It's not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy

August 25, 2014 (Four months from today is Christmas. I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet.) Feast of St. Louis, King of France, Secular Franciscan and Patron of the Franciscan Third Order—died in 1270

Yesterday morning, we had 1 ¼ inches of rain. Today the humidity is down and it is very pleasant outside. I drove past the High School earlier today. The parking lot is full. Teachers are in pre-school workshops this week…and classes start next Tuesday. I always found these day exciting. I always looked forward to the beginning of the school year. May the Holy Spirit guide teachers and students to make the best use of the opportunities that are theirs this coming school year.

Yesterday’s big event was the celebration of 75th anniversary for Sister Marie Theis and the 80 anniversary for Sister Fabian Schneider as Little Falls Franciscan Sisters. The presider at the Mass was Father Joe Backowski, who was a little kid when he lived near the Sisters at Foley, MN., when Sr. Fabian was stationed there. He says the Sisters were a positive influence on his vocation to become a priest.

Father Deogratias Mngumi, from Same Diocese, Tanzania, East Africa is visiting us for several weeks. He was a student at Chanjali Seminary when Sisters Karen Niedzielski and Sister Tonie Rausch were teaching at the Seminary (1986-1994). His Bishop told Father Deogratias that he need to come visit the Sisters who were so influential in his studies for the priesthood. While here the Sisters are giving him experiences of life in the United States. Last evening they took him to see a Minnesota dairy farm. Saturday morning he was presider at Mass. I understood quite a bit of what he said. I need more practice at listening to him talk. Welcome Father.

This painting is one started by Sister Mary Christine Wiener and finished by Sister Mary Zirbes. Those apples look like you could just take one off the plate and eat it.

Last Wednesday evening we had the Employee Families and Sisters Picnic. The weather that evening was perfect (though the weather forecasters talked all day about late afternoon and evening showers.) God is so good to us.

About the same time as the picnic my friend, Larry Anderson from Morris, MN, came with a pick-up loaded with vegetables. He gave us 660+ pounds of cabbage and peppers, tomatoes and melons. Much of the cabbage will become sauerkraut. Thank you, Larry, for your generous gifts.

August 14 and 15th, “Church Ladies Extravaganza”, a FUN-Raiser for Oasis Central Minnesota was another wonderful success. Robyn Gray, from our St. Francis Music Center, wrote and directed the play which was performed at the Falls Ballroom. Sell-out crowds enjoyed the dinner and the show. About $10,000 was raised to help support Oasis projects of Food Shelf, Paint-a-Thon and Home Fix-Up. Thank you, Robyn, and to all the cast and support folks who helped make it a very enjoyable evening.

“In daily life, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rash

God bless you.

Peace. 

Sr. Mary Lou