Congregational E-News ~ Dec. 1, 2021
Isaiah 45:18 reminds us : “For thus says the Lord, the creator of the heavens who is God, the designer and maker of the earth who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in.” Our poet, picking up on that quote, cites a current and rather frightening issue in today’s world—the serious threats wrought by climate change. Scientists tell us that this is not a problem that is going to change unless we—as “keepers” of our Earth—take positive and ongoing steps to save God’s gift to us, our Earth. 
December Roses
 
I look out my window and
What do I see
December roses looking in at me
Bright yellow dandelions
popping out of the ground
And quite a few robins are coming around
Deep velvet red snapdragon
Fully in bloom
Doesn’t nature know it’s much too soon?
 
Temperatures in the sixties and seventy degrees
Blossoms are flowering on cherry trees
Coats are not needed; it seems such a delight
But is all of this healthy for our planet’s plight?
 
South and east climate is warmer than ever
North and west excessive snow or dry weather
It seems that nature has turned upside down
More tornadoes, hurricanes,
and droughts are found
 
There’s scientific proof and documentation
Climate change affecting all, not just our nation
How can we act to reverse this trend
And restore the balance of nature again?
By doing our part to cut down on pollution
And working together to find the solution
 
God will honor our efforts large or small
To preserve the beauty of nature for
One and all!
 
Phyllis Petryk
Franciscan Companion in Mission
 
 
“For thus says the Lord, the creator of the heavens, who is God, the designer and maker of the earth who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in.”
(Isaiah 45:18)
Advent Has Begun - Join our Care For Creation Action
advent
In case you missed it in our last edition!

Advent began on November 28, 2021. How are you celebrating this special season? We invite you to join us as we take the time this season to respond to the issues surrounding Care for Creation. As both Pope Francis and St. Francis have helped us to understand, the Earth is given by God for our sustenance and joy and entrusted to our committed care. This Advent season, we will reflect on passages from Laudato Si’. Meditating and praying on the passages can support us in taking actions inspired by Pope Francis’ words and wisdom and by the seven multiyear Laudato Si’ Action Platform goals. 

Daily during Advent, we will be posting a brief reflection and action step on our Instagram page, calling us to Care for Creation. We have also posted the entire season of reflections as well as the Advent action-step calendar on our website to be downloaded and used in your home, workspace, parish, etc. Learn more and pray along by clicking here: https://osfphila.org/spiritualityprayer/service-advent/.
Founding Spotlight - Mother Stanislaus

Reverend Mother Mary Stanislaus was born Mary Bittenbender on February 10, 1853, in Locust Gap, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. At 16, she entered the Reed Street Convent of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. With Mother Agnes Bucher as her novice mistress, Sister Mary Stanislaus professed less than two years later. Throughout her nearly 50 years as a sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia, Mother Stanislaus sustained her devotion to her community and its life of prayer. Sister M. Jeanette Clare, OSF, writes that even “on the morning of her death, though increasingly ill, Mother Stanislaus was present for every Community prayer” (50).

Less than two months after she professed, Sister Stanislaus, along with her superior and another sister, was sent to the new mission of St. Bonifacius School in St. Clair, Pennsylvania. At the school, she “developed marked proficiency and tact in teaching” (Clare 50). An assignment to teach in Doylestown followed in 1876 and continued until 1885. Mother Agnes then chose Sister Stanislaus to head the staff of a new school, St. Francis Academy in the town of Baker, Oregon. As Sister Jeanette Clare writes, “After almost a week of sitting up in the dusty uncomfortable trains, [Sister Stanislaus and four other sisters] arrived at Baker, then not much more than a crude mining town” (50).

On August 2, 1918, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia selected Mother Mary Stanislaus to follow Mother Mary Aloysia as head of their community. As superior general, Mother Stanislaus soon opened a school mission in the St. Stanislaus parish in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. But perhaps most significantly, she ministered to the countless individuals who were being affected by the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Sister Jeanette Clare quotes from a letter that Mother Stanislaus wrote to her community at the time of the 1918 pandemic, a letter reflecting her Franciscan spirituality and charism. Read more
Gun Violence Vigil

An inclusive, healing gathering remembering the over 750,000 Americans who have been killed or injured by gun violence since the Sandy Hook tragedy.
 
Vigils are being held at hundreds of locations nationwide to give voice to all the victims and survivors of gun violence and together help #EndGunViolence in America. Survivors are invited to bring photographs of their loved ones and will have the opportunity to say their names.

When:
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
4:30 P.M.
 
Where:
Our Lady of Angels Convent
(Brief prayer under the portico followed by a silent vigil on Convent Rd.)
Featured Need - A Hoop House at Red Hill Farm
Red Hill Farm in Aston, Pennsylvania, is owned by the Sisters of St. Francis and offers fresh produce grown with organic farming practices. The fruits and vegetables grown on the farm serve more than 700 families, as well as the Sisters of St. Francis. We are grateful for the community’s volunteer support and generous donations that have helped Red Hill Farm to do its vital work in spite of recent challenges. During the pandemic, the farm continued to operate and to bring families and neighbors together through community-supported agriculture. Entire families often join staff and other volunteers to assist on the farm—a place to be one with nature and to gather safely with others.

To sustain its work effectively, Red Hill Farm needs to build an additional “hoop house,” which is similar to a greenhouse. Our need for the hoop house is immediate because it will support us in preparing next year’s crops. It will also contribute to ongoing community involvement—joining the Red Hill Farm staff and other volunteers to tend and weed the developing plants.

Please consider making a new donation to Red Hill Farm. Through your generosity, you will help the Sisters of St. Francis continue to share with the community by growing, harvesting, and offering healthful, life-giving fruits and vegetables.
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia | 610-558-7726 | communications@osfphila.org | www.osfphila.org