Earthly Beauty and Inner Grace

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. This is a beautiful day. After a nice 1/3rd inch of gentle rain last night, today is sunny and bright and will very nice for the GREEN FAIR FOLK FESTIVAL this evening from 4 to 8 p.m. I am looking forward to one of my jobs which will be to give tours of the St. Francis campus on a horse drawn wagon with a roof on it. Jeff and Sue Burg of Horse Power Acres in Holdingford are bringing their team and wagon to be part of the Green Fair. There will be music throughout the event: Sestri Singers, a fiddle contest, the Rick Family performing Gospel and bluegrass music and four or five URock bands. There will be about 50 vendors. It will be a great event. We are grateful to God for giving us such a wonderful day.

 

On July 31st we had a short Memorial Service Sue Roelandt, a volunteer who in her final years gave service to our aging community members at the Motherhouse. Sue died last winter because of cancer. About 50 friends and neighbors came for the service and goodies afterwards. At the service, Sue’s family gave us a lovely little bench that was in Sue’s garden and now is near Sr. Deb’s Garden. Both of these women left a heritage worth celebrating—of both earthly beauty and inner grace.

Yesterday we had the Franciscan Sisters State Fair. Sisters and employees shared their fair related items. The long tables showed-off vegetables, fruits, crafts, flowers, sewing and stitchery items and hobbies. Corn Dogs and ice cream bars were part of the menu for the noon lunch.

Last Saturday was Paint-A-Thon Day in Little Falls. Eight or nine homes were painted by about a 200 volunteers. The weather was great for painting—low humidity, cool temperatures and a little wind to keep the bugs away. We took caramel and cinnamon rolls, made by our convent bakers, to the paint sites. By the times the goodies arrived the painters, who had been working a couple hours were ready for a snack. Thank you, volunteers.
 
Last weekend was the Eltgroth Family Camp-Out which this year was held at Lindbergh State Park, right here in Little Falls. It was a great weekend. Saturday afternoon a big group of Eltgroths came to St. Francis Center for swimming. After a couple hours in the water we had many tired but very happy swimmers. They were very hungry for the pot-luck meal that followed at 6 p.m. Pictured are my brothers and sisters…and some swimmers.

 

The big event for me this coming weekend is the celebration of my 60th Jubilee. Saturday is the celebration with the Sisters and Sunday with family and friends. I am getting excited. I praise and thank God for the gift of family & friends, the gift of my vocation to the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, for the nearly fifty years of ministry in the Catholic Schools of the Dioceses of St. Cloud and St. Paul, for the Sisters, Priests, students and parents I’ve had the privilege to work with these many years. May God bless and continue to care for all of them.

 

God bless you,
Sister Mary Lou.