1 Franciscan Way

Check out an article about Sister M. Anselma in The Telegraph.  Sister serves in our St. Anthony's Health Center here in Alton, IL.  Have a blessed New Year's Eve!

Artwork by Christopher Santer   http://www.pacemstudio.org/ Our Lady - She is your Mother or do you call her Mama? Do you know her? Have you walked with Mary this Advent towards Christmas?  Imagine what it was like for her to encounter Archangel Gabriel. “Do not fear Mary...Behold, you will conceive...and bear a Son...and you shall name Him Jesus.” What are some of your fears? What is the Lord asking of you? Will you say yes like Mary? What was it like for Mary to travel to see Elizabeth? What is it like for you to see someone you have not seen in months? Years? JOY! “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Do you recognize Christ when He comes to you each day? In your family? Friends? The unknown? The familiar? Accompany Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem. Place yourself walking on the road, entering the city, and hearing the response “No” to “Do you have any room?” Very soon.  The manger. Jesus is there, a precious newborn.

Sister M. Chiara and Sister Mariela are featured in an article in the local paper.  We give thanks for the gift of their vocation. 

May the peace of Christ fill you this day! I pray you have encountered the Lord during this first week of Advent! So, what are you waiting for? A sign? A message? An invitation? Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that this is a time of waiting and that we wait in many circumstances in our lives. “One could say that man is alive so long as he waits, so long as hope is alive in his heart.” – Pope Benedict XVI, from his Angelus Address on the First Sunday of Advent. As you await the coming of Christ each day, as you await the answer to a question, a desire of your heart, remember that you are LOVED. What do you do while you wait? Do you still serve? Worship? Move ahead? While this song is not necessarily about Advent, it does relate to the theme of waiting: While I’m Waiting by John Waller. May Our Lady accompany you on the journey these days and bring you to the Heart of her Son.

This fall, our Community began a new apostolate which has its goal to share the mission and charism of our Congregation to all we encounter.   The new Office of Mission Advancement will be sharing with you the prayer, apostolic work, and life of our Sisters and informing you of the needs of our Province in the United States.   We have begun by publishing our first newsletter entitled “Flowing From His Side.”   This comes from our charism which is “to make the Merciful Love of Christ visible in our service to Christ and His Church” and from our spirituality which stems from Sacred Scripture, “They will look on Him Whom they have pierced” (John 19:37)   We hope you enjoy this first issue and look forward to seeing our future issues posted on our Blog and on our “Happenings” page .   This quarterly newsletter will be just the beginning of our work in “advancing the mission” of our Community in our American Province St. Elizabeth.   If you would like more information about how to support o