Franciscan Footprints

A few days before Christmas we went out to the Motherhouse for the blessing and dedication of the remodelled infirmary community room/dining room.(now named the Sacred Heart Room) It was a wonderful day to gather and celebrate the the completed project and to remember Vicki(who was imstrumental in the starting & planning  phase) who dedicated herself to the care of our infirm sisters.

On Christmas Eve we gathered once more at the Motherhouse to sing Christmas carols and help our infirm sisters open gifts. It was a blessing to share this time with our sisters!

At the House of Formation we celebrated on Christmas day starting with Morning Prayer at 8am followed by a special breakfast(thanks Sister Magdalene!) and gift opening. I believe Mass was at 11am that day.

It was such a blessing to celebrate Our Lord’s birth with my sisters in community.  What was your celebration of Christmas like?

St. Peter Canisius(1521-1597)

Saint Peter Canisius was born in 1521 and died in 1597. He was a Jesuit priest and was declared a Doctor of the Church and is known as the second Apostle of Germany. He and Father Lejay were commissioned to write a Catechism and due to the death of Father Lejay, St. Peter Canisius finished writing the Catechism in 1555. A biography is available at Saints and Angels Online.

 

Today is the feast day of our Sister, Sister M. Canisia, OSF. Please join us in praying for her today.

God bless all who will read this.
Sister M. Veronica, OSF

 

Part I of the Novena

 

Tomorrow evening we begin our Christmas Novena. It is prayed following Night Prayer in the chapel at OSF St. Francis. (at 6:30pm) Here is a short video of us taken last Advent.(Taken in short sections) Also you could click here to download a copy of it. May this advent and Christmas be one that is filled with the blessings of our Lord and the fellowship of friends and family. May God bless all who read & watch this! 

Part II of the Novena

Part III of the Novena

Part IV of the Novena

Oh Mary concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Annual Fall Bazaar

Hours:

Friday the 20th: 9am-5pm

Saturday the 21st: 9am-2pm

Check out last years blog post: http://blog.franciscansisterspeoria.org/?p=256

 

If you are in the neighborhood stop by and say hello. You might even get some Christmas shopping done

 St Margaret Mary was a nun of the Visitation Order who had visions/revelations from Jesus about His mercy and devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Saint Hedwig was born in Andechs(Bavaria), Germany in the year 1174 to the Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia. Her aunt was St. Elisabeth of Hungary. When she was twelve a she married Duke Henry of Silesia. (the ruler of the Polish royal family) They had 7 children and had a happy marriage. Following his death she entered and professed vows at the Cistercian Convent of Trebnitz. (the convent her husband had founded) She died on October 15, 1243. She was canonized in 1266.

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Prayer:
All powerful God,
may the prayers of St. Hedwig bring us your help
and may her life of remarkable humility
be an example to us all. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, Your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.

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Quote:
Upon the death of her husband, all mourned him. But her widow’s eyes were dry.
“Would you oppose the will of God?” she asked.
Our lives are his. Our will is whatever he is pleased to ordain,
whether our death, or that of our friends.
-St. Hedwig

Saint Hedwig, pray for us!

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted to honor Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory.

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Collect: Lord, fill our hearts with your love, and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Today is also our Sister, Sister M. Noreen’s feast day. Please join us in prayer for her and her intentions today. On a Sister’s feast day & birthday our communities’ custom is to each offer one day of prayers, works, joys, & sufferings for the Sister; it is called a “Franciscan day”.

Sister Noreen, may our Lord grant you every grace and consolation on this your feast day. Our prayers are with you!

Blessings on all who read this!
Sister M. Veronica, OSF

Today is the Memorial of Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska, the apostle of the Divine Mercy. To me she stands out because of her simplicity & humility. She had only three years of education & was given the most lowliest assignments in the convent; as cook, gardener and porter. Here is a short biography of her by Pope John Paul II. A good in-depth biography is entitled “The Life of Faustina Kowalska: The Authorized Biography” by Sister Sophia Michalenko. Also her Diary is available which great to use for meditation.

Today is also our Sister, Sister Mary Faustina’s feast day. Please join us in praying for Sister and her intentions today. Below is a picture of Sister Faustina.

 This evening we attended a Transitus Service celebrating the death of our Holy Father Saint Francis. It was a time to reflect both on his life and his death culminating in the veneration of a relic of St. Francis by Monsignor Oberch (our Chaplain), and all of us Sisters. What a rich heritage we have, both as Franciscans & in our community. God is SO good to us!

Tomorrow we will leave bright and early to be back at the Motherhouse at 7am for Morning Prayer, Holy Mass, Breakfast, etc. We’ll get together again to celebrate our holy fathers’ life & be renewed by our celebrating of the Liturgy and in fraternal charity. 

Happy Feast day to all our fellow Franciscans!

God’s abundant blessings on all who will read this!

In Christ and St. Francis, Sister M. Veronica, OSF