Merry "Tweleve Days of " Christmas!

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!

Saints and Searchers!

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!

Peace ... Let it grow!

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!

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!

...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 ...

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

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!

Reflections From the Hermitage

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

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

"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)

It's Easter ~ Alleluia!

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 ...

The Language of Love

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!