1 Franciscan Way

My name is Thao-Vy Tran, and I am 18 years old. I was born and raised in Rochester , MN . This past June, I graduated from Lourdes High School . I am an only child, and I am very fortunate to have two amazing parents, Cuong and Hoa-Le, who instilled in me the beautiful Catholic faith, and the seeds of discerning my vocation.  Throughout my life, I have enjoyed volunteering in multiple ways, such as playing piano and organ for my church, as well as for my school and surrounding parishes. I was also a volunteer barista at St. James Coffee, which is a Catholic coffeehouse in Rochester that contains a chapel, and is a great place for evangelization! I also like to write and make knotted cord rosaries.  For the past two summers during August, I took part as a Fiat team member for Camp Summit , which is a Catholic summer camp put on by the Diocese of Winona. There, I was able to deeply encounter the merciful love of the Lord through Eucharistic Adoration, and I was inspired to b...

Hello!  My name is Faith Becker and I am currently 20 years old.  I grew up on a small dairy farm in Spencer. Wisconsin . I milked alongside my parents, Daniel and Bernice, and my siblings: Father Aaron (26), Alissa (24), Jessica (18), Amber (13) and Joel (10).  After graduating high school, the Lord called me to the Mater Redemptoris House of Formation in LaCrosse, Wisconsin where the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George ran the discernment house. It was there that I realized that the Lord definitely placed in my heart the desire to make the Merciful Love of Christ visible which just happened to be the sisters charism!  A few of my hobbies are playing games like Ticket to Ride, pinochle, and any competitive team sports. I enjoyed playing the piano with my mom in Church every Saturday.  My favorite pastimes are just sitting around and talking with people.  We are all so different and have so many incredible stories to tell!  I am excited t...

My name is Sabina Abbadessa. I am 24 years old and am from Wilmington Delaware . As an only child I received an immense amount of love and attention from my Mom (Sabina) and Dad, (Paul). I am so grateful that I was raised in a loving home which afforded me the gift of a Catholic education. The greatest example of this happened for me at Franciscan University of Steubenville. It was here that I first met our sisters. As a Catechetics and Theology student I was able to be taught by one of the sisters. I also belonged to the women’s discernment household which this community advises. Through the encounters I had with the sisters on campus my heart was drawn deeper to the Lord, even after my graduation in 2016.  Some of the hobbies which I enjoy include running, volleyball, singing and listening to music. I find a great comparison in sports to the spiritual life. The same perseverance an athlete uses to train is compatible to the continuous striving for holiness in our daily lives....

Hello! My name is Natalie Weighner. I am 29 years old and I am from Grand Rapids , Michigan . After being away at college and living out of state for a couple years, I returned to Grand Rapids to be closer to my family. I love spending time with my Mom and Dad, Brother Kevin (31), and Sisters Maggie (22) and Cait (19). Before coming to St. Francis Convent, I worked as a pediatric nurse in a children’s hospital. I have a passion for working with sick children, especially infants. It is such a gift to be able to care for children and their families at a vulnerable time.  I absolutely love being outside in God’s creation, especially the mountains! The view from the top of a mountain reminds me of the vastness of God’s love for us and points towards heaven. I also enjoy rock climbing, biking, swimming, camping, coffee, and the color “comfy gray!”   St. Therese said “My vocation is to love!” I hope to continue to grow and learn to live this each day!  I first met The Siste...

Teaching Biology often includes Religion, Health, Latin, and Life lessons.  To make science vocabulary less daunting for my students, I give the Latin root of words, and this helps us discover meaning in the lessons to come.  I was giving the Latin for Kingdom Eubacteria that are found everywhere when one of my students asked if True is the root word, then what does Eucharist mean.  I am not a Googler for a quick answer but I allowed another student to look up and find thanksgiving as the meaning as I have heard before for Eucharist.  Then I broke the word down further: eu does mean true and charist is from charity.  So all day long I was able to also share in my Biology lesson on Bacteria that Eucharist means True Love!  The Life lesson was for the teacher today and for her to share this with others.  When we are in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord, we are before True Love!  Praying before the Blessed Sacrament, we experience True Love, gi...