Congregational E-News ~ Dec 15, 2018
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We’ve all experienced times when life seems dark, when nothing seems to go the way we think it should. Very often these are the times that God is closest to us---waiting patiently to be “rebirthed” in our hearts and in our world. This is the ongoing message of Advent!
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Advent Hope
Waiting…
Not in darkness of despair
But in God’s healing night,
A night
That holds the heart in hope,
That soothes Earth’s pain
And calms Earth’s fears,
A night alive
With God-love deep and rich,
A night
That waits for Christmas dawn
To light God’s world.
Ann Marie Slavin, OSF
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Advent, Christmas, and Beyond!
Advent began on Sunday December 2 and continues today and remains through Christmas Day. Have you seen our daily reflections and Advent action step calendar? They are posted on our
Facebook page here
or you can view them on in the prayer resource section of our website by
clicking here!
Did you also know that the holiday season doesn't officially end with the birth of Christ on Christmas Day?
On January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany (in most places in the U.S. the feast is transferred to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8), the Church celebrates the biblical event where the Magi, also called the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, traveled from the East to pay homage to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. Many believe that this is the date when the Christmas season officially ends, being the end of the traditional 12 days of Christmas.
However, according to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, Ordinary Time doesn’t officially begin until the Monday after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which (usually) falls on the Sunday after Epiphany (this year that is January 13th). This means that the Christmas season actually extends beyond the popular “Twelve Days of Christmas.” We will be sharing reflections during this time as well which can be viewed again either on our congregational
Facebook page
or on
the website.
We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Many Blessings.
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Closing of St. Ann Convent
In October our sisters dealt with an event that touched us personally—the closing of St. Ann Convent, our retirement residence in Tacoma, Washington. Many of the sisters from the west coast gathered at the convent for the closing ritual. Sister Jude Connelly, the administrator of St. Ann’s, used a prayer service from
Praying our Goodbyes
by Joyce Rupp. During one particularly touching point in the service, the sisters were asked to write their “goodbyes” on slips of paper and place them in a bowl. That bowl itself had a particular significance. Last year a tree that the sisters had named the “Grandma Tree” because it had stood on the property for 110 years fell. The gentleman who carted the tree away gifted the sisters with the bowl which had been made from the wood of the Grandma Tree.
On October 3 the sisters also celebrated the final Transitus Service at St. Ann’s—a Franciscan prayer service commemorating the death of St. Francis. Sisters Mary Kathryn Dougherty and Colette Gerry, members of our leadership team, were present and Sister Mary Kathryn shared the homily. Sr. Jude expressed her gratitude to both of them. “They helped to give us a sense of closure and strength and complimented us for our way of handling a difficult closure,” she said. “They also gave us a sense of encouragement to look to the future.”
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Sisters from various parts of the west coast gathered at St. Ann Convent for the closing rituals. (l-r) Srs. Carmel Gregg, Esther Stewart, Mary Coakley, Joan Roddy, Maureen Duignan, Carol Warnke, Ruth Fishburn, Anne McNamara, Theresa Lamkin, Christine Still, Patricia Millen, Joanne Clavel, Mary Ann Gallagher, Mary Lonergan, Frances Calhoun, Guadalupe Medina, Mary Jo Chaves, Emma Holdener.
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During the prayer service in St. Ann Convent chapel, Sr. Anne McNamara—and each of the sisters present—placed a paper in the bowl listing their goodbyes.
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INVITING ALL MILLENNIALS
–Are you in your 20s or 30s? Did the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia influence you in a positive way? Did you graduate from a school in which they taught? Work with them in ministry? Were mentored by them? Maybe you simply have a FRANCISCAN HEART and you’re looking for a way to give back!
Donor Service day
January 21, 2019
8:30 A.M. - 3 P.M.
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The dome atop of Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston is the highest point in Delaware County and provides beauty to drivers and pedestrians in the area. Now the dome is in need of repairs. Some tiles are broken or need replacement and a new coat of waterproofing needs to be applied to preserve its beauty for years to come. Due to the height of the building, scaffolding must be placed around it.
Please help us defer the cost with your donation and let this beacon as well as the beauty of the dome remain a testament to our history in Delaware County.
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Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia | 610-558-7726 | communications@osfphila.org | www.osfphila.org
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