Posts
October 14, 2008
How beautiful the colored leaves are…and they seem to be falling like rain carpeting the earth with their crunchiness. It is interesting to me that some trees are barren while some are half clothed and others keep their leaves hanging on tight.
Last weekend was busy. On Saturday I attended the SFO Regional Fall Gathering at St. Patrick’s Church in Inver Grove Heights. Our Speaker was Dr. Catherine Cory, an instructor at St. Thomas College. Her topic was, “Paul for Today.” This is the year of St. Paul, so I’ve heard a few talks on St. Paul, his life and his works. Each one is interesting and gives me new information about St. Paul. Paul’s writings in the New Testament are arranged from longest to shortest and not in chronological order. Dr. Cory showed us some classic pictures of Paul. The similarities are that he was short, bald and had a beard. Paul’s conversion experience transformed him into a man zealous for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sunday’s big event was Associate Day. New Associate, Kathy Brusso made her commitment as a Franciscan Associate. Sister Gloria Haider is her Sister companion. All other Associates present made a renewal of their commitment. After the Liturgy, we shared in a great dinner. It was a good day. Associate Maxine Strege shared her Franciscan journey via a power point presentation.
Also, Sunday afternoon, the Heartland Symphony Orchestra had a concert at Charles D. Martin Auditorium. It was called “A Dark and Stormy Concert”, since it is nearing Halloween. My favorite pieces were Hector Berlioz’s March to the Scaffold and the Thunder and Lightening Polka by Johann Strauss, Jr. The next two concerts are December 14, 2008 and April 5th, 2009.
Yesterday, Columbus Day, with no mail delivery, the Housekeeping staff was busy scrubbing carpets and floors and other cleaning tasks in the mailroom. God bless them for their work in keeping our home clean and in good repair.
This morning Sister Moe was very busy making grape jam. There are 12 jars cooling on the counter in the second kitchen. It was fun hearing the lids pop as the jars sealed. I haven’t heard that sound for some time.
Thursday morning there will be a farewell reception for our Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters Alice and Beatrice, who will be returning to their convent in Africa after living and working with us here in Little Falls the past two years. We thank them for being here. We will miss them both at the Motherhouse.
I am looking forward to my trip on Friday to the Minnesota History Center to see the display of Treasures From the Vatican. There will be over 200 extraordinary objects of history from the Vatican and Vatican museums. This is our chance to see items rarely displayed to the public. The exhibition comprises one of the largest Vatican collections ever to tour North America.
On October 9th, in San Rafael, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, there was a ceremony of Reception for Maria Isabel Berrones Morales. This means we have another candidate who wishes to become a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. Congratulations and welcome, Isabel.
Enjoy fall and may the farmers get their crops harvested without accidents or rain delays!
Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou
10/14/08
10/9/08
October 9, 2008
What a glorious day…bright sunshine, temps in the upper 60s, a nice wind and 2 inches of rain the past couple days. Thank you, God.
Last Friday night, the evening of the day before the Feast of St. Francis, we had the Transitus, the commemoration of the death of St. Francis. It was good to have so many Sisters, Associates and Secular Franciscans join us. It is a very prayerful and meaningful prayer service. Then on Saturday was the Feast of St. Francis. We started the day with Morning Prayer followed by brunch. The 11 a.m. Mass and Homily focused on St. Francis…and of course wonderful music all the way through.
Saturday afternoon I went along with Sisters Mary Ann and Annella to Browns Valley for the Profession of three new Secular Franciscans. (Browns Valley is a long way from Little Falls!) Again, it is the people there that make the event special. I re-met Tom who was working at Morris when I was teaching there—a long time ago. Tom expects to be ordained next May. God bless him in his studies.
Sunday afternoon a friend and I went to West Union, MN for their Sausage Supper and then continued on to our cottage on Ottertail Lake. My brother said they served over 1,700 hungry folks at the Supper. That’s a lot for a little, rural parish.
We had rain Sunday and Monday and that was OK. I forgot the cribbage board. I had it on my list but didn’t check the list before I left home—well, so much for a list! But with no cribbage board, we played many games of Farkel instead. And I will send a cribbage board to the cottage the next time someone goes that direction.
The trip back to Little Falls on Tuesday was beautiful. Seeing all the gold, red, yellow and greet trees and grasses was beautiful. Times like that make me very grateful for the gift of sight. And then the memory of the beauty continues to live on.
God and the angels sure were taking care of me. I took the car out to get two new front tires put on before the winter snows. After he got the tires on he came and stood in front of me and said, “You have a BIG problem.” I don’t understand “struts” and I do know what a “spring” is. Anyway, he told me that the front, driver’s side strut was broken—hanging down, and that I should not have been able to drive the car and should have heard a lot of noise if/when I made turns, and the tire should have been torn to pieces. Nothing like that at all! However long the strut was broken, or how it broke, I have no idea. The car stayed at the garage and he brought me home. Like I said, God and the Angels were taking good care of me. Thank you, God and Angels.
Saturday we have the Fall Gathering of Secular Franciscans, hosted by the St. Thomas More Fraternity in Inver Grove Heights. On Sunday we have Associate Commitment Day at the Motherhouse. One new person will be making her commitment and all other Associates present will be renewing their commitment. Always something going on.
Let us all pray for honest and trustworthy political candidates and that God guide our decisions as to how to vote.
Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou
What a glorious day…bright sunshine, temps in the upper 60s, a nice wind and 2 inches of rain the past couple days. Thank you, God.
Last Friday night, the evening of the day before the Feast of St. Francis, we had the Transitus, the commemoration of the death of St. Francis. It was good to have so many Sisters, Associates and Secular Franciscans join us. It is a very prayerful and meaningful prayer service. Then on Saturday was the Feast of St. Francis. We started the day with Morning Prayer followed by brunch. The 11 a.m. Mass and Homily focused on St. Francis…and of course wonderful music all the way through.
Saturday afternoon I went along with Sisters Mary Ann and Annella to Browns Valley for the Profession of three new Secular Franciscans. (Browns Valley is a long way from Little Falls!) Again, it is the people there that make the event special. I re-met Tom who was working at Morris when I was teaching there—a long time ago. Tom expects to be ordained next May. God bless him in his studies.
Sunday afternoon a friend and I went to West Union, MN for their Sausage Supper and then continued on to our cottage on Ottertail Lake. My brother said they served over 1,700 hungry folks at the Supper. That’s a lot for a little, rural parish.
We had rain Sunday and Monday and that was OK. I forgot the cribbage board. I had it on my list but didn’t check the list before I left home—well, so much for a list! But with no cribbage board, we played many games of Farkel instead. And I will send a cribbage board to the cottage the next time someone goes that direction.
The trip back to Little Falls on Tuesday was beautiful. Seeing all the gold, red, yellow and greet trees and grasses was beautiful. Times like that make me very grateful for the gift of sight. And then the memory of the beauty continues to live on.
God and the angels sure were taking care of me. I took the car out to get two new front tires put on before the winter snows. After he got the tires on he came and stood in front of me and said, “You have a BIG problem.” I don’t understand “struts” and I do know what a “spring” is. Anyway, he told me that the front, driver’s side strut was broken—hanging down, and that I should not have been able to drive the car and should have heard a lot of noise if/when I made turns, and the tire should have been torn to pieces. Nothing like that at all! However long the strut was broken, or how it broke, I have no idea. The car stayed at the garage and he brought me home. Like I said, God and the Angels were taking good care of me. Thank you, God and Angels.
Saturday we have the Fall Gathering of Secular Franciscans, hosted by the St. Thomas More Fraternity in Inver Grove Heights. On Sunday we have Associate Commitment Day at the Motherhouse. One new person will be making her commitment and all other Associates present will be renewing their commitment. Always something going on.
Let us all pray for honest and trustworthy political candidates and that God guide our decisions as to how to vote.
Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou
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