December 3, 2008

Welcome to the first week of Advent. I am happy to see Advent Wreaths here and there around campus. It is such a wonderful symbol of waiting for the coming of Our Savior.

Sometimes a day doesn’t go the way one expects it to go. My intention was to write this Monday morning after I got my date pinwheel cookies mixed up. I got half through mixing the cookie dough and got the call asking me to go to Perham to pick up Sister Sylvia to bring her to Little Falls as it seemed that her sister, Sister Susan, was soon to go to heaven. Three hours later I was back here in Little Falls. {Sister Susan is still with us. She is my classmate in Community—the class of ’53.} Anyway, I got the pinwheel cookies put together Monday night. (The recipe is one that Mom got in 1935 from our neighbor on the farm.) The recipe says “to put the rolled up dough in the icebox overnight.” Since we don’t have an icebox anymore, I decided to put the cookie rolls in the trunk of my car until the next day when I’d take it to the Motherhouse to bake as part of the cookie making/baking project Terry had organized. The cookies are now baked and there are lots of containers of goodies ready for the Christmas holidays.

Sunday night, November 30th, the St. Francis Community Chorale put on a wonderful concert, “Oh, What a Wonderful Child.” Our St. Francis Chapel was full of listeners who appreciated the beautiful Advent and Christmas songs. Barb Stumpf is a great director who really knows how to get the music out of the singers.

This same group will sing again this Friday night when they join Celo V”ec and the sfz String Orchestra and the Beginning String Orchestra in the performance of Hallelujah from Handel’s Messiah. As always, I expect the Chapel to be filled to capacity for the Christmas Concert by the String Orchestras…and the Community Chorale.

Saturday is the Feast of St. Nicholas. He always comes with treats to us at the Convent. I hope he brings treats to you, too. I will never forget the great times we had when I was teaching and St. Nicholas came to visit the classrooms. For those who were not good, they got a stick or a lump of coal.

Saturday we have our Advent Reflection Day. Our speaker for this retreat day is Sister Joann Haney, OSF. I think she is a Rochester Franciscan Sister. I am looking forward to a day of quiet prayer and reflection after all the business of this first week of December…and things will only get busier s the weeks to Christmas fly by.

Next Monday, December 8th, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For us Little Falls Franciscan Sisters, this is our patronal feast. And then a few days later, on December 12th we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron of the Americas.

Take some time to be aware of Who we celebrate at Christmas. And keep in mind and prayer those who will have a tough time in this time of our bad economy.

Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou