Volume 8.06 | March 23, 2020
In this Issue:


FSA Board of Directors

COVID-19 Precautions

Messages of Support for BayCare

The Sisters' House

Laudato Si Week

In Memory
Meeting of FSA Board of Directors
Life has changed for all of us with the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage everyone to be attentive to all that we are being asked to do by our local, state, national and world leaders, i.e. not traveling, staying at home, social distancing, hand washing, etc. As Congregational Leadership we are also being diligent and attentive. We have cancelled all our travel and have been conducting our Board of Directors meeting with our sisters in leadership in Brazil and Jamaica and our Congregational Treasurer, Sr. Chris Treichel using Zoom technology. This technology gives us the opportunity to both hear and see one another as we meet (pictured is the computer screen using the Zoom gallery view showing the video for each participant). We are grateful for the gift of this technology so we are able to continue the work of the Congregation. We are also grateful for the support and talents of Sr. Pat Tyre, our translator, and Kristen Luther, our Congregational Secretary.
 
We are grateful for the many messages of supportive thoughts and prayers during these challenging times. We, and all the sisters here at the Motherhouse and in the Ritiro, are holding all of you, your families, friends, our associates and partners-in-ministry in our hearts and prayers for wellness, peace, and safety. Let us pray that the healing presence of God’s love and mercy bring comfort and goodness to our world and to all people.

Please note: As of noon on March 23, 2020, the generalate offices are closed. Generalate staff will be working from home. Additional information about this situation will be forthcoming.
COVID-19 Precautions
As the country continues to act in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany would like to remind everyone to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

  • Remain home if you feel sick.
  • Practice social distancing if you must leave the house - remain at a minimum of six feet apart all times.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water regularly. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable.
  • If you are part of a vulnerable population (over 70 years old, or with an underlying health condition or compromised immune system), remain at home.
  • Call your healthcare provider or local coronavirus hotline if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive; they will provide you with the appropriate next steps.

Please remember to follow all state and local guidelines that may currently be in place. Stay home and stay safe!
Messages of Support for the BayCare Hospital Community

Colleen Walters, VP for Mission at BayCare, has been sending out supportive messages to all the medical personnel and staff throughout the BayCare hospital system. Pictured here are the sisters at St. Clare’s Convent, Tampa, FL; Sr. Kathleen Stagnaro; Sr. Pat Shirley; and the members of Congregational Leadership with Sr. Chris Treichel, Congregational Treasurer.
 
We invite you to send your pictures with your supportive messages to post on our website and on Facebook. Let’s stay connected!
The Sisters House
By: Denise Bunk-Hatch, Communications Director
Addiction is not a disease limited to men, and it doesn't impact only those with the addiction. Women abuse alcohol and other substances to deal with stress or trauma, to lose weight, to impress others, or to deal with untreated mental illness such as anxiety or depression. However, women are less likely to seek treatment for their addictions and face greater challenges in doing so due to greater responsibilities around the home.

Those who love someone with addiction - friends, family members, coworkers, etc - are also impacted by this disease. The Sisters' House, located at 3006 North Perry Avenue in Tampa, FL, was created to provide support for those women suffering from addiction as well as those who love an addicted person.

Sr. Cathy Cahill oversees The Sisters' House, which is situated on the grounds of the Franciscan Center. Although currently closed due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, The Sisters' House began operations on January 2. Despite being closed, Sr. Cathy said those in need of peace and solitude are still free to walk the grounds, and the team of volunteers is working hard to establish virtual Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings to replace the four weekly meetings normally held at the center. Sr. Cathy also sends out a daily email with an inspirational quote, poem, or video to help those who have signed up for their mailing list.

During the first two months of operation, The Sisters' House had over 300 visitors. Volunteers pressure washed the building and began landscaping, an art room was stocked with donated material and a library was created from donated books, brochures were printed and a website was developed, and regular prayer groups were held. All of these things will resume when the center is able to re-open following the current National Emergency.

"The Sisters' House is named in honor of all the Franciscan Sisters who have lived in the Franciscan Convent over the past 45 years and all the women, Sisters to each other, who will come here in the future," reads the framed list of Sisters who have lived at the location where The Sisters' House is now located.

For more information, visit The Sisters' House website.
Pope Francis Announces Laudato Si Week
In recognition of the Fifth Anniversary of his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis has designated the week of May 16-24 as "Laudato Si Week".

The following information was taken from the Laudato Si Week website.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’ , which was signed on May 24, 2015.

In the five years since its publication, thousands of people in dioceses, parishes, religious communities, lay networks, schools, and healthcare centers have taken its teaching to heart.

Catholic institutions and Catholic individuals have embraced Laudato Si’ as a contemporary expression of ancient values. The encyclical teaches us how to answer the call to love one another in the midst of an ecological catastrophe.

Laudato Si’ has been welcomed as a document of deep and abiding beauty, and it has prompted people around the world to reflect more deeply on Creator and creation. Its vision of integral ecology, which sees connections between how we treat God, nature, and each other, offers simple but profound truths about the conversion that is needed to overcome ecological sin.

Laudato Si’ Week celebrates the progress we’ve made together and accelerates our ambition for the future.
Laudato Si’ Week draws not only on the encyclical, but also on other teachings that have been published in the past five years. These include “Querida Amazonía”, the apostolic exhortation on the synod for the Amazon, the intercontinental bishops’ statement on climate change, and others.
In Memory
Sr. Barbara Joseph OSF
Date of Birth: March 26, 1945
Entered Eternal Life: March 7, 2020
Sr. Charlotte Reilley OSF
Date of Birth: December 17, 1924
Entered Eternal Life: March 14, 2020
At Sr. Charlotte's request, no eulogy was given.

Sr. Thomas Rose Redling OSF
Date of Birth: May 6, 1923
Entered Eternal Life: March 13, 2020