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Summer 2009 Vol. 27 No. 3

Celebrate Jubilee!

2 Our JOurney • Summer 2009 FraNciScaN SiSterS oF little FallS, miNNeSota

Easter time is a time of rejoicing and singing Alleluia! From our Easter season we journey with our Lord Jesus Christ to the feast of Ascension. For the apostles and followers of our Lord, it must have felt horrible to see him go away for they could not understand His promise, that he would send the Paraclete, the Spirit of God. Such sadness after much rejoicing! Then, tucked away in fear, they experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire! Wow! What a cause for rejoicing! What power was released within them as they opened their hearts to receive the Spirit of God, what passion flowed through them and out to many as they spread the Good News in words that all could understand! Most years Pentecost is celebrated in the month of June. I think of June as the releasing of the passionate energy of the Spirit of God among us, in us, and through us! For us as Franciscan Sisters, we often celebrate the jubilees of our sisters in June, July and August. What does jubilee mean for us? It means that we celebrate—just as we celebrate the new life of Easter Resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit of God—the lives and ministry of our Franciscan Sisters. We celebrate each summer especially for those with 25, 50, 60, and 75 years of living and ministering as a consecrated Franciscan woman in the church. It means for us that we live sometimes singing Alleluia as we do during our 40 days of celebrating Easter, that we live sometimes in the sadness of it seeming that Our Lord has left us, and that we live mostly as passionately sharing with others the power of the Spirit of God in our world. As you read through this issue of Our Journey, you will see the pictures and responses of our Franciscan women that we celebrate this summer. You will also see the pictures and stories of those who work with us to celebrate the Good News of the Spirit of God who inspires us to make music and beauty in our world. Saint Francis, the poor man of Assisi, was a man of his time who made beauty and music and indeed lived passionately. He is noted for taking two twigs or sticks, crossing them, and playing them as if playing a violin. He is noted for his singing and, in so doing, inviting all of creation to join in praising God. As we journey through this summer let us take two twigs or two flowers or walk with two companions through the joys and sadness that life brings. Let us take our instruments, whatever they may be, and make passionate music with our lives in praise of our God, the Father who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, Jesus Christ who showed us how to live on Earth, and the Spirit of God who assists us to live each day passionately in bringing peace and joy into the pain and sadness of our world.

Blessings and peace from the Franciscan Sisters,

Summer 2009 • VOl. 27 nO. 3

Our Journey is published three times a year by the Community Relations Department of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, for donors, friends, relatives and employees. This publication shares the journeys of our sisters and associates as they work in joyful service in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare.

Editorial Team:Deanna V. Boone, director of Community RelationsElizabeth Mahoney Rydeen, editorJan Roering, editorial assistant Maria Traut, publications specialistJulie Hanson, direct mail specialistSister Mary Cassilda ObowaSister Bernice EbnerSister Elise SaggauSister Grace Skwira

Printed by:Spectrum Printing, Little Falls, MN

To receive this publication, please contact:

Community Relations Dept. Franciscan Sisters

of Little Falls, Minnesota116 8th Avenue SE

Little Falls, MN 56345 Phone: 320-632-2981

[email protected] • www.fslf.org

Cover: Sister Karen Niedzielski, performing artist, praises God through dance.

Photo by: Maria Traut

Our Mission: We, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, are a community of women religious whose members are called to live the Gospel joyfully and to reverence the earth and all of God’s creation. In the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare, we embody a life of prayer, simple living and service to those in need. We are committed to nonviolence as we recognize the need for healing in ourselves and in our world. We seek to build communities of peace and justice wherever we are called to serve.

Dear Friends and Family of the Franciscan Sisters,

Sister Mary Cassilda ObowaCommunity Minister

FraNciScaN SiSterS oF little FallS, miNNeSota Our JOurney • Summer 2009 3

Jubilee, a time to begin anewSister Elise Saggau

The desire to observe anniversaries is deep in the fabric of human beings. People around the world find ways to celebrate meaningful

events in individual and family lives and in the life of society itself. The celebration of a jubilee stands out as a particular kind of celebration, as it marks a significant length of time during which individuals or communities have experienced some kind of faithfulness. The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word “yobel,” which means “horn.” In Leviticus 25: 8-12, we read:

You shall count off seven weeks of years,…so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years. Then you shall have the trumpet [yobel] sounded loud…throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family….It shall be holy to you.

The observance of jubilee required a “return” to property and family. One’s property was not “returned” to the owner, but one “returned” to the property. This “return” is related to the ongoing call of the prophets, insisting that the people “return” to their God and to the covenant promises symbolized by the land. This “conversion” was required because the people wandered away, forgot their identity, were distracted by the enticements of luxury and idolatry, lost their heritage. This ancient theme plays out over and over again in the Scriptures. The first words uttered by Jesus as he began his public life were: “Repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). That is: Turn around, turn back to the source of your life, the source of your good, the source of your blessings. Every year the Franciscan Sisters celebrate jubilees in honor of those who have completed 25, 50, 60, and 75 years in this way of life. (See stories, pp. 9-12) In doing this, we rejoice and thank God for all that has been given, for the many fruitful services and relationships made possible by the activity of the Holy Spirit. We are grateful, too, for the many

times failure, hurt and disappointment have been overcome by the work of the same Spirit. Those who celebrate jubilee renew intentionally and “return” joyfully to the vigor of their earlier response to God. They once again claim their “property and family,” their spiritual inheritance. It is a time for all of us to “return” to what God has so freely and abundantly given over the many years, to recognize that what has been accomplished is God’s work, not ours, and to resolve to be ever more open to the Divine Spirit as it continues to work within and among us. No matter how long we are here, no matter how old we get, no matter how experienced we become, we realize that we are always beginners in the ways of God. So jubilee reminds us that it is time to begin, to make a new start, to allow the amazing Spirit to work in us with ever-greater freedom.

“ ”It shall be a jubilee for you


Sisters in Chicago area form extended communitySister Carolyn Law

Travel to the Chicago area of Illinois and you will be blessed to find three Franciscan Sisters living and ministering there. Although they live an hour

from each other, they form an extended community and frequently gather for sharing and recreation. Sister Ardis Cloutier ministers as office manager of the Midwest Augustinian Province Vocation Office. Ask anyone and they will say that Sister Ardis’s greatest gift is her ability to be a generous and genuine friend. One small proof of this is in her long and enduring correspondence to those she has befriended over the years. Sister Ardis claims Turton, S. Dak., as her home. In eighth grade she moved to Fergus Falls, Minn., where she met Franciscan Sisters Leona Trettel, Jeremia Trutwin and Alicia Pischke. The next year she attended St. Francis High School and later entered the Franciscan community. Sister Ardis served as supervisor of the medical labs at St. Francis Hospital, Breckenridge, and St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Little Falls. She has also served on the Franciscan

Sisters Leadership team and as executive director of Stauros, U.S.A., an organization sponsored by a Passionist congregation to challenge the problem of human suffering. Sister Sharon Fitzpatrick serves as assistant minister of the Common Franciscan Novitiate in Joliet, Ill. This novitiate is a collaboration of several Franciscan communities. She is responsible for arranging programming, transportation and all the things that go into making a building a home for novices in their canonical year. She describes herself as a “behind the scenes” worker and will find the most efficient way to accomplish tasks. She co-founded and directed Becker House in Chicago, which provides safe and supportive transitional housing for women. She also co-founded and directed a Catholic Worker house in Evansville, Ind., and was on staff at the Hope Community, a personal growth program sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters. Sister Sharon is a farm girl from Foley, Minn., and met Franciscan Sisters who came to Foley to teach Saturday catechism. She especially remembers Sister Justina Bieganek who taught her and all her siblings. In her early years as a sister, Sister Florence Gendreau mentored Sister Sharon in the artistry of food preparation. Sister Sharon enjoys camping and being in nature as a way to keep her soul fresh. For the past 14 years, Sister Carolyn Law has been learning and honing her skills in the healing arts of psychotherapy and energy healing. Originally she came to Chicago to study counseling psychology and train in bioenergetic analysis, a body/mind approach to psychotherapy. Her latest adventure in the healing arts is brain integration technique, an effective approach to correcting learning disabilities. Previously she taught high school, served in pastoral ministry and as a missionary in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Sister Carolyn, also a farm girl from South Dakota, had one aunt and five great aunts who were Milwaukee Franciscans. She met the Little Falls Franciscans in a round about way. While teaching high school, a Notre Dame Sister recommended that she look at the Little Falls community. A weekend visit there put her into contact with vocation director Sister Ade Kroll and assistant director Sister Shirley Mueller. After a couple years of spiritual searching and such things as tenting retreats, she decided to join the Franciscan Sisters. For fun she is an amateur musician and birder.

Sisters Ardis Cloutier, Sharon Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Law.


Brainerd gallery features Sister Lillian Kroll’s work

When Sister Lillian Kroll creates with watercolor, “the work flows—it’s brilliant, it challenges, it inspires. The paint and water bring out my

creativity because of the way colors blend and flow to become what I didn’t know they would do or could be.” Watercolor is said to be a challenging medium “and I love challenges,” she said with genuine emphasis. That love of the untried led to her premiere art show, “Reflections on Nature,” that drew a crowd of friends, family and Franciscan sisters at the Evelyn Matthies Porthole Gallery in Brainerd on May 2. She showcased watercolors, wood cuts and chalk paintings, many of which sold. It’s just in the last two years that Sister Lillian’s inner artist has been most fully released. After serving as a music teacher, Sister Lillian enrolled in an art class in preparation to become an elementary school teacher. So, yes, she painted her hand-made cards and she guided students through a plethora of techniques. But, she yearned for a challenge and an authenticity check-up. Last July she asked art instructor Evelyn Matthies if she would give private lessons. The teacher told the student to “bring me everything you’ve done so I know where to start.” Sister Lillian did a show-and-tell to which the instructor said, “Hey, you’re ready for a show.” Sister Lillian “was shocked and surprised.” Yet, that professional assessment spurred her to do more and more. She showed 73 pieces in Brainerd and is scheduled to show four watercolor florals at the Great River Arts Association in June. The “Florals with Florists” show will feature Sister Lillian’s work alongside acclaimed

Sister Lillian Kroll displays one of her paintings.

Minnesota artists. Then, in July, her artwork will adorn the walls of the Little Falls Family Medical Center. She finds her muse most often after a day of prayer or a weeklong retreat. “I sit down and paint some expression of my experience,” she explained. “From the Spirit flows the inspiration summarizing my experience.”

Sisters inspired by San Rafael mission

Sisters Janice Welle and Elizabeth (Betty) Martell carried a full spectrum of sewing supplies, enough for eight students, when they traveled to Mexico

in April. With the help of Sister Pat Forster, each student made a skirt during three days of instruction. While visiting the resident sisters in San Rafael, they experienced life in the mountains and pueblos and witnessed first-hand the blackness of a dust storm. “Our visit coincided with Holy Week when we

While in San Rafael, Sisters Betty Martell and Janice Welle visited families in the outlying mountain areas.

Continued on pg. 6


Sisters inspired by mission, continuedcontinued from pg. 5

Eight students participated in Sister Janice Welle’s sewing class.

The activities at the Welcoming House often ebb and flow

with the academic school year. Our location—blocks from St. Cloud State University and a few miles down the highway from St. Benedict’s College and St. John’s University—is perfect for ministering to the young adult student population. During the past year, we have worked to provide additional hospitality and enrichment opportunities to young adults while continuing ministry to our intergenerational guests. One highlight was inviting young adults to participate in Taizé prayer, a rhythm of silent, contemplative prayer and chanting especially meaningful to young adults and students with busy lives. We also had an evening of prayer and discussion on DeWitt Jones’s film, “For the Love of It.” Jones is a noted National Geographic author and photographer who motivates his audience to live life to the fullest.

Part of the vision of the Franciscan Welcoming House is to be a place to discuss current topics and issues of concern in today’s society. A group of Franciscan sisters and associates meet monthly to specifically address the topic of “Rebuilding the Church,” which was included in the commitment statements adopted by the Franciscan Sisters a couple years ago. Others come together to reflect on issues affecting the

environment and ecology or to participate in an ongoing Muslim-Franciscan dialogue. At the heart of Franciscan charism is serving the poor. One popular activity is preparing and serving a monthly meal at Place of Hope for people without homes. All that we offer—prayer support, Bible study, outreach to the poor and more—is done in accordance with the gospel and in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare.

Franciscan Welcoming House, 1600 11th Avenue South, St. Cloud; 320-229-0307; www.fslf.org (click on Franciscan Welcoming House)

Franciscan Welcoming House…something for everyoneSister Cordy Korkowski

were able to participate in the excitement of the resurrection,” Sister Janice said. “About 250 students from Monterrey traveled to remote mountain villages, making home visits and conducting services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. It was inspiring to witness.” As Rubi Solis said in a handmade card to the sisters, “Muchas gracias por todas las cosas que nos dieron y por veñir a enseñamos a cosér. [Many thanks for all the things that you gave us and for coming to teach us how to sew.]

With years of experience in pastoral ministry, education and spiritual direction, Sisters Loretta Denfeld, Cordy Korkowski and Clara Stang complement the ministry and vision of Welcoming House.


María Isabel Berrones enters novitiate, sees Minnesota for the first timeSister Grace Skwira

For more than a year, María Isabel Berrones has been living with our sisters in San

Rafael, Mexico, and participating in our mission there. Last October she began the formation process as a postulant; earlier this month she joined the community as a sister. She arrived in Minnesota in April for a three-month visit, grateful for this chance to get to know more of the sisters, to learn about their ministries, and to get acquainted with the place of our congregation’s origins. The timing of her visit was especially good, as she was able to participate in the annual gathering of the entire community in June. María Isabel enjoyed her time at the motherhouse getting to know the retired sisters. She noted that, despite the age and disability of many of the sisters, they still have so much enthusiasm for life, each one working and helping out as she can. “The sisters’ close relationships with each other and their kindness and affection for one another have made a great impression on me,” she said. While at the motherhouse, María Isabel studied English with Sister Ruth Nistler as her tutor. She admitted that using English was her biggest challenge and said that her conversations with the

From l to r: Sisters María Isabel Berrones, Aurora Tovar and Mary Dumonceaux, from the Mexico mission, and Sister Grace Skwira.

“”

As soon as I arrived in the United States, I felt the hospitality of the sisters at every place we stopped to visit on our way to Little Falls. Though I am in a strange country and culture, I feel at home. ~María Isabel Berrones, postulant, beginning her three-month visit in Minnesota.

sisters provided many humorous situations and a great deal of laughter as they tried to understand each other. María Isabel returned to San Rafael in late June, where she will continue her formation in religious life with our sisters there. She carried with her many memories of shared prayer and community life, good times, warm hospitality, and new experiences and friendships. She appreciated the rural environment of central Minnesota

and the beautiful Mississippi River. However, she admitted that she was looking forward to enjoying once again the “distinct flavor of Mexican tortillas!”

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‘And the Sally Award for Education goes to…, Deanna V. Boone

The Sally Awards, created by the Ordway Center for the

Performing Arts in St. Paul and presented on March 30, honors individuals and organizations that strengthen and enrich Minnesota with their vision, initiative and commitment to the arts. Four awards—for vision, initiative, commitment and education—are presented annually for exceptional contributions to the arts. St. Francis Music Center, a 30-year ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, offers classes to over 340 students each week and has a staff of 18 professionals who offer private and group lessons in piano, strings, winds and dance. The curriculum also encompasses gymnastics, preschool music, voice, band, two string orchestras, a community chorale, college prep theory classes and creative dramatics. In accepting the award, Robyn Gray, director of the Music Center for 17 years and fellow teacher, thanked the Franciscan Sisters for their vision and support and the staff for their commitment to excellence. She went on to thank generous donors and foundations that provide funding for scholarships which ensures that all have equal opportunity to participate. Her final message of thanks was “for all the students, the reason we exist, our legacy,” she said. “Our students are very young and quite elderly; they come from

all walks of life, some very poor, a few well off, most of them getting by. Some are brought by grandparents; some have parents deployed; some are foster children. Some of them have seen more pain in their lives than we can imagine; some are enjoying a relatively normal childhood. Each one of them has the joy of music in them and the ability to change our world and to make it a better place.” Robyn invited the esteemed arts audience to search the Internet and to learn more about the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota. She said, “They are amazing women who are dedicated to caring for all of creation, walking with the poor and promoting peace and justice. And, to them, a music school encompasses all of that—and it is just a small part of their accomplishments.”

Sister Mary Pat Burger, Robyn Gray and Sister Justina Bieganek with the 2009 Sally Award.

Sister Mary Lou Eltgroth received the 2008 Volunteer of the Year award from the Little Falls Chamber of Commerce at its annual

meeting. She has been a volunteer for the Little Falls Arts & Crafts Fair for the past 11 years while serving on the Arts & Crafts Fair Council for six of those years. In addition, she has been a block host since 1998. She continues to support the craft fair by working with current and new volunteers, ensuring each volunteer has a favorable experience. Sister Mary Lou has been involved in a variety

of other organizations including the Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association, Sister

Committee of the St. Cloud Diocese, League of Women Voters and St. Camillus Place Advisory Board. Sister Mary Lou also serves as spiritual assistant for the Brainerd Franciscan Fioretti Fraternity and helps with the bloodmobile, calls every Donor of the Day and volunteers

to read to Mary Hanson’s first graders every February during “I Love to Read Month.”

Plus, she keeps the universe up-to-date with her personal blog which can be found on www.fslf.org.

Sister recognized for volunteer service


Sister Carmen Barsody It is with a deep trust in “the Spirit of God is at work within me” that I pursue the stirrings and longings of my heart without knowing where I will be led. I feel a profound gratitude for all that I have lived, even the most difficult and confusing times, as each experience and each ministry has been preparation for the next. To live fully alive and to let myself be an instrument through which the creative spirit works gives me a fuller meaning to the word joy.

25th

Jubilarians celebrate 25, 50, 60, 75 yearsSing jubilee, celebrate the power of the Spirit of God at work within us.

This issue of Our Journey honors 16 Franciscan Sisters celebrating jubilees. For 25, 50, 60 and 75 years these women religious have followed their gospel calling. At the end of our Third Order Rule (article 32), Saint Francis reminds us that we should desire one thing alone, namely, the Spirit of God at work

within us. Each jubilarian was asked to respond to this question: How have you experienced the grace and power of this call in your life?

Sister Nancy deMattos It has been an interesting, challenging life thus far, and I am open to whatever God’s plan is for the rest of my life. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you….plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

25th

Sister M. Julien Dirkes In these 50 years, I have experienced a deeper relationship with my God in daily prayer and with my Franciscan Community of Sisters, which continues to bring newness of life and growth. It lifts me in gratitude and praise for the richness and goodness of all God’s creation.

50th

Sister M. Callista Robinson The power and Spirit of God has guided me throughout my life in community and in ministry as a hospital receptionist and educator of children and of adults. This same spirit is now leading me in a new direction of educating adults at an adult learning center and of being a formator of adults in a lay ministry program for African American Catholics.

50th


Sister Pat Imdieke My experience of the Spirit of God at work within me is this: that God reveals Him/Herself to us moment-by-moment. By listening to God today we discover what God wants for us tomorrow. All of it is gift to be lived fully, to be cherished, and to be given away.

50th

Sister Susan Knutson God’s Spirit can radically alter the way I live and move, if I get out of the way. During these 50 years as a Franciscan, I have worked to let the layers of that which distracts me be stripped/peeled away. Like Francis, I desire to be “haunted” by God’s presence. But until I experience that “haunting,” I will continue to be Faithfully Foolish as I bear witness on the streets of San Francisco, the barrio of Nicaragua, St. Francis Convent and with my family and friends.

50th

Sister M. Siena Wald My work life brought me into the public eye with many people, often with values that were different from mine. There were times I was admired, times when people made fun of the Franciscan life style of consecrated religious women and their values. There were times I was respected and times I met people with serious prejudices who could be very hurtful because they did not understand. However, my community was always there for me, and I have always felt I belonged. This was (is) indeed a calling from God. I never doubted that my “yes” 50 years ago was the right decision.

50th

Sister Jeanne Lieser All of life is gift. We need to continue to reflect on what the Spirit is asking of us. It is with heart-filled gratitude that we can then respond with acts of loving kindness, peace and justice.

50th

Sister Joanne Heim I experience the Spirit of God as a continual power urging me on. A particular grace given to me is the awareness of Jesus’ faithful presence always blessing, affirming, inviting, encouraging, challenging and forgiving me. He graces me in every circumstance and moment of my life. I am always prompted not to go ahead of the grace, rather to live in trust and faith according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

50th


Sister M. Margarita Wiener Jesus, my shepherd, daily leads me closer to God in gentle, quiet ways. Through prayer, I find joy, sharing and love. As of this day and throughout my 60-year journey as a Franciscan Sister, I feel untroubled and unafraid as I seek God alone Who fills me with peace, love and joy.

60th

Sister Donna Ebner It was the Spirit within, Who called me from a strong Catholic home into Franciscan living. It has been the Spirit within that called me to teach of God’s love for almost 20 years and—always mindful of THE WORD—to communicate with words during the past nearly 40 years. It is the Spirit of God to Whom I attribute whatever good I have been able to bring into the world in these 60 years.

60th

Sister Rose Mae Rausch As I look back on the 60 years I have lived as a Franciscan Sister, it seems to me that the Spirit of God was at work in my life. A big example was the foundation in 2003 of our Mexico Mission. Throughout the six years of our presence there, marvelous events have occurred that we sisters, on our own, could not have accomplished! May God be praised!

60th

Sister Janet Kunkel Throughout the years of my religious life, I have often been aware of and able to respond to the urgings and promptings of the Spirit of God. This has been and is true when important decisions and opportunities present themselves. The quiet influence of the Holy Spirit has been an aid helping me avoid rash and impulsive behaviors which have brought me to peacefulness in the ups and downs of daily life.

60th

Sister M. Joan Gerads Many times in my life God “grabbed me” and wouldn’t let me go! His strong love has been with me through what would otherwise be unbearable difficulties. He has showered me with light and filled me with joy. I tingle when people say to me, “I want to tell you something I never told anyone before.” I know they will talk about God revealing Himself to them. The God of surprises!

60th


Director finds blessing in ChoraleDeanna V. Boone

“When we moved to Little Falls, I was hoping there might be a community choir I could join,” said Barb Stumpf, R.N. at

CentraCare’s Central Minnesota Heart Center. “I have always been involved in music,” she said. “My daughter, Joy, is one of Celo V’ec’s violin students and Robyn Gray (director, St. Francis Music Center) is amazing at seeing people’s gifts. I told her about my wish for a community group and she spent two years convincing me to start a chorale and to be the director. I guess you could call me a ‘reluctant director’ but it has been such a blessing since I said yes.” Barb credits David Lewis, her director and mentor in California, for showing her how it could be done. Two years ago, 13-16 people came to the first few rehearsals. “Now we have 38 and the Community Chorale presented its third concert on May 17 in Sacred Heart Chapel at St. Francis Convent. We have a spring and Christmas concert and also sing at the Peace Concert which will be August 5 this year. We had the amazing opportunity last Christmas season to sing Halleluiah Chorus with the Sforzando Orchestra, directed by Celo V’ec.” Recently, the chorale joined with Community Church

Choirs in the Oasis Share-a-Meal Concert. “None of this would have been possible without Robyn, our organizer, and Vicky Spofford, our accompanist. Thank you both.” The Vision of the Community Chorale is to “break down barriers. Religious denominations can sometimes get in our way of coming together and offering our gifts,” she said. “Instead, this is a unifying experience. Come and sing with us. Music is the purest form of praise.” Barb calls St. Francis Convent “a peaceful place where people are quietly giving, quietly ministering. Yes, my volunteer role as director of the Community Chorale is truly a blessing.”

Barb Stumpf directing the Community Chorale at the 2008 Peace Concert.

Sister M. Corrine Millner The one thing that stands out in my life is how the Spirit was always at my side when I needed him. Sometimes I had to wait but, at the end, I was surprised how the power of prayer and grace worked in and through me.

75th

Sister M. Fabian Schneider My Beloved has overwhelmed me with many graces throughout these 75 years. With His special help I have tried to fulfill His holy will. So I can exclaim with the Blessed Virgin Mary, “For He who is mighty has done great things for me and Holy is His name.”

75th


A teaching position brought my family and me to Little Falls in 1980 when our

oldest daughter, Elise, was just two months old. My wife Vicki and I immediately began to feel that the community held a spiritual quality that complemented its location on the mighty Mississippi and that Little Falls was a great place to raise a family. In retrospect, I believe we were experiencing our Lord through the fruits of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls! Shortly after we came, we began meeting some of these wonderful Franciscans, so full of God’s love and life themselves. We thought, “Hey, we want some of that!” So, when the Associate relationship was initiated, we asked and were accepted. At first, we committed ourselves to a group of sisters (the St. Anne’s community), journeying as our family was able to at that time. Now we connect as much as we can with other sisters, associates, and Third Order Franciscans in service to our Lord and God’s people. Over the years, our relationship with the Franciscan Sisters has enhanced my family’s spiritual life

Thank you, God, for the gift of music!Associate Greg Spofford

immensely. Whether it’s the liturgies we are invited to share in or celebrations of life (funerals, jubilees) or the everyday service of Christ of those who follow Francis and Clare, our entire family is so thankful to the sisters for lifelong examples of learning, laughing and loving! The gift of music has also permeated our household and spirit from the beginning. Credit goes to Vicki’s parents, Arley and Naomi Lyseng, who have provided encouragement in both instrumental and vocal music. And during my childhood, my mom, Gerry Spofford, put up with some pretty loud singing and then supported the grandchildren by also attending numerous concerts and recitals. As a family, we believe that “those who sing pray twice,” as

they combine song with instrumental charisms in liturgy, volunteer requests, practicing at St. Francis Music Center, and even just in singing and playing music at home. Everyone but I began their musical start with piano, moving to guitar and then on to other instruments. Emily and Vicki are often seen and heard praising God and enjoying music with the violin, Erika with the saxophone, Andy with guitar and drums, and Elise with the flute! I’ve been known to play a strong kazoo, and I just love to sing!

Donating to the Franciscan Sisters: Please feel free to express any wishes you may have for your gift. However, please be advised that in order to ensure that donors will be entitled to a federal income tax deduction, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota, is required by Internal Revenue Service rulings to retain full authority over the assets granted to it and cannot accept gifts that are required by the donor to be paid, or to be used, only to further the work of a specific individual or that are required to be used in another country by FSLF or another foreign charity or religious institute.

Associate Vicki Spofford (right) and her daughter Emily.

SAVE THE DATE!Donor Appreciation Day

September 20, 2009

10 a.m. – registration • 11 a.m. – mass • 12 noon – lunch

This year’s program features St. Francis Music Center and a special appreciation for all who made the kitchen renovation possible.


Faithful Fools Street Ministry Sister Carmen Barsody

Bright natural light and vivid colors greet the souls of all who cross the threshold from the streets into the home of Faithful Fools Street Ministry in

San Francisco. Even if you never considered yourself an artist, when you begin to climb the abstract, Pollack-like painted stairs done by Fool Andrea Jorgensen, there is something that beckons the artistic longings and creative imagination present in all of us. Glancing around, you spot and become intrigued by someone creating a fool’s hat from recycled clothes. Turning, you find yourself standing in awe amidst large, embroidered tapestries inspired by Sister Ade Kroll’s passionate love for the Universe Story and made by women in South Africa. There, you slowly become aware of the music being played by our neighbor Diane on our rescued piano and the quiet presence of resident artist Ramu Aki as he designs the third poetry anthology to be published by Faithful Fools. As you leave through the doors of the Fools’ purple building, you are passed by someone learning to walk on stilts. Your excitement and curiosity rises as you ask to try some on and hold the hand of Kay Jorgensen as you take your first stilt-steps boldly walking towards your own work of art. Richard Kamler, artist and educator at the University

of San Francisco, brings his class, Artist as Citizen, to Faithful Fools every semester for orientation. Before sending students forth into the community to create art he provokes their imagination with questions such as, “What do you see?” “What does it look like?” Richard’s work as visual artist and teacher takes, as its premise, social change and transformation. He says, “Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation. It favors no race. It acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to heal, reveal and transform. It transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible.” He is passionate in his belief that the first step toward peace occurs through our imagination. The artist spirit has been central

in the founding of Faithful Fools. Franciscan Associate Rev. Kay Jorgensen has always lived, as she says, “whirling between two sides of a slim coin—the theater and the church, the minister and the clown.” For me, it was not so easy to articulate the artist within, but soon I began to find language for the creative energy and openness with which I live life and minister in the world, forming and being formed.

Creativity and play are ways to unite people as we seek to reach across our separations. Art provides a means of self-expression and self-worth that leads to a stronger recognition of our common humanity. Faithful Fools is a place for artists of all disciplines and walks of life to come together to encourage, inspire, collaborate, create and exhibit art in a neighborhood that tour books tell us to avoid.

Young artists at work during a children’s summer art program hosted by Faithful Fools.

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“Art is a giving of oneself,” says JJ Rush, a poet at Faithful Fools. That is the heart of the Faithful Fools, to give of oneself from the fullness of one’s life.


One grandpa yodeled, the other played the church organ. Her dad whistled and played the harmonica, her mother loved to sing. The

family often sang, “quite endlessly around the piano. If we stopped singing after the first few verses, Mom would say, ‘There’s another verse,’ so on we’d go.” Music is a gift that has sheathed Sister Maurita Bernet, the music teacher at the Montessori Day Schools in Phoenix and Chandler, Ariz., since her days in the womb. She and her five sisters all took piano lessons and used all the same books. By the 5th grade, she played an old foot-pumping organ and, the next year, she was the summer church organist. Sister Maurita attended St. Francis High School in Little Falls where her singing and accompanying was a standard with Messiahs and operettas. Joining the Franciscans as a senior, she was encouraged to play and “not to give up the music.” After the novitiate, she was asked to list three preferred choices for ministry; her first choice was nursing. Instead, she was sent to the College of St. Catherine to study music “for which I am profoundly grateful.” The highlights of her life in music are many: learning guitar, ministering in Venezuela where she entered a new world of life and music, participating with other communities to make a CD “Sisters in Song, Rejoice!” and joining with her Franciscan Sisters to record the CD “Songs from the Heart” with traditional Franciscan favorites. “If I had to pick my much-loved songs, they’d probably be ‘How Can I Keep from Singing?’ and the chorus of ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ – ‘I sing because

Sister Maurita Bernet: ‘I hear the music’Deanna V. Boone

Sister Maurita Bernet has a life-long love of music.

I’m happy, I sing because I’m free….’ Like with the flowers, there’s just so much that’s beautiful,” she said, with a song in her voice. To this day, she says, “I’d be dead without music. We humans make music in so many ways, as do the birds, the waters, the winds and the music of the quiet.”

To view inventory online, visit www.missionfish.org. Keyword: Franciscan.

The Franciscan Sisters accept donations of items for MissionFish. Donors can also designate funds to the Franciscan Sisters by selling items on eBay. For more information, call St. Francis Convent, (320)632-2981.

The online auction service for nonprofits. GoodSearch is a Yahoo-powered search engine which allows nonprofit organizations to benefit from each search performed. Just enter “Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota” as your charity of choice and a small sum—about a penny per search—will be donated to the Franciscan Sisters. Spread the word! Thank you!

www.goodsearch.com


You know about the law of cause and effect. But have you considered the results of inaction? What’s the effect of an inappropriate pause? Take,

for example, your last will and testament. What happens if you delay the process of planning your estate and finalizing your will? First, a protracted pause guarantees that state law will dictate the disposition of your estate. A court-appointed executor will handle the probate of your estate. A stranger may be selected to care for your minor children. Bequests to an organization you may choose will not be made. Second, forever pausing to complete your will may cause loved ones unnecessary turmoil after you’re gone. They will be grieving, and it will only add to their suffering to face the uncertainties and complications involving your estate. They will be left to the mercy of the court regarding timing and decision-making. They may have to stand by and see your estate disbursed in ways they know you would not approve. Family arguments may erupt. Third, chronic pausing may needlessly reduce the size of your estate. Court costs and other settlement fees can be expensive. Assets may be prematurely sold resulting in unnecessary loss. The estate may also shrink through estate taxes that could have been avoided or lessened with earlier planning. The best time to avoid the “law” of pause and effect regarding estate planning is to act now. Initiate the cause by contacting an estate planning attorney today. Schedule an appointment and then get ready to make the most of your meeting.

Partnering into the FutureSister Bernice Ebner, director of Gift Planning

Franciscan Life Center 2009 Programs and Retreats Taizé Prayer in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Francis Convent (New Monthly Event) Thursday, September 3, 2009 (6 – 7 p.m.)

Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading), St. Francis Convent (New Monthly Event) Thursday, September 17, 2009 (6 – 7 p.m.)

Blessing of Animals - Franciscan Sisters and the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Little Falls, Sunday, October 4, 2009 (12 Noon)

Transitus in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Francis Convent - Saturday, October 3, 2009 (7:00 p.m.)Transitus is a word that simply means the passing of someone from one condition to another. In this case it refers to the commemorative passage of Francis of Assisi from this life to the next. Transitus is a ritual service that recalls the events surrounding the death of Francis and the farewell message he gave to his followers. This coming October we invite everyone, not just Franciscans, to come and celebrate this event with us.

Advent Day of Reflection –Saturday, December 5, 2009. Registration: 8:30 a.m.; Program: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Presenters: Sister Michelle L’Allier, OSF, and Brother David Liedl, TOR For more information or to register for any of the above retreats/programs, contact:Sister Bernice Rieland, Franciscan Life Center, St. Francis Convent 116 8th Avenue S.E., Little Falls, MN 56345 phone: (320)632-0668 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.fslf.org

The Franciscan Life Center also provides opportunity for prayer with the Franciscan Community, private retreats, spiritual direction and more. All are welcome.


Sister Loretta Bloch’s mother was a great artist, one who enjoyed crafts. She would say to Dad,

“Would you make me this or that?” He was always good with woodwork. One day she wanted him to make a doll house for me and he just never got around to doing it. So, she made it herself. “That’s how it is with me,” Sister Loretta said. “If I want something a certain way, I just do it.” Her mother taught her to knit, crochet and embroider. As time went on, Loretta explored other crafts and “just figured out how to do it.” That was her training in the midst of 18 children of Christine and Henry Bloch who lived on a farm in Albany, Minn. Sister Loretta came from a

Sister Loretta Bloch loves craftsdevout family with Franciscan and Benedictine connections. When she attended St. Francis High School, she found the sisters inspirational and was motivated to join the Franciscan community. Since her entry 52 years ago, she has ministered in food service, housekeeping, nursing, massage and art therapy. She is currently director of Life Enrichment for the retired sisters living at the Motherhouse. Her favorite holiday is Christmas and, not surprisingly, she enjoys finding a new ornament to make each year. Among her most sought-after crafts are the worry boxes. “I have no idea why they sell as well as they do,” she said, “perhaps it’s the verse inside.” She never counted, but she suspects that she has made over 200 worry boxes.

Yet, she has no need to worry because working with her hands and creating items for others is a way to relax and relish the quiet.

Sister Mary Virginia (Cecilia) Dingmann, 91, died March 13, 2009, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn. Born March 13, 1918, near Richmond, Minn., she was the fifth of 12 children of the late Henry and Gertrude (Ramler) Dingmann. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on August 12, 1945. She made first profession of vows on August 12, 1947, and final vows on August 12, 1950. Sister Virginia was a seamstress, homemaker and gardener. She ministered in St. Cloud and at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls.

Sister Mary Virginia sewed millions of miles of thread as she used her skill as a seamstress. Along with sewing postulants’ dresses and religious habits, she did mending and answered many questions about the art of sewing for her sisters in religious life. She showed her creative ability in making hundreds of lovely quilts. Since sewing is at times tedious work, Sister Virginia’s love for gardening took her happily to outdoors each summer. The Motherhouse kitchen was the recipient of a variety of her fruits and vegetables. She continued her gardening into her elder years, each year cutting back on the size of the plot, always happy when someone joined her in pulling weeds, hoeing and picking the produce. She was faithful, intense and steady in both her ministry and prayer life. She had a pleasant disposition and a hearty laugh.

In loving memory

Sister Loretta Bloch


Sister Mary Judith (Louise) Steinke, 91, died March 13, 2009, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn. Born March 25, 1917, in Eden Valley, Minn., she was the sixth of 13 children of the late Joseph and Clara (Borgerding) Steinke. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on August 12, 1936. She made first profession of vows on August 12, 1938, and final vows on August 12, 1941. She became a registered nurse at St. Francis School of Nursing, Breckenridge, Minn. She ministered as a staff nurse, home care nurse and a domestic. She served in Dodgeville, Wis., and Moorhead, Breckenridge, Little Falls, St. Cloud, Parkers Prairie, and Elk River Minn. Sister Mary Judith was a fun-loving person with a quick wit. She felt privileged to care for the sick and elderly and was able to let the smile of Jesus shine through their faces. She had a great love for her family and her sisters in religious life. She was known for her expertise in making pop-overs and often made them for anyone who asked her to do so. She had great respect for the precious gift of life and was deeply concerned about injustice, violence and lack of respect rampant in society. After retirement she spent some time creating watercolor pieces. Through her prayers and goodwill offerings she tried to make a difference.

In loving memory

Sister Mary Gemma (Agnes) Gallus, 96, died March 24, 2009, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn. Born April 17, 1912, near Bowlus, Minn., she was the sixth of 11 children of the late Frank and Bertha (Mucha) Gallus. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on August 12, 1939. She made first profession of vows on August 12, 1941, and final vows on August 12, 1944. She received a bachelor of arts degree in education and sociology from the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minn. She taught in rural elementary

schools before she entered the convent. She continued her teaching ministry and later was a Legion of Mary Spiritual Director. She served in St. Cloud, Browns Valley, Osakis, Elk River, Flensburg, Alexandria, Little Falls, Waite Park and St. Michael, Minn. In addition to a 68-year teaching career, she was also a member of the first Diocesan Board of Education in the St. Cloud Diocese. She traveled throughout the United States and to the Holy Land. Leaf and stamp collecting along with knitting and needlework were her favorite hobbies. In 1963 she joined the Morrison County Historical Society and Central Minnesota Gem and Mineral Club. The many stones she collected gave her great joy, especially when she could show them to others. The many people she ministered to adored her for her love, interest and simplicity in living her life.


Sister Mary Loretto (Bernadette) Schneider, 94, died March 24, 2009, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Minn. Born September 13, 1914, in Superior, Wis., she was the eighth of nine children of the late Joseph and Gertrude (Keppers) Schneider. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on August 12, 1933. She made first profession of vows on August 12, 1935, and final vows on August 12, 1938. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth; a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and became a certified chaplain at Midway/St. Joseph Hospitals, St. Paul. Sister Loretto served as a dietitian, teacher, counselor, pastoral care minister, religious education coordinator, chaplain, personnel director, parish and spiritual direction minister and a core member of the Franciscan Sisters’ House of Prayer. She ministered in Breckenridge, Little Falls, Sauk Centre, St. Cloud, Alexandria, St. Paul, Prior Lake, Flensburg, Onamia, Shoreview and Albany, Minn. Sister Loretto was a highly gifted person with deep faith that carried her through a variety of ministries. She was known for helping people to become the best that they could be. As a gentle, caring person, she saw her ministry as one with people, rather than to people. She believed that her life as a religious sister was “a continuous statement that call is not for oneself, but for building of the Kingdom.” Her name was listed in the 1973 Who’s Who of American Women.

In loving memory

Sister Mary Dorine (Irma) Zupan, 87, died May 4, 2009, at St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Little Falls, Minn. Born May 29, 1921, in St. Cloud, Minn., she was the seventh of nine children of the late Frank and Adela (Sand) Zupan. She was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, on August 12, 1940. She made her first profession of vows on August 12, 1942, and final vows on August 12, 1945. Sister Mary Dorine, became a registered nurse at St. Francis School of Nursing, Breckenridge, Minn. She earned her certificate in physical therapy

at Northwestern University, Chicago, and studied at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis. She ministered as a physical therapist, serving in Alexandria, Moorhead, Little Falls, Onamia, Breckenridge and Sauk Centre, Minn.; and Dodgeville, Milwaukee, Cudahy and Darlington, Wis. Sister Dorine was a compassionate person who readily sensed the pain of other people and responded to them with care. She was known as an excellent physical therapist who many times surprised even the doctors at her effectiveness in treating those who came to her for help. She had a deep faith and valued the Eucharist as a great treasure. To participate at Mass was, she thought, the greatest event of each day of her life. At the time of her 60th Jubilee, she said, “I feel quite certain that I have always given my best and done more than what was asked of me.” Those of us who knew her say, “Amen”, to that!

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There are no more 40-year-old toasters or unpredictable ovens in the St. Francis Convent kitchen, thanks to countless

prayers and many generous donations. The new kitchen is nothing but clean, efficient and environmentally friendly. For the Dietary staff, it’s a dream kitchen with new equipment and appliances, plenty of work space and bright lighting.

Kitchen renovation exceeds expectations!

From February, when the project began, to its completion in early May, the Dietary staff worked in an adapted kitchen in Hurrle Hall, which is across the street from the convent. Traveling back and forth through the tunnel, the staff carted the food for the three meals served each day—without compromising its quality or variety! And all of this was done with smiles on their faces. We are grateful.

Join us August 5th. Festivities begin at 4p.m.It’s time for the Green Fair & Peace Concert!!Join us August 5th. Festivities begin at 4p.m.

celebrate jubilee!96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.… · living and...

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