Love is Our Mission: The Visit of Pope...
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IN-FORMATION Taking the Next Step SOURCE AND SUMMIT Pope Francis’ Visit FEATURE Be Joyful Unto God: Celebrating Jubilee Summer/Fall 2015 the Festival of Families on September 26 and the Papal Mass on September 27. In his remarks for the Festival of Families, Pope Francis said, “Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows as it is ‘forged’ by the concrete situations which each particular family experiences.” The experience of encountering Pope Francis amid other pilgrims from across the country and around the world was a true lesson in love. Our mission to love was clear as much in the conversations with other pilgrims as the witness of the Vicar of Christ. Thank you to all those who made this trip possible, and thank you to Pope Francis, for reminding us that “Love is Our Mission!” With great joy we welcomed our Holy Father to U.S. soil for the first time this September. Twenty one of our Sisters had the opportunity to participate in some of the papal events. A group of our Sisters journeyed to Washington D.C., where the CMSWR (Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious) organized a group of 116 Novices and 35 Major Superiors from 41 different communities to attend the Canonization Mass of St. Junipero Serra on September 23. Novices and seminarians were invited to greet Pope Francis inside the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. prior to the Canonization Mass. Our Sisters present in Washington, D.C., then journeyed to Philadelphia, where more Sisters joined them. They attended Love is Our Mission: The Visit of Pope Francis Sisters pose in front of the City Hall in Philadelphia on their way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Pope Francis greeted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
Transcript of Love is Our Mission: The Visit of Pope...
IN-FORMATIONTaking the Next Step
SOURCE AND SUMMITPope Francis’ Visit
FEATUREBe Joyful Unto God:Celebrating Jubilee
Summer/Fall 2015
the Festival of Families on September 26 and the Papal Mass on September 27.
In his remarks for the Festival of Families, Pope Francis said, “Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows as it is ‘forged’ by the concrete situations which each particular family experiences.” The experience of encountering Pope Francis amid other pilgrims from across the country and around the world was a true lesson in love. Our mission to love was clear as much in the conversations with other pilgrims as the witness of the Vicar of Christ. Thank you to all those who made this trip possible, and thank you to Pope Francis, for reminding us that “Love is Our Mission!”
With great joy we welcomed our Holy Father to U.S. soil for the first time this September. Twenty one of our Sisters had the opportunity to participate in some of the papal events.
A group of our Sisters journeyed to Washington D.C., where the CMSWR (Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious) organized a group of 116 Novices and 35 Major Superiors from 41 different communities to attend the Canonization Mass of St. Junipero Serra on September 23. Novices and seminarians were invited to greet Pope Francis inside the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. prior to the Canonization Mass.
Our Sisters present in Washington, D.C., then journeyed to Philadelphia, where more Sisters joined them. They attended
Love is Our Mission: The Visit of Pope Francis
Sisters pose in front of the City Hall in Philadelphia on their way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Pope Francis greeted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
Sister M. Joan Roeder and Sister M. Regina DeVreese professed their first vows on August 10. Sister M. Joan is teaching English and Religion at Central Catholic High School in Lafayette, IN, and Sister M. Regina is studying theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Sister M. Regina with Father Dan Scheidt, former pastor of her home parish, Queen of Peace, Mishawaka, IN
Sister M. Joan poses with her pastor, Father Bob Van Kempen, from St. Mary of the Annunciation in Bristol, IN.
On August 9, Sister Maria Kolbe Elstro renewed her vows at the close of the formation retreat.
Our new novice, Sister M. Mercy Briola, shares, “As I prayed about my name choices over the past few months, one word kept coming to my mind: mercy. I believe that mercy is the perfect umbrella term that unites my two favorite saints, St. John Paul II and St. Maximilian Kolbe. They both hail from Poland, the land in which Our Lord chose to reveal His message of mercy to the world. The Lord has blessed me with many beautiful experiences of His mercy.” Sister M. Mercy received her habit and new name at a ceremony on August 10.
Investiture
Miss Wendy Rutherford receives a Bible during her Entrance Ceremony on September 6. Wendy is from Portland, Michigan and met our Sisters while studying at Michigan State University in Lansing. Prior to entering she worked at Franciscan St. Francis Health as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Wendy shared, “I think so much of being a sister is being a spiritual mother. I want to be a woman in love with the Lord who trusts Him enough to follow Him anywhere and do anything He asks of me. I believe that vocation is not about what we do . . . it is about who we love.”
Postulant Entrance
After the example of St. Francis and our foundress, Blessed Maria Theresia, the young women who enter our Community strive to live the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. After becoming a postulant in September and living with us for a year, each August we celebrate the steps our Sisters in initial formation take toward becoming a Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.
Renewal of Vows and First Profession
Sister M. Jane and Sister M. Cheryl prepare for the Jubilee Mass with Bishop Rhoades.
Sister M. Lenore visits with Father Tim Alkire, pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Lafayette, IN.
Sister M. Louise greets Bishop Kevin Rhoades before the meal.
On June 20, our Community gathered to celebrate the dedication of 13 Sisters in their many years of consecration. Sister M. Florence Wenda celebrates her 75th Jubilee. Celebrating 60 years are Sister M. Anna Marie Hofmeyer, Sister M. Ann Bernadette Hoernig, Sister M. Jane Anthrop, and Sister M. Louise Pfeifer. Our Golden Jubilarians are Sister M. Ann Kathleen Magiera, Sister M. Lenore Schwartz, Sister M. Marlene Shapley, Sister M. Marcene Franz, Sister M. Jeanne Esther Niswonger, and Sister M. Julianne Wenzel. Sister M. Cheryl Dazey celebrates her 40th Jubilee, and Sister M. Angelita Ayala celebrates 25 years. Thank you, Sisters, for your loving and dedicated service as a Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration!
Jubilarians 2015 and Bishop Rhoades: Back row: Sister M. Ann Kathleen Magiera, Sister M. Lenore Schwartz, Sister M. Marlene Shapley, Sister M. Julianne Wenzel, Sister M. Jeanne Esther Niswonger, Bishop Kevin Rhoades; Front row: Sister M. Jane Anthrop, Sister M. Cheryl Dazey, Sister M. Ann Bernadette Hoernig, Sister M. Angelita Ayala, Sister M. Louise Pfeifer, Sister M. Marcene Franz, Sister M. Anna Marie Hofmeyer.
Celebrating JubileeBe Joyful Unto God:
Students from Marian High School in Mishawaka participated in a schoolwide day of service. Some students visited our Sisters at Our Lady of Angels.
On September 13, we invited people from the local community to “Come and Pray with the Sisters” during this Year of Consecrated Life.
Sister M. Jacinta provides a tour of the campus for Sisters celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the University of Saint Francis.
The 125th Anniversary of USF also included a special Mass with Bishop Rhoades at the Cathedral in Fort Wayne on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis.
Batter up! The Sisters enjoyed many outdoor summertime activities, including this softball game.
in PicturesOur Life
Sisters board the regional rail to head into Philadelphia for the papal events.
Fort Wayne-South Bend Seminarians Daniel Niezer and Thomas Zehr wait for Pope Francis with Sister Mary Bosco, Sister M. Mercy, Sister Cora Marie, Sister Mary Augustine, and Sister Maria Gemma.
Left: Sister Maria Gemma shares with a young pilgrim during the Festival of Families.
Right: Blessed to be so close to the Holy Father!
Our Novices greet Pope Francis inside the Basilica.
“From your great coastal cities to the plains of the Midwest, from the deep South to the far reaches of the West, wherever your people gather in the Eucharistic assembly, may the Pope be not simply a name but a felt presence, sustaining the fervent plea of the Bride: ‘Come, Lord!’” - Pope Francis to Bishops of the United States, St. Matthew Cathedral, Washington, D.C., September 23, 2015
Discernment Retreat February 26-28, 2016 or call to schedule a visit
[email protected] • facebook:SSFPAvocations • 574-259-5427 • www.ssfpa.org
We, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, participate in the mission of the Roman Catholic Church by living the Gospel after the example of Saint Francis and our foundress, Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel. We strive to combine the contemplative life with the active through perpetual adoration and the works of mercy in education, healthcare, and other ecclesial ministries.
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Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration
