Alleluia! The Lord is Risen!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! May the blessings of Easter continue to be with us as we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Here are a few pictures from here in Little Falls.

Choir practice is always necessary. Here is Sr. Jean doing a last minute polishing toward perfection…and if there are little blips, no one else would notice anyhow.

Holy Thursday evening we had Adoration until 10 p.m. In the front row sat 99 year-old Sr. Fabian. Sr. Bernice Ebner said it best: “If a 99-year-old Sister can pray until 10 p. m., then surely I can pray that long, too!”

Friday morning started out with Hot Cross Buns for breakfast (a tradition here.)

Friday morning we had the Silent Walk for Peace. What a wonderful witness by about 40 people to walk silently through the down-town area of Little Falls: stopping at St. Gabriel’s Hospital, a Funeral Home, the Jail, the Courthouse, Bank Square, the Mississippi River Bridge and Dam, Veterans Memorial, Maple Island Park, First United Church, St. Francis Center, Hurrle Hall, Alverna Apartments and St. Otto’s Nursing Home. We prayed for the sick and dying, the dead and those who morn them, law enforcement officers, the imprisoned, immigrants, and refugees, judges, the reordering of financial institutions, Veterans and military personnel, those who care for Mother Earth, for unity among Churches, students and the elderly. It is an impressive sight.

Later we had Stations of the Cross in Chapel and also outside. It was cold, but about 15 hearty people joined us outside. Then at 2 p.m. we had the Good Friday Liturgy.

Holy Saturday Liturgy started at 8 p.m. Many guests joined us in prayer and then for the social time afterward in St. Francis Hall.

With my camera in hand, I went hunting for signs of spring. I did find several brave little flowers on the east side of Mary Hall and in protected areas. With rain, sleet and snow forecast these coming days this week, those little flowers may wish they had not come out so soon.

Our Blood drive last week was very successful. We received 242 units of blood—and another 27 people came and could not give blood. A BIG “Thank You” to all who came and to those who volunteered their time and services. You truly give the gift of life.

This week, starting today and going through suppertime on Friday we Sisters have “Discerning Our Future” meetings. Please pray for us and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we make decisions about our future. Thank you.

On Saturday, about a hundred Secular Franciscans will gather here for their spring Retreat.

Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. May we always be mindful of the fact that God greatly loves us and has mercy on us when we mess-up. Let us depend on His Mercy and receive it graciously.

Again, Happy Easter. Alleluia
Sister Mary Lou