1 Franciscan Way

"The disciple simply burns his boats and goes ahead. He is called out... The old life is left behind, and completely surrendered. The disciple is dragged out of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity... out of the realm of the finite...into the realm of infinite possibilities." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer This quote was included with Zenit's articles today.  It certainly struck me!  What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?  This certainly sums it up.  If you are living for Christ and wonder why your life is upside down and turned around and not what you expected, then here is why.  When you and I follow Jesus, He calls us to more than we think we can handle or do on our own.  We need Him and He shows ALL is possible with Him.  Are you willing to trust Him and let go of everything?  Why not?  It's worth it!

A German Christmas Market! It is has become a Novitiate Tradition to host Weinachsmarkt for the Professed Sisters each year. On December 15th the Sisters came with "prayer marks" (each being a Hail Mary ) to "pay" for food, crafts, and a raffle. It is a joy-filled evening of being in community. This year the Novitiate "made" 23,200 "marks" prayed for them! Enjoy some photos below.

"The Virgin Mary perfectly incarnates the spirit of Advent; this spirit is one of listening to God, of profound desire to do his will, of joyous service to our neighbor.  Letting ourselves be guided by her, so that the God who comes does not find us closed and distracted, but can, in each one of us, extend a part of his kingdom of love, of justice and of peace." - Pope Benedict XVI, December 2, 2012, Angelus address Advent has begun.  Were you ready?  Listen.  Desire.  Serve.  Hmmm. Three actions to reflect on and do during these days. How am I listening to God and am I making time? Do I truly desire to do His Will?  A 'profound' desire as our Holy Father says. What are ways I can serve with joy to my neighbor?

“It was a dark and stormy evening…”   Stories that begin with this line are notoriously scary and perfect for sharing around the end of October.     At St. Elizabeth Convent in Somerset, NJ, the night of Monday, October 29 was our own ‘dark and stormy evening’ as we battened down the hatches and waited for the arrival of “Frankenstorm Sandy.”   The winds were picking up even the day before, and by Sunday evening, we already knew school was cancelled Monday and Tuesday.   Our original plan had been early dismissal on Monday and the chance to give our students assignments for the week ‘just in case’ the storm turned out to be as devastating as meteorologists were predicting.   Instead, we posted our lesson plans, handouts and assignments on-line and sent an all-call for students to access them as soon as possible since large scale power loss was expected. As the day went on, we kept a close eye on the storm’s progress and heeded warnings to keep flash...

Aloha! My name is Theresa Wilks, and one of my hobbies is trying out new ways of greeting people.   Some of my other favorites include, “Greetings!” “Good day!” and “Hello.”   I am quite excited to try out some of these with all those I meet during my time with the Sisters.   I arrived here in Alton after working at Camp Gray , a Catholic summer camp and school year retreat center operated by the diocese of Madison , WI .   I worked there for eight summers and for five years as a full time staff member.   In my time there my duties ranged from kitchen staff, to camp counselor, retreat director, summer camp assistant counselor, and many other jobs.   The past three years I also spent studying for my Masters in Theology through Ave Maria University .   Before that I grew up in New York with my parents, four brothers, and assorted pets.  When I was nine years old, John Cardinal O'Connor announced that I was a future Sister in front of...

What looks ironic in the eyes of the world is providence in the heart of the believer.   As I began to grow in my faith, I made friends whose families celebrated things like feastdays and baptismal anniversaries even more than birthdays and Halloween.   While that was not my experience as a child, I thought I would begin those practices and looked back to find out my baptismal date. I had hypothesized that since I was born in the first week of September, it would be reasonable to estimate that I was baptized on the first Sunday in October.   In 1981, that was October 4, the feast of St. Francis.   I thought about how providential that would be in light of my love of Franciscan spirituality and hoped it would be true. Much to my chagrin, I learned that I was baptized on October 11.   What was so great about October 11?   At that point in time, I could not even find a feastday celebrated on that date.   I felt a bit cheated and probably pouted,...

           The Peace of Christ be with you all! My name is Sarah Marie Schulze, I hail from Anna , Ohio . I have an older brother named James and a younger sister named Sami. I have a wonderful father and mother named Mark and Jill. We have two dogs, Daisy and Chloe and four cats: Holly, Cheetah, Honey, and my favorite Boga (Swahili for pumpkin). Together we all make up our little Schulze clan.             I have always loved to play any sport and do anything outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do are play basketball, go hiking and play my guitar. I also love to just hang out with friends and family, and of course I never get tired of being before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.             This past year I spent time living and serving in St Louis , Missouri . I was part of a group called the Vincentian Servic...