In this Issue:
Brazilian Assembly
Farewell to Sr. Melissa
Sr. Marlene Featured in Global Sisters Report
Shower for Mary
Meet our Congregational Office Staff
In Memory of Those Lost to COVID
|
|
|
Brazilian Regional Assembly
By: Goianira Silva OSF
|
|
The Brazilian Regional Assembly took place at Mãe Admirável Convent, in Anápolis, from October 31st to November 2nd, 2021. We opened our Assembly with the Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Marco Aurelio da Cruz, OFM. We met in person following all the necessary protocols demanded by the Health Department, such as: the use of masks and social distancing. The theme for our Assembly was “Synodality: Participation, Communion and Mission" which provided insight and illuminated our days together. Sister Teresinha Deĺ Acqua, Franciscan Sister of Joliet, presented the theme from the perspective of Consecrated Life.
Throughout the three days, we worked on the Regional Plan which the assembly approved for the next triennium 2022-2024, with the following themes: Vocational and Missionary Dimensions, Franciscan-Clarian Spirituality, Integral Ecology and Sustainability of the Brazil Region with its Members and Missions, emphasizing that Interculturality is one of the objectives for Vocational and Missionary Dimensions as well as Servant Leadership whose objective is sustainability of the region. We formed the teams that will animate each theme during this period. On November 2nd, the last day of the Assembly, we paid our respects to our sisters who preceded us. We initiated our prayer in the cemetery, and processed to the auditorium, where we closed this prayerful moment with a video of all the sisters and associates who died from August 2016 to July 2021. The Eucharist was celebrated for them at the end of the morning. We also addressed Regional and Congregational issues of interest, including our departure from our area of Mission, São Raimundo Nonato, Rio dos Bois - Tocantins; the Director and local for the Candidacy; finalizing the separation process (civil and religious entities); and scheduling the 2022 assemblies.
Taking advantage of the presence of most sisters, we celebrated a “sending ritual” for Sisters Maria Abadia da Silva and Euripedes Irias do Santos who will form St. Francis of Assisi community in Maganja da Costa, Diocese of Quelimane, Mozambique, Africa. In 2022, our sister, Liliane Araújo Costa will join them.
May the Lord accompany them and make them committed missionaries to our African brothers and sisters.
Soon after, we had a party to celebrate this moment in our history. Everything happened in a climate of great prayer, listening, participation, leisure, and community – “fraternitas.”
|
|
A Farewell to Sr. Melissa
From: Canticle Farm's Harvest Times
|
|
In August, Sister Melissa Scholl was promoted to be the Associate Minister for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. Sadly, her last day as Canticle Farm president was Friday, Nov. 5. Rest assured, she has not gone far as her new office is just down the hall from Canticle's!
But how do you adequately say thank you for all she has done? When sitting down to ask Sr. Melissa about the wisdom she'd like to pass on, the tears in her eyes expressed it all.
In many ways, Sr. Melissa has always participated on the periphery of Canticle, living at different times with Sr. Anne, Sr. Eleanor and Sr. Joyce. When she formally stepped into the role of president, she had already been eating, sleeping, and breathing Canticle due to the proximity of previous housemates!
She watched high tunnels go up, wash stations get renovated, and spent countless hours visiting with community members at CSA pick-up and market.
Sr. Melissa was asked about her thoughts on sharing the Franciscan way with others and she said, "Canticle Farm is based on the values of welcoming all people into the fold of protecting and reverencing the sacredness of creation...the diversity of the Canticle Farm community is our strength. We have so much to learn from one another."
And finally, her parting words were to breathe deeply and be present. Thank you, Sister Melissa. Words to live by and holy shoes to fill.
|
|
Sr. Marlene Weidenborner Featured in Global Sisters Report
"Franciscan says her vocation put her on path to peace, joy, happiness"
By: Katie Camario, Catholic News Service
|
|
Right after high school, Sr. Marlene Weidenborner entered the religious community of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, New York, although she had no intention of staying.
"I entered so that I could get rid of the idea of being called to be a nun," she said.
At the time, she had plans to attend college and was dating someone in the U.S. Air Force, but the call to religious life wouldn't go away.
"When God calls you, you may not like it at first, but it's there and it is a gift," Weidenborner told Gulf Coast Catholic, the news outlet of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
She entered the convent expecting to receive a clear indication that a religious vocation was not for her. Instead, she received confirmation that it was, and she stayed when many didn't.
|
|
Shower for Mary to Go Virtual Once Again |
|
The Franciscan Sisters at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, in association with the Greater Olean Association of Churches, will again hold a virtual Shower for Mary on Thursday, December 9, 2021.
The virtual prayer service will be live streamed on YouTube at 6:30 p.m. Gifts and monetary donations to benefit the St. Gianna Pregnancy Center in Olean and Healthy Families of Cattaraugus County can be dropped off in the lobby of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, 115 East Main St., Allegany, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. December 4 - December 9.
A link to the prayer service will be shared on Facebook closer to the event. This is the 19th year of the event, which brings together individuals of many faith backgrounds from across the area in support of mothers, babies, and families in need. Questions can be directed to St. Elizabeth Motherhouse at 716-373-0200.
|
|
Meet the Congregational Office Staff
Beginning in October, we will feature one Congregational Office staffer per month in the newsletter to help better connect them with our Sisters and Associates outside of Allegany.
|
|
Meet Cora Martin, Benefits Clerk.
Background: I have an associate's in business administration and worked for many years in banking and manufacturing as an executive assistant, as well as a short stint in marketing/event planning. I have a son and two loving grandchildren, and love animals.
Years on Staff: Eight years
What I Love: I feel fortunate to be able to help the sisters with whatever needs they have. Working as a team member in the Congregational Offices and in the Treasury gives me the opportunity to achieve this goal.
Contact:
Telephone: 716-373-0200 x3221
Fax: 716-372-5774
|
|
Remembering Those Lost During COVID |
|
Sr. Anna Sheridan
November 29, 1917 - October 5, 2020
From her eulogy by Sr. Mary Lou Lafferty
Good Morning! I would like to welcome everyone to the Mass of Christian Burial for our Sr. Anna Theresa Sheridan, better to known to all of us as Anna. In particular, I want to express our gratitude to Fr. Dominic for being the celebrant of this liturgy. We are always grateful to our Franciscan Friars for being present to us at all times. (Thank you, Dominic)
There have been many significant dates and events in Anna’s life, but the two most important are her birth on November 29, 1917 and her death on October 5, 2020. Etched on her grave stone between those two dates will be a dash which signifies how Anna lived, loved and spent her life – and it was a full one – almost 103 years!
|
|
Sr. Dorothy Dwyer
October 16, 1933 - January 1, 2021
From her eulogy by Sr. Carol Kenyon
Dorothy was already blessed among women when she entered the Allegany Franciscans in 1987. Her southern hospitality, graciousness, and compassion endeared her to all of us privileged to live with her.
Very sociable and VERY outgoing, Dorothy was fun to be with, interested in everyone and everything. She was intelligent and loved to read and study. If she wasn’t praying, working, or gardening, she could always be found with a book in her hand. Her desire to learn and grow spiritually and in every other way was insatiable. She didn’t just read books, she absorbed them!
During her Novitiate Year, Dorothy was a high extrovert living in the midst of a bunch of introverts. That wasn’t easy for her! But in time, as she grew in her love and desire for God, she also grew to appreciate the silence. Continue Reading
|
|
Sr. Ann Kelly
March 3, 1928 - January 24, 2021
From her eulogy by her nephew Dan Driscoll
Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to say a few words about our Aunt.
To the kids in the family, my brothers Paul and Philip , my sister Elaine and me, she was Aunty. To the adults in the family, my mother, father and grandmother Kelly who lived with us, she was Nancy.
She was born to Joseph and Mary Kelly in Dorchester, an Irish Catholic neighborhood of Boston. They lived in St. Peter’s parish where my parents were married and I was baptized. My aunt grew up on Navillus Terrace (Sullivan backwards) with her sister Mary, who she always called Mae . They were only a few blocks from where my father lived. Her father died in 1947 and her mother died in 1984.
There were only 20 years between her and I. I was born before she joined the Order and my parents asked her to be my godmother. Every Mothers’ Day I would send her a card…a godmother card if I could find one, failing that a regular Mothers’ Day card. Our running joke was that I hoped I was not causing her any scandal by sending a Mothers’ Day to the convent each year. Continue reading
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
