July 27, 2010: Green Fair Folk Festival

Lord, protect us from damaging storms. Most of us appreciate the rain, but not farmers who have cut hay or grain waiting to be harvested. As I write this about 9 a.m., about an hour ago a very heavy rain went through our area…abut an inch and a half in my rain gauge. The weather prophets say it will happen again a couple more times today. My thoughts are for the safety of the 900 TRAM bicyclists who left Little Falls this morning. TRAM means The Ride Across Minnesota, and is a six-day cycling event that raises money for the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. Thank you, riders, for your efforts. We pray for your safety.

The retreat ended Saturday noon. It was good having so many of our Sisters home for the week. They are all back to their work and our Chapel and the Dining Room are less full.

Yesterday was the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. May God bless all Grandparents, living and deceased. Especially, I pray for grandparents who care full-time for their grandchildren. May God give them the strength and energy they need.

Saturday, July 31st, is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. We used to celebrate this as our Foundress Day to honor Mother Ignatius Hayes, who is responsible for getting Sisters to Belle Prairie, MN. Now we celebrate March 1st as Foundresses Day—the day when our first 16 Sisters became the first Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN. For many of us, the 31st is the day we entered the Novitiate.

Sunday is Prayer Sunday. On the first Sunday of each month, we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from after morning Mass until 4:15 prayer time. Come join us if you are in the area. Each of us can think of plenty of things that need praying over!

Next Wednesday, August 4th, we have the 4th Green Fair Folk Festival from 4 to 8 p.m. It takes place on the west lawn of St. Francis Convent. There are activities for every age group. Lots of things for children to do while their parents see the wares of the 40+ vendors. One of the new events this year is the Teddy Bear Clinic. Thanks to Lost Lake Design, injured stuffed animals will be repaired on the spot. If more intensive repairs are required, the toys will be taken to the shop and the owners can pick them up at a later date. All work performed on the day of the Fair is free of charge. “It is an opportunity to encourage the next generation to repair, repurpose and reuse everyday objects,” said Stacy Ziegler, owner of Lost Lake Design.

This evening only, SW Recycling is offering reduced rates to recycle electronics. Bring your old VCR’s, DVD players, copiers, TV’s laptops, CPU’s fax machines and printers instead of having it sit in your garage or go to the landfill. These items, can be repurposed and reused instead of harming our planet.

For entertainment, there will be live music, a style show, a fiddle festival, Club Ramon will play in the afternoon along with the Women’s Slavic Choir. The grand finale will be with the URock students who have studied at St. Francis Music Center to learn how to be a band, the business side as well as the performance side.

The event is free and open to the public.

For not having much to write about, I did find a lot of things.
God bless you and keep you safe.
Sister Mary Lou