By: Denise Bunk-Hatch, Communications Director

   Three Allegany Franciscans, as well as two St. Bonaventure University Friars, have works featured in the Year of Consecrated Life Art Exhibit in Buffalo. The exhibit, which is on display at Villa Maria College, celebrates the works of consecrated religious living in the Diocese of Buffalo. 

   The exhibit opened on May 19 with a reception in the lobby of the campus library, where the display is being housed. Sisters Eva DiCamillo and Chris Doherty, both of whom have works featured in the show, were in attendance. Sr. Therese Van Bourgondien, who was not able to be present, also has a painting in the exhibit. 

   Works from over 30 men and women religious are included in the display, which runs until the end of the month. The display is featured as part of the Year of Consecrated Life, but the level of participation and amount of energy surrounding it have prompted organizers to consider making the display an annual event. 

• Sister Eva's work is a series of four photographs showing a tree at the Motherhouse in each of the four seasons. Sr. Eva is an avid photographer, as well as a poet, and creates cards and other items from her works. Sr. Eva claims that using her camera to focus on the many creatures of God fills her with wonder and joy.

• Sister Therese's piece was a watercolor painting of ducks in flight, inspired from her time spent living on Long Island. Sr. Therese says painting has long been a part of her life, and she has often participated in outdoor art shows and other events. Sr. Therese works primarily with watercolor, but does do some carving as well. 

• Sister Chris' painting is a watercolor of poppies. Of her work, Sr. Chris says "Art is the expression of the soul. It is also an expression of God's creation - beauty, imagination, nature, life, all living and inanimate things." She said the art reception was inspiring, and said "you could feel the oneness, and the Spirit was alive." 

   Photos from the exhibit can be seen in the Motherhouse dining room, with Sr. Eva, or on our website beginning on Tuesday, May 26. The Art Exhibit is free to the public and on display until May 30.

By: Joyce Ramage, OSF and Melissa Scholl, OSF

 

   Our April assemblies' presentation on the Sister Mother Earth initiative focused on climate change with a video to get our attention-- to jump start us into action. We know that the session was packed with little time for sharing. Thus this note to help all of us to find ways to share with each other and those around us.

   The St. Francis Pledge, http://www.catholicclimatecovenant.org/pledge,  asks to commit to action and advocacy. We would like to encourage everyone to consider forming or joining an existing group focused on issues related to climate change. Then to share among ourselves via this e-newsletter as a few have already done.

   We would like to remind you that we have copies of the movie "Elemental" available for you to borrow. One of the stories included in the video is about the Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada which is the world's largest industrial development in the world and one of the dirtiest energy projects as well. From there is the proposed Keystone Pipeline which is so controversial right now. More acidic and corrosive than conventional crude, tar sands crude is so thick it must be diluted with toxic chemicals and pumped at higher pressures. That's why pipelines carrying tar sands crude can leak more frequently than pipelines carrying conventional oil.

   There is another proposal for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline which will carry oil from the Tar Sands to a suburb of Vancouver B.C.  On the way there is the Salish Sea-the rich abundant waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of San de Fuca----and the Tulalip, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Their ancient way of living on the sea, their dependence on the salmon in their lives is severely threatened.

   This information comes from Earthjustice and we would recommend checking out their website, earthjustice.org, where you may find many ways to act on behalf of Sister Mother Earth.

 

On May 10th, the sisters in Jamaica celebrated the 125th anniversary of St. Francis Primary School in Kingston. Since its establishment in 1890, St. Francis has been providing elementary education to students from Kingston and the surrounding areas. In this picture from the 1960s, Principal Sister M. Basil Fritz teaches in a classroom at the school.