“Pay attention to what you wish you were doing when you're doing something else.”
— Joyce Rachelle

“If you are losing your leisure, look out! It may be you are losing your soul.”
— Virginia Woolf
Sister Virginia Rose Carroll creates meticulous beaded artwork in the Sisters' community room at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh. Graduates of the former Mount Assisi Academy might recognize the cabinets and fixtures as remnants of the room's past life as a biology lab. Below, Sister Ann Marie Yenca paddles a ball during morning exercises at Monocacy Manor.
Pastimes & Passions
A room once filled with beakers, test tubes and the stifled chatter of teenaged girls rushing in for science class with Sisters Immaculata and Jude is a little quieter these days. But the former Mount Assisi Academy biology lab still hosts a bounty of activity as a community room for the 12 School Sisters of St. Francis who reside at what is now Mt. Assisi Place personal care home in Pittsburgh.

Its tabletops are filled with jigsaw puzzles in progress, the trappings of various crafts projects, planting supplies, computer stations, a sewing machine and even a well-worn typewriter. Each area of the bright and airy room represents a passion or pastime important to the Sisters there. It's also a place to share simple pleasures like ice cream or cake on a special birthday.

Likewise, the common areas of Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem, Pa., are spaces in which to read the morning paper, watch favorite game shows, take in new prayer requests, build jigsaw puzzles or play Scrabble. In the bustle of morning, a main corridor is a personal gym of sorts where our Sisters gather to take part in organized exercise.

These are among the places that our Sisters pursue their favorite pastimes and passions, which have become particularly important and enriching during the extended isolation of COVID-19. Whether it's praying quietly, clipping stamps for missions, exploring genealogy, writing poetry, gardening or sewing, the Sisters of the U.S. Province savor these treasured distractions from the national news. These activities don't just pass the time, they feed the soul.

“We are so much more invigorated by active leisure,” attests Psychology Today magazine. “If you’ve ever lost yourself in a sport, art project, or other challenging, absorbing activity, you’ve experienced flow. Time flies, self-consciousness disappears, and you are fully immersed in the activity at hand.”

What activities move and motivate you? How do you clear your mind of chaos? Take our short survey and see how our friends in faith make time fly. We will share the results in an upcoming edition of Tidings in Troubled Times.
One-on-One with Our Sisters
As we endure the COVID-19 pandemic and other unrest in our country, our Sisters reflect on what brings them strength and solace, share fond memories, and offer wise words for our friends in faith.
Were there any traditions or activities that made Sundays particularly special in your family home?
“My Dad made the best bacon and eggs in Northampton! On any given Sunday morning, my sister, my mother and I would attend the 8 a.m. Mass. We walked to church because we had no car. When we returned, we were certain to find dad at the stove busy frying the bacon. When he had breakfast ready, he rounded us up to come to the table. Fresh coffee, extra crispy bacon, scrambled eggs – nice and soft – and toast was on the table waiting for us. This was a special Sunday treat. After breakfast, we cleaned up, and dad headed out the door to attend Sunday Mass. His breakfasts could stand the test of time with any that you might buy at Perkins!” — Sister Amata Shina
If you could spend a summer day anywhere without worry, where would it be?
“I would like to spend a day out at camp in Tionesta (in northwest Pennsylvania) — a peaceful place, filled with the beauty of God's creation — just relaxing and admiring God's creatures and Mother Nature in all her glorious splendor.”
— Sister Karen Buco

Parenting a Healthy Spirit
Our St. Francis Center for Renewal will host Parenting a Healthy Spirit, a free and timely online program for young families, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 22. Just in time for the new school year ahead, Father Bernard Ezaki and Wendy Krisak deliver important practical advice for parenting for a family filled with faith. The program is part of SFCR's Beyond Bricks & Mortar Program.
Back in the old days, some of our Sisters were nearly as competitive as the players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (shown above).
Funny ‘First’ Impression
Sister Regina Ann Rokosny looks back with a full-toothed smile at a back-to-school mishap from her teaching days. “Ah, August! As I stood at homeplate in the old tennis court at Mt. Assisi ready to hit at least a single, little did I realize that, come September, I would be teaching first grade in Jersey City without my front tooth. I hit the ball with much gusto and ran even faster to first base, where Sister Theophane (Francis Jacko) stood determined to tag me out. There was little space between Sister, the base and the high metal fence enclosing the tennis court. No room to stop. The fence and I met face to face! The next day I was blessed with the news that my front tooth was damaged and had to be removed. Thank God I was teaching first grade so my students and I lisped our way together. No tooth until October 22. By the way, I knocked Sister Theophane over, too.”
Past Editions
Read all previous editions
of Spiritual Sunday and Tidings
in Troubled Times here.