Franciscan Footprints

Well, Sister Faustina and I arrived back at the House of Formation on Wednesday night. After departing St. Louis we stopped at Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville and then headed home. The conference was very good. We learned a lot about Mission, Ethics, Pastoral Care, and the skills one would need to be a good mission leader.

 

Ministry Development was a wonderful experience. There were a total of 70 of us.(I think…) We attended talks given by Sister Judith Ann and Joseph Piccione, among others. Talks were focused on the history of The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and of our apostolate OSF Healthsystem. We learned about the life of Christ and of Christianity and of St. Francis of Assisi and our Franciscan identity. It was so wonderful to be immersed in the history and mission of our Sisters and see how it has been carried on through the years. It was also special to spend that time with our employees-meeting most for the first time. 

 

My second year of Novitiate started in August following our week-long retreat, so recently I’ve begun working in Radiology at St. Francis Medical Center. My ministry is to visit in-patients who have had or are waiting to have a Radiology exam. By visiting them before and after their scheduled exam, I am able to educate them about what to expect during the exam, the duration, and what to expect from our staff. By visiting with the patients following their exam, I am able to assess their satisfaction with the staff, the care they recieved while in Radiology, etc. It has been a great way to get to know our staff and our patients. I am blessed to be afforded this opportunity.

May our Lord bless all who read this!
Sister M. Veronica, OSF

Sister Faustina and I will be leaving in the morning to go to St. Louis, MO for a conference called “Prophetic Voice” hosted by the CHA. (Catholic Health Assn. of the United States) It deals with Mission Integration, Catholic Health care Ethics (how to apply the ERD’s), the role of Pastoral Care in Mission, etc. It will be educational and helpful, I think. We will return Wednesday night after visiting The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL that afternoon. Here is a picture of one area at the Shrine…

More when we return. (and I haven’t forgotten about a Ministry Development… it’s in progress)