October 13, 2009

I was in a state of denial! I did not want to believe the weather forecasters when on Friday night they said we’d have snow Saturday morning when we got up. Then I looked out the door!!! October 10th is too early for the snow season to start! Now, today, the snow is mostly melted. Farmers need some more time to get the beans and corn harvested. I am waiting for Indian Summer—several weeks of it would be really nice in my estimation.

Saturday afternoon we had a most marvelous concert in Sacred Heart Chapel. The Woodbury Chorus and Orchestra (WCO) were on their way to Brainerd to do a Church Service and Concert in Brainerd, MN on Sunday. They asked if they could stop and do a concert here at the Motherhouse on their way to Brainerd. What a blessing they are! It has been six or seven years since they last performed here. They are about 40 singers and 20 in the orchestra and they make beautiful music. The Director, Gerrit Willem Lamain, born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, gave a little story or history of each of the pieces they did. I like that. They are a non-profit organization and take up a collection at each site where they perform and all the proceeds go to the local food-shelf. In the past 18 concert seasons WCO has helped raise more than $265,000 --enough to provide 1.4 million meals. In the past 13 years they have performed in 75 different sites in MN and WI and have had 7 European tours. Through the generosity of the Woodbury Chorus and Orchestra, our Morrison County Food Shelf received $691.00 in cash and two large bags of groceries. You can read more about them at their Web site: www.w-c-o.org.


St. Andrew’s Parish, in Elk River, MN, had a celebration to honor Sister Carmen Barsody for her 25 years as a Franciscan Sister and to honor and celebrate the 70 years that the Franciscan Sisters served in that parish. Our service there started as a Catechetical Mission in 1939 and then after 13 years a Catholic School was built. Sisters Giles and Marcelline left there in 2008. And now Sister Karen Niedzielski is the only Franciscan Sister teaching at the school. As I looked at the display board, I counted six of our Sisters who came from that parish. Six Sisters were on staff when the school opened in 1951. In 1966 there were 13 Sisters there.

On Sunday, at the Motherhouse, there was also a celebration. It was Associate Commitment Day. Three new associates made their commitment. Also 54 Associates celebrated 20, 15, 10 and 5-year anniversaries. God bless all these Associates who live Franciscan values in their daily lives.

On Sunday, I was in Waseca for Profession for six new Secular Franciscans into the John Paul II Forming Fraternity. Profession took place after the Gospel at the 10 a.m. Sunday Liturgy. One additional nice surprise for me/us was that my cousin Jane, who lives in nearby Janesville, MN, was in attendance at that Mass.

Peace and all good.
Sister Mary Lou

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