1 Franciscan Way

At the beginning of February, our six second year novices returned to the novitiate from their mission experience. They have come with a deepened knowledge about our religious life, of the difficulties and joys of apostolic service and a greater appreciation of prayer and the Lord's work in their own hearts. To read about some of the graces of their time on mission, visit our website at http://altonfranciscans.org/ . Please pray for them in their time of preparing for their first profession of vows. Thank you!

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the 150th Anniversary of Our Lady’s first appearance to Saint Bernadette. What a beautiful parallel is given to us by the Lord in this feast falling in the season of Lent. Lourdes today is a place of faith and healing. Lent is a time in which we renew the faith of our Baptism and present all of our brokenness and wounds to Jesus for His healing love to touch us and make us whole again. May the example and intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes lead us to a deeper surrender of our lives this Lent, that we may commend ourselves into the arms of Mercy. For more information on Lourdes and the 150th Jubilee go to http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&id=405&id_rubrique=405 God bless you!

These are the first words of a song which we have learned in Assisi, the words of which are St. Francis's prayer, The Canticle of the Creatures. It is with much joy and peace that we have returned to the Motherhouse. Our time in Assisi was truly a time of grace in each of our lives and for our entire Congregation. During our stay in Assisi, we were able to walk in the footprints of St. Francis and St. Clare. We spent time in Assisi itself, but also had the opportunity to go to the other places that Francis loved such as La Verna, Greccio, the Portiuncula, San Damiano, and many other places. One of the highlights was being in Assisi for October 3 and 4th. There were many people there for the feastday. On the evening of October 4 there were Vespers in the Basilica of St. Francis followed by a procession from the lower Basilica to the upper Basilica. At the piazza of the Upper Basilica, the Bishop blessed all of those attending with the Autograph of St. Francis. It is the blessing th...

As we have now finished up our official meetings, I have time to post before we depart for Assisi! The time that we have thus far spent together as formation directors in our Congregation has been a great joy for each of us. We spoke at the end of our time about the graces that each of us received. One of those has been that we have all been touched in a very deep way is in the experience of the beauty of the way in which we have been called - a way inspired by Mother M. Anselma's response to the Holy Spirit in response to the needs of her time. We are each called to live out our lives in response to the Holy Spirit in our times and in our own cultures. "Simply ready in obedience to God's call." That is the spirit of a Thuine Franciscan. To live with joy the fullness of the life which we have chosen is what the Lord desires for each of us and for each young woman who is called to our community. We pray that those who are called, in each part of the world, be able to a...

Our first week of meetings has gone very well. We thank everyone for your prayers. There is such a richness here, having all of the formation directors of our Congregation able to speak (more or less!) with one another and share experiences. On Sunday, we were given a special gift - a trip to Osnabrück. Thuine is in the Diocese of Osnabrück, so we began our day in the city with Mass at the Cathedral. One of the things that struck me the most is that the Diocese was established around 780. Through many wars and other difficult times, the Church still remains. After Mass, we met and spent some time with Bishop Fraz-Josef Bode, the current Bishop. It was an honor to meet him and discuss the topic of formation. Also included in our trip to Osnabrück was a tour of the Dome (Cathedral), led by one of our own Sisters, Sister M. Annuntiata, who is stationed there at the cathedral. Down the street is the St. Francis of Assisi School which is also run by our Sisters. This is a professional prep...

Our very own Sister M. Dolorosa is spending her time of mission as a second-year novice working in the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Check out her blog entry about why she celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows as her nameday. You'll enjoy getting to know her better and learning more about our way of life through the eyes of a second-year novice. Let us know what you think about what she has written!

The answer to the question in the poll in which 40 people have participated up until this moment is: September 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, Winners! The prize is the joy of knowing you are included in our Sisters' prayers. To those who did not win, you are also being prayed for by our Franciscan Sisters. And above is the photo of our postulants - Elizabeth and Sarah - who entered our community that morning. Elizabeth - or "Liz" - comes to us from Hastings, Nebraska, where our Sisters have a convent and teach at St. Michael's Grade School and St. Cecilia Middle and High School. Sarah is from La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she attended Aquinas High School and got to know our Sisters because they teach there and also staff the Mater Redemptoris House of Formation for women ages 17-25. Amazingly, before entering our community, both graduated from colleges with degrees in Political Science. Hmmmm.... wonder what God has in store? And if you are someone who is interes...