March 22, 2009

WELCOME SPRING! On Friday we had an inch of new snow, 2/10s inch of rain and bright sunshine to end the day! Praise God. When I went to the Motherhouse for Mass on Friday morning, Keith and Tim were in the flower plot near the kitchen digging up bulbs—bulbs with four-inch green sprouts. Snow all around them, it seemed too early in the season to be digging in the ground. But the bulbs had to be moved and there they were doing their job. I think it has something to do with the kitchen renovation.

Congratulations to the Flyer Boys Basketball team. They are in play-offs this week.
Good luck, boys.

I will be part of a big retreat (about seventy Sisters) starting Sunday evening until noon on Friday. The retreat director is Fr. Dan Crosby, OFM, Cap. The theme of the retreat is “Eight Beatitudes of a Contemplative Franciscan.” There will be a lot of silence on the campus. Holy Spirit, come be with us.

I am not Irish, but I celebrated in a great way on March 17th! I was given an award by the Little Falls Chamber of Commerce as the 2008 Volunteer of the Year. The award was presented at the annual Chamber meeting that evening. Also the Big Business of the Year, (Coborn’s Superstore) and the Small Business of the Year (Century 21 New Horizon Realty) received awards. It is an honor to receive this recognition and I accepted it not only for myself but also for all the Franciscan Sisters who volunteer and share their time and talents to help make the world a better place. There were 280 guests for the dinner. Three of my family members, Cecelia, Rich and Louise, surprised me by attending the evening’s event. The Morrison County Record has a picture and an interview with each of us in the March 22nd edition.

Last week we had the funerals for Sister Judith on Tuesday and for Sr. Virginia on Thursday. And I attended the funeral for my sister-in-law’s brother, John, on Wednesday. May they all be enjoying new life with the Lord.

Today, March 22nd, is World Water Day. The Sisters of Saint Benedict from St. Joseph, MN, and the Franciscan Sisters and Associates of Little Falls, MN, have been working with several organizations on the problems we all face regarding the WATER crisis. Through our study and work we realize that all peoples must work together to save our diminishing resources. The little flyer I am looking at gives eight points for us to start a conversation with our friends, neighbors and adversaries as to how we can preserve this sacred resource for future generations. The eight points are: 1. Water is sacred. It belongs to all life on the planet. 2. Every creature needs water to live. Earth’s freshwater must be protected and conserved. 3. Water is a basic human right. Every person must have access to enough safe water to meet essential needs. 4. It is everyone’s responsibility to use water sparingly and with care so that all living things can share in this resource. 5; Water is a public trust. It must be guarded by individuals, communities and government. 6. Polluted waters are to be reclaimed. 7. Environmentally unsustainable activity must be discouraged. 8. Natural watersheds are considered to be the best protection for water. Two other points of interest are: the amount of fresh water on the earth is a mere 2.6% of the total and we oppose the privatization of water and the use of bottled water unless absolutely necessary.

Work on the kitchen remodeling project is progressing nicely. On Thursdays, it is great to take a peek into the area to see all the progress. I noticed that the floor tile and the wall tiling seems to be completed, the stove hoods are up and there is lots of duct work done and now a couple walls are up. God bless and keep safe all those who are working on this big project.

On Saturday, March 28th, we will have the Secular Franciscan Order Annual Spring Retreat here at the Motherhouse. Our speaker is Fr. Lester Bach, OFM, Cap. I look forward to hearing him speak about topics from his newest book, Seeking a Gospel Life.

And one last note is to congratulate my friend, Father Tom Agar, on his ordination to the priesthood in a private ceremony in the ICU unit of a hospital in Monterey, CA. Tom has been really sick for nearly a month and it was his desire to be ordained, so Bishop Richard Garcia brought to fulfillment, Tom’s dream of becoming a Priest in the Catholic Church. The Bishop issued only one working assignment order to Father Tom at the conclusion of the Ordination Ceremony: Get Well. Tom’s home town is Brown’s Valley, MN. His mother was an SFO member.

Pax et Bonum.
I will be praying for you during my retreat.
Sister Mary Lou

March 17, 2009

What a busy week this past one has been.

First, CONGRATULATIONS to the Flyer Boys Hockey Team…now third in the State. And what an exciting finish in Saturday’s win in the last 22 seconds of the game. We are proud of you and your accomplishments…a 30 game winning season and only one loss.

We had two Sisters die on Friday the 13th. I cannot remember that ever happening before. Sister Judith Steinke died minutes after midnight to begin the day and Sister Virginia Dingmann died an hour and a half before the day ended. Both Sisters have been quite ill and Sisters have been sitting with them day and night for a day or two before their deaths. May they now be enjoying life with the Lord in heaven.

Saturday evening St. Francis Music Center sponsored a vocal recital by Danna Pantzke in Sacred Heart Chapel. Danna is currently finishing her Master of Music degree at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Danna was born and raised in Little Falls. She was a voice and piano instructor at St. Francis Music Center, the place where her musical studies began at the age of five. It was a wonderful concert and a great way to end a week. I was pleased to see such a large audience in attendance.

The daffodils came last week. There are vases of the bright yellow flowers in many, many places at the convent and in homes. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. What a bright and cheery way to sponsor cancer research.

Sunday was the 11th Annual Share Sunday talent show in memory of George Bzdok at Our Lady of Lourdes Middle School. There were four categories: ages 11 and younger, ages 12 – 15, ages 15 – 18 and adult. Each group entertained us with great performances. I especially enjoyed the Sobania Family string ensemble, Tanner Gustafson’s drum solo, Eddie Bzdok’s vocal solo and Ullysse Robbins violin solo. All proceeds go to the Morrison County Food Shelf and Oasis Share-A-Meal. Thank you for a fine afternoon of good entertainment.

In Peter Graham’s article in the Morrison County Record, I learned that this is National Groundwater Awareness Week. A couple interesting facts: I learned that 50% of United States population depends on it for their water supply. Ground water makes up more than 90% of the available fresh water in America. We need to protect and care for our ground water supply.

Work continues in the kitchen. Today the big air vents arrived. Work on the floors continues as does work on the wall tile. It is exciting to look in when they open the door for us to look in—usually on Thursdays.

What a change in the weather in a week. Last Tuesday we had a blizzard with 6 inches of new snow, closing all the schools in the area. Last Wednesday the temperature was minus 8 with a wind chill of minus 33 degrees. And today it was clear, sunny and near 60 degrees. I like it. The snow is disappearing fast. We have a big area of our lawn now visible for the first time since November. I’m waiting to see my first dandelion.

Pax et Bonum (Peace and all good.)
Sister Mary Lou