Sister Carmen Barsody

What compels us? What’s the cost? These are questions I ask myself almost every day. Kay Jorgensen and I started asking these questions more than 22 years ago as we were founding Faithful Fools together. We asked these questions at our first preparation meeting for our first street retreats and we ask them today when we prepare to spend seven days on retreat in the streets. Like all good questions, over time our responses move out of the head and rise to consciousness from the cells of our bodies

where our experiences and knowledge of life, our joys and struggles, have settled. The answers aren’t simple and most often continue to arise over our lifetime, showing up years after finishing the retreat. Walking my questions in the streets, in quiet dialogue with myself and with people around me, is how I learn. A couple of weeks ago as I was walking, I found myself thinking about my dad, about Kay, as well as Stone Allen, Edward Tyler and so many others who have passed away and whom I

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loved deeply and dearly. It was one of those moments where I was questioning whether I had spent enough time with them… how often I didn’t make it to visit them or sit down and talk because life was so full. As I was feeling some angst that they are gone and that I didn’t have more time, or didn’t take more time with them, a voice rose up inside of me through the density of my doubts: Would any amount of time have been enough time?! So often, we are not clued in to what each other is carrying or thinking within as we walk along or engage with one another. Sometimes the reality of struggle or joy seems evident or maybe even mentioned in conversation. Sometimes it is shielded behind a smile or a quick pace in fine dress with a coffee mug in hand, but either way, there we are: humans together in the streets, everyone living complex stories. It is in the streets where we meet and where we are leveled. That is how the word “street” became part of our identity: Faithful Fools Street Ministry, Faithful Fools Street Community, Faithful Fools Street Level Learning. I have been walking the streets of San Francisco for over 22 years, as well as

the streets of Nicaragua, Chicago, St. Paul, and my home town of Elk River, Minnesota before that. What compels me is that my heart and mind beat in relationship with a whole world that I care deeply about. The cost is that I cannot and do not want to turn away. Our well-being is bound up with one another and we have work to do together.

To learn more about Faithful Fools or to donate, visit faithfulfools.org.

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Don’t miss your chance to attend the Franciscan Life Center retreat in Little Falls:

The Franciscan Way of Life—A Covenant of Conversion and Commitment, Monday-Friday, January 13-17, 2020.

Our retreat director is Sister Margaret Carney, an authority on the life of Saint Clare of Assisi and currently is a member of the Franciscan pilgrimage staff. Overnight rate: $295, includes conferences, room and all meals, Commuter rate: $90, includes conferences and mid-day meals.

Register no later than January 8, 2020 by contacting the Franciscan Life Center at (320)632-

0680, or franciscanlife@fslf.org.

AS Rick Dietz, Saint Cloud, Minn.

There are several stories of the lives of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi that I treasure, but I thought I’d share a story that I think cuts to the heart of Franciscan spirituality for me. This story takes place after the death of Saint Francis and is recorded in The Golden Sayings of the Blessed Brother Giles of Assisi. Giles was the third person to join Saint Francis, forming the initial community. The other person in the story is Saint Bonaventure, a great scholar and classmate of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who was a member of the Franciscan friars and later became the Minister General (head) of the order. Brother Giles believed in the simplicity of the order and was concerned friars were wanting to become more schooled and become priests. Here is the story:

“Brother Giles the third companion of Saint Francis at Assisi said one day to Saint Bonaventure, “Father, God has shown us great mercy and bestowed on us many graces. But we who are poor and ignorant idiots, what can we do to correspond to his immense goodness, and to be saved?” Saint Bonaventure answered, “If God were to bestow on anyone no other talents besides the grace of loving him, this alone suffices and is every spiritual treasure.” Brother Giles said, “Can a dull idiot love God perfectly as a great scholar?” Saint Bonaventure replied, “A poor old woman may love him more than the most learned master and doctor in

Theology.” At this, Brother Giles in a sudden fervor and jubilation of spirit, went into a garden, and standing at a gate toward the city (of Rome) he looked that way and cried out with a loud voice, “Come, the poorest, most simple, and most illiterate old woman, love the Lord our God, and you may attain to a higher degree of eminence and happiness than brother Bonaventure with all his learning.” After this, he fell into an ecstasy, in which

he continued in sweet contemplation without motion for a space of three hours.”

The reason I like this story is that it boils everything about the spiritual life down to the essential element: love of God. It is based on the passage of Saint Matthew’s Gospel (22:34-46): Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” The story of Giles and Bonaventure reminds me that living the heart of the Gospel is simple and easy to grasp. It doesn’t take a highly educated person to understand and live it. May we all realize that we are loved by God and our response is to return that love to God and to all we meet.

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Rosa Vargas is one of our 45 associates from Ecuador. She lives in a populated and needy neighborhood in Quito, Colinas del Norte. Three days a week, usually starting at 5 a.m., she gets to her parish church and starts receiving food from two different branch offices of a big supermarket, working until 9:30 a.m. Then, three evenings a week, she gets together with other volunteers to organize the donations and put together baskets that will be distributed to needy families for the parish church social ministry’s Comedor and for her prayer group members.

Rosita feels blessed to live alone. She can lead her life and mission now that her children are married and live by themselves. So after her full week, she also offers her Sundays as Eucharist Minister. She helps in a couple of Masses and visits sick people

and brings them communion. She also receives training before midday. Rosita is also learning about psychology of the sick. That is every Sunday except the third one of each month, which is dedicated to her Franciscan community, when associates from the Highland region in Ecuador get together for sharing, praying and going back to their

own missions. As we can see, Rosita is a strong, helpful

and devoted woman. She not only serves her peers in these ways, but she also takes care of her land. She sows and she harvests corn. When possible, she cooks it and shares with her group, ‘Walking with Maria', who are just like family to her.

Her smile inspires those who are blessed with her company in her different journeys.

AS Verónica Rivadeneira, Ecuador

Families receiving food Neighborhood of Colinas del Norte

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AS Rosanne Fischer, Duelm, Minn.

One highlight from Sister Ardis Cloutier’s life of ministry was serving as Director of the Stauros program, a program sponsored by the Passionist Congregation in Chicago. ‘Stauros’ is Greek for ‘The Cross.’ The purpose of the program was to help suffering people realize the redemptive nature of suffering. The offices of Stauros were at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago. While Stauros sponsored a number of programs and published a regular newsletter, it was well-known for a special program for persons with disabilities. Between 1989 and 2001, Stauros sponsored five Israel Bible Study Programs for people with disabilities. Sister Ardis was a staff person for the 1992, 1995 and 1998 programs. Each program had 10-12 participants accompanied by an attendant. Father Donald Senior, C.P., a renowned New Testament scholar and CTU President at that time, led the program.

There were many memorable moments from each of these trips but a few are especially poignant.

One occurred at the Church of the Nativity. Elizabeth, a 72-year-old woman who was blind, was determined to get to the site long believed to be the place where Jesus was born. To do this, she went down the stairs on her bottom to the site, knelt on the spot and kissed it, declaring, ‘this is the

happiest I have been since my babies were born.’ Another memorable occasion involved a woman with cerebral palsy who normally ambulated with a wheelchair, who insisted on climbing the rough steps cut into rock to reach the top of Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site – a difficult climb for a person with full mobility. Sister Ardis recalls the joy of another person with cerebral palsy, who with assistance but with difficulty, climbed onto a camel. She had a safe and

enjoyable ride. One year, Little Falls Franciscan Sister Joyce Brandl, who was sight-impaired and had rheumatoid arthritis, was a participant. Sister Juanita Mauer accompanied as her attendant. Sister Joyce loved scripture and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which included a wonderful stay at a kibbutz. Sister Juanita participated as the program’s official registered nurse for two more years.

Sister Ardis never dreamed she would have such experiences. After 21 years as a Medical/Laboratory Technologist at Saint Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, and another six years at Saint Gabriel’s, she thought she would always be saying, “Good morning, my name is Sister Ardis and I‘m here to draw some blood from your arm.” She entered that profession after earning degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the

College of Saint Catherine. Her medical (Con’t on pg. 6)

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AS Mercedes González

Our end-of-the-year

meeting in Managua,

Nicaragua, was on

December 17. We thank

God for one more year and

for sharing in community.

It was a beautiful

encounter! Hoping that the

Franciscan community

will be bigger every day!

profession ended, rather unexpectedly,

when she was asked to be Community

Secretary for the sisters in Little Falls.

After four years as secretary, she

attended CTU, planning to earn a Master’s

degree in Mission Effectiveness for

continued work in the health care system.

Thus began the journey that led to her

remaining in Chicago for the Stauros

position and later, after serving on the

Leadership Team of the Franciscan Sisters,

accepting a position as secretary to the

vocation director of the Augustinian

community. Her office was located at Saint

Rita High School in Chicago, where she

and the students enjoyed informal

interactions between classes.

Sister Ardis has followed in the way of

Saint Francis, attending to people’s

physical and spiritual needs as called upon

in her various ministries. She has been

open to the callings of the Spirit, which has

led to blessings in her own life and in the

many lives she has touched.

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I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus 15)

For AS Gerry Leonard’s husband, Mike, who has fluid and blood in his lungs. We pray that the doctors discover its cause and treatment.

For Don Carlos, AS Vilma Zambrano’s father, who continues in treatments and medical check-ups due to his diabetic foot.

For AS Mary Jane Flynn’s friend, Johnette 58-years-old, who is dying due to a failing liver.

For ASs Iris Prieto and Glahecer Baque. They will be in Mission in January in El Coca, the Amazon region of Ecuador.

For AS Gail Condon, for healing of her left foot.

For health for those associates and applicants in San Diego, Condega, Nicaragua, who need it.

For AS Phyllis Dobis who has persistent lower back pain.

For AS Norma Salazar who is facing surgery in the early part of 2020.

For AS Veronica Salazar who has the beginning stages of Macular Degeneration. We pray that God protect her eyes.

For Luis, AS Rosario Mosquera’s son, who still needs a lot of care after he had tumors removed from his brain.

For AS Cynthia Summers’s 22-year-old grandson, Clay Beathard, who was stabbed to death in Nashville. He was home from college on Christmas break.

For AS Cristina de Padilla. Her health is not good and her daughter is taking care of her.

In thanksgiving for AS Benigno Tellez, who has a job now.

For friends of AS Leona Wieland: Dawn, who will have surgery for a broken ankle; Bob, who is going on home hospice and support for his wife, Donna; Tiffany, that cancerous cells were completely removed; Matt's complete healing from heart surgery.

January 2020 A Rose to the Living

Birthdays -- Sisters Feastdays Birthdays -- Associates / Applicants

10 S Mary Pat Burger 11 S Annella Henger 21 S Ange Mayers 24 S Joanne Heim 25 S Marguerite Ostendorf

1 Carmen Rugama 2 Eva Rodgriguez 3 Melissa Gerads 10 Sandra Paredes 13 Phyllis Dobis 13 S Agnes Long, HT 13 Veronica Salazar 14 Ruth Ann Pallansch 15 María Bonilla 15 John Fakler 17 Dora Guevara 17 Marie Popp 18 Rita Feddema 20 Cynthia Summers 24 Mary Dongoski 25 Brianda Cediel 26 Anna Taylor 27 Joan Bednarczyk 28 Chris Topic 29 Lesly Pérez 30 Duane Wiest

15 Mr. Pablo Berrones Morales

Birthdays -- Parents

A Prayer for the Dead

20 SM Fabian Schneider

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