Sister Marigene Kennedy recently celebrated her 90th birthday with her sister, Rhe, who visited from New York City, and the Motherhouse community. Happy birthday, Sr. Marigene!

Renodin Foundation Fall 2019 Grant Awards

By: Connie Cooper, Communications Coordinator, Renodin Foundation

Each year, the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, provides grants for programs and projects whose public charitable purposes are carried out in a manner consistent with the tradition of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. Requests must show a connection to the mission of the Foundation and assist those who are poor, elderly, or have mental or physical disabilities. Awarded projects also showed sustainability to live on long after the award period is over.

The Foundation board of directors met recently to review grant applications for the Fall 2019 cycle. Mary Jo Black, board chair, is proud to announce that 21 grants were approved totaling $37,000:

 

The Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation, attentive to the religious tradition and pastoral mission of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, is committed to the Gospel stance of social justice which is lived out in a spirit of love, healing and compassion. The Foundation focuses its energy and resources primarily in the Allegany/Cattaraugus Counties of New York and McKean County of Pennsylvania and strives to improve the quality of life of our poor and marginalized neighbors.



To learn more about the Renodin Foundation grants or to apply or donate, visit www.RenodinFoundation.org .

Fraternity

By: Pat Klemm OSF, published in IFC - TOR September Propsitum

Fraternity – our life based on the reality that Jesus is brother to us all. It is about loving relationships that enrich our lives with joy. Because God has first loved us we are called to love one another as sisters and brothers. This loving is both global and local. We are called to love everyone no matter how far removed they are from us. This type of loving often entails the need to work for systemic change so that those who are poor or marginalized are treated in accord with their dignity as human persons.

But we must be careful that our love is not removed from the reality of our community lives. It is easy to love in thoughts and words, but not always so easy to love in the here and now. The differences in personalities that make up a community can make loving a challenge. The need for acceptance of these differences goes way beyond tolerance and demands that we love as Jesus loves, unconditionally and extravagantly.

The call to love in community requires that we see beyond the externals and recognize the family connection we have as children of our loving God. We are called to show that connection in the way we greet one another with not only respect but with love. Living as sisters and brothers in a Gospel sense goes beyond the way we may have related to our siblings in our family of origin. Sadly, families can lose (or may never have had) the deep connections that are inherent in the words “sister” and “brother”. 

When we live together in community there may be different roles that each takes, some having more active participation than others. The Rule challenges us to care for and respect those who are sick, aged, or challenged physically or mentally. Our care for our sisters and brothers with dementia requires a great deal of patience and we may need to remind ourselves of the person who still resides inside a mind that may no longer even recognize itself.

The Rule exhorts us to not let our righteousness lead us to anger and annoyance because of another’s imperfections. It does challenge us to work with our sisters or brothers so that we may all grow in the life we have professed to follow. Kindness must always be the guiding principle for mutual opportunities for growth. Asking for forgiveness when we have failed takes a great deal of humility as does accepting another’s request for forgiveness.

Relationships are the key to how we live out the Rule about fraternity. There are daily challenges to living our Franciscan way of life - we can each give examples of the ups and downs of community life and can each confess the ways we have lived up to or failed to live as sisters and brothers to all. Living fraternity well brings joy not only to our lives but to those with whom and to whom we minister.

Corporate Responsibility Update

By: Gloria Oehl OSF

My activities while representing the Congregation in the area of corporate responsibility during the month of September included:

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at srgloria@hotmail.com