News and Events
Issue 2.10
May 26, 2014
In This Issue
Congratulations Jubilarians
Jamaican Assembly
HNP Chapter to be Held
Quick Links
Allegany Franciscans Website
Like us on Facebook

Did you know that a daily reflection is posted on our Facebook page, or that it is also shared with a Portuguese translation by our Sisters in Brazil? Take a look! 
 
As we celebrate this Memorial Day 2014 let us pray in gratitude for all who have served in our country's military and especially for those who gave their lives for the protection and freedom of all people. Let us pray for the women and men who bravely serve today, for the sacrifices they make and the dedication they embody to the service of others. Most of all let us pray for world peace, an end to all war and violence, and the commitment to uphold and respect the integrity and dignity of all people.
Congratulations Jubilarians! 
By: Denise Bunk-Hatch, communications director 
   
   On Saturday, May 24, four sisters celebrated their Golden Jubilee in the chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse.
   Sisters Barbara Bartkowiak, Patricia Klemm, Sharon O'Neil, and Ann Wachter, renewed their vows and celebrated the years they have spent as Franciscan Sisters of Allegany in the company of fellow sisters, family members, brother Friars, coworkers, and friends.  
   Mass was celebrated by Stephen Kluge, OFM, and musical accompaniment was provided by Judy Pastore and Julianne Wallace. 
    For additional photos and video, visit our Facebook page. See the Summer 2014 edition of Allegany Connections for full article. 
 
Jamaican gathering wraps up spring assemblies 
By: Patricia Shirley, OSF 

   

   On May 10th, 13 Sisters and 15 Associates from around the island of Jamaica gathered at Immaculate Conception Convent in Constant Spring, Kingston, JA. This was the last of the Spring Assemblies. Three were held in the United States - in New Jersey, Florida and New York - as well as one in Anapolis, Brazil.  

   At the assemblies,there were presentations on Franciscan Evolutionary Spirituality, discussions on the plan to move the Chapter 2012 Initiatives into concrete actions, updates on the Motherhouse renovation, sharing of pictures and an update on our Sisters and their ministry in Bolivia, and reports of various ministries, as well as time for prayer and sharing.  

    The week-end before the Assembly in Jamaica, the first ExtravaFRANza was celebrated in downtown Kingston.  Children from the seven Allegany Franciscan Schools gathered to dance and sing. It was a wonderful social event as families, teachers and students celebrated their gifts of dance, song and oratory and their heritage of being a part of the Franciscan Family.  The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany have been in Jamaica for over 150 years.  They are well respected and well loved by many of all socio-economic levels.  

 

Holy Name Province to hold Chapter 

   The Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province will hold their Provincial Chapter June 1 to 6. The chapter theme is "Being Who We Say We Are."
    "It is important, at this stage of the Province's life, for us to think about our personal identities as well as our organization's identity," said Daniel McLellan, OFM, committee chair. "'Being Who We Say We Are' is meant to generate discussion among the friars about our lives and our ministries, about what it means to be a 'brother,' not by blood but by vocation, and to be in mission, not self-selected, but sent."
   The logo (seen at right) was designed by Michael Reyes, OFM, and represents the friars' vows and the multicultural communities where they serve.  
   The five-day meeting will be held at Siena College in Loudonville, NY. 
 
Unbroken tells the story of Olean native

By: Diane Winger, assistant librarian

   

   There's a book in our library I would like to bring to your attention.  It is about faith.  It is about healing.  It is about forgiveness after suffering unimaginable brutality.  It is the true story of Louis Zamperini, Olean NY native, Olympic runner, WWII prisoner of war and, until recently, an unsung hero.   

    Laura Hillenbrand wrote his biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption which has been named one of the best books of 2010 by many critics and was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 80 weeks.   Angelina Jolie is directing and producing the movie "Unbroken" which is due to be released in December.  Olean citizens are planning to honor Mr. Zamperini with a granite marker or bench in War Veterans Park this summer.

    Unbroken is on display in our library - I hope you'll give this inspiring story a look-see! If you can't find it, please let Sr. Anthony Clare or me know so we can help you.  

Band of Sisters to premiere in Buffalo in June

  

   Band of Sisters tells the story of Catholic nuns and their work for social justice after Vatican II of the 1960s. Weaving history with current day events, the film follows two sisters over the course of four years as they work for the rights of immigrant detainees. It also explores the cutting edge work of other sisters in affordable housing, the movement to close the School of the Americas, holistic health care for low-income people, and more.   For Catholics who wonder what became of the nuns they knew in habits and convents many years ago, for activists who may feel profoundly discouraged given the problems of today's world, for women seeking equality in their church, and for people of all faiths yearning for an inclusive and contemplative spirituality, Band of Sisters challenges us to ask what really matters in life. 

   This hit film premiered in Chicago in September 2012 and, since then, has been drawing audiences at independent movie theaters, art museums, colleges, convents, retreat centers, and churches in over 70 cities around the U.S. Read more at www.bandofsistersmovie.com.

    Band of Sisters will make its Buffalo debut on Sunday, June 8, at The Screening Room in Amherst at 4 p.m. It will be shown again at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and children, and can be purchased online at http://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-screening-room-cinema-cafe-3685445789

 

 From the Archives
   
 
 
   As you may recall from the last newsletter, I spent the beginning weeks of May visiting the sisters in Jamaica at Immaculate Conception Convent in Kingston. I spent much of my time in the archives at the convent, organizing the collection and planning for its eventual transport to the main archives at the Motherhouse. 
   I am incredibly grateful for the hospitality of the sisters at Immaculate, and the love that permeates the walls of the convent. The sisters made sure I tried every kind of Jamaican food available, including mangos, jerk chicken, ackhee and saltfish, bami, and boiled FOOD with mackerel rundown (pictured above)! I also learned many Jamaican words. I hope to find occasion to use "stush" in everyday conversation!
   But most of all, I enjoyed the moments when I could sit down with the sisters--on camera or off--and get to know these amazing women who have dedicated their lives to bettering Jamaica. Their Franciscan spirit and joy shines through everything they do, whether they were heaping my plate with food, instructing me to eat as many mangoes as possible while in the country, informing me I was about to climb a waterfall, or taking me to the ExtravaFRANza.
   To my new friends in Jamaica, thank you for making me feel so welcome and for making my stay so wonderful. Until we meet again, walk good!
 
Ellen Winger, 
congregational archivist

 

 Upcoming Opportunities
The Labyrinth: Walking the Path to the Heart 

Free walking meditation program
Wednesday, May 28
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 
Canticle Farm South
3835 South Nine Mile Rd. 
Allegany, NY 14706
Franciscan Center Retreat Offerings: 

Silent Directed Retreat
June 23, 5 p.m. - June 29, noon
Led by Father Anthony Carrozzo, OFM; Sister Anne Dougherty, OSF; and Sister Jeanne Williams, OSF
During the silent directed retreat, participants meet daily with a spiritual director. The rest of the day is spent participating in daily Mass, time for prayer and contemplation, walking the grounds or labyrinth, creating art, listening to music and resting.
Fee: $440. 
Please RSVP by June 6 to reserve your space.

To RSVP for any of these events and retreats, please call (813) 229-2695, visit www.franciscancentertampa.org/calendar, or email info@franciscancentertampa.org.

 

 

Awakening the Impulse of Conscious Evolution within Ourselves and our World: Entering an Era of the Radically New
Presented by: Barbara Marx Hubbard
 
Held at River's Edge
3430 Rocky River Dr.
ClevelandOH 44111

 

June 2, 2014

$500 event fee

info@riversedgecleveland.com 
 

216-688-1111  ext. 251 
 

 

RELIGIOUS IN THE WORLD OF 2014
Presented by: Fr. Joseph Krastel, C.Ss.R.

Held at the Notre Dame Retreat House
5151 Foster Rd.
Canandaigua, NY 14424

July 13-18, 2014
$325 registration fee
585-394-5700



Upcoming deadlines: 

June 3 - Next edition e-newsletter