1 Franciscan Way

On Wednesday, August 29th, we drove through the gates of the Motherhouse to the welcoming waves of Reverend Mother, Sister M. Engratia (our General Vicaress) and many other Sisters. We greeted each of them individually and were led into Christ the King Church to sing "Holy God We Praise Thy Name," in German, of course. The sight of Christ the King brought tears to my eyes, as I could hardly believe that we were here. We have been able to tour the Motherhouse grounds which are very large. There are beautiful little grottos tucked here and there as well as many buildings - all of which we have not yet seen. We had a nice visit at St. Joseph's Infirmary. This picture shows us with Schwester M. Elfrede, Schwester M. Viola and Schwester M. Agnes. We were also able to go to the Motherhouse cemetery on the first day and pray at the grave of Mother M. Anselma, our foundress, and our other former Reverend Mothers who have died. We prayed especially for our Sisters and for vocation

Word has come from the Motherhouse that our two American Sisters arrived safely there! Alleluia! We thank God for protecting them. We also ask the "angels" to guide the Sisters coming from our other provinces.... We don't know when Sister M. Beata will have access to the Internet to either post an entry on the blog or, if that is not possible, to email or fax something to us here in the USA. Stay tuned. We won't leave you hanging on your seat. In the meantime, we have received some excellent comments - filled with great questions. Visit yesterday's post to read the questions. Please have patience with us as we decide which questions we'll be able to answer on Alton soil. We hope our German-arrived postulant and vocation director - Sister M. Beata - will be able to respond to most applicable to their situation in the Motherhouse. In other words, stay tuned. But please return. In the meantime, check out our Motherhouse's website .

This is what Sister M. Alexandra and Sister M. Beata will see when they arrive at the Motherhouse! In fact, it is startling because it seems that there is nothing but lush farmland for miles and miles (maybe kilometers and kilometers) and then - as if out of nowhere - this is what the visitor sees! Walking around the Motherhouse grounds reminds one of the Sound of Music motherhouse there. It is simply beautiful! (There are singing nuns, too!) Hopefully by now they have arrived! We'll let you know.... There was some delay in the travel due to weather on this side of the ocean, we have heard. But we do know they have landed in Europe. Keep those prayers coming!

Greetings! For anyone who is visiting our blog today, please keep Sister M. Alexandra and Sister M. Beata in your prayers today as they make their transatlantic journey to the Motherhouse in northwestern Germany! May they travel with the angels and get settled in to the very birthplace of our "Franciscan Way" of life. Wait till they see the beautiful mural of Christ the King Church, as Sister M. Beata has shared with you in Sunday's post. But first... the Sisters will receive a welcome from our Sisters there as they drive through the front gate. Bon voyage, Sisters! We can't wait to hear about your time in the Motherhouse!!!!!!

Praised be Jesus Christ! Through the grace of God and the generosity of Reverend Mother Margaretha Maria, the formation directors (junior directors, novice directors, and postulant directors) from our various provinces will be traveling to the Motherhouse to discuss our Congregation's formation plan over the next two months. Sister M. Alexandra and I, Sister M. Beata, are very much looking forward to the trip. I have not yet been to the Motherhouse and look forward to the opportunity to be even more grounded in our Congregation's heritage. The picture you see here is of Christ the King Church at the Motherhouse. Many of the Sisters have said that it is stunning to see in person. During the time that we are at the Motherhouse, we hope to be able to send updates about our various spiritual experiences and adventures. We will keep all of you in our prayers, especially those who have sent prayer intentions. We also ask that you pray for us, that the Holy Spirit will guide us and th