Celebrate the Easter Season

HAPPY EASTER! May the Lord bless you in the ways you need it most in this Easter Season. Our Holy Week Services here at St. Francis were prayerful and inspirational. The music, all of it, was marvelous. We have such talented people who share their talents with us.

After the Holy Thursday Liturgy we had Adoration until 10 p. m.

Good Friday Services at 2 p.m. were preceded by the 1 ½ hour Silent Walk for Peace through the city of Little Falls and Stations of the Cross both inside and outside.

Saturday was a quiet day of preparation for the Easter Feast. At the Holy Saturday Services on Holy Saturday, three of the Sobania youth, provided violin and cello accompaniment. Beautiful music and a very festive atmosphere.

A delegation in partnership with the St. Cloud Diocese, have been visiting families in the diocese. We Franciscans have been hosting Sister Albina Nanjala from Kenya, Africa. She had many meetings and seen many of our Franciscan Ministries. She had seen snow before, but never seen snow coming down. Wednesday’s blizzard and 12 inches of snow gave her that opportunity. And… on Holy Thursday she experienced slipping on ice. She fell…and found out on Good Friday that she broke a bone in her ankle. Hopefully she can get a cast on, because she and the Delegation travel back to Kenya today.

While here, Sr. Albina was part of our Mary Hall 3rd Floor Community. It was a joy to have her here with us.

Tomorrow is Earth Day. We will have a couple events scheduled here to raise our awareness of the need to care for Mother Earth. Many years we have planted a tree in observance of Earth Day.

Thursday at 1:45 there will be a State Wide Tornado Drill. When the siren goes off we will all head to the tunnel as our safe place to be. Let us pray that we don’t have to use this practice as a “real” event this summer.

Saturday, April 26th, we have our Spaghetti Supper fund-raiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. We serve in both the Dining Room and St. Francis Hall. We also have take-out meals available. Come and enjoy a delicious meal.

The Music Center is hosting the Spring Keyboard Festival. Many young, budding musicians will be at the Music Center, showing off their talents and getting feed-back from professional musicians. It is an exciting time for all.

Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday…and also the St. Francis Community Choral Spring Concert in our Sacred Heart Chapel.

Enjoy our lovely spring weather.

Peace and blessings,
Sr. Mary Lou

Earth Day…Let us care for the Earth

April 22, 2013 Earth Day…Let us care for and respect the Earth…It’s the only one we have. National Volunteer Week. Thank you each for all the volunteer work you do to help make the world a better place and bring joy to people’s lives.

The 11 inches of snow we received last Thursday/Friday is for the most part melted...in preparation for that which will arrive today and tomorrow. The little crocus and tulips continue to grow even after being covered with snow several times. Let us pray for those in areas that are/and will be experiencing flooding as the snow melts…and for the people working to keep people and property safe.

Sisters Margaret and Mary Irene from Kenya, Africa, have been with us a week. They have both left Little Falls and are on to other things. They had their experience of a major Minnesota blizzard. It was great to have them visit with us these days. They are wise women and were a joy to have with us. We learned from them and they from us.



Last Saturday we had the Seeds of Kindness luncheon in St. Francis Hall. This was their third year here at the Convent, but the 6th year of these Seeds of Kindness meals. This is a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity. When the snow melts and the ground thaws, Habitat for Humanity will have groundbreaking for their 14th home in Morrison County. Anyway, back to the luncheon…Ladies invite their guests and decorate their table with their own table ware from home. There are from 5 to 9 places per table. Each of the 30 tables is so unique and beautiful. All 203 places had a guest. Here are pictures of a few of the tables.



Yesterday, Sunday, the St. Francis Community Choral and the Brothers in Harmony presented their Spring Concert in Sacred Heart Chapel. Barb Stumpf is director and Vicki Spofford accompanies the group. They perform such a wide variety of music…something for everybody. The Chapel was full. Thank you, all, for sharing your talent and for all the time you take to practice. You are good! And we are so fortunate to have these wonderful experiences available to us.



The April dining Adventure featured the State of New York. The food was good. Here are a few of the decorations along the serving line in the dining room.



Last Wednesday we had a farewell/retirement party for Valerie Bleeker who has worked at the switchboard for the past 20 years. We miss her and wish her good health. One gift was a large lemon with two yellow roses. The saying was, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Well said. Thank you, Valerie, for your year’s of service.

This afternoon we had our Earth Day Celebration in St. Francis Hall, rather than outside where we usually have it. (It is now snowing hard, again.) Rick reminded us of a little history of this event. Earth Day was celebrated the first time in 1970 at which time 20 million people participated in rallies across the United States. By 1990, Earth Day was being celebrated across the globe, with 200 million participants that year. By the end of 1970, lawmakers in Congress had created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Within five years, the EPA had banned the insecticide DDT and Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act and established the first safety and emission standards for automobiles. In 2009 the United Nations unanimously declared April 22nd as International Mother Earth Day. St. Francis, in the early 1200s, in his Canticle of the Creatures uses the term “sister mother earth.” So we gathered today to recall the good gifts God has bestowed on us. And let us remember our responsibilities to be good stewards of all creation. We usually plant a tree on Earth Day. Not today. But we will do it some day later.



Wednesday and Thursday we have a meeting here for the treasurers of Religious Communities from this region. Sr. Susan says they expect 17 people from about 10 different Religious Communities.

April 21—27 is Wildfire Prevention Week. It is to increase awareness of outdoor fire hazards. In Minnesota firefighters fight and average of 1,400 a year with 31,000 acres burned. Ninety-eight percent of wildfires in MN are caused by people, and the number one reason is escaped debris-burning fires. Let us take care of mother earth.

Thought for the day: “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

Peace and blessings, Let us pray for those in harms way because of the ravages of water and storms. Sister Mary Lou

P.S. Tuesday morning: Temp: 24 degrees. We had about three inches of snow yesterday and overnight. It is very crunchy underfoot. Cars cannot sneak up on one!

April 15, 2013 Tax Day

Last week, I had a picture of the little crocus and tulip plants poking their heads out of the ground. Last Thursday they got covered with 8 to 9 inches of snow and a little more again last night and it will happen again this Wednesday and Thursday. Today, Bryan Karrick, St. Cloud Times meteorologist, said , “It seems we’re overachieving in the snow department this winter.” I agree. Sr. Joel has two large vases of pussy willows in Chapel…so we live in hope that SPRING will get here and stay a while!

Last evening two special guests arrived to spend a week with us here in Little Falls. They are Sisters Margaret and Irene from Kenya. Their Community of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph and our Community have been friends for many years. In our dining room there are a couple nice displays to welcome them.

Saturday evening we had our Spaghetti Supper—a fund raiser for the Music Center and the Health and Recreation Departments. A lot of work goes into an event like this. Terry told me that they make 60 gallons of spaghetti sauce…and put 60 pounds of hamburger in it. They also cook up 70 pounds of spaghetti. They serve 25 loaves of garlic bread and also serve 30+ pans of bars. Many of the bars are made by the Sisters and friends. They also make gluten-free spaghetti sauce, gluten-free spaghetti and meatless spaghetti sauce. We served 383 meals…which is great considering the inclement weather that afternoon and evening.

I was privileged to attend three beautiful concerts over the weekend. Friday evening I attended “A Celtic Celebration” presented by the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota in Brainerd. Special guest Brian Solum, was the Highland Bagpiper. I’ve never before heard a bagpipe playing with an orchestra. It was beautiful. The lyrics for each song were printed in the program. There were about 30 singers and an orchestra of about 8.

On Saturday I attended the final concert of the year of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra at the Charles D. Martin Auditorium. That group of about 50 members makes beautiful music. They played songs from the movies. Such fun to listen to. The Heartland Symphony does three concerts a year in both Brainerd and Little Falls.

Then the third concert was here right at home in Sacred Heart Chapel by the St. Francis Music Center’s two strings orchestras. The Sforzando String Orchestra features many younger strings players. The Con Brio String Orchestra membership is those who have played longer. All players are very talented players. Between the first orchestra and the second orchestra performances, were two numbers featuring Maway Quillo playing the Violoncelli and brother Kori Qillo assisted by Kathy Pederson at the piano. Director, Celo V’ec, certainly knows how to get beautiful music out of the players. A chapel full of listeners braved heavy snow to come for the program. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.

Our Blood Donors are awesome!!! Our goal was 248 units. Thursday’s weather was terrible with snow and snowy, icy roads. Many Thursday donors came Wednesday. Yet 38 donors braved the weather and came before we had to close down at 11 a.m. We surpassed out goal with 251 units of blood collected in the three day drive. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sr. Julien said this is the first time in her 12 years of having the blood mobile come here that we’ve had to close early because of the weather. The next drive is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­June 18th, 19th and 20th.

On April 16, 1209, Pope Innocent III, approved the first Franciscan Rule and the Order received its canonical status. On this date, many Franciscans throughout the world formally renew their commitment to their Franciscan Way of Life. We sisters will renew our vows at Mass on the 16th.

This week, April 15 to 19th, is Severe Weather Awareness Week. We will be having a tornado drill on Thursday morning. Our tunnel is the safest place to be. We need to practice it. Last summer we headed to the tunnel four times. Discuss with your family where you will go in severe weather.

Wednesday’s Dining Adventure will feature the State of New York. I wonder what we will be served?

On Saturday, the Habitat for Humanity fund-raiser, Seeds of Kindness, will hold their special luncheon in St. Francis Hall. I’ll show you pictures of a few of the creative, beautiful tables next week.

Sunday April 21st, is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please join us in prayer for an increase of Sister and Priest Vocations… but also pray for those in married and single vocations.

Also, Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., the Community Chorale will have their spring concert in Sacred Heart Chapel. This is another great feast for the ears.

April 22nd is Earth Day. We will have a special prayer service at 2 p.m. We have to take care of the Earth and treat it good.

Let us pray for all those killed and hurt in the bombing at the Boston Marathon today. What a senseless act. Both victims and perpetrators need our prayers.

Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Lou

I am Grateful for the Rain

Another overcast and windy day. I am grateful for the rain. I hope it is enough to do Mother Earth some good…and dampen the forest fires “up north.”

We had a great group of about 200 guests for the Donor Appreciation event last Sunday. After the Mass and a delicious beef roast dinner, we had an entertaining program. Several of the many Sisters who have ministered in Africa talked a bit about where they worked and the types of work they did while in Africa. Liz Rydeen was the MC and talked about her trip last December to Kenya. We were reminded again of the wonderful ways our One World Grant monies are making a difference in the lives of babies and students in this far-away country. Sisters Idah and Claudia, from Kenya, also spoke to us. Liz is mentoring the two Sisters and showing them how to write grants to further their ministries in Kenya.

Sunday, too, our friend, Larry Anderson from Morris brought us another pickup load of cabbage and tomatoes. Sauerkraut making will happen this week.

Every month we honor some department here at St. Francis. This month it is St. Clare Library staff and volunteers. Unless one spends a little time observing all that happens, it’s hard to imagine the many types of services that are offered there. Thank you, Pat, and staff, for your many services to us.

The other evening when Sr. Fran was scrubbing potatoes for supper, she looked more carefully at the potato in her hand. It was a Siamese Twin potato with exact markings on the front, back and sides—very unusual!

Tuesday afternoon some of the Sisters on second floor were busy making apple pies for some future meal. Sister Rachel and Sr. Cordy were enjoying putting the ingredients together to make the finished product. It sure looked and smelled good.

Saturday evening will have a wonderful concert. The Staples Men’s Choir will be singing in our Sacred Heart Chapel at 7:30 p.m. They are a delight to listen to. It is a fund raiser sponsored by the Prostrate Cancer Group to support training of urologists at a clinic in Haiti.

St. Gabriel’s School of Nursing Class of 1961 will celebrate their 50th anniversary by having tours, lunch and Mass here at the Motherhouse…a day of celebrating ministry and memories. Thank you for your years of service to the sick.

May the Lord continue to bless and care for you.

Peace,

Sister Mary Lou

January 24, 2011

Things are looking up. After last Friday’s -28 degree temperatures, anything warmer is better! I am grateful that we had no wind that morning. The steam from the heating plant chimneys was going straight up.

Last Tuesday we celebrated the anniversaries of 21 of our employees. Dolores Gaffke has been part of the housekeeping department for 30 years. WOW. Thanks for hanging in there with us for that many years.

That same evening we gave the Francis Award to Allen Riedeman for his positive spirit and leadership in showing the Franciscan Values at work and to all at the Motherhouse. Congratulations, Allen. Thank you.

Last Thursday, Liz Rydeen and Sister Michelle were presenters at our noon enLUNCHment program. They came wearing the clothing they were given from their hosts. They told us about their trip to Homa Bay, Kenya, Africa in December. They had a wonderful slide show and entertaining stories about their ventures. Liz is our grant writer. And we, Franciscan Sisters, have given grants to assist the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph in their ministries. We are a Sister Community to those Sisters.

There are about 50 Sisters making an 8-day silent retreat at the Motherhouse from last Thursday to this Wednesday. The retreat director is Father Jim VanVurst, OFM.

The other day Sharon Kloss brought pictures of the frost on the chicken house windows at her son’s farm. All who have seen the pictures marvel at the beautiful, intricate designs. Only God could do something like that.

The Soup Supper is coming up on February 5th fro 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Motherhouse dining room. There will be 3 kinds of soup and fresh home-made bread. “Come hungry. Leave Happy.”

God bless you and keep you safe.

Sister Mary Lou