Congregational E-News ~ Jan. 15, 2020
|
|
Sometimes people think of “conversion” as a moment of unusual awareness—something outstanding and mind boggling. As Franciscans we talk a lot about “ongoing conversion.” While that term has been part of my vocabulary for many years, I think that it’s only been in relatively recent years that I’ve experiences the reality of what it means. There’s really nothing mind boggling about it. To me it simply means “starting over”—sometimes not just every day but multiple times each day. But the awesome reality of that starting over—that “conversion”— is that my God is right there with me saying, “Come on—give it another try. I’m here and I know you can do it.”
|
|
Conversion
I’m ready
…for newness
…for life
…for taking chances
on living
on loving
on seeing each new day,
called by love to start again
to shed the fear,
the caution
that impede God-love,
that tie me to the now
and blind my heart to
newness.
Ready
with open heart and hand
to love the doubt,
embrace the new,
to live today
without the fear
of what tomorrow holds,
free to shout my
“Yes”
to all my God will give
to all God’s love holds out
with gentle care,
enticing me to dream anew
and gather to my heart
the promise of my
Gentle God
of
Peace.
Ann Marie Slavin, OSF
|
|
Meet Sr. Eleanor Horneman
|
|
For many of our sisters, the relationship with the congregation began during their school years. Sr. Eleanor Horneman is a definite exception. She was taught by the Ursulines and the Sisters of Charity and had considered entering the Ursulines. So what changed her mind? “A case of laryngitis and a talk with a local priest led me to his sister, a member of our congregation at St. Anthony Parish in Baltimore,” Sr. Eleanor explained. “Through Sr. Inviolata, the superior, I entered our congregation at our Lady of Angels Convent sight unseen!”
Sr. Eleanor served in a variety of ministries. She spent her earlier years in education on elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels. “I enjoyed teaching high school students, especially my years in co-ed schools,” she recalled. “It was here that I read Chardin’s
The Future of Man
and have been intrigued with the concept of evolution since then.”
Read more
|
|
Franciscan Discernment Guide
|
|
Have you ever considered religious life? Are you aware that there is more than one style of discernment? In our Franciscan theology and discernment, we see the whole situation and begin from a place of beauty, love, and a desire to return to balance and harmony. Life is not a puzzle to be figured out piece by piece, but a practice of following the heart as lead by the Spirit. Other styles of discernment work for some of us, but not all, and they have a different focus. Enjoy discovering an alternative form of discernment. Click here to learn more and to download a copy of our new discernment booklet:
https://osfphila.org/become-a-sis…/discerning-your-vocation/
.
|
|
Monthly Featured Need - Children's Programs at Red Hill Farm
|
|
Please help us bring new children’s educational programs to Red Hill Farm in 2020. The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have operated Red Hill Farm for close to 20 years and the six-acre Community Supported Agriculture farm provides the local community with fresh produce and innovative children’s programs. This year, in addition to providing produce to over 120 families, the farm will offer children in the local community the opportunity to participate in programs focused on nutrition, arts, and science. We are asking for your help in supporting us as we create new programs and improve existing ones. We hope to be able to develop an area of the farm to offer even more children’s programs and your contributions will go toward making this possible.
Please consider donating today. Want to visit the farm? Feel free to come by. We are at Red Hill Farm at Red Hill and Legion Roads, Aston, PA 19014. You can also visit our webpage here:
https://osfphila.org/red-hill-farm/
or call us at (610) 558-6799 to learn more about the farm and the programs we offer.
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
― St. Francis of Assisi
|
|
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia | 610-558-7726 | communications@osfphila.org | www.osfphila.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
