As I approach these 60 years of religious life, I feel an overwhelming awe with all that has been a part of my life. I have had so many opportunities for growth as a person and in my spiritual life. The Eucharist, on an almost daily basis, has nurtured my faith and deepened my commitment to be faithful to my call as a consecrated religious.
60th
Sister Bernice Ebner
My journey through life as a Franciscan Sister has been filled with grace and blessings. Through my ministries, I have served the people of God who journeyed with me. All has been gift, and I rejoice with gratitude and peace.
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Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Sister Jan Kilian
Living a Franciscan Consecrated Life is teaching me to live with the Spirit of God in love. I’m learning that love is all that’s necessary.
60th Sister Louise McKigney
I have enjoyed working with people (who are poor and have little in material possessions, but are rich in kindness and spirit) to obtain disability benefits, Medicaid and other benefits to which they are entitled, but have never received. I am grateful for all the opportunities to pray with others and to have fun together.
60th Sister Trudy Schommer
When I entered into the Consecrated Life in this Franciscan community, I found loving companions in my search for God. That life-long search has removed all fear so that now I look forward to the day when I will be called and can run joyfully into the arms of God.
60th Sister Jean Schwieters
Faith is a gift, given to us by God, for which there is little meaning unless and until it is lovingly received. In my years of growing in that faith, I became aware that my reception of that gift would best be expressed through a way of life based on the simple prayer of Saint Francis, “My god and my all.” This prayer has been my source of strength for 60 years.
60th
Sister Hope Uphoff
Living the Consecrated Life is a responsibility and has made me more aware of the commitment I made 60 years ago. I feel that it is my call to honor the Creator for all that God has given me. My sisters in community have been good models. I am happy that I received my call and was able to follow it. It has been a privilege to be with my sisters who are living the Consecrated Life with me.
60th Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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Sister Maureen Blenkush
My call to religious life began with my family and our daily family prayer. I have always trusted in Jesus that the pain and challenges before me will end. Along with that has been the gift of daily Mass where I receive Jesus who gives me the strength for this day to be faithful to my commitment.
75th Sister Evangeline Stanoch
As I prepare to celebrate 75 years as a Franciscan Sister, I feel so much gratitude for my parents and my family who have instilled in me an unwavering faith in God’s promises. My Franciscan call to religious life has been filled with an abundance of graces. Along the way, there have been many challenges, but my faith has helped me to be true to my commitment.
75th
Sister Bernarda Sanoski
August 5, 2015 4–8pm
St. Francis Campus, Little Falls
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
en Fair e r G
Fo
lk Festiv
al
80th
I came from a good religious family who trusted in God from day to day for guidance and strength. My lifelong commitment to loving service and obedience has given me untold opportunities I never anticipated. Living in community, praying together and yearly retreats have nurtured my faith life leading me to a rich and rewarding life and ministry.
Exhibits • Live Music activities Family Activities For more information: www.fslf.org/pages/GreenFair
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Franciscan Associates assume evangelization work Elizabeth Rydeen
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n the 1970s Associate Geri Dietz, director of the Associate Relationship, learned about Comunidades Eclesiales de Base (Base Church Communities) in her theology class. She thought they sounded intriguing and exciting, even exotic—a grass roots movement to bring people together to live their faith, to study and to live the Gospel in solidarity with one another. Geri grew up in St. Cloud, Minn., a largely Catholic area with a parish in every neighborhood. This is not the case in Latin America. Parishes frequently have up to 90,000 baptized Catholics of whom a small percentage attends church services. The number of priests is insufficient to nurture the faith of the people. Little did Geri know that some 40 years later in Sister Joan Gerads, Glahecer Baque and Iris Prieto de Baque she would meet people who not only worked with Base Church Communities, but were instrumental in introducing the concept. Today, Glahecer and Iris live in community with Sister Joan Gerads in Ecuador and continue the work of forming Base Church Communities. Their story is a romance all its own. Iris followed in the footsteps of her father, a well-known missionary. She joined the Evangelization Community, the lay organization founded by Sister Joan and Father Thomas J. Maney, MM. The community is recognized by the Church as a canonical mixed community* of priests, sisters and lay people, incorporated in the United States and approved in Ecuador. Iris first ministered in Venezuela (her home country) forming Base Church Communities. When she came to do the same work in Ecuador, she met Glahecer who had also joined the Evangelization Community. They fell in love, married and continued as missionaries in Ecuador for the next 12 years. They then moved to Venezuela and served a parish as vicars, yet continued the work of Base Church Communities. Iris also taught high school. When the parish hired a priest, Iris and Glahecer, along with their children, returned to Ecuador to work with Sister Joan full time. After 25 years of ministering together, Sister Joan has initiated the process of turning the responsibility of the ministry to Glahecer and Iris. She will dedicate herself to retreats, conferences and spiritual direction. Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Iris and Glahecer traveled to Minnesota in April and met with the rest of the PNRM board to deepen the relationship and set goals for the ongoing work of the ministry. Seated: Sister Joan Gerads, Glahecer Baque, Iris Prieto de Baque; standing: Barb Oemcke, Sister Bernice Ebner, Judy Virnig, Bev Gerads, Sharon Zelazny, Kathy Trueman (not pictured: Marty Mahowald).
While almost everyone is baptized, a majority of the people in Latin America are unchurched, which is why their evangelization work is so important. They spend their time in the neighborhoods, gathering the people together for faith formation and scripture study. Sister Joan says, “We’re not teaching, we are sharing our faith. I am converted in every mission we make.” Glahecer and Iris serve on the board of Parish Neighborhood Renewal Ministry (PNRM), a nonprofit organization established in 1975 to support Sister Joan and the work of Base Church Communities in Latin America. PNRM is raising money to build a new mission house in Tumbaco, Ecuador. The project is divided into four phases, beginning with housing for Iris and Glahecer and their family, followed by a small house for Sister Joan and single women. Third, is a dedicated space for training new missionaries, and finally housing for single men/priests. To learn more about PNRM or to make a donation, please visit mfdecebs.weebly.com. *This mixed community has its center in Ecuador, preparing local missionary teams that serve throughout Latin America with hopes of bringing the training to the United States someday.
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Third Order Regular Franciscans and the Consecrated Life Sister Elise Saggau
In our lives a moment comes when we are asked or invited to do something intrinsically difficult which, if we accept it, will transport us outside ourselves, handing us over to an obscure future whose ultimate issues would terrify us. What we are asked to do may seem insignificant; in reality its acceptance involves a program for the future; its refusal means that we give up the idea of any fundamental renunciation and any radical conversion.
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his quotation from Yves Congar, OP, might be considered a perfect description of a vocation to gospel living. It is not meant to describe a “consecrated religious,” but a human being who has experienced a compelling call to transcend the fundamental selfishness that binds us so firmly and in ways that are so often invisible to us. Interestingly enough, when Congar wrote these lines, he had in mind Saint Francis of Assisi! He goes on to describe Francis’s kissing the leper, not “as a spontaneous impulse of great love, but as a victory over self-will” and an act of “practical obedience” to what God had commanded him in prayer. At that moment, Francis turned away from his own will to do what he knew to be God’s will, and it changed him for the rest of his life. Francis had heard the “call,” and his response launched him on an unimaginable journey, one that opened to innumerable followers over the succeeding years. In Saint Francis’s time, when laypersons started flocking to him with a desire to live the Gospel more effectively in their everyday lives, he gave them a little “rule” to help them. Eventually, this developed into a rule approved by the Church, and still later it was the basis for two rules—one for those wanting to remain in their families and in their secular way of life and one for those who wanted to live in a religious community and practice the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. This latter way of life is known in the Church as “consecrated life.” Franciscan Third Order Regular Sisters and Brothers live their baptismal promises in this way. The congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls is such an ecclesial Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
community. In 1982, Third Order Regular Franciscans from all over the world re-wrote their rule for contemporary times. The new version captures beautifully four fundamental qualities that characterize this way: conversion of life, contemplation (prayer), poverty, and minority. At the heart of this vocation is conversion, as it is for any baptized person who generously responds to God’s grace in making fundamental life choices. Rooted in the ancient penitential order of the Church, the Franciscan Third Order requires a radical turning towards God as the absolute foundation from which spring its other characteristics. In prayer, Franciscans aspire to be present at all times to the Trinitarian God “who is present to all creatures.” They strive to observe Francis’s own directive: “Wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time of the day, every day and continually, let all of us truly and humbly believe, hold in our heart and love, honor, adore, serve, praise and bless, glorify and exalt, magnify and give thanks to the Most High and Supreme Eternal God, Trinity and Unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. According to this formula, one is never not praying, because it is no longer an act of some kind, but a way of life, a way of being in relationship, not only to God but to all creation. Poverty, so often associated with Franciscans (and so often understood as “not having things”), is actually an admission of how powerless we are to save ourselves. It recognizes that only God can save us and bring us to fullness of being. It understands that God is “All Good,” and creatures depend absolutely on this source of goodness and being. Our emptiness is a space that God longs to fill. Saint Francis points to Christ who emptied himself for our salvation. This self-emptying is the process involved in Franciscan Our Journey • Summer 2015
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poverty. Detachment from one’s self, from one’s will, from one’s personal gifts and from material goods leads to authentic gospel freedom. Minority (“littleness”) is the fourth quality cherished by those who follow the Franciscan way. In a society that values “upward mobility,” intentional downward mobility is a bit shocking. The Gospels testify that “littleness” is the one thing necessary for entrance into the Kingdom. It is a joyful awareness that one is the subject of God’s unconditional love and favor. Furthermore, when one is little in one’s self-regard, one fits easily into the society of the poor and powerless. Franciscan gospel people understand that they are brothers and sisters with all people, but especially with the poor, the marginalized and the politically voiceless. Francis insisted that his followers never seek to be “over” others by dominating or manipulating them. They were always to be filled with peace, to announce it to all “by word and example,” and to do so joyfully. Living a consecrated life in the Church is only one way of being a Franciscan, for the Spirit has poured out the gifts of this tradition over great numbers of persons in great numbers of places and cultural situations and in many and varied ways of life. Today, Third Order Regular Religious throughout the world celebrate and give thanks for the gifts they have been given and recommit themselves to use these gifts for the service of others and for the glory and honor of God, from whom all good comes. Yves Congar, OP, “St. Francis of Assisi: or the Gospel as an Absolute in Christendom,” in St. Francis of Assisi: Essays in Commemoration, ed. Maurice Sheehan, OFMCap. (St. Bonaventure, NY: 1982), 63. 2 Congar, 63. 3 St. Francis’s Earlier Rule, 23:10-11. 4 Phil. 2:6-8. 5 See Mt. 18:13; Mk. 10:16; Lk. 18:17; Jn. 3. 6 St. Francis, Adm. 7.
Being Franciscan adds a nice touch . . . Brain Integration Technique (BIT) as developed by Susan McCrossin enhances learning and problem solving. BIT is a non-invasive, gentle process that permanently corrects ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Physical coordination and visual processing also improve. Sister Carolyn Law is a skilled BIT practitioner, helping clients resolve issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem and trauma. Her goal is to respect the uniqueness and dignity of each person as they journey toward wholeness and joy in living. Her primary modality is Brain Integration Technique and energy healing based on BIT and other modalities she has studied. She has traveled extensively to minister through BIT and worked with families in Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania and, most recently, Iowa. Sister Carolyn says, “It is a pleasure for me to help families with both academic and emotional challenges.” Brain Integration is an acupressure technique that optimizes brain function and processing of information by getting the parts of the brain talking to each other and “on line” so that each part is doing its job. It is a brain computer upgrade. BIT is a nice combination of being easy to receive, having lasting results with a high success rate. Of course, being Franciscan in the ministering adds a nice touch to it all.
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Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
In March Sister Carolyn Law visited the Mexico mission in San Rafael, Nuevo Leon. She is shown here with a barrel cactus and the Sierra Mountains in the background. While there, “I was also able to help two students through my Brain Integration therapy,” she said. Her philosophy and work is more fully explained on her website: http://www.carolynlaw.com/.
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The Year of Consecrated Life: Wake up the World
Renew, Celebrate, Pray
Pope Francis has declared 2015 the year to celebrate Consecrated Life. He chose this year because it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. From the Pope’s document we read “You have not only a glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things.” As Franciscans we welcome “Pope Francis’s aim for the year as we look to the past with gratitude, live the present with passion and embrace the future with hope.”
Looking to the past with
gratitude:
Sister Trudy Schommer: “God’s love for us as a community and as individuals continues to be immense! I marvel at how we have grown in spirituality and in community care for one another!” Sister Carol Schmit: “For 125 years creative, justice seeking women have touched lives from rural Minnesota to countries far and near. My sisters all, I am blessed.”
S. Trudy Schommer
Sister Georgine Larson: “I am very grateful for the courage, strength and faith our 16 founding sisters had when days were tough. They truly were pioneers with great perseverance and determination. I’m so grateful for this. What an example to follow!” Sister LaVonne Schackmann: “In 1962 we sent sisters to another country, the first of many such missionings. That choice profoundly stretched and shaped us into the worldvision women we have become.”
Living the present with
passion:
Sister Donna Zetah: “For the last 47 years I have been gifted through ministries in South America and in the United States with Latinos. They share with us a beautiful faith-filled and family-oriented culture. They are a blessing in our midst!” S. Carol Schmit
S. Georgine Larson
Sister Paula Pohlmann: “The quiet times just before sunrise or after sunset provide nourishing moments of praise and thanks for all that is!”
S. LaVonne Schackmann
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
S. Donna Zetah
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S. Paula Pohlmann
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S. Joan Gerads
S. Aurora Tovar
S. Karen Niedzielski
S. Janice Wiechman
Sister Joan Gerads: “I am very aware of God’s presence throughout the world, and I’m passionately working in parish renewal in order to awaken the awareness of God in our midst!” Sister Aurora Tovar: “I try to live in the present moment by constantly listening to God and learning how to use each opportunity to passionately tend to both personal and societal needs. Sister Karen Niedzielski: “Consecrated Life deepens in community as we grow on many levels to become Gospel people ministering to and with creation.”
Embracing the future with
S. Bernice Rieland
hope:
Sister Janice Wiechman: “I embrace the future with hope willing to walk with my sisters in the unknown and uncertainty, trusting in the God of Life who has faithfully guided us to the present. Sister Bernice Rieland: “A world without music and the arts would be very drab. Currently I’m working at St. Francis Music Center which is next to our Art Studio. I’m delighted that here great numbers of young and old discover new life through the arts of music, dance and painting, and through the encouragement and support of teachers, family and friends. Joy and beauty reign.”
S. Maurita Bernet
Sister Maurita Bernet: “It's a privilege to reflect and join the rest of God’s creatures to make our Earth home and our cosmos alive with joy and thanksgiving. For me it has been and always will be through MUSIC, even, life-willing, through the days when I may only be able to do that "in Spirit!" Sister Tonie Rausch: “With a loving and compassionate God ever urging us onward, we can confidently embrace the future.” S. Tonie Rausch
Bishop Donald Kettler has expressed great gratitude for all that vowed religious have and are doing in the St. Cloud Diocese. There are four active religious congregations within the St. Cloud Diocese: The Benedictine Priests and Brothers from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, the Crosier Fathers and Brothers of Onamia, and the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota. A representative from among these congregations has been invited by Bishop Kettler to speak at all the parishes on the founding, values and ministries of their respective congregation. Franciscan Sisters will be going to 29 of these parishes. You are invited to an Open House at our Motherhouse in Little Falls on October 4, 2015, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. See the notice on page 16. Together as sisters we rejoice and give thanks for our call to Consecrated Life.
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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Franciscan Missionary Center San Rafael, Mexico Come and Adore Sister Pat Forster
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ith help from a grant from the Donald L. Lynch Family Foundation, 62 teens and four couples attended the Franciscan Alvernia Retreat in Saltillo, a large city about an hour’s drive from the mission in San Rafael, Mexico. As a means to continue what was learned during the retreat, the participants wanted to institute a regular Monday evening gathering alternating with a Holy Hour (Adoration) and Bible study. Adoration is defined as that inner intimate communication with God which is both pouring out the heart and filling the heart with the Good News of “I love you.” Adoration is a time of hearing the music of “I am with you,” “You are mine,” and “Come to the waters” of new life. Yes, our Holy Hour is filled with music, with prayers of healing, with blessings of being touched by the Holy Spirit. The church is full, the whole family comes. The faithful leaders are present and the teens are bent over
Adriana and Ivan Martinez attended the Alvernia Retreat and now lead Adoration in San Rafael.
on their knees, concentrating on God’s active and live presence. Scripture is read. When Sister Aurora Tovar took her turn in leading the Adoration, we had moments of pure silver silence. A different group of leaders plans and guides each session. The blessings of this coming together in God’s Eucharistic presence are palpable.
Villages receive young missionaries during Holy Week Students from Casa Franciscana are loading up to travel to the sierra (mountains) for Holy Week. They have completed three months of preparation, meeting every Sunday and participating in a daylong retreat given by Sister Aurora Tovar. Each truck carries all of the supplies needed for a full week of liturgy celebrations, food for the group, bedding, clothing and the Eucharist. Over 80 teen leaders from San Rafael served nine villages; some 400 other missionaries went to the other 45 villages that are part of the parish. What a blessing! Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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Quinceañera retreats grow in popularity Sister Mary Dumonceaux
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dolescent girls come in every size, can express the full range of emotion in one day, enjoy experimenting with hair and clothes for selfdiscovery, rapidly assimilate faith values, and regularly shift favorite adult and peer relationships. They are lively, curious and want to experience all of life right now—wildfire one moment and melancholy the next. What response can one make to this special creation of God? In the words of King Arthur in Camelot, “Love them, simply love them.” The adolescent girls in San Rafael Parish have captured the attention of a retreat team interested in promoting the hopes of these girls and assisting in their human development. This team, comprised of older teens, young adults and women, prepare girls turning 15 years old to celebrate their quinceañera, the birthday that marks a life transition into early adulthood in the Latino tradition. Quinceañera involves many customs. One is that the young girl receives her last doll which sits on a shelf the rest of her life. It means she leaves behind childhood toys and takes up adult responsibilities. About 30 girls participate in each quinceañera retreat, which involve themes related to faith and development during adolescence. One focuses on the transition in relationships with God, parents, boys
St. Francis High School Gathering July 19, 2015 — 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. St. Francis Convent, Little Falls
Sister Mary Dumonceaux and other lay leaders prepared some 30 girls for quinceañera.
and other girls. There is also singing, small group discussions, prayer and socializing. To invite the girls’ participation, the retreat team canvases the villages, visiting the families with adolescent girls until they have a group of 15-30 girls. A personal invitation is then given to each girl as recognition of her importance. The home visits also raise support of the parents for this retreat, as many parents do not easily let their daughters attend such events without much assurance.
The Franciscan Sisters invite former students, staff and faculty to gather on Sunday, July 19, 2015, for Mass and brunch. This time together is an opportunity to nurture and promote the Franciscan spirit that was instilled during your high school years. Please send your name, address, year of graduation and phone number, together with your registration fee of $20 per person made out to the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, by July 1, 2015, to: Mary Ellen Imdieke 3395 125 Ave. NE, Blaine MN 55449-6572 Phone: 763-785-0295 E-mail:
[email protected] (After July 1, registration fee will be $25.)
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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Another successful Taste of St. Cloud!
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bout 546 people supported the Franciscan Community Volunteer program’s fund- and friend-raising event, the Taste of St. Cloud, in early May and raised over $32,000, thanks to 17 corporate sponsors, ticket sales and many generous donations. Thank you! Guests enjoyed food and beverages from 16 local restaurants, music by Nathan Crary and silent auction and raffle items donated by sisters, friends and family. Over the last seven years, volunteers have contributed 40,000+ hours in service to children, Hispanic immigrants, the elderly and people who are homeless, poor and disenfranchised in the St. Cloud area. The program is built on three pillars: service, community living and Franciscan spirituality. Volunteers, aged 21-30, make an 11-month commitment to serve full time in local nonprofit agencies while accepting the challenge of living simply and in accordance with Gospel values.
Donating to the Franciscan Sisters:
Sister Clara Stang (right) finds Michelle Matchie, a former sister, among the crowd.
Above: Bishop Donald Kettler supports FCV! Below: Right: Seventy silent auction items contributed to the success of event . . . and the fun!
Please, feel free to express any wishes you may have for your gift. However, be advised that in order to ensure that donors will be entitled to a federal income tax deduction, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, is required by Internal Revenue Service rulings to retain full authority over the assets granted to it and cannot accept gifts that are required by the donor to be paid, or to be used, only to further the work of a specific individual or that are required to be used in another country by FSLF or another foreign charity or religious institute.
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Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Cerutti family ‘adopted’ Franciscan Sister Sister Cordy Korkowski, director of Donor Relations
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here is nothing like our last issue of Our Journey with its listing of donors to give one a sense of partnership and support. One of our sisters said, “I looked at each and every name with a prayer for them. It was exciting, and I was filled with gratitude.” On Easter Monday, I had the opportunity to meet Toni Cerutti Tredinnick, one of our supporters and a close friend of Sister Annella Henger. Sister Annella was a medical records librarian at St. Joseph Hospital in Dodgeville, Wis., in the ’60s and ’70s. She was first introduced to the Cerutti family through Toni’s sister Mary, a surgical nurse at the hospital. As time went on, Sister Annella formed a bond with the entire family. The parents, Bill and Janet, raised their eight children in Dodgeville; Sister Annella got to know each of them, one by one. When all the Cerutti children had been raised and left home, Bill and Janet announced that Sister Annella would become their “adopted daughter.” Now, the Cerruti siblings have Sister Annella as their “adopted sister.” Toni and husband Kim, who reside in Savage, became donors in 2001, “We love the ministries that the sisters are involved in today and want to support them.” Friends like Kim and Toni are helping the Franciscan Sisters sustain and advance our mission, our ministries and our Gospel way of life. Thank you, Toni and Kim, and our many “adopted friends” everywhere. Our prayers for you never end!
Sisters Annella Henger and Cordy Korkowski and Toni Tredinnick
Planned Giving Please let us know if you would like more information on remembering the Franciscan Sisters in your will and estate planning.
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Contact: Sister Bernice Ebner 116 8th Avenue SE Little Falls, Minnesota 56345 (320)632-0699
[email protected]
Generous people keep giving Our Over the Top campaign to pay for repairs to our damaged Sacred Heart Chapel roof started about ten months ago and donations are still coming in. Thank you! Just this week, a donor commented that he is “into roofs” and wanted to contribute to our project. We want to keep the momentum going. The unexpected damage to the roof created a bill of $114,258. Generous donors have helped cover well over half the amount; a balance of approximately $48,651 remains. Please join the 160+ individuals who have helped us with this project. Any size gift makes a difference. Remember to write Chapel Roof in the memo line and send your gift to the Franciscan Sisters with a prayer in your heart. Your blessings become our blessings!
Our Journey • Summer 2015
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2015 Franciscan Earth Citizen Awards
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he Franciscan Community of Little Falls has long demonstrated a passion to care for the earth. In 2009 sisters and associates joined thousands endorsing the Earth Charter. Earlier that same year, many sisters and associates also adopted the St. Francis Pledge to care for the Earth and all its creatures. In honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of those who promote ecology, and to remind us all of our responsibility to Mother Earth, the Earth Healers Committee presented the 2015 Franciscan Earth Citizen Award during the St. Francis Chorale’s spring concert. Sister Ade Kroll - Berkeley, Calif. Like Saint Francis, Sister Ade is a nature mystic: “We are brother and sister to all being. Francis as a mystic was able to articulate this incredible mystery of ONENESS despite the science of his time. His God is a living God—and now mine is too! I seek now to grow in my ability to change my language to be inclusive of ALL being, relate to each being as a relative, not an IT, to seek how to not reject, kill or destroy any being but to realize we share one planet and need each other to discover HOW God is living in air, water, soil, trees, bird and ALL.” Franciscan Associate Patty Keeling - St. Cloud. Patty is married to the love of her life, Morris, has two great children and four wonderful grandchildren. She is a member of the Social Justice Committee of St. Joseph Parish, Waite Park, and the Assembly of Civil Rights. She tirelessly promotes the rights of immigrants at local, state and national levels. “Through all this work I have experienced God in every trial and tribulation we have met. When you can feel the power of prayer you realize the works of God. I know that these are the people I am being asked to work with to change the injustices in our world.” Ignacio Lopez, aka Don Nachito, is a Franciscan Associate applicant. He is a kind man with great respect for nature and Mother Earth. A farmer in Condega, Nicaragua, Don Nachito grows both fruit trees and trees for wood. He caringly cultivates his trees, only pruning as much as necessary, using firewood only from dry, fallen branches. If he cuts down one tree he plants five more. He likes the teachings of Saint Francis because they reflect the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Don Nachito hopes to continue working until the last moment of his life. He is an oak of experience and a great example of love and kindness to the new generations due to his great respect for nature.
Open House Year of Consecrated Life Sunday, October 4, 2015 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Gather in St. Francis Hall for snacks and visiting. Tour significant areas of St. Francis Convent. 3 p.m. – Join the sisters in Sacred Heart Chapel for Holden Vespers to celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis.
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Our Journey • Summer 2015
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Franciscan Life Center unveils Franciscan Spirituality Program Rick Dietz, director, Franciscan Life Center
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eginning this fall, the Franciscan Life Center will offer an in-depth Franciscan Spirituality Program for lay people. The program, which meets monthly for two years, is designed to be fairly comprehensive but not overwhelming—more than a one-day workshop but not as challenging as a college course. Franciscan spirituality is about living the Gospel, and the way Saints Francis and Clare lived the Gospel is very relevant in the 21st century—a great gift to the world that needs to be available to lay people. We are looking for 10-15 people to form a cohort, in which we can build community and
share Franciscan values. The group will meet a total of 17 times at the Franciscan Welcoming House in St. Cloud, 9 a.m.-noon, one Saturday a month. The program will cover a wide variety of Franciscan topics and perspectives and include prayer, faith formation, small group integration and a potluck lunch. The program starts in September and runs through May of 2017. Three full-day retreats to be held at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, are also part of the curriculum. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in learning more about this program, please contact Rick Dietz at (320) 632-0680, or franciscanlife@ fslf.org.
Living the Gospel courageously . . . with energy, spirit, peace Sister Sharon Fyle lives in Alexandria and volunteers every Monday at the Douglas County Hospital in the oncology unit. Once a month, she works at both Habitat for Humanity and the United Way Food Drop. When the weather becomes warm, she is often found digging in the garden and marveling at how nature turns a little seed into a wonderful piece of food.
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
At a time in her life when prayer and presence are her main ministries, Sister Annella Bieniek purposefully keeps involved with people she has known through the years via visits, calls and emails. She makes herself available to other sisters in her living community on the Motherhouse campus and she sits with sisters as they near death. “I work toward doing as Jesus taught, ‘Love one another as I love you.’ I try to live up to that,” she said. “I pray and leave all in God’s hands.”
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At 5 a.m. each morning, Sister Annella Henger starts her day with quiet time. She is at Divine Mercy Church in South Milwaukee by 6:30 a.m., an hour before Mass, to say “Good morning, Lord,” where she is the only sister presence. On set days she goes to the busy Grobschmidt Senior Center where she stays from open to close and helps with activities which include senior exercise, bingo and AARP tax help. On other days, she focuses on parish duties: environment committee, Eucharistic minister for children’s Mass, greeter, hospitality and funeral meals. At election times, she serves as a paid voting inspector. She receives $10 off her monthly rent if she shows her apartment to prospective renters, the same apartment she opens for Franciscan Villa employees who gather to reminisce and enjoy fellowship together. “The nurses come to my house as it is the cleanest and I don’t have a husband to get rid of for the evening,” she said with a chuckle. At the Notre Dame football game, her niece found out that Sister Annella was a light weight and, get this, her stadium seatmates bounced her in the air to celebrate each touchdown. Recently she has accompanied an elderly woman (a relative by marriage to Sister Mary Margaret Champagne) to the hospital and for cancer treatments. She walks 2.5-5 miles/day which helps her breathing. At the end of each day, she watches the news, turns the TV off at 6:30, spends an hour in prayer, sets her clothes out for the next day and goes to bed, ready to start all over again.
Sister Georgine Larson distributes mail daily. To do so, she connects all employees with their corresponding department and finds the correct Sister Mary among the many Sister "Marys," for example. When something arrives for the Franciscan Sisters, she investigates the possibilities until she finds the parcel’s rightful home. She enjoys helping others with stamps and mailings. In this digital age, she enjoys the snail mail that puts smiles on people’s faces and they say, “You made my day.”
After many years serving in healthcare administration in both hospitals and nursing homes, Sister Doretta Meier is now pursuing other ministries. While serving in healthcare ministry, Sister Doretta volunteered as a teacher in Faith Formation in numerous parishes. This experience heightened her interest in teaching, especially children and junior high school students. Sister Doretta has now received her license as a shortcall substitute teacher. In addition, she is active in the jail ministry as a retreat team member conducting weekend retreats in jails located in the St. Cloud Diocese. Witnessing God’s compassionate love, mercy and healing during these retreats have not only been inspirational, but also opportunities for personal on-going conversion.
In loving memory... Franciscan Associate Bev Skaj (St. Cloud) passed away February 7, 2015, at
the age of 83. She was a Franciscan Associate for 12 years! Bev had three children, 13 grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and two brothers. Bev once wrote, “In my life I knew there were things ahead that needed to be learned, a deeper spiritual life. . . . My search continues as I strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus as Saint Francis did. Franciscans are to be Gospel people and the Bible is my favorite book. I became an associate to learn, to grow, to achieve that calling and to spread the good news in my community.”
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Our Journey • Summer 2015
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
Volunteers celebrated!
The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, will celebrate their 125th anniversary from Founding Day on March 1, 2016, through the Feast of Saint Francis on October 4, 2016. Key events in 2016 March 1 – Founding Day: Bishop Donald Kettler presiding at Mass April 10 – Social Justice Event April 30-May 2 – “Late Nite Catechism” Paramount Theatre, St. Cloud June 16 – Little Falls Dam Festival July 9 – FSLF Open House: tours, music, displays, hospitality September 30 – Concert: Michael Joncas, David Haas and Marty Haugen October 4 – Feast of St. Francis: Bishop Donald Kettler presiding at Mass
Associates Judith and Bill Hecht were among 268 volunteers who revisited the 1960s at the annual recognition event that featured a resurrection of the Hootenunnies, a group of Franciscan Sisters (all members of the St. Francis High School faculty and administration) who traveled throughout Minnesota to perform and lead hootenannies, popular sing-alongs that featured folk songs and war protest songs. In the two years of their existence, the Hootenunnies appeared about 100 times. In that era, they still dressed in full habit and traveled to their events in a caravan of car and station wagon, the latter carrying their big bass fiddle. The volunteer crowd heartily enjoyed this revival as they joined in singing old favorites like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”
Ministry transitions At the end of 2014, the Franciscan Sisters said good bye to a longrunning and endearing ministry, the Clothes Review. “My spirit is truly full of praise and gratitude to all the people who have come to support us at the Franciscan Sisters’ Clothes Review—in bringing clothes for us so we, in turn, could help others in their need,” said Sister Mary Blase Kulzer, the most recent director in a long line of sisters who devoted themselves to the ministry and to serving people in need. Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota
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St. Francis Music Center celebrates 35 years Music transforms us. Music transports us. Music changes us. Bono, from U2, said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.” St. Francis Music Center is a place where people are changed. Some students want to learn new skills or express themselves while others need to heal and find solace in music. Still others face challenges that most of us couldn’t imagine and . . . they turn to music and the caring instructors who spend uninterrupted, one-on-one time teaching and talking about music . . . and about life. St. Francis Music Center is music central for 18 instructors who offer private lessons in piano, organ, guitar, voice, violin, cello, all band instruments, drums, bass guitar, banjo, viola, string bass, accordion, mandolin, composition, fiddle and ukulele as well as group lessons for gymnastics and dance. The Music Center offers two orchestras, song circle, music therapy, a men’s vocal ensemble, St. Francis Community Chorale, URock Against Violence, Keyboard Festival and Kids Sing! To learn more, go to http://www. sfmusiccenter.org/ or call 320-632-0637. Franciscan Sisters and employees gathered to celebrate St. Francis Music Center’s 35th anniversary. Sister Cecilia Schmitt, who started the Music Center in the fall of 1979, was the guest of honor. Robyn Gray, director of the Music Center: “We thank our supportive sister staff, Sisters Adela Gross and Bernice Rieland, who arranged this wonderful gathering and to everyone for your many years of continued support to the Music Center.” Seated: Sisters Adela Gross and Cecilia Schmitt, Robyn Gray, director, Sisters Mary Ann Capizzo and Bernice Rieland. Standing: Sister Mary Pat Burger, teachers Greg Langlois, Pat Boser, Joan Wingert, Kathy Pederson, Edie Browning, Bobbi French and Kevin Stueven.
OurJourney Summer 2015 • Vol. 33 No. 3
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