December 28, 2017

Merry Christmas.  I hope it is a good one for you. The Christmas season goes on for another couple weeks—until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Monday, January 8, 2018. So keep on celebrating! My sister, Rita, came to spend the day with me. Then she needed to go to the farm to feed the kitties.

Winter came with a blast the other day. Today’s high temperature is about minus 2 degrees with a couple inches of snow forecast by the morning. I’m glad we didn’t get the 5 feet of snow they got some places in the East.

We had beautiful liturgies on Christmas Day With lots of singing. For our Christmas Eve Mass, the chapel was full and then after Mass most people came to St. Francis Hall for cookies and hot chocolate and visiting. Pope Francis said, “The joy of Christmas…comes from Faith and from the encounter with Jesus Christ, the reason for out true happiness” (12-19-2017).  May Jesus be near to each of us with His love and caring support.

These two trees are covered with the prayer intentions that our donors have asked us to pray for. So we pray every day of the year-for our generous donors. May God bless and care for each of them in the ways God knows best. 

We have a Blood Drive scheduled next Wednesday. Thursday and Friday, January 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th.  I hope others step up to the plate to cover for the “snow birds” who are trying to keep warm in southern parts of our country.

I’ll write again next year.

I and we Franciscan Sisters wish you good health, peace and loving relationships in the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sister Mary Lou

November 30, 2010

Here we are into the first week of Advent. How will I use this time of waiting so that when the Lord comes, I will recognize the Lord? Will I be ready? Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of all Franciscan Saints. The saints are the ones the light shines through—the light of Jesus’ love and hope. May we be that light to those who are part of our day. All Holy Franciscan Saints, pray for us.

On Sundays, our opening music at Mass, in semi-darkness, is the lone sound of Rita playing the harp. Each week of Advent she will add a few more notes.

I do hope you had a safe and good Thanksgiving. I spent time with my family on the farm near West Union. I know that the deer hunters didn’t get them all—two deer crossed the road ahead of me on my return to Little Falls on Friday.

We had 4 or 5 inches of snow yesterday and today. May all walkers and drivers be safe—and all snow shovelers, too.

This coming Saturday we will have an Advent Day of Reflection presented by our Sister Elise Saggau. Many of us Sisters will be attending. It will be a good day.

St Francis Music Center will be having Holiday Recitals Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

Last Saturday, I went to the 4th annual Christmas at the Mansions. This is a fundraiser for the preservation of the historic Weyerhaeuser and Musser mansions, known as Linden Hill. These beautiful old houses are an important piece of the history of Little Falls.

Before I went to Linden Hill, I went to see the many decorated Christmas trees at the Minnesota Fishing Museum. People worked hard to decorate these lovely trees. The most unique decoration I saw as a chin made of birch bark circles. It was lovely.

May St. Nicholas (feast on December 6th) leave you a few treats—and no chunks of coal—on the eve before his feast.

May you be blest these Advent days.

Sister Mary Lou