1 Franciscan Way

As we all know “the Lord has in everything He does a good intention”. To begin an apostolate of serving priests in the year of the priest makes this intention very easy to find. On first glance, these are holy men of God who have spent their lives in his service, and are in fact still spending them. The more I get to know them, I find this is true, but there is more to it than that. While they stand in the place of Christ, they are also quite human, they struggle with growing older. The failing sight, impaired hearing and unsteady gait that goes along with this part of the journey. Most of them have lived by themselves and are now “living in community” as we know this has its own trials and tribulations. Each has his own personality and way of doing things, yet everyday they come together as one to celebrate the Eucharist, to be Christ who gave himself to the world. Watching them has taught me that in order to “be Christ” one has to be able to see past our own opinions and reach the pe...

“It’s Lent, Lent, time to repent. It’s Lent, Lent, our wills they get bent by what we’ve done and failed to do. Ask for mercy; He’ll give it to you.” Thank you, Dogma Dogs! That’s right it’s the fourth week of the Penitential Season we all love. We four second-year novices returned to Alton from 6 months of our Apostolic Mission just in time to start the season of penance and self denial. Lent is a time in which we strive to be more conformed to Christ crucified, and as His disciples, daily taking up our cross and following Him, and yet most of us seem to wince a bit at the start of Lent. We go from Fat Tuesday, getting rid of all our sweets and goodies, to Ash Wednesday, getting a visible reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return. This being my third year living the life of a religious sister, preparing to make my first profession of vows, Lent has come to mean so much more to me than a 40-day religious weight loss program, more than giving things up, and even more than do...

Dear Visitors of our 1 Franciscan Way Blog! The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, to which our provincial superior and vicaress belong, have issued a statement about the Health Care Reform Bill which is under consideration by Congress. It is provided here . You may also want to read the weekly column of Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, who also has addressed the urgent situation.

Like the special agents before me (or should I say Sisters), I have accomplished my mission! My special assignment from the head agent (Mother M. Regina Pacis) was to help Sister M. Stephania. Six months ago, I left the Novitiate to begin my mission in LaCrosse, Wisconsin after completing my canonical year training in Alton, Illinois. I quickly learned however, that it was not "my"mission. I had been sent! As Blessed Mother Teresa said, "It is His work. I am like a little pencil in His hand." For me, mission has been an experience of being that pencil. I knew that I would work in the Office of Consecrated Life in the morning, and then in the convent in the afternoon usually. Besides that general schedule, I had no idea of what I would be doing exactly. I began with a few organization projects in the Office of Consecrated Life. This suddenly progressed into planning the vocation event, Called By Name, working on the Vocations website, and other tasks. As I...