1 Franciscan Way

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 We live in a world in which relationships are superficial, opinions are relativistic or hedonistic, and we are afraid to step on anyone’s toes when it comes to religious views. That is not, however, what Our Lord calls us to. Jesus commanded His disciples to go out to all the nations to spread the Good News of His Resurrection. As baptized Christians, and especially as Consecrated Sisters, we are called to do the same. Jesus promises to send His Spirit to be with us when we go in His name. This only makes sense in the context of a love relationship. We can only truly share our love of our Lord with others after we have experienced Love as a person and embodied that Love in our own liv

            Being in Ave Maria, Florida for the past week has been a true blessing. We are present for the FOCUS Missionary New Staff Training and have been able to sit in on classes, have wonderful conversations with missionaries, and be inspired by their witness. We have also been witness to the beauty of God’s creation all around us. I can’t help but think of St. Francis and his love of divine beauty found in all of God’s creation. On our first full day in Florida, we saw many very different examples of God’s creation that I do not ever see in Kansas. On our way from dinner, we saw an alligator in the canal on campus peeking out of the water, soaking in the sun. When we got back to our dorm room, there was a massive orange grasshopper on the ivy outside our window. We’ve also seen buzzards and heard of panthers in the area. Life in the Everglades is much different from life in the Midwest! Massive grasshopper on our window.            Alligator eyes peeking out of

            I grew up in a parish with an old, beautiful church.  I have early memories of looking at different paintings, windows, and statues during Mass.  There was all manner of fascinating pictures: animals, people, angels, etc., enough to capture my imagination for the whole hour.  There was one image, at the center of the church, though, that I found very curious:  it was a statue of Jesus with his heart on the outside, his hands stretched in invitation.              I later learned that this was the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the patron of our parish.  I still didn’t understand what it meant. Why was Jesus’ heart visible?  Why was it crowned with thorns, wounded, and aflame?             By God’s providence, I entered the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George.  Our community is one devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  While popular devotions come and go in history, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus transcends times, cultures, and places, for

Here we are at Ave Maria University joining the FOCUS missionaries for their new staff training.  What a joy to be surrounded by so many young men and women on fire for their faith.  It is inspiring to hear their stories of how Jesus led them to follow Him to evangelize on college campuses. Imagine how you would feel anticipating your placement.  What mission field (college) is Jesus going to send you?  The night of announcement was incredible.  MUCH energy and joy filled the room.  There was a genuine excitement among the teams awaiting their 1st year missionaries.  Then the moment came when the new team members arrived.  Excitement, cheers, and joy exploded in the room!  It was probably a bit overwhelming for the 1st years to enter into, but also one where they experienced true love and welcome to their team. As I observed this taking place, it made me think of what heaven might be like. The joy of the saints welcoming each one of us home!  Have you ever thought about what it wil