Cloister/Ritiro to Celebrate 60th Anniversary on Sunday

The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cloister/Ritiro on Sunday, June 30.

The celebration will begin with a special Mass at 9:30 a.m. in the Motherhouse chapel. Following Mass, the Ritiro sisters will open up their home for visitors. The Ritiro moved from its original location at the rear, west side of the Motherhouse to a fresh, new space on the building's east side when renovations were completed in 2014. A meal will follow in the Motherhouse dining room at 11:45.

Eleven current and former Cloister/Ritiro Sisters will be in attendance for the event. In total nearly 50 sisters have lived as members since 1959.

Following the anniversary celebration a special page will be added to the congregation's website featuring a history video and individual reflections from former and current Cloister/Ritiro sisters.

Franciscan Federation Conference 2019:

A Call to be Saints, Founders, and Prophets

By: Margaret Magee OSF

Mary Elizabeth Imler OSF (Frankfort, IL) and Michael Blastic OFM (Holy Name Province) were the keynote presenters for our Annual Franciscan Federation Conference held June 21-24 in St. Louis, MO. There were approximately 180 people in attendance representing Members of the Federation and other National Organizations, such as Franciscans International (FI), Franciscan Action Network (FAN), the Secular Franciscan Order, the Commission for the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT), Next Generation Franciscan Mentors, and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities.

Michael Blastic traced the history of how Francis of Assisi was imaged through the three volume sources, Francis’ own writing (The Saint), through the time of the foundation of the Order (The Founder) and in later writings as the number of friars grew and the Order became more established within the church (The Prophet). Mary Elizabeth made connections with our Third Order Regular Rule and Life, our values of contemplation, poverty, humility and conversion and the living of our charism in this current time and in the reality of the world today. Keynote presentations will soon be available on the Federation website at https://franfed.org/.

We celebrated the Honorees from all the Member Congregations and Provinces as well as our own, Nancy Chiarello OSF. Nancy is celebrated for her ministry as one of the founders of the Dwelling Place, New York City. The Dwelling Place, now celebrating over 35 years, is a sponsored ministry of the Congregation. It is a transitional residence providing a safe and healing environment for homeless women.

The Federation JPIC Resolution for 2019 – 2020 is entitled, Welcoming The Refugees, Immigrants, Asylum Seekers . It states, “We, the members of the Franciscan Federation, recognize that we live in a nation at a time when refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers are being turned away from our borders and held in detention centers. We hold our national leaders accountable for the reprehensible crime of separating children from their parents and placing them in detention. We are urged to 'support [our] neighbor in his [her] weakness as one [sic] would want to be supported were he [she] in a similar situation,' (Adm XVIII: 1). We are called to support all efforts to ensure that displaced people are treated in a way that is consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.” Read more on the resolution and suggestions for a Call to Action: https://franfed.org/franciscan-federation-jpic-resolution-for-2019-2020-welcoming-the-refugees-immigrants-asylum-seekers/

Mark your calendars for next year’s Franciscan Federation “Invitational” Assembly to be held in Denver, CO, June 5 to 8, 2020. This invitational assembly will explore new modes and structures of cooperation among Franciscan entities and national organizations in service of new generations of Franciscan women and men.

The Franciscan Federation promotes exploration and study of Franciscan Evangelical Life and its implications for these times and for our world.

Welcome, Fr. Neil O'Connell OFM!

On Thursday, June 20, Fr. Neil O’Connell OFM moved into his new home at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. The friars of Holy Name Province recently closed Holy Name Friary, their skilled nursing care facility in Ringwood, NJ, and moved their friars to various nursing homes near their local friaries.

 

Fr. Neil, who served as president of St. Bonaventure University and has family in the Buffalo area, requested the move to St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. Fr. Kevin Mullen, Provincial of Holy Name Province, contacted Congregational Leadership with Neil’s request. In turn, Congregational Leadership met with the Motherhouse leadership and brought Fr. Neil’s request to the Motherhouse sisters. After discussion the sisters agreed to support the request and to welcome him. 

 

Pictured with Fr. Neil are the friars of his local community at the St. Bonaventure University community. We welcome Fr. Neil to our Motherhouse!

International Charter for Compassion

"We believe that a compassionate world is a peaceful world.

We believe that a compassionate world is possible when every man, woman, and child treats others as they wish to be treated - with dignity, equity, and respect.

We believe that all human beings are born with the capacity for compassion, and that it must be cultivated for human beings to survive and thrive.

We know that we can collectively overcome the challenges that we face as a global community.

To that end we support and work to achieve the seventeen sustainable goals of the United Nations."

These are the introductory words on the Charter for Compassion's website. The Charter for Compassion organization was created to provide a concrete means through which to take action on the goals of the Charter itself.

On Thursday, June 13, Laura Whitford, President of the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation, participated in a panel as part of the "Cultivating Compassion in Your Community" conference sponsored by the Olean Area Charter for Compassion and the Chautauqua Institution , Chautauqua, NY. The city of Olean became a Charter for Compassion City in February of this year . Individuals, businesses, and organizations can sign the Charter as well – Congregational Leadership signed onto the Olean Charter for Compassion last year and Canticle Farm is also a member. Recently, Congregational Leadership made an application for membership in the International Charter for Compassion. 

Franciscan Center Leadership visit Allegany

New Executive Director of the Franciscan Center, Wendy Leigh, and Board Chair Lisa Grattan visited St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany, NY, for the first time on June 18.

They participated in the Center's annual meeting, toured the Motherhouse, and took part in the Generalate staff's birthday/anniversary celebration. Also during their visit they met with Sr. Melissa Scholl and toured Canticle Farm and the Canticle Farm Market and met with Laura Whitford to learn about the St. Elizabeth Mission Society and the Renodin Foundation.

Sr. Barbara gives Bolivia presentation

Sr. Barbara Bartkowiak spent a few hours with 40 students and a few teachers at Christ the King School in Snyder, NY, talking about her stay with our Sisters in Bolivia for three months last summer.

 

The 78-slide presentation also included a Bible search on "GIVING" and an activity called "Those Who Have and Those Who Have Not". The meaning of being a "missionary" was stressed and the students viewed some items of dress and culture brought from Bolivia. The students received the recent Mission Society pamphlet and learned about all our other missions.

Barbara will be doing a presentation at Archbishop Walsh in Olean, NY, and other schools in the future.