Nun Other Than a Franciscan Sister

Out of Hibernation and into a New Year!

2012-01-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Greetings for a HAPPY NEW YEAR! It seems that I have been in "hibernation mode" since October ~ oh my. Moving to a new city, having a new ministry and living in a new local community has preoccupied me for some time now. I have a couple of months under my belt now and I hope to do better with my posts in 2012 ...

My new place of work - St. Joseph Family Center - was closed the week between Christmas and New Years and it has been very much appreciated having the time to "catch up" a little bit with life.
I had a very nice "first" Christmas with my new local community. We invited our other Franciscan Sisters that are in town over for dinner and it was a wonderful time to gather & celebrate Christmas Day, share around the table and pray together.
This past week gave me time to connect with some friends in town, get out for some nice walks and a couple great bike rides and just "be" a little bit!
And now we are into a brand new year, filled with hopes and new possibilities! As I was rummaging around my room this morning (I am still trying to settle in and make my space at home mine) I found a prayer "typed" out on a little piece of paper in my Bible. I share with you now:
A Prayer for the New Year (author unknown)
The old year is gone with its joys and its sorrows; Before us are stretching the New Year's tomorrows. Forgive what was thoughtless and wrong in the past, and grant to our virtues the power to last; that we may go forward with gladness, not fear, to a joyful and worthy and blessed New Year."

This little prayer reminds me of a reflection I had last week on one of my frosty Spokane morning walks. I've been trying to take pictures of some of the beautiful sites I am seeing this winter ... stark trees against a blue sky, thick hoar frost on the tree branches, the sun gleaming on the river, and so much more. Sometimes I run into the problem of not having enough memory on my camera to take a shot because I hate to erase pictures that I have taken - even when I have saved them on the computer.
Perhaps that is like life! We have so many memories stored up in our brains. It is good to keep the happy ones and ones we can learn from, but maybe the the ones that bog us down with resentment, anger, or unpleasantness should be erased so we have room for the good and beautiful. Just a thought as we journey into this new year ... I am finding some new building blocks as I greet 2012 to build some new memories - What about you?! Peace and Blessings

Sunrise, Sunset ,,, A New Chapter Dawning

2011-10-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm back .... As I begin this blog entry I realize it has been way over a month since I last wrote "Lost in Transition"! I am reminded of the song from Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye sang:
Sunrise, sunset ... swiftly flow the days. Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as I gaze.
Sunrise, sunset ... swiftly fly the years. One season following another, laden with happiness and tears.

In many ways that is how I have felt the past month and a half! The days have swiftly past as I have moved from Portland, Oregon after 21 years, to Spokane, WA and a new ministry. I am about to begin my third week as Spirituality/Healing Arts Program Director of the Franciscan Place at St. Joseph Family Center here in Spokane. My first week my head was spinning having a new job, moving into a new local community of Franciscan Sisters and being in a new city, although I lived here in the late 80's as well as when I was a college student at Gonzaga University.
Anyway, all of that is part of the reason I haven't posted recently ....

Along with moving I was able to take some time to try and renew and refresh myself before starting something new. At the end of August I made my annual week's retreat. This year I spent the week at a beautiful spot overlooking the Puget Sound. It was a preached retreat and a little bit busier than I would have liked, but God was good and graced me with peace and insights as I prepared to move into my new ministry. I was gifted with many gorgeous sunsets during that week including the one above. I saw the sun in the morning, but never was quite up for sunrise ...

After Labor Day I finally got some vacation time. After traveling so much over the last eight years as a Vocation Director I treated myself to some "miles" and got to go to Hawaii! Of course I enjoyed the warm Hawaiian breeze, the beautiful ocean water for swimming and reflecting, some gorgeous sunsets and a wonderful day snorkeling ~ a prayer experience for me as I was awed at the colorfulness and diversity of the stunning tropical fish and sea creatures including a sea turtle! All of that just added to the great experience to visit and spend time with two of my Sisters in Community, Sr. Joan (L) and Sr. Rochelle (R), who live and minister in Honolulu. They were the perfect hostesses and tour guides! We had fun and shared many conversations ... it was very good to be with them and connect :)

There is soooo much more I could write, but it is getting late and I want to get this long delayed entry posted before another sunrise and sunset go by! I close with a Hawaiian sunset and a quote from Ignatius of Loyola that I happened upon yesterday as I walked through the campus of my alma mater - Gonzaga U. yesterday morning ....
"Let your soul hold itself tranquil and peaceful, ready to submit to the action of God."

"Lost in Transition"

2011-08-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

The end of July ... the beginning of August marked the end of my vocation ministry and the transition into something new. After eight years as a Vocation Director for my religious community, the Sisters of St. F rancis of Philadelphia, I have "closed up shop" in my Portland vocation office. Two other Sisters are moving into the ministry on the west coast - Sr. Christine Still located in Tacoma, WA and Sr. Elaine Thaden who will have an office in Spokane, WA. I have really enjoyed the ministry which has allowed me so many opportunities and the chance to meet many wonderful people, so this ending is kind of sad for me, but also exciting as I anticipate a new ministry. It is not totally settled right now what the next ministry is going to be so, for right now, I wait patiently.

Shortly after I cleaned up my office space and had the adventure of taking furniture and materials to Tacoma in a big U-Haul for the new vocation directors, I had my last "official" trip east to meet with the Formation Team one last time bringing closure to my ministry with a beautiful prayer service and blessing, to celebrate and share in the joy of the renewal of vows for one of our Sisters, Sr. Rose Mare Eve and connect with with our new members especially our two novices, Srs.Sara and Simona before they left for St. Louise to begin their novitiate time at the Third Order Regular-Franciscan Common Novitiate (TOR-FCN). Whew, I had some good, but whirlwind days at the Motherhouse the first week of August!

Following those busy days at the Motherhouse, I did take a few days to spend with some Franciscan Sister friends who have just moved to the Maryland country side to live on a farm. Sisters Kathy and Libby have the desire to live a simpler, more contemplative and sustainable life-style right now and found the perfect place to rent. They don't have the whole farm as they do have other ministries, but have the farmhouse and a fair amount of land around it to have a great garden which was lush with tomatoes when I was there! A few weeks before I was there they had a "party" of others sisters there to help harvest their nice little potato crop ~ I did get to enjoy the fruits of that harvest while I was with them :)The "farm" was a great place to be for a few days. I enjoyed sharing in their new endeavor and just having a little down time. The past week I have been on the road quite a bit ... down to Southern Oregon, a quick trip to Spokane and now tomorrow I head off for my annual retreat. I am so looking forward to that retreat time! I need that quiet time and space apart to be with my God and to continue my own discernment about my next ministry and where God is leading me. There is a quote by Dr.
Howard Thurman that I have come across several times in the past week or so, and which actually has been a good thought for me and anyone who is discerning something in their life. I think it is worth sharing and so close with these words to ponder: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." That is how St. Francis lived his life and that is what God desires for us! Pace E bene ... Peace and All Good!

Sometimes Life Can Be Just a Blur

2011-07-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

It has been about three and half weeks since I last posted right before I headed to the east coast for a week of meetings and Community gatherings. The picture here, taken a couple of weeks ago at a retreat for single women kind of shows what the past few weeks have felt like - full and a blur! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so since I still seem a little pressed for time to write too much right now I am adding pictures of my life the past few weeks ...
On June 25th Sr. Mary Beth Antonelli - the other vocation director in my Community - and I gathered six of our Sisters together for our annual Congregational Vocation Committee. We had an excellent meeting with prayer and some wonderful sharing of ideas.
I was back in Aston, PA at our Motherhouse for a week which not only included this meeting, but a beautiful Jubilee celebration for our Sisters marking 25, 50, 70, 75 and 80 years of commitment as Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia ~ wish I had a picture to share, but didn't have my camera :(
Our Jubilee celebration was followed by our Community Assembly in which almost 400 Sisters gathered for three days of prayer, input with some excellent speakers, sharing and celebrating around the theme "From Blessing to Blessing"! ... and it was indeed a blessed time together!

I returned back to the west in time to take a little break in southern Oregon to celebrate the 4th of July with some members of my family. Here my nephew enjoys a bit of relaxation after several of us took a fun canoe ride ~ it was a beautiful day up at Rocky Point! It actually was a wonderful and needed ahhhh time for me.
Then it was off to Olympia, WA for the first annual VIVA retreat for women interested in knowing more about religious life. Meet the team of Sisters from various Congregations and the participants .... It was a wonderful weekend and event!

Finally, this past weekend I went to a potluck picnic with our Franciscan Companions ~ those who belong to our Associate program here in Portland. It was kind of rainy here in Portland, so the picnic was indoors, but that did not dampen the spirit of this group. The sun did shine a little bit and we could go outdoors. Meet Sisters Theresa, Florence and Companion Marti with St. Francis!
So, I would say it has been a busy few week! None-the less, it has been good ... filled with many blessings! In the Franciscan spirit I say, Pace E Bene ~ Peace and All Good for now!

A quick hello from the City of Roses!

2011-06-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

It is the month of June, the month of leaves
and roses, when pleasant sights
salute the eyes ... and
pleasant scents the noses!
~ Nathan Parker Willis

I am suppose to be packing at the moment - I'm heading to the east coast in the morning for some meetings, the celebration of our Sister Jubilarians and a Community gathering. It will be a busy week, but no doubt a good one as I connect with many sisters and friends! Anyway I wanted to share briefly before I leave. It seems that spring ... oh I mean SUMMER has finally arrived in Portland. We have had so many grey rainy days this year. I am ready for some good weather! Close to my office there is a lovely little rose garden and last week I was able to take a little walk in that direction. The roses were beautiful! Wanted to share a couple of them ... getting late, lots to do before I lay my head on the pillow.
Please remember though , in the busy-ness of everyday ... don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Contemplate their beauty and praise the creator! Peace and Blessings!

Overflowing abundance!

2011-06-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! It seems like it was just a couple weeks ago since my last post and now I am fully aware that it has been a whole month! Sorry about that :(
A LOT of water has gone under the bridge since then, or to go along with my visual aid - a lot of water has gone over the Falls ... My life has certainly been moving at a fast rate since May 6th! Almost a week in the Seattle/Tacoma area for meetings and gatherings, a trip to Southern Oregon for the wonderful occasion of my nephew's wedding and some fun family time, a trip to Philadelphia for meetings and "Sister" connections at my Franciscan Motherhouse, and a return to Portland in time for the Memorial Day weekend and some enjoyable time with east coast company. In the course of all my traveling around I have been blessed with some spring time "ahhh" moments of being in the Cathedral of God's beautiful creation.
As I was playing "tour guide" to two "Sister" visitors from the east coast - Sr. Pat and our Candidate, Sara, we spent a beautiful, sunny day at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast and then spent a day driving up the scenic Columbia River Gorge stopping at a number of gushing waterfalls along the way. That day brought to mind a very powerful image of God that St. Bonaventure captured and that I was reminded of as we visited Latourell Falls (shown here).

I'm not sure right now of the exact words, but he said something like, "...the revelation of God is the outpouring of the 'fountain fullness' of God's self and of Divine love for us..." Or, as I read somewhere else, "God the Father is the 'fountain fullness' overflowing with goodness and love..."
All of the waterfalls on this day trip were gushing with water and were so beautiful and really did speak of God's outpouring of love and goodness! In all my busy-ness this past month God certainly has had a way to shower that love on me and to let me know I'm not alone! I celebrate the generosity of our God!
*Sisters Guadalupe, Pat and Sara enjoying the water spray at the bottom of Latourell Falls

God's Life Abounds!

2011-05-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

"Everything that lives is holy, life delights in life."
~ William Blake 1757-1827

As we continue in this beautiful Easter Season, I wish you many blessings!
It has taken awhile, but it seems spring is finally making it to Portland. I love this beautiful season even if it causes a bit of a challenge to the allergies....

This has to be a quick post as I need to leave shortly for a five night stay up in the Seattle area. I'm heading up for several meetings next week, but first I am looking forward to a fun weekend to be with family and to help my great nephew celebrate his First Holy Communion! On Saturday morning St. Monica Church is going to be "a buzz" as 74 children participate in this First Communion - it will be a wonderful celebration! A good contrast to a couple of billboards I have been passing on my way to work each day...
I have been a bit disturbed by these billboards that say, "You don't need God to hope...to love...to care...to live". I know that there is and can be a lot of hope, love and care that non-believers have and show, but my question is about the "to live" part. I deeply believe that to live, to have life is so much a gift from the One who created us! I believe that our good and loving God has created all of life ... I have experienced too many affirmations and confirmations in my life to doubt God's presence. God's life and love abounds!
As I look around me every day at the miracle of life that surrounds me, especially during spring and in this Easter Season of new life, I pray and proclaim as St. Francis of Assisi did:
"Most high, all-powerful, all-good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and all blessing .... All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made ...through Sister Earth, our mother, who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs ..." All praise be yours my God! Touched by Your hand, O God, our world is holy!

The "Good" in this Friday leads to Easter!

2011-04-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Lenten days are over and now we are caught up in the middle of the beautiful, holy day of the Triduum. I taught elementary school for many years and Good Friday was always a day I loved being in the classroom. Usually we only went a half day... For many years we made it a "whisper day" in the school to set the day apart and help the students to understand the significance of the day. It gave me the chance to plan quiet activities that helped my class know better what the day was about. Of course the students would often wonder why today is called "Good" Friday when it is the day that Jesus died on the cross. Part of my simple explanation was/is that we have to remember that THAT was not the end of the story ~ we only need to look to Easter to know more.
Today on my walk I was reflecting on that myself and had a few other thoughts. The events of Jesus' passion and death were horrific, but ... Jesus taught us about love and preseverance in his suffering and dying ~that is good. There were people who were faithful to him and stood with him to the bitter end~that is good. Jesus did not think of himself when he comforted the women of Jerusalem; a lesson for us~that is good. Jesus showed us how to forgive and also to befriend the one next to him~that is good. And greatest of all, Jesus gave us an example of total trust and letting go into God ..."Abba, into your hands ..."~ and that is good.
Hopefully today...tomorrow (and other tomorrows too) you have and/or can spend some time in quiet and prayer pondering the mystery of this holy time. The words of St. Clare of Assisi come to my mind. "Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation." and "Gaze upon Christ, consider Christ, contemplate Christ, as you desire to imitate Him."
Gaze ...Consider...Contemplate...Imitate
I suggest that we might need to do just that over these holy days ... gaze, consider, contemplate so that we can imitate Jesus ...Imitate ~ live bold, live with passion as Jesus did so that we may turn the world upside down and others will know that Jesus is Alive ~ Alleluia! Happy Easter!

Finding Treasures in the Gutter

2011-04-14T16:23:00.001-07:00

It has been a good three weeks since I last wrote and that is way too long! My days have been full and involved with several trips to the Tacoma/Seattle area, visits to schools and a week in Spokane, WA at my alma mater, Gonzaga University, where I was helping with a Busy Person (Student) Retreat on campus ... a great week! The life of a vocation director ~ never a dull moment! Here the season of Lent is almost over and I feel like it has just begun because of so much activity and not enough reflection time ............................... I do find snippets of time and graced God moments along the way in my days though which I cherish and for which I am grateful. The whispers of God's voice come not only during my personal prayer time, but also in the miles of driving, often without the radio or CDs playing and almost always during my regular walks. So, this week the debris along the curbs in the gutter spoke to me and gave me fodder for reflection. There are not many sidewalks in my neighborhood so I usually walk in the street along the side. Lately, with so many rainy days the gutter along the curb can be kind of muddy and messy with leaves, sticks, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and tree cones (in the northwest they are usually fir cones). Every now and then though, ahh ha, I find a penny, a nickel, a quarter, or a pretty little flower growing! Treasures in the muck! I always stop and pick up the money, even the pennies with the reminder that, "In God We Trust". So, where did my reflection on my Monday walk take me? With this being Lent, the debris in the gutter reminds me of the "messyness" of my life sometimes ... how cluttered things can get ... It is important to take time (like this Lenten time) to get the broom out, or take the hose to clean things up a bit so there is a newness or freshness that will allow God to flow in and through me. In the process I might discover a treasure that was hiding under the clutter or in negativity... an insight, a new ability, a calmed fear about a project, an understnading to a problem ... What is a treasure that desires to be revealed to you as we move towards the end of Lent into the glorious season of Easter? The earth is getting ready for Easter, newness is all around. I pray that is happening in your life and mine as well!

Singing in the Reign!

2011-03-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

... Singing in the reign, just singing in the reign ...
Oh, I think that is suppose to be ... Singing in the "rain" ....

But then again, maybe it can be both ways!

... What a glorious feeling I'm feeling today ....

It has been very rainy here in Portland the past few weeks. The other morning as I was walking, the sky was having a hard time deciding what it wanted to do~rain or not rain? That was the question! I was carrying my umbrella and would have it up ... and then notice I didn't need it so would put it down. As I walked along I started thinking of the classic movie 'Singin in the Rain' and of that great song that Gene Kelly made famous in the musical as he splashed around in puddles. I must admit I did start singing that song and it lifted my heart!

Lately we have been hearing a lot of difficult, sad news with the situation in Libya and the horrible reality of Japan. How I hold all those people in my heart and prayers! As I sang that song that popped into my head, I started to reflect on the notion that I was - I am - we are - always walking in the reign of God. The Kingdom (Reign) of God is here! Jesus told us, "For behold the kingdom of God is among you." (Lk 17:21) Heaven touched earth, in and through Jesus, and THAT is Good News! God is with us in all things ...
Inspite of all the hardships, there are signs of hope and life around us as announced by the beautiful crocuses that are sprouting up ... and people reaching out to those in need ... and a person found alive in the Japanese rubble after days! There are good people doing wonderful things to make our world a better place all the time ~ bringing about the reign of God!

My nephew"s wife - the mother of three beautiful children who was looking for a way to work from home, to share her talents and to help others, just started her own business ... the AMEN Jewelry Co. As she, Lisa, shares on her website, "Amen Jewelry places a priority on giving back to the community. Ten percent of the purchase price of each item will be donated to local charitable organizations." Check out her site - share the link with others! It is "a source for unique, high-quality jewelry inspired by religious iconography". Even if you only "window shop", it is a delight to see the artistic gifts of others! Good for you Lisa! May your endeavor be blessed.

The Potpourri of Life

2011-03-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

... discovery of the winter pine flower ...

How I love my exercise walks! Last week with snowy, cold weather here in Portland I discovered this new flower . So often my walks give me new insights and a different perspective on lots of things ... and on life in general.

I was glad to be able to go for my walk this morning. I don't always get out in the morning during the week, but on Fridays we have a 12:10 PM Mass at the parish where my office is, so I'm not rushing off for work quite as early. Anyway, often that exercise walk is a contemplative time for me.

This morning I was thinking how good it is to walk with open ears and eyes paying attention to life and the world around me ~ to hear the crows and blue jays squabbling and squawking back and forth at each other ... the robins with their hopeful song for spring ... the squirrels chiding from their tree tops. There were also the signs of everyday life that I started paying attention to ~ people going off to work ... the woman struggling with jumper cables to get her car started ... those who were out for quick walks with their dogs.

So often we rush about from this place to that without actually seeing and hearing those things around us. Many times people are running or walking listening to music on their iPods, texting or talking on their cell phones (which I must admit I do sometimes - talk on my cell phone when walking ... how else can I go walking with my sister in Florida?)....
I'm not saying that is bad to have the iPods and cell phones going, but it is also good to go out and about with only the sights and sounds that God, creation and the world around us have to offer.

For St. Francis the whole world was his cloister ~ the place where he met God in the ordinary and through those around him. If I had had earphones on listening to the radio this morning I would have missed the song in my heart that I kept humming, or the beautiful chirping of that robin that was speaking of spring, or the friendly voice of the woman I have passed many, many times on my walk that reached out this morning and said, "Hi! We keep passing each other ...Let me introduce myself ~I'm Ruth and this is Karen!" Last week I would have missed the little patch of snow cradled in the pine bough ... So, as a little piece of paper on my desk says, "Allow yourself to be interrupted by God." through the potpourri of life every day!

Finding God's Valentine in the Ordinary

2011-02-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." *Pedro Arrupe, SJ

This month of February is just zipping by! Since Valentine's Day was just Monday, I decided I could still start this entry with Fr. Arrupe's beautiful words above. I have visited several high schools in the past couple of weeks with other vocation directors and this quote is part of a power point we have used, so it is fresh on my mind. A good one especially for this time of the year!
... and the picture ...Well, I took that several summers ago when I was on my annual retreat. As I was hiking around Kairos House of Prayer just outside Spokane, WA which is run by one of my Franciscan Sisters, I happened upon this rock! It became a a great meditation for me and a big part of my retreat. The ways God shows love and sends little signs/symbols into my life never cease to amaze me!

Yesterday I had a chance to catch up on the blog site, "Mascara and Prayer" in which Sara - a friend and Candidate in my Congregation - writes about her candidacy year. I have so enjoyed her sharing and insights. Anyway, in the February 11th entry Sara quoted and reflected on the words of one of our elderly Sisters in a presentation for the Community year-end Retreat. This morning it dawned on me that they were the same words that caught my attention when I "retreated" in December with my local community. The words ... "Change is inevitable, growth is a choice!" resonated with me for a number of reasons. They are true, but it is a challenge sometimes to not let changes ruffle the feathers, to resist change and block growth that can come.
After more pondering on all of this - Sara's reflection on that quote, my own thoughts, and thinking of the "heart" rock picture above - I conclude .... There will always be change in things whether I like it or not, sometimes for better and sometimes not, but I must always allow, must choose growth to happen with the change! ... and that also means, allowing myself to rest in God's loving embrace (as the little tree growing in the picture) and align myself with the heart and mind of Jesus - each day! That way, change doesn't have to be fearful or an obstacle to growth ....

Tamale...Ravioli....Pirozhky/Piroshki?!

2011-01-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, it really is not lunch or dinner time as I sit down to write this entry ... and, no I am not hungry either! It just so happens that I had my first experience of making homemade tamales on New Year's Eve ~ we had a Mexican Fiesta in my local house to celebrate the occasion! So, this morning as I was out walking (finally I am getting back into my walking routine after some leg surgery at the end of November), I started thinking about those tamales and some other similar foods I like ...You got it, the Italian ravioli and then a food I have not had for years, the Russian pirozhky or piroshki (I don't know how to spell it, only how we pronounced it as a kid, per-əsh-΄ke ??). These foods all come from different cultures and are cooked just a bit different, but all three of these have something in common. They are some kind of dough with a meat mixture wrapped up inside and to my tasting, are delicious! During my walk this morning, my thinking of the foods become a reflection on the beautiful diversity in our world and the varied practices of so many wonderful cultures! We do not need to go very deep in the news to find stories of peoples clashing and fighting and disputing because of race or religion. Wouldn't it be extraordinaire if all people could just see & understand that even if we have different outsides (like the tamale/ravioli/piroshki) and different ways of doing something, inside there is a goodness; we are brothers and sisters in/of the same human family! St. Francis knew that and worked to bring unity, bridge the gap, embrace all.
As we celebrate this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let us also pray for unity among all people (...Christian, Muslim, Jew... as well as clashing nations). It all begins with understanding and respecting the beliefs, practices, traditions of the other. How much better and more enriched our lives could be ...
So, back to the tamale making. I learned something new on New Year's Eve - the beautiful Mexican culinary art of making tamales from my friend in community, Sr. Guadalupe! I got to hear and understand a home tradition of hers, we had fun working together and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at that, to celebrate and welcome in a new year! I present to you the expert tamale maker at work....

Glimmers of HOPE in the New Year...

2011-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

We are not quite at the two week mark of the new year so I think I can I still wish you a very Happy New Year! Hopefully 2011 has started out in a positive way for you!? Today definitely seems like a good day to post a new entry to this blog. There is just something fun or magical about 1-11-11 to me!
As we move into this new year I share with you the above verse that Sr. Joyce Rupp shared with us. I am an Epiphany kind of person and I love this quote, so I made a little Epiphany greeting with stars surrounding the verse - stars and hope ... some of my favorite things to dwell on. Stars that twinkle their light in the beautiful night sky, stars that kept the shepherds company, stars that guided sailors of old as well as guiding the Magi to the Christ child, stars that are for wishing upon! Then there is hope ... one dictionary definition defines hope as "to cherish a desire with anticipation". Aren't there so many things we hope for in life? ...love, happiness, peace in our world, a job for our relative, good health .... How important it is to keep HOPE alive!
What brings you hope? How can you share it?
Before I sign off here I share with you a picture taken the other morning on a rainy day in Portland.... Rain drops hanging onto pine needles. That is a hope symbol for me! I remember many year ago, I was in a bad state of heart and mind and was out walking in the rain "crashing around"- knocking tree branches that happened to get in my way with my fist, thinking I DID NOT care about anything!! I came to an evergreen branch hanging low and laden with rain. I was getting ready to smash that branch when all of a sudden as if someone grabbed my arm and held it in midair, I stopped! I stopped and noticed how delicate a single raindrop was hanging on the tip of the needle ... and it was beautiful! I remember hearing myself say, "I guess I DO care about something!" That moment, that single raindrop became a hope sign for me and helped to change my attitude around - thank goodness! A lesson learned from nature right in line with the Franciscan spirit! Francis was often discovering things in all of creation ... He also is a great model of a person who desired to grow and change. Today I read in my Franciscan Prayer book ~ "Tireless in pursuit of holy newness, Francis constantly hoped to begin again ...(from the life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano 1C 103)!
So as we begin this new year, consider Sr. Joyce's insightful words and the example of St. Francis ... in pursuit of holy newness ~ how appropriate as we journey into the months ahead that are full of life and possibilities ... Hope comes in little ways...

Merry "Tweleve Days of " Christmas!

2010-12-31T16:11:00.001-08:00

Greetings of the Season!
I know this post should have been written days
ago,but this proves once again that I am a firm believer in the 12 days of Christmas!

I did have a very nice Christmas Day ~ it is a
beautiful feast and time of the year! One of my very favorite Christmas songs is "O Holy Night" with the lines ..."Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices ..." Emmanuel ~ God with us ... What a wonderful gift!
Time seems to be disappearing on me these days, but I could not let another day go by without some Christmas greeting on this last day of 2010 ... I share with you a poem that I have had for a couple of years and also some Christmas pictures in my local community with the Sisters I live with. We had a great celebration of the day and then joined some BVM friends (Srs. of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) for dinner. We have shared holidays with these Sisters for many years now.... So the poem and the pictures ....

Christmas is more than a day at the end of the year, more that a day of joy and good cheer. Christmas is really God's pattern for living, to be followed each day by unselfish giving. Then Peace will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.
~ Author Unknown

And a saying I have remembered from years ago ...Christmas - an everyday season of the heart!
I hope you had a wonder-filled one and I wish you many blessings as we bid 2010 goodbye and usher in a New Year! Peace and All Good!

Advent Invites Adventure!

2010-12-20T15:59:00.001-08:00

ADVENT ....
Adventure ~ ad-ven-ture 1: a risky undertaking
2: a remarkable and exciting experience

As we begin this fourth week of Advent several thoughts and ideas run through my mind about this beautiful season of the year. A couple of weeks ago I just wanted to see what the dictionary said for the word Advent and discovered that the word "adventure" was only two words down from Advent in my Webster Dictionary. To me, the two words really are related!
Are we not invited to a risky undertaking when we set time apart for more prayer and some introspection to see how we can prepare our hearts for the coming of Christmas? Is not this time of preparation for Christmas a call to growth and the discovery of what a remarkable and exciting experience the life of Jesus - the light that powers over dark - can bring us if we are open to the adventure!?!
As a Christian I am invited again and again to take a risk ... to take the risk ... to reach out to others around me who might "walk in darkness", who maybe are not as fortunate as I am, who perhaps have stumbled into difficult times, who might feel sad and lonely and even disconnected and try to bring them a bit of love and care that was manifested on that first Christmas day. I have felt that way - at a low ebb at different times in my life and have been blessed with others who cared and brought me the light of God.
The little picture/poster shown above is just such an example ... In 1989 I was teaching 4th grade at St. Charles School in Spokane , WA. At one point of the year I was feeling rather down, "disconnected", in the dark about some things in life and in community - I didn't think it showed especially when I was involved in the teaching day. Well, one morning one of my beautiful students brought in the pictured banner/poster shown above for me. I was totally shocked! It was exactly what I needed ... and I asked Alicia how it came about ~ what got her to do it?? Her response was so innocent and spontaneous: "Oh, I don't know ... I was watching TV last night and it just popped into my head, so I did it! ...and I want you to have it." WOW! Light powers over Dark ...... as God powers over EVEL (evil). That was pretty profound for a fourth grader. I know that little girl allowed the light of God to work in her life and she touched my life immensely!
This morning on my way to work I switched the radio to the Catholic radio station. It is the tradition of KBVM to broadcast the story, The Cinnamon Bear - a classic 1937 story of the adventures of Judy and Jimmy Barton who have set out and are trying to find their missing silver star for the Christmas tree. I don't think I have ever heard the whole story, just snippets from year to year. Anyway, this morning fifteen words made an impact on my ears and heart as one of the characters said, "What I mean is - It's dark inside of me when I have my eyes closed." As we continue the journey through these last days of Advent, may we be people of the light, with our eyes wide open ready to take a risk and know of God's remarkable and exciting experience of the birth of Jesus ... O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

Advent Awareness

2010-12-09T16:03:00.001-08:00

Advent, that time of waiting for the coming of Christ and the celebration of Christmas. Advent, a time of preparation and anticipation ... This season of Advent has already revealed a new awareness or two for me, as well as teaching me a few lessons on the patience of waiting ...

On November 30th - the first Tuesday of Advent, I went in for some surgery on my lower leg to remove part of a benign tumor. I had been anticipating this surgery for a long time with great anxiety, but everything went fine and and I got to come home that very afternoon. However, I am now hobbling along and needing to keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I am not use to this kind of inactivity - I've needed to learn patience with myself and my inability to do what I am use to doing ... for awhile anyway. Oh how I miss my brisk walks! I wait for the day to be able to go walking again.
I also am in a waiting mode for the lab report. The lab work was sent out to the Cleveland Clinic ~ just to make sure of things ... probably a two week wait. Anyway, circumstances like these add a good perspective to life that is for sure!

So, while I have been "down" I have started reading a book by Sr. Joan Chittister (The Gift of Years if you are really curious). In the introduction she used a quote by E.M. Forester that I have heard before and do like: "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.".
There is a lot of truth to Forester's words. So often we have all kinds of plans and they get interrupted or changed for one reason or another. Things happen! I travel a lot as you probably have gathered, and sometimes travel planes get messed up. There is a delay and I miss the flight, but then end up getting a meal paid for by the airlines and meeting someone that was totally unexpected that added a nice surprise to the trip enriching my life. I am sure you can think of other great examples when "plans" took unexpected detours that really were better - there is lots of life waiting for us if we "let go" instead of fretting and stewing which I so often have the tendency to do!
And you know, in some ways that is part of what Advent is all about! A time like this Advent season helps to give us a pause in life ... to step back a bit and come to a better understanding of what it means to "Let go and let God". We certainly have a wonderful example of that in the Blessed Virgin Mary (whose feast we celebrated yesterday) in her beautiful "fiat" - her yes to God! She let go of the life she thought would be, to then embrace the awesome life that was waiting for her!

In our Franciscan Morning Praise for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the second reading was from St. Bonaventure who wrote: "...the Archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin ...When she gave her consent to him, the Holy Spirit came upon her like a divine fire inflaming her soul and sanctifying her flesh in perfect purity. But the power of the Most High overshadowed her so that she could endure such fire." (The Tree of Life-Lig vit 1:3)
May each of us know many Advent blessings as we prepare for Christmas so that we also might be receptive to the power of God working in our lives and be prepared for the life that is waiting!

Saints and Searchers!

2010-11-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

November ... ahhh ...
a month filled with celebrating All Saints on November 1st, the faithful departed with All Souls Day on the 2nd and many wonderful men and women canonized in our Church as Saints and role models of the faith, including St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Nov. 17th), a patron of the Third Order Regular Secular Franciscans (...Elizabeth of Hungary who fed the hungry!) And then, yesterday (November 21), the wonderful Feast of Christ the King. Whew! I got to celebrate part of that beautiful feast with over 500 teenagers of the Archdiocese of Portland at the Archdiocesan Youth Convention, but more about that later...

I have probably written at least four blog entries in my head over the past couple of weeks (as I traversed from one coast to the other and other points in between) ... needless to say the fingers never got to the keypads! So, today, I am trying .....and now another day (sigh ~ it is now Nov. 24 and the day before Thanksgiving) ... I am trying again to finish this post....
I am not quite sure what happens to time - the hands on that clock tick by so fast. I guess one thing that I have learned over the years as good intentions often get buried (ie. trying to write this entry), is that God appreciates our intentions - I hope! It is also very important though, that we keep trying! The saints are wonderful models for us of ordinary people who kept trying... trusting that God was with them even when attempts at something got sidetracked. I admire people with perseverance!

So, with all of that said, I mentioned above that I was with the youth of the Archdiocese over the weekend. How wonderful it was to be with so many young people taking a weekend to celebrate their faith and join other young searchers in learning more about their Church. I applaud Youth Directors in the parishes that have the grace and stamina to walk with these teenagers! I was at the Convention with five other Sisters and one Benedictine Brother... we were privileged enough to give two optional workshops - one on Prayer in Everyday Living and the other entitled, Where Am I Going? and How Will I Get There? on decision making/discernment skills. We had a packed house for both workshops! That says to me that they want to grow in their spiritual lives and are seeking some concrete aids to that. Those young people gave me hope for our Church and for the future of our world!
Anyway, I offer you a peek into the youth conference and a couple of nice nature photos from the weekend. We didn't have too much time to roam around, but what can I say - we were at the Oregon coast and I HAD to check the ocean out a couple of times! The kids had some free time Saturday, so I did too ...

1.) Early morning moon... 2.) The youth gathered at the Seaside Convention Center 3.) Late afternoon sunset at the beach ~ no rain that afternoon, thank goodness!

Grabbing God Moments When We Can

2010-11-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

God is Good!

Greetings from the east coast! I am sending this post from the Motherhouse of my Community in Aston, PA. I flew back here yesterday on a two week trip away (whew!) for meetings and a National Conference for vocation directors in Ohio. It is getting quite late and I hope I can get out a few coherent lines .... It is election night and I am trying to keep myself awake so I can check in on some early election results from Oregon before I go to bed since they are three hours behind in time than the east coast. Last night I stayed up later than I planned to see if the San Francisco Giants were going to win the World Series and now tonight, the election. The night before that I was up late packing. My track record for rest isn't very good lately - oh my!

As I come to the end of this day/night and think of all the busy-ness of the past couple days and the past couple of weeks, I realize how important it is to step back and step into God's loving presence ... to take time to rest in God! Yes, I know I need more physical rest than I have had lately, but I sure better fill up my tank in the prayer department too. Some times we don't have hours to spend in prayer like on retreat, but I am grateful for the the many God moments I do have like the gift of a beautiful day like today ... the graced solitude of time on the airplane yesterday where the "direct flight" trip went smoothly with nobody in the middle seat which gave me some extra time and space. God is good and is present with us ~ to us if only we open ourselves up to each moment! Peace and All Good!

Peace ... Let it grow!

2010-10-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

I had hoped to write a quick post on Monday or Tuesday, but it didn't happen ...ohhh, those good intentions of mine!
So here I am at Friday! This morning when I went for my walk I saw a sticker in the back window of a parked car similar to the picture I recreated here (isn't technology with the Internet and clip art great!). I know I have seen the sticker on this car before, but this morning I read the words that were next to the PEACE symbol ..."Let it grow". It is funny how things get missed and then all of a sudden, something strikes you. That struck me this morning! It started me thinking, in a prayerful sort of way, that when we have peace in our hearts, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our world, it can be like beautiful flowers growing - they bring refreshment, hope and delight to the weary spirit, and ... how we need to nourish the soil of our own hearts and that of each other to bring about those blossoms of peace. Prayer, scripture and a life in God is the living water that helps to do that. Really, wasn't that part of the mission of St. Francis' life?!? Think of the peace prayer we so often pray and sing! St. Francis probably didn't write those exact words, but they definitely embody his thought and belief.

With all that in mind, I also want to mention two great people our Church honors this week. Monday, October 11th was the Memorial feast of Pope John XXIII. It was on that day in 1962 that he convened the Second Vatican Council. Since he is a man I really admire for many reasons, it was a delight for me to be reminded on Monday at prayer time that he belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order. In his "Journal of a Soul", John XXIII wrote: "My Soul is open before you. Like a blank sheet of paper. Write on it what you will. O Lord: I am yours." After reading a biography of his life a couple of years ago it is very clear that he lived those words! God surely used this kind, wise and compassionate man to make a difference in our world and in the Church.
And, today, is the Feast of Teresa of Avila (1550-1582) - a Carmelite Nun, saint and doctor of the Church. She was indeed a woman of prayer as well as insight and wisdom whose spirit still inspires people today.

Another significant event I want to mention before I sign off is a wonderful gathering I was a part of last weekend. About 25 of our Sisters gathered here in the Portland area (one of many such gatherings being held throughout the country) at our Franciscan Spiritual Center for an all day meeting with members of our Leadership who were in town. It was great day of prayer, sharing and dialogue about our life together as Sisters of St. Francis. Our day concluded with a beautiful prayer ritual in which we each received our new Constitution - the way of life that we follow. After much work to revise the Constitutions we had for over 25 years, it was exciting to receive this finished and beautiful document! Some of the concluding words of the Constitution are: "Inspired by thespirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi and our foundress Mother Francis Bachmann, we seek to follow Jesus Christ, who chose to be poor, and Mary, his Mother, by faithfully living the principles and practices set forth in our constitutions." Words for me that are both blessing and challenge as I strive to live my vocation daily.

So, for me and for you, may Jesus, the Prince of Peace be at the core of all of our lives!

Happy St. Francis Day!

2010-10-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

October 4th .... Today we celebrate St. Francis of Assisi! A grand day to celebrate, so, Happy St. Francis Day!

In my office I have a Marvel Comic book on the life a St. Francis titled "FRANCIS, Brother of the Universe" ... and isn't that so true!
Born, Francesco Bernadone (1181-1226), more books have been written about St. Francis than about any other saint. He is the patron saint of peace, the patron saint of ecology, the patron saint of Italy and the patron saint of animals (so says my Marvel comic book), but more importantly he was a true man of God and of the Gospel! Francis "got it" - he was passionate about his relationship with Christ, passionate about life and was true "brother" to all he met. Of course he wasn't born that way, but allowed God to work in and through him over time. So, today, as the Franciscan that I am, I celebrate and honor my brother Francis! I am working a bit today, but want to get home early to meet up with the Sisters I live with as we have a nice evening planned with a special dinner and prayers to celebrate!
Actually, my celebrating started over the weekend ... I traveled to Spokane WA where about 20 Sisters of St. Francis gathered for a special ceremony Sunday honoring our Sisters for 120 years of "Humanitarian Service" in Eastern Washington. In an old section of a cemetery in Spokane eight Franciscan Sisters were buried there in the early 1900s. These were pioneering women who journeyed west from Philadelphia establishing schools, an orphanage (St. Joseph Orphanage which is now St. Joseph Family Center & continues the helping and healing ministry) and also helped give service to the people in the area including tireless effort helping the Red Cross during the time of a terrible influenza epidemic. The ceremony included a bagpiper, a few good stories of these courageous women, a proclamation from the Mayor of Spokane, and the reception of a beautiful plaque from the American Red Cross. I feel proud to be part of such a beautiful legacy! I was touched by the stories and remembering, and am challenged by the fortitude, strength and self-giving witness of these early Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia! They indeed were true followers of St. Francis! It was a wonderful day and a fine way to usher in the feast day! I am sure he never could have imagined the Franciscan Movement that grew and has developed throughout the world that includes the Order of Friars Minor, the Order of Saint Clare (Poor Clares) and the Order of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance (Third Order Regular which my Congregation is included in, and Secular Franciscan Order). Yeah, Francis! And so, I pray ..."O God, in your servant Francis you have given the world a true disciple of Jesus. Guide us who follow Francis (and all good men and women)to witness faithfully to the living Gospel and to bring compassion and joy to the world." ~ Morning Praise , Oct.4, Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise Prayer book

Honoring the Angels ...and, no, not the baseball team!

2010-09-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

...Today is the Feast of the Archangels ~ Michael, Gabriel and Raphael ~ and I just can't let the day go without a short post ....

"Let us join the angels of the Lord in their unending praise!
...Michael is honored by the Church as its special protector. Gabriel is best known as the angel of the annunciation to Mary and Zechariah. Raphael healed the blindness of Tobit... ~ from the Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise book - September 29
I get amused sometimes at our society in today's world - over the past couple of years, I've noticed that book stores and 'new age' people have made this big fuss over the "new" concept of angels. I just have to chuckle over all this because in our Catholic tradition, as well as the ancient tradition of our Jewish brothers and sisters, angels have always been so much a part of our belief! And this week, we celebrate two great Angel feast days - the Archangels today and on Saturday, the feast of the Guardian Angels. Angels also have a warm place in the Franciscan tradition stemming from Francis' tender affection and honor to these heavenly beings who have helped us to know God's great care and love for us. Pope Benedict in his writing of these two "angel" days said: "...these two celebrations move us to think of the provident care with which God looks after each human person ..."
So, noting that and with the Franciscan family today and on OCT. 2 nd we remember and pray ...
Francis had a great devotion to the messengers of God; open our ears to hear them and our eyes to see them in our everyday lives.
... And hopefully we are not tiring out our Guardian Angels as in the picture of a statue I tumbled upon a few years ago:)...my angel saying, "Oh no, not in trouble again!?!"

...So Great a Love ...

2010-09-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis!

Today is the feast of the great Jesuit, St. Robert Bellarmine, but as a true blue Franciscan ~ follower of St. Francis, I also want to highlight this day as the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi!

In my Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise prayer book (published by The Franciscan Federation, Third Order Regular of the Sisters and Brothers of the United States), the office of the day is introduced with this explanation of the day ...
"Francis had a burning love for the Crucified and never ceased to preach this devotion. In 1224, two years before his death, as he was lost in deep contemplation on Mount La Verna, the marks of Christ's passion were imprinted on his body."
I just couldn't let the day go by without a brief entry, especially since I have this beautiful water colored image to share. A young woman that has become my friend drew and painted this picture and gave me the framed artwork. I love it! (... and technology is so great that I was able to scan it to share.)
Anyway ... in many ways it can be hard for me to comprehend the deep prayer and contemplation that was so very much a part of St.Francis that this awesome gift of the stigmata became his... whew ... So great a love Francis had for Jesus, the crucified Christ!
I don't know what more I can write at this point, so I close with a prayer used in this morning's office.
"O God, in your servant Francis you have given the world a true disciple of Jesus. Help us (help me) who follow Francis to witness faithfully to the living Gospel and bring to the world compassion and joy."
Blessings on your weekend! I am off to Spokane, WA next week for a gathering and meetings with others who minister in vocation and formation work in various Congregations ~ should be good to get together and share!
Pace E Bene!

Criss-Crossing Through God's Country

2010-09-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

I am aware that I am long overdue for a new post... Where do the days - hmmm, the weeks, go!?! Many beginnings have been written in my head over the past two weeks, so today I must get to it! It is a good day to write as it is the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross ~ one of my favorite feast days! The picture of the cross I am including here was taken on my recent vacation (more about that later) to the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, to be with two of our Sisters that minister at St. Stephens Indian Mission. The cross is painted on the ceiling of the main mission church. So, today being this feast, I share with you a Franciscan prayer that is almost always said at the beginning of Lauds and Vespers in my local community. I am sure other Franciscans pray it often as well.

We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all churches throughout the whole world and we bless You because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. (from the Testament [5] of St. Francis)

So, as I mentioned, I was on vacation ... from August 27th - Sept. 3. Plans for this trip happened kind of fast. On August 31st there was a special ceremony at the Indian Mission that I was asked to come for. For 118 years our Sisters have ministered at St. Stephens Indian Mission along side the Jesuit priests. After 126 years of ministry on the Reservation the Jesuits had to make the decision to leave because of other community demands, and to turn the Mission over to the Diocese of Cheyenne.

Although it wasn't the vacation I had planned on, I am certainly glad I was able to go ... to be present to/with our Sisters who live there ... and to the Jesuits, to meet the new priests of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity, and to share in this ceremony and transition time with the Shoshone and Arapaho people. The OSFs had a nice showing of Sisters with 4 of us able to travel in for the event, so there was some enjoyable community time too! St. Stephens was my first "mission experience" when I went there as a Candidate my first year in Community. It is a wonderful place with beautiful people! You can read more about the event as the Bishop of Wyoming, Bishop Etienne, writes in his blog about St. Stephen Indian Mission The Bishop has also included quite a number of great pictures, so just click on the link above :) I was glad to meet the Bishop and enjoyed reading his account of Aug.31st ...
It was a fun trip, although a LOT of driving was involved, traveling from Oregon to Washington State, into Idaho and Montana and finally into Wyoming. We did travel though some beautiful country as well as some wide open spaces! God truly speaks to my heart in all the diverse beauty of the landscape! Also, I had a fun traveling companion who joined me - Sr. Dolores Herbeck, a Sister living in Tacoma who is from Wyoming and lived many years on the Mission as she worked in Riverton as the Catholic grade school Principal. We definitely had some adventures and lots of good talks about life, community, the countryside and the spiritual-side.... However, even though we spent a day in Yellowstone National Park with several other Sisters, I still did not see a moose! Oh, that elusive moose ...
Thought you might enjoy a few more pictures ...

Including a pose of the Franciscans after a few busy days!

Star Light, Star Bright ....

2010-08-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight ....

Remember the rhyme from when you were a kid?! ...Actually, I still think of that little saying even to this day. For me there is something awesome and magical about the stars and I love clear summer nights to look up at the starry sky. Of course living in the city it is often hard to see the stars so brightly, but where I grew up in Southern Oregon, almost at the 5,000 foot level, the night sky is amazing! The picture here was taken on my retreat last summer at the Trappist Abbey in LaFayette, OR. Greeting the night time and watching the stars come out is a favorite thing for me when I am on retreat ...if the mosquitoes aren't too bad like they were for me this summer ....

Anyway, I'm not sure what is making me think of the stars right now, except August is the month of shooting stars and this past week I heard news of meteor showers - which I missed because of the 3 AM time of viewing! Also, I came across a quote yesterday which I would like to share with you. It might speak a bit of the many situations our world seems to be in right now ~ the earthquakes in Haiti and other countries recently, the oil spill in the Gulf, the flooding in Pakistan, etc....
Madeline L'Engle (1918-2007) wrote in "A Stone for a Pillow" (1986) this piece to reflect and think upon ..."If we look at the makeup of the word disaster, dis-aster, we see dis which means separation, and aster, which means star. So dis-aster is separation from the stars. Such separation is disaster indeed. When we are separated from the stars, the sea, each other, we are in danger of being separated from God." Something the think about indeed! In any kind of disaster, it is so important to stay connected to each other, help each other and especially stay connected with God to give us the courage and strength we need ...
I am off to spend a weekend with my family and, hopefully, I will be able to enjoy a couple of clear night skies to see some shooting stars! No matter if I see any shooting stars or not, I still give praise for the beauty of the night sky ... All Praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the Stars; in the heavens You made them, bright and precious and fair ... from the Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis

How Good it is to Celebrate!

2010-08-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Feast of St. Clare!
Today, August 11th, we celebrate St. Clare of Assisi ... a very special day in my community. It is on this day that so many Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia - including myself - made our Final Vow!
Even though we have always celebrated the life of Clare, it is only in recent history that we have discovered what a strong and faith-filled person she truly was in her own right, not just a copy of St. Francis... Clare was a woman of initiative and courage. She was the first woman in the Church to have written a rule of life for woman - the "Poor Clares", and it is through her that we can understand St. Francis better.
So anyway, this evening we will have a nice dinner ~ I'm the cook ~ and special prayers to commemorate her Feast.
My Congregation broke from tradition a bit this year however, as many of us gathered together this past Sunday, at Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston PA, (our Motherhouse) to support Sr. Patricia Kerezsi as she professed her Perpetual Profession ~ made her Final Vows as a Sr. of St. Francis! We had a wonderful celebration! So, in the spirit of St. Clare, may you have Faith to lead you. Joy to lift you. Love to light your way.
Here is a picture of Sr. Patricia with her mother (in the middle) our Formation Director, Sr. Diane (left) and Sr. Marijane (right),
and others who were there to celebrate and be a part of the special occasion ...

Reflections From the Hermitage

2010-07-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I was away on my yearly, week long retreat! Ahh, what a very good and blessed week it was as I spent some solitude days in my own little hermitage in eastern Washington thanks to the gracious hospitality of the Carmelite Sisters of Mary. My great aunt was a Carmelite Sister so it was wonderful to connect a bit with the Carmelite charism and to celebrate their great Feast Day of Our Lady of Mt Carmel on July 16th. I think my aunt, Sr. Joseph, was watching over me from heaven and blessing my time during my retreat days ... I actually began retreat on a very appropriate Franciscan day, July 15th, the Feast of St. Bonaventure! The invocation for Morning Praise in my Franciscan prayer book that day was, "The Spirit of Wisdom is given to us in abundance. Let us rejoice in the goodness poured forth into our hearts and minds."
That message was confirmed over and over again for me while I was on retreat... so many graced, wisdom moments! At one point I was listening to a CD on John's Gospel and some words the Dominican Sister, Sr. Mary Margaret Pazdan said caught my ears and really describes what retreat is about in so many ways - "...to nestle into the heart of God and say yes..." In the tradition of the Carmelite Sisters with whom I shared some time, I tried to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my days and my prayer. I had 80 acres of forested land to wander around in. The homily at Sunday's Mass included the thought that "All of creation is God's hospitality to us ... how do we receive it and take care of it?" In my roaming around each day - which I was able to do, and went for a good walk/hike every day - I found so much beauty and could really enter into the moment - that moment of God's abundant love and hospitality. I don't know about you, but I often tend to get caught up in things to do, worries and anxieties
about things that need to be done, that I forget to be fully present to the preciousness of every moment. Retreat was a good reminder! ... And now I hope that I can carry the spirit of that time, "Hush now ... be still", with me into the days and months ahead! I hope that you can take a moment here and there in your day to "nestle into the heart of God".
In a little book written in the 1970s that I picked up in the hermitage - Jesus, Set Me Free: Inner Freedom Through Contemplation, Fr. George Maloney, SJ wrote ...
"In prayer, the Spirit comes to our spirit and bears witness that we are truly loved as the Father loves His eternal Son (Rm. 8:15). God's very own dynamic current of love, between Father and Son, catches us up and regenerates us into new creatures, ever more consciously aware of our inner dignity of being so privileged as to be loved infinitely by God." WOW! I thank God that I was able to have this retreat time. It was good for my heart, my soul and my mental state... and probably for the Sisters I live with too!
*A few more photos I took ... I was refreshed by the beauty that I encountered every day, and also want to share a picture of my hiking buddy, Strider :)
"Come forth into the light of things; let nature be your teacher." ~ William Wordsworth 1770-1850

FREE to Be ... You and Me...

2010-07-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had great intentions to write on the 4th of July ~ at least I am still within the week ... What a wonderful day to celebrate though! We, as a people and a country have so much to be thankful for. I hope you were able to enjoy the holiday?
Personally, I had a nice day! The weather was kind of overcast, but I went out for an energetic bike ride in the morning downtown on the waterfront along the Willamette River... always a pleasant ride for me. There were quite a few people and lots going on - it was just fun to mingle with the crowd on the holiday. Then later in the afternoon I enjoyed a delicious picnic type dinner with the Sisters I live with. I didn't go out to see any fireworks this year, but have surely enjoyed the ones nature has on display these summer days. ...*See the photos below that I've taken the past few weeks of God's daytime fireworks ...
Anyway, on my bike ride Sunday, I rode past the the Blue's Festival event that was in full swing. People were flocking in to hear the music, but what was so great is that the proceeds were going to support the Oregon Food Bank! To go along with that happening, in the Portland "Oregonian" newspaper this morning, there is a good article on food and feeding the poor. I didn't have time to read the whole article yet, but I will! A non-profit organization called Portland Urban Gleaners was mentioned. Volunteers go around to grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, etc collecting GOOD food that can no longer be sold or served for profit. This food is then donated to places that can use the food to feed the hungry and serve meals to the homeless ...! What a wonderful concept! You know, as a society we waste so much food (in America, 150 lbs per person each year). How excellent that people have the freedom to be so resourceful like the Urban Gleaners to help others!!
Last night after community prayer ... to get a jump start on my weekend since I have family coming to town for a nieces wedding ... I was cleaning house. In our living/community room we have a little calendar called "A Year of Daily Wisdom" by Marianne Williamson. I guess all the Sisters in my house, including myself, have been a little low on "wisdom" recently because the pages hadn't been turned since June 29th! So, I decided I better get the pages up to date and in doing so read each entry for the days we missed. I felt so wise when I went to bed last night :) Seriously though, I did like what Ms. Williamson wrote for July 4 ~ Independence Day... and since I wanted to write on the 4th, I share her quote with you now:

"Our freedom is not guaranteed by the Constitution; the only thing that guarantees freedom, ultimately, is our own commitment to it. That commitment must include our capacity to love each other as human beings, to remember we are brothers and sisters on this planet, and to surrender to God any thoughts we have to the contrary."

That sounds pretty Franciscan to me! It's all about relationship ... depending on our extravagant God who loves us deeply, reaching out in love to all our brothers and sisters, and striving daily to make our world a more beautiful, just and peaceful place!
May you be blessed in this next week. I am heading off for my annual week of retreat next week (July14-22) and am so looking forward to having more time for personal prayer and realigning my heart and spirit...

...No Moose, But Lots of Faith Energy...

2010-06-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~ Dr. Seuss

Last week I was graced with the opportunity to travel north to Anchorage, Alaska to be a part of ACYC 2010 - the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference! ... and what a great week it was! Catholic youth from all three Diocese of Alaska gathered together for four and a half days under the theme Who? What? Where? Why Catholic?? Thought provoking theme for all of us to ponder ...The enthusiasm and interest of these young people for their Catholic Faith and spiritual life was awesome to be a part of and inspiring for me!
On the front cover of the conference booklet that each participant received were the words: "...we have come to be strengthened in the Christian way of life and to become more determined to devote ourselves to the works of charity..." The teenagers listened, prayed, sang their hearts out, played, gave service and met new friends! I helped to give two workshops with my friend Sr. Bea LaFramboise, a Providence Sister and vocation minister from Seattle. The first workshop was on Prayer. The dozen or so who came were very sincere and the interest in their prayer life was beautiful! We had another good crowd of over 20 that attended the second workshop called Where Am I Going with my Life and How will I get There? in which we tried to introduce the teens to some tools for discernment.
One afternoon every participant was involved in some kind of service out in the community around Anchorage from grounds keeping at local religious sites, to soup kitchens, to the Food Bank of Alaska, to the weeding of invasive plants on BLM land to singing for the elderly... No job was too big or too small ...we were ALL out there making a difference, putting our faith into action, modeling the Catholic Social Teachings and trying to make our small corner of the world a better place ~ Dr. Seus AND St. Francis both have words to affirm our actions that day!
An added delight for me was the chance to connect with a Sister in my Franciscan Congregation, Sr. Kathy Radich, OSF who has ministered in St. Marys, Alaska for many years. Sr. Kathy was invited to be one of the main speakers and gave a wonderful talk on building and living Christian Community.
The whole week was great! I saw some beautiful scenery ... but no moose :(
I guess that just means I need to go back someday!

Today is the Feast of Peter & Paul, Apostles ... need I say, there are some zealous, young apostles of Christ in Alaska ...be with them O, God!

...From Thomas of Celano on, The Life of Saint Francis:
"Yes, the noble building of charity rises upon the foundation of perseverance; and in it living stones, gathered from every part of the world, have been built into a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. What a great flame of charity burned in the new disciples of Christ! What great love of devout company flourished in them!" (1C 38)

A Time of Jubilee!

2010-06-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

JUBILEE ...

The dictionary tells us that the word 'ju*bi*lee' means a season or occasion of celebration.
Well, the past several weeks I have been lucky enough to travel near and far, from Tacoma, WA to Spokane, WA and on to Aston, PA to celebrate the lives of many of my Franciscan Sisters as they have been celebrating 50 ... 70 ... and 75 years of dedication and faithfulness as Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia! What wonderful occasions to celebrate! ... what wonderful women to honor at Jubilee time!

In Tacoma three sisters celebrated their 50th Jubilee together. The picture here at the left is the three receiving a blessing, after they renewed their vows, from all those who were present for the Liturgical celebration. They were joined by other Jubilarians for the celebration ...

At evening prayers last night we had a reading from the Franciscan Rule of the Third Order Regular that really spoke to me of this Jubilee time of the year in my Community.
"Within themselves, let them always make a dwelling place and home for the one who is Lord God almighty, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, so that, with undivided hearts, they may increase in universal love by continually turning to God and to neighbor...(Jn 14:23) " TOR Rule 8

I am inspired by these Sisters who are so joyous and have a zest for life - they have truly taken the above rule of life to heart in their lives! Congratulations Jubilarians!

Remembering PEACE in our world over this Memorial Day

2010-05-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Peace and All Good!

I can hardly believe that it is the end of May already and that we are heading into the Memorial Day Holiday weekend!
Hopefully the sun will shine for part of the weekend because the past few days here in Portland the days have been quite wet and soggy ...

Anyway, when I think of the month of May, I do think of peace and to remember to pray for peace in our world. As we come to this Memorial Day we remember in a special way our veterans who have given their lives to help to make the world a more just and peaceful place. We also remember all those who have died.

The past day or so I keep thinking of some words of St. Francis connected to all of this, so I share them with you ...
from the Legend of the Three Companions:

"May the peace you announce with your lips be even more abundant in your hearts. Do not provoke anyone to anger or to scandal. May everyone be attracted by your lived example of meekness, peace, goodness and harmony. This is your vocation: to heal the wounds, to mend the broken, to call back the lost."
St. Francis sure has a way of challenging me in my life! I guess that is what conversion is all about ... a daily stiving to make a difference and live in peace ...
Have a great holiday weekend and be safe especially if you are traveling about! I'm heading to Spokane Washington for a quick trip to help one of my Franciscan Sisters to celebrate her Golden Jubilee - WOW 50 years of service and dedication to the Church and to the people of God. Congratualtions Sr. Elaine!
It should be a grand celebration! Hopefully I will have some pictures to share next time...
Peace and Blessings!

Water, water everywhere ... or so we think

2010-05-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I heard someone comment, "We sure had a wet and rainy April - it is so good to see a nice day!" Well, I do agree that I am glad for a beautiful, dry, spring day here in the Northwest. However, the rains brought snow to the mountains and helped to keep our water table high. That is good for us! I have been profoundly aware of water troubles in other parts of our country lately though - our Gulf coast with the terrible oil spill going on there and also the horrible flooding in Tennessee! Both those situations need a lot of prayers right now!

Sometimes we do take safe, clean water for granted! Recently the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC) in Seattle, of which my community helps to sponsor (along with several other religious congregations), held a video contest for high school students. The first place winner of the contest, Laura Jansen from Chicago Heights, IL produced an excellent video! Please take a few minutes to watch her video ~ it has a powerful message to share .....

Way to go, Laura! You have challenged us all to be creative and help with this issue of water - thank you!
When I was in Haiti several years ago I became VERY aware of the need for clean water. We stayed in a "safe" place while we were there, but we never drank any water out of the tap. We discovered through personal experience that even in the city water supply little worms were swimming around ~ extra protein I guess, but definitely not desirable for anyone....
How fortunate we are in the United States! Let us work together to help with this problem so that all people may have that basic right of water and with St. Francis sing: "Most high, all-powerful, all-good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and all blessing ....All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and pure." (from the Canticle of Brother Sun)

What’s in your (wallet) heart today?!?

2010-04-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Continued GREETINGS of the EASTER Season!
Do you still have an Easter Alleluia ringing in your heart? It is hard to believe that we are now in the fourth week of Easter... we are still in the Easter season though! Spring has really blossomed in the Portland area and it is wonderful to see all the signs of new life that abound .... signs of Resurrection indeed! In St. Francis' words ..."Most high, all-powerful, all-good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and all blessing..."
God gives us so many signs of love and presence .... This past Saturday I was given two opportunities to pause and reflect on God's presence in my life, and in the beautiful world around me/us. The first "pause" was during a prayer/faith sharing time at a Community meeting I was at. Then, later in the day, the opportunity arose at the Saturday evening vigil Mass that I attended when we took a few moments after the homily to share with the person next to us. It was good and is good to take time like that now and then ... to become aware of the divine presence within and without!

In trying to learn a little more of the capabilities of this blog spot so I can share some links and videos that I find, I am experimenting. I've added a video to this blog! My niece sent me some "how to" directions last week, and a young friend helped me today, so I have inserted a You Tube video I think you might enjoy.As we continue to celebrate the Easter Season remember "Jesus lives, Alleluia"!

I hoped you liked it!? Recently I came across a saying I wrote down a long time ago and so close this entry with the wise words of William Blake (1757-1827): "Everything that lives is holy, life delights in life."
Let us delight in each other and our holy world that our loving God has gifted us with...
If you still might like more spiritual type thoughts for your day, check out the blog from the Franciscan Spiritual Center-Milwaukie, OR
Until my next writing ....Peace and Blessings!

It's Easter ~ Alleluia!

2010-04-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings for a HAPPY EASTER!
Jesus is Risen ... Alleluia!

Some of you might think that Easter was a couple of days ago, but as was mentioned at the Mass I attended this morning, the Church asks us to celebrate every day this week as Sunday ... as Easter Sunday! It is such a beautiful Feast! How good it is to keep celebrating - the Resurrection that brings new life to us!
As I prepared to write this Blog entry though, I was a bit discouraged ... I was looking for a "Easter type" quote to use and wasn't finding much of anything ...Easter is our greatest feast and yet it is almost dismissed or basically reserved for just a day. One saying that I did find that I like is from a man named Carl Knudsen ~ The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window of divine surprise. And what a wonderful surprise we have in Jesus - God with us ... the Risen Christ - the end of the story was not Good Friday!
... and again in Scripture "...But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb ... Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni! (John 20) Mary recognized Jesus in his voice as he lovingly said her name .... May we also recognize Jesus' voice. Gerard M. Hopkins, SJ shared with us the words, "Let him easter in us ... be a dayspring to the dimness in us" Blessings to you during this beautiful Easter Season!...Peace and All Good ...

Continuing on in Patience ~ The Lenten Journey 2

2010-03-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Eighth Station of the Cross:
Jesus meets /comforts the women of Jerusalem ...

I can hardly believe we are in the 5th week of Lent already! It seems that I am finally into the rhythm of this blessed season and now it is almost Holy Week. I can get down on myself sometimes when I acknowledge to myself that I haven't quite lived up to my expectations of how this Lenten season should have gone for myself ... sigh! Each day is a new start though in God's eyes and so I need to try to make today better than yesterday!

At Mass this morning the first reading was from the Book of Numbers (Numbers 21:4-9). The words that really struck me were, "...with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses ..."
I travel a lot and I can thoroughly identify with this attitude - journeys can make us weary! The journey of our faith life or spiritual life is not much different. I don't know about you, but I can get pretty impatient with myself and with God sometimes in my prayer, especially when I think nothing is happening, or don't feel like it is making a difference in my life or a situation.
I guess that is why I have included a picture of one of the station of the cross - a devotion by the way, that has Franciscan roots! Jesus' journey to Calvary was not easy (which is an understatement) and yet he continued on! He has patient trust in God and in what he needs to endure. In the midst of it all, Jesus stops to give comfort to the women -He was not thinking of himself ... He tells them instead to take care of others, especially their children. I think one can only have this posture if they are deeply rooted and centered in God.

St. Francis wrote in The Rule of the Third Order Regular (TOR Rule 8):
Within themselves, let them always make a dwelling place and home for the one who is Lord God almighty, Father, and Son and Holy Spirit, so that, with undivided hearts, they may increase in universal love by continually turning to God and to neighbor (Jn 14:23).
It is the faithfulness to the journey that is important, and always striving to allow God to be God in my life ... To look to Jesus and draw my strength ... and patience from Him ! Blessings to you in these last days of Lenten journeying!

Live Life ~ A Lenten Reflection

2010-03-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

Live the Life You Love .... I say ...

Love the Life you Live and ... Live to the Fullest!

I know ... it has been a number of weeks since I last wrote. It seems I have been coming and going a lot lately and I will be traveling again in the morning to the east coast, but I thought I would share a couple of quick thoughts. A couple of weeks ago I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Live the Life You Love". I thought it was interesting, but I felt like something was missing in that saying. Yesterday when I was out for my walk, I saw the saying again ... Living the life you love is important, but in some ways it could turn selfish if we are not careful. So, I add "Love the Life You Live and Live it to the Fullest!"

Life brings a lot of ups and downs and sometimes things are not always the way we like it, but our attitude can make a lot of difference. This season of Lent is a good time to step back and to examine the life we live.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM - a popular speaker and author once said "God loves life! Why else would 90% of all life live at the depths of the oceans where no person has ever seen it! - God loves life!" I might not have the quote exactly correct (it was a long time ago when I heard that talk on tape), but I do believe Fr. Rohr has a point! Think of all the variety and diversity of living things - it is amazing!

So perhaps these are good days to step back and reflect on that gift of life and how you (we) can live the life we have to the fullest! The other day as I was going through things in my room, I found a very little book (a pocket book) called "The Wisdom of the Desert" with writings from Thomas Merton. I thought, hmmm, a good little book to keep close during Lent ... Opening to somewhere in the middle I read, "Abbot Pastor said: If you have a chest full of clothing, and leave it for a long time, the clothing will rot inside it. It is the same with the thoughts in our heart. If we do not carry them out by physical action, after a long while they will spoil and turn bad." I think that could mean positive and negative thoughts .... Something to ponder during these Lenten days.

The Language of Love

2010-02-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes! We also celebrate World Day of the Sick ... and in a couple of days Valentine's Day. It has been awhile since I last wrote and today is a good day to write for several reasons. As we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, I recall my own wonderful pilgrimage to the Shrine in Lourdes, France in the 80's with my Mom and my younger sister - it was a very special trip with many beautiful memories! Since today is also World Day of the Sick, I also want to remember and continue to pray for all the people in Haiti who are still suffering so from the earthquake. Many people in Haiti and other parts of our world need our loving God's healing care right now in their lives! May Our Lady of Lourdes intercede on their behalf. This morning I was looking though a booklet that I bought when I was at Lourdes. A line that I read as I glanced though the pages stuck out to me ...in the context of the place, the faith, the welcome to all people, the respect in silence and the kindness that is so present there I read,"This language of love is used habitually between pilgrims from all over the world. It is a language spoken without words."

Last night on CNN, Anderson Cooper was reporting from Port-Au-Prince and was telling of all the individuals who are still working so tirelessly to help the people, care for the orphans and some who are working none stop to help recover bodies under the rubble so that they may be buried with dignity - the "language of love"! (see stories @ http://www.hospicesaintjoseph.org/blog/wordpress/- this is where I stayed during my two trips to Haiti, http://crs.org/haiti/stories/ and http://www.haitichildren.com/ ) Today in the Gospel reading at Mass I heard the story of the Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) ~ Mary asking Jesus to change the water into wine - the "language of love" with her concern for the wedding party. So whether it is in Haiti, or at a wedding feast, in your neighborhood to a lost stranger, listening to an upset loved one, or a kindness to a homeless person, it is the language of love that will make the greatest difference in our world!

I want and need to pay tribute as well to the one who taught me the language of love in my life ~ my wonderful mother, Ruth, whom my family and I buried this past week. Mom died on January 26th and even at the grand age of 96 my Mom was still a person who reached out to others - always wanting to offer a visitor coffee, candy, or a cookie even when she really couldn't get up to serve it any more, who paid attention to the stories and activities of others, who loved unconditionally and had a deep faith in God. With eight children, my Mom always seemed to make things work for us kids and made many sacrifices to give us a good home and education. Mom was a nurse by training and was always watching out for the health needs of those around her, offering a compassionate hand of healing whenever it was needed! We celebrated her life on Friday, Feb.5th. There is so much I could say ... but mostly I am grateful for the gift of her in my life, and for the example of the good and loving person/mother that she was to me and so many others! Mom, you were my first Valentine and you always will be in my heart! Deo Gratias!

Holding Haiti In Prayer

2010-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

We ourselves feel that what we are doing
is just a drop in the ocean.
But the ocean would be less because of
that missing drop.
~ Mother Teresa

The above picture is of a sunset looking out towards the ocean over the city of Port-Au-Prince, the capitol city of Haiti that has just been devastated by the 7.0 earthquake. I have been very distracted the past day by this horrible event and feel such great sorrow and concern for all the people there. Haiti holds a special place in my heart ... I have been there twice on "eye glass mission trips" with some of my Franciscan Sisters.
At times like this is when I really feel a "poverty of spirit" ~ seeing so much destruction and such pain and not really being able to do anything about it- physically! A multitude of prayers sigh from my heart during this time and I guess right now, that is my "drop in the ocean" ... that is what I can offer ...and to share briefly a glimpse of the country that I know.

The Haitian people are beautiful people! These pictures were taken on one of my trips, either in 1999 or 2000. The little boy above on the left is/was an orphan finding shelter at Lafanmi Selavi. He had nothing, but had made himself a little toy car out of a plastic bottle, sticks and cans. May the spirit of this boy give hope to all of those whose lives have been so disrupted and to a country that has so little to begin with! Please join me in prayer that our loving God is especially present to all those in Haiti right now and that the people find hope despite the adversity! W. Paul Jones once said: "Hope is the simple trust that God has not forgotten the recipe for manna."

January of New Beginnings & Insights

2010-01-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings for a Happy New Year ~ 2010! Let me begin with
"A Prayer for the New Year" ...

The old year is gone with its joys and its sorrows;

Before us are stretching the New Year's tomorrows.
Forgive what was thoughtless and wrong in the past,
And grant to our virtues the power to last;

That we may go forward with gladness, not fear,

To a joyful and worthy and blessed New Year.

Last week, as I was trying to be good at the beginning of the new year with a vigorous morning walk, I discovered I had locked myself out of my house! So, the dilemma - what do I do now?!? Thank goodness for community and a dry, somewhat warmer garage to go into! As I waited an hour and a half for one of the other Sisters to come home, I opened a box of "stuff" stored in the garage that I had been meaning to go through from my Mom's house. The above prayer was one thing I found in the box along with many old pictures of my growing up years, including baby pictures that had seemed lost.

...Oh happy fault to have the chance to find these "treasures" and to spend some nostalgic time reviewing my life. God does work in strange and mysterious ways sometimes! As I begin a new year, it was gift to be able look back over my life (I even found school papers from my grade school years), to affirm who I am, where I have come from and to ponder in a new way my hopes and dreams!

I'm not one for making big New Year's Resolutions, but there are a few things I need to work on. Yesterday, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, one of the readings from our evening prayer was from the writings of St. Bonaventure taken from "The Soul's Journey into God". His words are a good reminder to me as I strive to journey into this new year. I pass Bonaventure's words on to you ....

"We cannot rise above ourselves unless a higher power lift us up. No matter how much our interior progress is ordered, nothing will come of it unless accompanied by divine aid. Divine aid is available to those who seek it from their hearts, humbly and devoutly; and this means to sigh for it through fervent prayer ..."

Christmas ~ X Marks the Spot ...

2009-12-31T23:27:00.001-08:00

CHRISTMAS ... An every day celebration of the Heart!

Some of you might think I am a little late for Christmas with this post ... and you might be right if you are thinking of Christmas day. However, I am a firm believer in the 12 days of Christmas. We are at the last day of December ... and at the 6th or 7th day of Christmas. How good it is to continue to celebrate!

Many years ago on a bus ride home for Christmas when I was in college, I saw a painted sign in a store front window that read. "X marks the spot where Christ is taken out of Christmas! " I have never forgotten that ...

We must not let that happen ... Let us celebrate Jesus, Emmanual, God-with-Us ... a baby born in a humble stable and the God who came to share humanity with us.

May the blessings of Christmas fill your heart with the gifts of peace and love! ... and may we in turn bless others as we journey into a new year!

The Hope of Advent Waiting

2009-12-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

HOPE comes in little ways,
it only takes one shining star, one faithful friend, one wisp of inspiration,
one touch of creation's beauty, one deep sip of love,
to keep the illumination alive in us.
~ Sr. Joyce Rupp

So many times over the past few days the theme of HOPE has jumped out at me! I stumbled upon Sr. Joyce Rupp's wonderful quote a week or so ago and just loved it ... Then hope came to me during my Saturday morning walk through "one touch of creation's beauty" as shown in the picture above of the frost covered holly branch. Over the past few days I keep bumping into the word ... on a car bumper sticker, during the homily at Mass yesterday, in the lines of the psalm that I prayed during morning prayer, in several reflection prayer books I have and even on an ad on my e-mail page .... Hope is the word of the week for me! I do believe that this is what Advent and the beautiful season of Christmas is all about!

As I went for my walk this past Saturday morning it was very cold, a bit of fog was hanging and everything was frosted over ~ it was really quite beautiful. At first I couldn't get that Christmas song "... frosted window panes ..." out of my my head. However, as the sun started to peak through, the frost on the trees and bushes started to melt. My Christmas carol turned into a mediation....

Here we are in a very dark time of the year. For me, certain things in life have been on the bleak side. Three significant people in my life died within 6 weeks of each other a few months ago, and a short time later a friendly neighbor died. I've also been dealing with some health issues and the concern of an ailing Mom. All those things can start to drag a person down ~ or at least stress me out a bit. Seeing the beauty of the frosted holly branch touched me with refreshment and I felt a sense of hope. As the sunshine began to hit each branch, the frost disappeared and water droplets were left glimmering in the sun. That is what the light of Jesus, our Sonshine, does to our sometimes cold and frosty hearts. God's love can melt away so much if we can just bask in the warmth for awhile. Advent gives us that time ... time to be still, to ponder the mystery of the Incarnation and the wonderful gift of Jesus to us ~ Emmanuel ~ one with us! Let us light that third candle of Advent with joyful expectation and hope!

As Sr. Joan Chittister says so well, "Hope sends us dancing around the dark corners trusting in a common tomorrow we cannot see."
What brings you HOPE? How and when does hope find a way into your heart and mind? ... Please share ....
May the God of hope fill you with all joy, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13

...Advent Advantages...

2009-12-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

O Radiant Dawn,
Splendor of Eternal Light,

Sun of Justice:

Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness ...

It is that beautiful season of Advent already! Although this season came all too quickly for me, I am happy for this time of the year. Yesterday I spent a little time in my office trading out items from the Fall and Thanksgiving seasons and putting out reminders of Advent for myself. The lovely card in the picture above is one of those items. It is a piece of artwork done by Sr. Mary Southard, CSJ entitled "Madona of the World", and the quote next to the picture are the words that grace the card. This Advent Season gives us a time of preparation for Christmas, not in the consumer sense, but in the spiritual sense!

Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas .... and that is the advantage of these four weeks in our Church! Hopefully we all can STOP briefly each day, take a little time, pull ourselves aside from all the busy shopping and decorating of the season, and ponder the gift of Jesus that was born as one of us!

Perhaps these words from St. Francis of Assisi will give you something to think about as we begin this Advent time ... Francis used to tell his brothers: "As you announce peace with your mouth, may you keep it in your heart, thus no one will be provoked to anger or scandal, but rather to kindness and gentleness. For we have been called to this: to cure the wounded, to bind up the broken, and to recall the erring."

As our Gospel reading this weekend says, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Wishing you many blessings as we journey through this Advent Season!
Oh, I almost forgot ...The United States Catholic Bishops have a great site with an advent calendar. Check it out at www.usccb.org/advent/. There is a door for everyday of Advent that opens up when you click on it and gives some Advent thoughts. Does anyone else have a good Advent preparation tip to share?

It is Good to Give Thanks and Praise

2009-11-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

.... No, I really wasn't at the beach today, but it is a good Fall picture
for the end of my day ....

Ahh ... I come to the end of this Thanksgiving Day ~ it was a good day!
Although everyday should include thoughts of thanksgiving, how good it is to have a special day to remember our abundance and to give thanks! As a Catholic, I feel so blessed that I was able to begin this Thanksgiving holiday by attending Mass this morning! I am grateful that all the parishes I know always have a special Thanksgiving Liturgy ... I share with you the opening prayer from Mass this Thanksgiving Day.

"Father all-powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite. On Thanksgiving Day we come before you with gratitude for your kindness: open our hearts to concern for our
fellow men and women, so that we may share your gifts in loving service. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen"

Later on after church, breakfast, and a quick walk in the rain for me, my local community of four sisters busied ourselves preparing a feast of turkey and all the trimmings. We had another sister over to join us and had a most enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner! During our community prayer after dinner we had time to share and pray in thanksgiving for an "abundance" that has blessed our life.
So, as you think of this harvest time and of Thanksgiving, for what abundance are you most grateful?

For all that we have ... For all that we have had ... For all that we will have ...
We thank you, bountiful God.

On the Road ~ Reflections on Community pt 2

2009-11-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

It is high time I catch up with part 2 of my reflections on community!
How did November descend upon me so quickly? In any case, today
(Nov. 9th) is a good day to add to this because we are celebrating the
Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran - the wonderful Basilica in Rome that is considered the "Pope's Church". According to a writing on www.AmericanCatholic.org this church, St. John Lateran is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church ... It is also very important to Franciscans! A few years back I had the opportunity to visit this holy place in Rome while I was on a Franciscan Pilgrimage to Assisi and to soak in the beauty and the history that is a part of the basilica.
Fr. Roch Niemer, O.F.M. who was my pilgrimage leader writes in his book,
In the Footsteps of Francis and Clare,
"... In 1209 Francis and his first companions came to Rome to have their way of life, their dream approved. Innocent III gave verbal approval to the brothers, tonsured them and commissioned them to preach penance. This fact is so vital because if Francis had not come to Pope Innocent III there would be no Franciscan family today. For this reason St. John Lateran is also called the baptistery of the Franciscan movement, the place where the Franciscan family was born ..." And many years later in 1855 my own Community - followers of Francis - began. The picture of the stained glass was not taken in Rome, but in the Chapel of my Motherhouse where my community has so often gathered in the Franciscan tradition to pray, to share Eucharist, to celebrate, to bring the needs of our world before our good and gracious God!

Now, those thoughts are not exactly what I was going to write about, but I couldn't let the feast slip by without some comments. I also want to share with you a few reflections that came to me a couple of weeks ago. I was able to travel to the Oregon coast for a few days with two other Sisters in Community - actually the other two-thirds of the Formation team that came out from the east coast for meetings and some planning time. Believe it or not, we really were working hard during those days! In community, like in a family, it is important to go away once in awhile, to have a change of pace & spend time together ... sometimes, when there are important things to discuss, a lovely setting and salt air helps the brain to be more productive.
The first evening we were at the beach we had a beautiful sunset! Rain was predicted for the our whole time, but God is good and provided us with some sunshine. We were able to take a quick walk on the beach before the rain came in. I was taken with the seagulls. They were clustered together on the beach, pretty much all facing in the same direction~somewhat protecting one another from the impending storm. St. Francis use to preach to the birds, but this particular evening the birds were preaching to me! They spoke to me of community. Each gull was unique, but similar. They were together as a group. I have come together with others who share similar values as me and desire to work within the Church to make a difference in the world. We are all unique yet we draw strength from each other. When difficulties come we rally around one another with care and support.When I came home I found quote that I wrote down a long time ago. It was buried in a bunch of other papers. It is a good reminder for me as I share life with others .... and to all of us as we strive to build up community wherever we are.

"So, it's the sameness that brings us closer, but it's the newness that will keep us together. Be wise, be stimulating, be exciting, share new ideas, grow, develop. Don't ever be predictable!"

On the Road ~ Reflections on Community pt 1

2009-10-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been busy ones for me - I've "been on the road" a fair amount traveling north and south on I-5...as well as a few other roads. As I traveled to and from Tacoma, WA one day last week I was very aware of the weather because it was a blustery autumn day... fairly rainy, but with the sun was ducking in and out revealing rainbows at different points. The wind was blowing leaves around and as I journeyed along I saw a few flocks of geese in the sky flying south in V formation. It reminded me of a handout I got years ago called "A Lesson From The Geese" which is comprised of 5 lessons learned from observations of geese. I'm not exactly sure who wrote it and need to investigate that. It is quite profound and started me thinking about community.

The first observation and lesson is: As each bird flaps its wings, by flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% flying range than if each bird flew alone. Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Like the leaves that were blowing about me over the freeway and the beautiful ones with multiple colors still on the trees along the road, members in a "community" are diverse with many different individuals and yet we share a common direction. I am often reminded of that in my religious community of Sisters. We certainly are each unique, but we share our many different gifts and talents to enhance the group as a whole, to help each other along the way, and to make the world a better place. Together we can do something beautiful for God that I/we might not be able to do individually!

I leave you with a quote from Mark Morrison-Reed:
~ The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen. Together, our vision widens and strength is renewed. ~
So, whether in a religious community or a faith community may we unite (fly) together to bring about the Kingdom of God!

...October Opulence...

2009-10-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

"The course of Nature is the art of God."
~ Edward Young

Here we are, into the second weekend of October already! So far we have been having a beautiful October. The colors of the trees have been very pretty and the days are having a crisp feel to them. The autumn season is definitely upon us and the harvest days of October are here!

October brings another abundance to us as well ... The other day as I came to the end of the evening office of prayers in my local community, I was looking through the back of my prayer book at the Feast days of this month. I already noted that we celebrated St. Francis Day on the 4th, but for some reason I was also more aware of other feast days during this month. What a rich month of celebrating holy men and women as well as a few other feasts!

October ...
1: St. Therese of Lisieux - the little flower
2: Feast of The Guardian Angels

4: St. Francis of Assisi

7: Our Lady of the Rosary

11: Pope John XXIII ~ St. John XXIII
15: Teresa of Avila
17: Ignatius of Antioch
18: St. Luke
23: St. John of Capistrono
28: Sts. Simon and Jude
Of course there are others too ... I bet you might be able to name a few I forgot ... The point is though, October has an abundance of beautiful feast days to celebrate! What a rich heritage we have as Catholics ... and so many models of faith!

One that I would like to highlight briefly since we are on the eve of his feast day and I personally think he was a very good and holy man is Pope John XXIII. A new realization I had recently is that he was a Secular Franciscan making his profession at age 16. He was truly a man of faith and vision, with a quick wit and a strong sense of care and relationship for all people. As I come to the end of this writing I want to close with words from "good Pope John" :
"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

The learn more about Pope John XXIII, convener of the Second Vatican Council go to ...
www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000903_john-xxiii_en.html
Also, a book that I am interested in reading, one that Archbishop John Vlazny of Portland, OR suggested as "book worthy of your attention" is Journal of the Soul - the diary of the late Pope's spiritual reflections. I bet it has some gems for reflection! Peace and All Good!

Let's Celebrate!

2009-10-04T10:37:00.001-07:00

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi!

It is a grand day to celebrate ... to celebrate the saint, to celebrate the Franciscan Spirit in our world today after 800 years, and to celebrate
the gifts and legacy that Francis left us to follow Jesus more closely
and to walk gently on our earth as brothers and sisters!

As I celebrate this feast day I am able to recall some wonderful memories of being able to make a pilgrimage to Assisi several years ago. What a wonderful experience that was to spend time in many of the holy places where St. Francis walked and prayed! If you ever have a chance to go to Italy, be sure to add a visit to Assisi - preferably for more than a day! There is so much to soak in there ... a beautiful spirit that will bless your life immensely!

So, today, with Franciscan men and women throughout the world, I celebrate! I must get busy now though, because company will be arriving shortly. There will be seven of us here for a nice St. Francis Day dinner ~ a time to be together as community, share a meal, visit with each other and pray. It should be a most enjoyable evening.

As I close off on this entry though I leave you with a "Franciscan thought" ... There is a little book - Francis: The Journey and the The Dream - that Murray Bodo, OFM wrote many years ago that has really become a classic. It is a wonderful, poetic book that is a good introduction to the life of St. Francis. As I read it many years ago I was touched by many things, but a couple of the lines that Fr. Bodo wrote that have really stuck with me over the years are:
"... Francis wanted more than anything else to leave behind in all men and women an attitude of celebration. Union with God and with every person and with every thing was love and love brought joy, not gloom ..."
So, let's celebrate .... celebrate this day and all the wonderful gifts of our God!
Pace E Bene! Peace and All Good!

It's a Wide, Wide World Out There!

2009-09-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a five and a half day "road trip", mostly for my vocation ministry with meetings and connecting with some of my Franciscan Sisters, but also with a side trip to Southern Oregon to visit with my 96 year old mother. I traveled many miles during those days across LOTS of open space from the west side of Oregon, to eastern Washington, on to eastern Oregon, and down through central Oregon before getting back to Portland. I saw a variety of scenary as I traveled along - all beautiful in it's unique way ...

I was alone, but not lonely. Traveling often becomes a prayerful, solitude time for me as I soak in the beauty of the surroundings and contemplate God's presence in the world! It's a great thinking time as well. I sometimes travel for miles without the radio on or music, but since this trip was so long I was also listening to a "book on tape" (it was really a CD) ~ "The Restless Heart" by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser. A quote that Fr. Rolheiser made reference to was from St. Augustine, "...You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you ..." I think that is why I really do not feel lonely or restless when I am driving down the road ~ when I see the vastness of our world and the beauty of nature and creation around me, I feel close to God!

Like St. Francis I say:
"Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name ... Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs... Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility."

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view...

2009-09-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days I was involved in the annual regional meeting for Region 12 of the National Religious Vocation Conference. There were about 15 Sisters present from various congregations and 2 Religious Brothers ~ a Holy Cross Brother and Maryknoll Missionary Brother. We got together to support one another, share ideas, pray together and discuss ways that we might collaborate with each other in our ministries. It was a great couple of days! We were able to enjoy part of a day during our time enjoying God's creation in the beauty of The Columbia River Gorge.

At our closing prayer this afternoon we prayed with some words of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The spirit does move in amazing ways as I thought back to the scenes we saw in the gorge the day before and connected those images to our prayer which had been planned days before.

Archbishop Romero wrote in a piece that was entitled ..."We Are Prophets of a Future Not Our Own"...
"It helps now and then to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do somethig and to do it very well ..."
So in this brief writing I leave you with these thoughts!
Peace and Blessings!

Many Hands Make Light Work!

2009-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

The weekend quickly disappeared as they often do! It was a full and busy one for me, but good ....

Saturday was moving day for several of our Sisters who were moving from one house to another. Although I arrived after the packing up of the one house, I was there for some of the unpacking in the new house. It's amazing how quickly a move can happen when there are many helpers. Several other sisters from the Portland area were around to help, as well as some friends and a number of our Franciscan Companions (Associates of the Community) who live in the area.
I think that the three sisters that moved will be quite happy in their new abode. Because many parishes have either sold their convents or are using them now for parish offices, it sometimes can be hard for local communities to find a suitable place to live. Many of our sisters do need to rent apartments or houses to live in. This has been the case for quite a few yeas now, especially on the west coast. I live in a rented house with three other sisters on a fairly quiet street. Over the years as I go out for my walks though, I have discovered that I have developed a little "neighborhood ministry" with several of the folks that live up and down on my street. We have nice conversations and they are often asking for prayers .... and in a very unchurched area of the country, that is really something - God works in many ways!
Peace and Blessings! Sr. Patrica

Beauty All Around Us

2009-09-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

"Justice is the restoration of beauty to all that is broken." ~ St. Bonaventure

Lately we have been having some gorgeous days in the Portland area! I love these days of blue sky and sunshine with a tinge of autumn in the air ... A couple of weeks ago I was able to enjoy some days away for my annual retreat. How wonderful it was to get away and have time to soak in a great deal of "beauty" that is in our world! The Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lafayette, Oregon provided a perfect setting - check out the photo!
With that image before me I am reminded of the quote from St. Bonaventure that I have included in this posting. If we all were more aware of the beauty that is within us first, see the beauty in each individual person we meet, and reverence the beauty of creation that is all around us, I suspect we would have a very different world ....a more just and peaceful world in which to live in.

Take a little quiet time today and reflect on your life and the world you move in. May
each one of us strive to restore beauty to that which is broken!

It is a Fine Day to Begin a Blog!

2009-09-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." — St. Francis of Assisi

As I begin this Blog all of a sudden at am at a loss as to what to write first ... I had all these great thoughts in my head this morning, but what first?!? So, I guess the best way to begin is to start with a brief introduction of myself.

My name is Sr. Patricia Novak and I work in Vocation Ministry for my Franciscan Community, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. I am not from Philadelphia, I'm from Klamath Falls, Oregon, but that is where my Congregation began in 1855 and where our Motherhouse still is.
Our history in the "west" began within thirty years of our founding, in 1885, when Sisters were asked to come out to Eastern Oregon to minister to the people. Quickly the Community was involved in education and health care and we started spreading out from Baker City to other parts of this vast area of the country. We still serve our brothers and sisters on the west coast ministering in a variety of ways in Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, Wyoming, Hawaii as well as the east coast.
Anyway ... I am from Oregon, I graduated from Gonzaga University way back when, and have been a Franciscan Sister for nearly 30 years, teaching 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade for many of those years, but also having the chance to serve the poor for brief periods in Wyoming, Appalachia and Haiti.

As I begin with this initial writing I am aware of several things that mark the beginning of September:
1.) For over 21 years I was a teacher in Elementary School, so I note the beginning of a new school year with all the energy and excitement (and moans & groans sometimes too) that a new school year brings. What a wonderful time though - to start out fresh in a new year of learning and growth!
2.) Yesterday, September 10th marked the 31st anniversary of my entrance day into the Sisters of St. Francis. That was an exciting day for me for sure! I had made a huge vocation decision as a twenty something young adult and there I was, arriving at the convent, open to where ever God was leading me ... there is something very freeing about making a decision/choice and following through on it. God is good
3.) And then today is September 11th, a day we remember with great sadness in the history of our country. For me it is a day to stop, reflect on my life and freedoms, and to pray ... pray for our country, pray for all those who lost their lives on 9-11, for all those who still mourn the loss of those they loved, and pray for peace in our world.

St. Francis is often attributed with the words, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace". May we all strive to have peace in our hearts, peace on our lips and peace in our homes!
Pace E Bene! Peace and All Good, Sr. Patricia