The School Sisters of St. Francis -- What's Happening With Us?

Pro-Life and Loving Others

2012-01-27T08:02:00.001-08:00

One of the privileges that we have as School Sisters is to promote a Culture of Life, especially with the students in Catholic Schools, our Faith Formation Classes, and evangelization of youth! Here is a picture of some of us at the local March for Life.

Even though most Christians are "pro-life", how many of us realize how the culture is trying to trick us into this trap? In usually small ways, are we living the culture of life to its fullest? Are we loving every neighbor with the love and dignity that they deserve? This is something we all have to ask ourselves and be on guard for . . .

Lord, help us to live fully the Culture of Life and to help others know and experience your love! Amen.

Congratulations to our New Candidate!

2012-01-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Crystal! May Mary give you many graces to love her Son, receive His Love, and to Share His Love! We are so happy for you!

Crystal became a postulant at a beautiful ceremony on Friday evening (Jan. 13). She will now prepare for the Novitiate which, God willing, will begin July 13th. Pray for her!

Pray also for those hoping to Enter July 15th!

God bless you all! We are united in love!

Another Christmas Play!

2012-01-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

You know, having the Catholic School Christmas Play after Christmas was different but meaningful! How many people continue on with their lives after Christmas, forgetting that it is still the Christmas Season (in the Catholic Church)?!

This school play got snowed out before Christmas, so we had it the other night. Awesome! It's so awesome watching the children celebrate Jesus' birth, singing at the top of their lungs . . . well, some of them are anyway. Some are scared to be on stage and others are just proud that their mom and dad are there to watch them!

This is one of those moments when teachers and parents and children can really be proud and happy how God is working in our lives through this experience in a Catholic School.

May you all continue to be blessed and well! Remember, God loves you! What else is there for happiness?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T12:39:00.001-08:00

Many have already taken down their Christmas decorations or turned off their lights. We have just started celebrating (since Christmas Eve)! In the Catholic Church, we celebrate Advent in preparation for Christmas until the evening of Dec. 24. We then celebrate the Christmas Season for 8 straight days in a row! That's how big it is to us! Many keep their decorations up until Feb. 2 -- the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.

We hope that you all had a great Christmas. We did. Just being together, praying together, eating junk food together, trying out the new Christmas gifts . . . but most importantly, enjoying each other. We've said this many times -- we have so much more fun when all the Sisters are home from the schools. It's a good time!

We have certainly remembered all of you in our prayers of gratitude and love. God bless us, every one!

God's Beauty -- Have we opened our eyes and hearts to it?

2011-12-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

Sr. Mary Jude renewed her vows for one year on Dec. 17. Congratulations!
May God continue to bless you with deeper intimacy and love!
May you be a bright witness of Jesus' Truth and Love and Joy!

Christmas Plays are among our favorite "jobs" of being involved in Catholic Schools!
What a delight . . .
Many times the students will have songs to sing and dance to, lines to memorize . . .
It's always one of our favorite things to watch during December.

2 Sisters were able to attend the ordination of a Benedictine Monk friend in Pecos, NM
this past week. Father, you're in our prayers!

On the way home from the ordination, we discovered the beautiful "Canadian River Canyon"
in New Mexico. What a surprise! Amazing how you live fairly close to some of these things
and do not even know that they are nearby.

This is alot like God and His Awesomeness! We have so many treasures nearby

(the Holy Scriptures, Adoration, the Holy Mass, His Love and Truth, and . . . so much more),
but we many times take them for granted or do not even know the depth of their beauty!

May we spend this Advent and Christmas asking God to draw us closer to Himself and
to open our eyes to His beauty that is so near to us!

Advent -- A Beautiful Time to Reflect

2011-12-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

What a privilege it has been to be able to share some time with the beautiful married couples (pictured above) with their TOOLS groups! It has been a delight getting to know them better and helping them reflect on their vocations and being Centered on Christ!

We've had 2 Marriage Retreats this month! God is SO good!

Also above, we had a cookie decorating party yesterday. It's become a tradition for some local friends to bring their children to spend time with us decorating cookies for Christmas. What a blast that was! (The picture in the chapel was us praying before they went home.)

Families -- what an awesome time of year to have families here! May the Christ Child be born in our hearts in a new and powerful way this Advent and Christmas.

We're having a Christmas Novena of Masses said for all of you before Christmas. In this most powerful prayer (the Mass), we are asking for blessings and graces in an awesome and overabundant way! God bless you all!

Blessed Advent to All!

2011-11-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

During this very important Advent Season, may we all take extra time and effort to reflect on God, on His Love for us, on what He's asking of us, how He wants us to grow and to make some changes for the better . . .

Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Come into our Hearts in a new and awesome way! Open our hearts to be open to You and your life-changing and healing love. Amen.

On another note, check out some of the pictures from our recent FUN Raiser - Click Here!

God bless you all!

"Harvest of Blessings" Gala & FUN Raiser 2011

2011-11-23T14:49:00.001-08:00

The candles wrapped up on the tables were supposed to be a gift to everyone that attended. Please, if you want a candle, please come by for one soon if you're in the vicinity.

Another awesome "dessert table" by one of our local friends. She always makes it so special!

Original Drawing by Joshua Sorenson (donated to our auctions)! Awesome job!

Cotton-eyed Joe -- We like to try it. Some Sisters are still trying to learn it . . . .

We had our FUN Raiser last Saturday night. It was awesome!

We are SO grateful for the Harvest of Blessings bestowed upon us by God and so many people. How could we ever thank you all enough for your friendship, your prayers, your generosity, and your goodness to us! We love serving you and serving with you. We love being your sisters in so many ways. Continue to pray for us as we pray for all of you!

And, don't forget to thank God for all the blessings in your life! Wow. How much God LOVES us! Do we ever thank Him enough??? Thank you, God! Please continue to bless us! We especially ask you to bless us with a deeper love for You and a deeper longing to be united with You and Your people. Amen.

[btw, If anyone has good pictures from our fun raiser, please forward them to Sr. Mary Michael! Thank you!]

School Sisters "FUN Raiser" Around the Corner!

2011-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

We have been working feverishly (is that a word?) to get ready for our Annual FUN Raiser. There's still a lot left to do, but it'll get done before the doors open Saturday night at 6:00 at the St. Thomas Gym (Amarillo, TX)!

See some of the hand-made crafts above that have been prepared by the Sisters in preparation for this night.

We also have some great Auction Items (we'll try to get the website updated).

If you haven't bought your ticket yet, we will be selling them at the door until we run out! Hope to see you there!!!

Receive Love - Be Love Retreat

2011-11-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we'll spare you all the details! We had a great retreat this past weekend for some who are wanting to learn more about prayer, Religious Life, and what God might be calling them to!

We have been doing our "Come and See" retreats with the theme of Receive Love - Be Love because it's difficult to hear God's call in any direction if one does not first truly know how much God LOVES them! After we are able to receive God's awesome love, then we are more able to be love to others in our vocation.

Thank you for all those who were praying for us! God is love!

Latest Goings On -- Lots!

2011-10-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

One of the beautiful Panhandle mornings!
We get to enjoy this almost every morning during breakfast! God is awesome!

Our "Harvest of Blessings" Gala is just around the corner!!!
Get your tickets now! Don't forget -- November 19th!

The Sisters enjoyed sitting on the basketball goal table at the St. Anthony's School Oktoberfest Auction. This was one of many auction items that sold to benefit the school last month.

Crystal enjoying the snow in Texas!
She immediately went out to make a snowman!

There is so much going on right now -- this weekend will be our "Receive Love - Be Love" Come and See Retreat, so please pray for everyone attending this and for the Holy Spirit to be overwhelmingly a part of the experience!

(Not to mention the very important All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day!) No matter how involved we are with all the events coming up, prayer is always a priority. If we do not have God as the center of our lives, then we're in trouble. We encourage you to do the same!

Pray for us -- we're praying for you! God bless you all!

We Had a Great Community Day!

2011-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis as a Community! It's always so much fun for us to be together again (the Sisters in the schools come home about every 2 weeks). So that in itself is awesome.

On Saturday (sorry there's no pics), we used a gift card that someone had given us for the movies. We went to see Courageous. That was awesome. We also ate lunch at Furr's together. After that, several of us drove over to Pampa for their parish fundraiser. That was fun seeing old friends over there . . . and getting to dance to the Cotton-eyed-Joe (even though some Sisters need to learn that dance better).

It was a great day!

So many people are sick right now. Faith is more than hoping that someone will get better. Faith is trusting that whether the person gets better or not, God is trustworthy and good, and everything will be okay . . . one way or another. We have to trust that God has a plan and that good can come out of everything . . . everything.

Lord, there are so many people that are sick. Please bless them! Give them and their loved ones extraordinary strength and courage to go through the suffering that they are going through. Help them to stay faithful to You through it all and to get closer to You, oh God of Love. Help them to trust You and to remember that we are only pilgrims in this world. We are all on the journey to spend the next life with You in an amazing union and ecstasy! Help us to remember that and to begin to experience that awesome union with You now. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Marriage Retreat in Both Ways

2011-09-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

We just had the priviledge of hosting a Marriage Retreat for local friends. Whether your vocation is marriage, single life, or Religious, we all need the same reminders to be Christ-Centered every day despite our human nature (and society's influence) to be otherwise.

Pictured above is our group from the retreat.

The bottom picture is a Sister from the Community of St. John that stayed with us for two weeks to brush up on her English. What a delight it was to have her! She too is married, like us, longing to have a deeper relationship with the Lord of Love every day. We really had a good time with her and we miss her (she attended the marriage retreat too)!

Please help us pray for the many intentions that are coming our way -- so many people are suffering, sick, and so forth. Some of them are close family members. Thank you so much for your prayers and love!

God bless you all!

Church, School, Lots of Memories, and Tears

2011-09-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day!

Last Saturday, we were part of a very monumental day -- the Re-dedication and consecration of St. Anthony's Church and School in Dalhart, TX (see pictures above).

The top picture was taken after Mass. The Sisters were honored during the celebration for our almost 60 years of service to the school and church there. We realized in a powerful way that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

The 2nd picture is the newly remodeled church.

The 3rd picture above was taken during Mass. The Sisters were chosen to wipe off the Chrism oil after the consecration of the altar. The people in the church told us later that they were able to hold back their tears until they saw us go up. That's beautiful.

The bottom picture is a close-up of the beautiful new crucifx behind the altar. It's amazing!

Lord, thank you for helping us to make a better space for your worship and your family. Thank you for the many years of service and love that you've allowed us to live. Please continue to bless us, helping us all to have a more intimate relationship with you! Amen.

Trees, Termites, and College Students

2011-09-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

Some people imagine that Sisters have . . . pretty much nothing to do all day. Well, they probably pray a lot, and then they watch the flowers grow . . . .

Yes, there are days (like Sundays) when we can sit and enjoy the beautiful flowers, but most days are pretty full. This week has been one of those weeks.

The webmaster/technology person is trying to get a newsletter out, but other things keep taking her time. One of those things, and we'll refrain from putting a picture here, is termite damage! It's amazing how quiet they can be as they're destroying your property. . . .

The other thing is the tree trunk above -- old trees that need replaced in our special prayer garden. (Pray for the kind men that removed them for us! Thank you Mark and Vernon!!! You're awesome!)

The top picture is probably the most fun part of the week -- being with College Students and talking about Mary, how to understand her as our spiritual Mother that really can intercede for us in powerful ways, just as she did for the wedding at Cana (notice that it was not a big healing that she asked for -- God really cares about small details of our lives!!!). We always have a great time with college students!!!!

Finally, today is a very special day as we travel to Dalhart to celebrate the end of their construction and renovations! See article here in the Amarillo Globe News.

Here's the article link from the West Texas Catholic Newspaper!

Keep praying for us as we pray for all of you! You are a beautiful child of God -- never forget it.

What a Surprise!

2011-09-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

What a surprise! Some of us went to Nazareth (Texas) last night to see Addison Road and support their first "Faith Festival". It was a lot of fun meeting Jenny Simmons (pictured above in the black and white stripes), the lead singer for Addison Road. We were able to visit with her for a long time -- she told us a lot about her life and what it's like on the road, being a mother and wife, and loving what she does . . . .

Then she had a lot of questions for us, like what's the hardest part about being a Sister, and how did you decide to become a Sister?

She told us about what it was like to be on the road with Matt Maher, and so many things. We have found a new friend in the world.

We decided to leave after one song of her concert because it was so late, but while we were in the parking lot we heard from her, "Are the Sisters still here?!" She was about to sing a song for us because one of the girls in our group talked about how her song helped change her life. It's the song called, "What do I Know of Holy?" (We went back to listen to it, of course!)

It's amazing how God is using so many people to reach people's hearts. What a surprise that we found a new friend in a famous Contemporary Christian Pop Artist. God works in mysterious ways!

Also, this weekend is exciting for us because all the Sisters are home for Labor Day weekend. We just love it when everyone is home. God is good!

School is in Session

2011-08-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

School is back in session! Some of the Sisters came home last weekend for the first time since school started. It was so awesome hearing all of their stories again about funny things that the children said or did . . . or to hear about cool things they're doing in class and to see the excitement and joy on their faces as they talked. That was awesome.

The top picture is from one of the Masses the children attend. To be an integral part of these children's religious formation is such an honor. What a great calling we have!

The bottom picture was taken on Sr. Josita's 87th birthday! Happy Birthday, Sister!!!

Lord, help us in our call to evangelize your people. Fill us with your light and your truth! Amen.

Love, Love, Love -- It's Where it's At!

2011-08-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

3 visitors (on the right) -- We just had a good weekend with them!

Theology of the Body Conference in Amarillo!!! Pictured above: 3 TOB "Nuts"
Marcel LeJeune and Monica Ashour

Sisters at Chimayo Shrine in New Mexico

Sisters on Vacation in Taos, NM . . . visiting our old friend, Fr. Dino

A mother bear and her babies in Red River (Sisters' Community vacation).
This is in the back yard of the cabin we stayed in.

Sr. Rita learning how to fish in Red River with one of our good friends there!

The title of this post is about LOVE. Reflecting over the past 2 weeks or so since the last post, that's the word that comes to mind.

Love is what moves young ladies to visit here and to have a good experience while they're here.

Love is what moves speakers like Marcel and Monica to spread the message of the Theology of the Body all over the country and world. (TOB always leads to a deeper understanding of what love really is...)

Love is what moves the Sisters to visit shrines and to go on vacation together!

Hopefully love is all about every life! God is love and He's sharing it all over the place through His children. Isn't He awesome?!

God bless you all!

Visitors Galore - Awesome Time!

2011-07-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a bit exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. We had a family spend the night on their way to vacation in Colorado (not pictured above). They have 6 children and that was fun having them, even if it was a short visit! We always enjoy having them here (even if they beat Sr. Mary Michael in Knock-Out)!

Top 2 Pics: We had 2 Youth Directors bring 5 (total) teens to "visit a convent". They're pictured above at the "Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" in Groom which is not far from our house. We had a great time with them -- see bottom picture of the young ladies helping Sr. Louise bake bread.

The picture of the two young ladies with the Infant of Prague: Crystal (on left) who is our new Candidate that entered this past month is from Baltimore; Ariel (on right) has been accepted to Enter next summer and she is currently living in Minnesota. She is one of more that are applying to Enter next summer.

Keep all the young ladies in your prayers as they are very excited to follow God in this awesome vocation of Love with God and His People!

We're gearing up big time for our last few days of vacation before school days are here again. We appreciate all prayers to support our apostolates and all the people we touch. God is SO good!

Golden Jubilee, Renovation, and Annual Retreat!!!

2011-07-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great 3 weeks (since our last post)!!!

Top Picture (and most exciting): Sr. Mary Celine celebrated her 50th Jubilee in Vows! If you would think about the hundreds (thousands?) of people that she has touched with her love, the multitudes she has touched with her prayers, and the awesome beautiful fruits of her love with God -- Wow. We humans cannot really imagine the awesomeness of this, but we can try! Congratulations to Sr. Mary Celine for her 50 years of faithful Love to Her Spouse!

No Picture (yet): Congratulations to our new candidate, Crystal Sewell, who entered our Community on the Feast of St. Bonaventure, July 15th! Our prayers are with you as you enter this journey of love!!! Pray also please for the others who are applying to enter next summer! May they all be FILLED with the Fruits and Fire of the Holy Spirit and of the Love of the Holy Trinity and the Motherly Love of Mary!!!

Middle Picture above: Hallway Renovations -- we have been sheetrocking, painting, and decorating our Main Hallway for the last several weeks and months. To get all that done before Sr. Celine's Jubilee was . . . a challenge. Thanks to all who pitched in to make our hallway beautiful! This renovation was made possible by a recent Scanlan Foundation Grant.

Bottom Picture: We had our Annual Community Retreat with a very good friend priest friend and mentor -- May God continue to stir in us and in him the beautiful and awesome goodness of God for ourselves and those we serve. May God be praised!

Not Pictured: Imagine two cute little kids (relatives of one of the Sisters, so of course they're CUTE) on the sunporch with Sr. Mary Louise -- the little girl is about 2 and the little boy is about 3 (and they have 5 older brothers and sisters), mopping and sweeping the floor. This family came for our 4th of July picnic -- we love the children and the children love us! It's a great fit. Did you imagine it? Okay, make them 10 times cuter -- children are so precious!

SAVE the DATE: Saturday, November 19th -- our FUNRaiser is coming up! Put it on your calendar!

Guess that's all the news for now! We remain united in prayer, your sisters in Christ!

Sisters' Fun Day Out!

2011-06-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

Do Sisters ever get to go to the movies??? The answer is . . . yes. On "home visits" for sure, many of us make our way to a theater to see a movie on the big screen.

So, for our recent fun day, we went bowling (see top picture), went to the mall for the $2 movie "Soul Surfer", out to eat, to a Holy Hour and finally to the Life Teen Mass at St. Mary's. It was a great day! (all thanks to a benefactor)

God bless you all! Praying for you!

Retreats -- Renovations

2011-06-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry to put so many different kinds of pictures on this blog, but it'll give you a taste of what our lives are like. However, there is always a constant -- Jesus's Love in the Eucharist and in each other!

Top picture is from the WTAMU Catholic Student Center Leadership Retreat held here at our Guest House. We always love having them here to share with us!

Middle pictures are from the recent ACTS retreat in Amarillo -- awsome experience of God's ways of working and His Grace!

Bottom pictures are from the current renovation going on in our main hallway. We have received a grant from the Scanlan Foundation to help with some renovations. We are finally sheetrocking and painting a hallway that was started over 10 years ago (half was sheetrocked and the other half was not). Yea!!!

These renovations have a lot to do with the retreats. As we strip the walls, make sure every inch is perfect, and so on -- it takes time. It takes care and thought. It takes patience. It takes working together. It takes planning. It takes collaboration.

How long has it been since you've been on a retreat? How long has it been since you've recharged your spiritual battery? Do you take time every day to be with the Lord of Love? Oh, how we medicate ourselves with so many things (alcohol, TV, movies, coffee, friends, texting, Facebook, etc.), but we're really longing for Communion with God and with each other! (Not that those things are bad in themselves is used correctly." The truth is -- mot people who "don't have time to pray" really have their priorities out of place. Is God first in your life?

Have a great day! We're praying for you!

Renewal of Vows - A Time of Grace

2011-06-06T15:16:00.001-07:00

The summer is one of our favorite things as a Community -- everyone is home, time to be renewed from the school year, time to catch up on some things, our annual Community Retreat together, and time to just be together. Prayer time is a constant -- that's always important.

Today, Sr. Mary Grace renewed her vows this morning for one year! It was a very beautiful ceremony. Pray for Sr. Mary Grace as she continues on this journey in Religious Life! "Jesus, I want to be your Beloved Spouse for all eternity!"

Sr. Mary Celine is preparing for the celebration of her Golden Jubilee in July. Congratualations to both of you!

Our FUN Raiser has been set for November 19th -- Save the Date!

God bless you all! We're united in prayer for all of you and your intentions!

Mary's Month -- A Beautiful Time of Grace

2011-05-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Mary's Month (May) is a beautiful time and opportunity for grace! St. Catherine Laboure recorded in her diary in 1843,

"Imitate Mary.
Place everything in her Immaculate Heart, in this sanctuary in which our Lord deigned to live. The three virtues of our holy state: humility, simplicity and charity . . . are the basis of our vocation. . . ."

This is beautiful -- as women representing the Church, we want to let Mary love people through us! People need a "mother's" love, and sometimes spiritual mother's can give some of that love . . . .

St. Catherine refers to the month of Mary for herself and her Community as a great source of grace! This is for us too! In these last days of May, let us entrust everything to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our awesome spiritual mother.

Mary, pray for us! Lead us always closer and closer to the Holy Trinity of unbelievable Love!!! Help us to trust Him and to abandon ourselves to Him every day! Amen.

Be Not Afraid - Open Wide the Doors to Christ!

2011-05-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

Today is the "World Day of Prayer for Vocations"!

In Father's homily this morning (it was a great homily by the way), he said something like this, "The Sisters lose themselves for the good of the Community."

I pondered those words, and they are true. But the higher truth is that the Sisters also FIND THEMSELVES in their vocation. It is precisely in us "losing" ourselves that we find ourselves.

Isn't this true of every vocation? As we die with Christ we rise with Him?!

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Mt. 10:39; Lk. 17:33; Mt. 16:25)

It's the paradox of the Gospel! It may sound grim, but it isn't. God is so good and so full of life and love! We will never be sorry for following Him and trusting Him (to whatever vocation that is). He's where's it's at!

John 10:10 -- "I came that they might have life, and have it to the full!"

You are a Priest Forever!

2011-05-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

Another ordination for a priest for our diocese!!! Fr. Haider was ordained last evening at St. Mary's Cathedral. It's always touching to see someone donate their lives to their vocations! His parents were there from Columbia. Wow. They too are donating . . . they are giving their son, in a certain sense, to the diocese of Amarillo and to her people.

Top picture -- part of the ordination ceremony.

2nd picture -- the bishop is the first to receive the new priest's blessing.

3rd picture -- our Sisters asked him for a blessing right after Mass!

4th picture -- out for ice cream on the way home!

God is SO good!!!

Mother's Day! (sorry - thought this was posted last week!!!)

2011-05-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

[sorry - thought this was posted last week. We had Internet problems when trying to upload it and it obviously didn't go through. . . oops!]

Dear Friends,

It has become our custom to do a "May Crowning" on Mother's Day to celebrate our awesome Mother Mary! We also process in with candles with our own earthly mother's name on it, praying for her and in great gratitude for her life and everything she was for us. Mom's are SO special!

Bottom picture is from a little skit we did for Sr. Jean Marie for Mother's Day -- we took Francesca Battistelli's "This is the Stuff" and converted it to a convent song. You'd have to live in one to understand it....

According to the truth of the Theology of the Body, every woman is a "mother". Every woman is called to be a spiritual mother! Some are called to be a physical mother. May all women remember this. May Mary teach us more and more every day what it means to be a woman of faith and a true mother in our vocation.

God bless you all! We remain united in prayer.

We Were Blown Away

2011-05-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yea! Youth Rally time again for the Diocese of Amarillo (last weekend)!

We didn't get to go to all of it, but we were able to hear one speaker . . . he "blew us away". His name is Sal Solo. He grew up in England, went to Catholic School, and thought that church was boring and that a life of sin would be the place to find fun and fulfillment. His ultimate dream was to become a rock star.

We thought he meant like Elvis Presley or something. No, he proceeded to show us an MTV video of himself. Ooh. It wasn't pretty.

He said, "I had everything. I was driven around in limosines, stayed in the best hotels in the world, women that I had never met wanted to marry me . . . but I wasn't happy."

"One day in my hotel, I cried out to God, 'God, if you're there, I want to know you.'"

Wow. The power of a sincere prayer! (I've heard several conversion stories like this where people cry out to Him and He somehow reveals Himself! He is SO awesome!)

One thing that amazed us was his creative video integration during his talk.

Another thing that was insightful (is that a word?) was how he today is raising money for the poor. On a YouTube video that we found of him, he said that when he was traveling the world as a rock star, God was touching his heart by showing him the poor. He wasn't prepared to see people living on the street and hungry. Now he does a lot of social work for the poor of the world. Check him out on his website. Very interesting person! He's using his musical and technology talents now for God. No one is beyond God's reach and grace!

Last Sunday was Divine Mercy Sunday!!! We always celebrate that awesome day!

So much going on with end of school banquets, awards ceremonies, preparing final exams, etc. Also, so much to pray for in the world -- let us stay united in the Mercy of God and His Infinite Love for us!

God bless you all!

If the Grass is Greener on the Other Side...

2011-04-25T15:32:00.001-07:00

"If the grass is greener on the other side, then it's time to water your own grass!"

He is Risen, Alleluia! Happy Easter!

Even though there is so much happening in the world -- political unrest, natural disasters, financial instability for many, and so many people hurting from life situations, there is always hope! We know that God is ultimately in control and that, as Romans 8:28 says,

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

This Easter Season, let us cling to the Rock of Christ, the One Risen from the Dead -- He will take care of everything in every situation . . . probably not the way we envision it, but God's ways are always better than ours!

How would one "water their own grass"? Easy -- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. Did you know that the Eucharist is the Risen Christ?! When we receive Him, we are receiving the Risen Lord! We are, in a certain sense, allowing God to live in us and to share in His Divinity! We weak human beings desperately need this.

During this beautiful Easter Season, take advantage of the Gift of the Eucharist (and frequent reconciliation). If you cannot recieve Him for some reason, then make spiritual communions. That's what the saints do -- they make spiritual communions as often as possible throughout the day. Only He can heal us and give us the strength we need to be like Him.

Blessings to all!

St. Francis and the Cross

2011-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is St. Francis trying to comfort Jesus in His sufferings on the Cross. To St. Francis, it was (is) very important to meditate on the sufferings of Christ. In fact, St. Francis thought that he was the biggest sinner in the world. He said this because he realized that he had been given so many graces and he was still a sinner. He spent years crying over his sins. In this world of self-centeredness, let us take a step back during Holy Week to cry over our sins. Let us examine our consciences and ask the Holy Spirit to show us where and how we have offended Him. (We should do this all the time so that we can grow closer to Him, but this week is a great time to concentrate on this in a special way.)

Regarding the last two posts on the "Self-Emptying Love of Christ" -- let us continue on this mediation as well. We can strive, with God's grace, to "empty ourselves" out of love of God and our neighbor, but we must also fill ourselves with Christ and His Love. If we only empty ourselves, we will not be happy. The joy of the Christian life is in our being FILLED with God and allowing that Love to overflow to others!

We also mentioned in the last post about a deeper way to love -- to believe that the other person is more important than oneself. The key to this is that both husband and wife (if married), or everyone in the Community (if in a Relgious Community), treat each other this way. Yes, this is a higher way of thinking (actually, a higher way of loving) -- but just imagine a household truly striving to live this way! Jesus showed us how to love when He came to live with us, die for us, and then rise for us. We can ask Him for the grace to do the same!

Chris Sligh sings a song called, "Empty Me". Maybe it's appropriate for our meditation this week:

http://youtu.be/E0e0WEkxj58

God bless you all! Be filled with God and His awesome and abundant love!

Self-Emptying Love of Christ, cont.

2011-04-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry this picture isn't very clear. Just try to imagine Jesus after He has given us everything. He has totally poured Himself out for love of us! His body is still nailed, but now lifeless after He has commended His Spirit to His Father. His side is pierced and the little that was left in Him has poured out from His Sacred Heart. This statue brought me to tears the other day. I (Sr. M.M.) was imagining what my husband would have been like if I would have gotten married instead of becoming a Sister. I was hoping that my husband would have poured himself out for love of me (Yes, I've been reading Theology of the Body books). Then I looked at this crucifix, and realized that my Husband has poured Himself out for love of me! He has totally given of Himself so that you and I can live! What an awesome realization.

John 15:13: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

This is the key to happiness! We were made by God for this! To "lay down our lives" (according to our vocation) for those we love. There is always a "resurrection" for those who lay down their lives in this way. This is why Christians are happy. They have found the secret.

Yesterday I (Sr. M.M.) was listening to a talk in the car called "Holiness in the Sexual Relationship". I was listening to it to see if it could be used for married couples or to give to my friends who are married. The speaker was Annie Vining from TOBET. (see link)

One point on this CD hit me hard: We are to live as if the other person is more important than I am. The speaker stressed the difficulty in this and the grace (and years) needed to strive for this way of perfection. To me, it was showing me more what it means to live the "self-emptying love of Christ". The speaker was referring to marriage and to intimate love. I transferred it to me and how I can live better as a Sister and friend.

May you have a grace-filled Holy Week and an Awesome Easter! God bless you all!

The Self-Emptying Love of Christ

2011-04-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

We thought about naming this post as "Want to Get Married Someday?" (read on)

This beautiful crucifix hangs in the sanctuary at St. Elizabeth's Church in Lubbock (next to the Texas Tech Student Center). It is a wonderful representation of the "kenosis" (self-emptying) love of Christ. This is the love that God is modeling for us! This is the love called for in Ephesians 5 for the husband to love his wife like Christ loves the Church. This is the love that God calls all Christians to!

Never fear! God's grace is powerful. If God calls, He gives the grace. We can grow into this kind of love. It starts with our desire to be truly united to Him and with Him in our sufferings and joys. We then allow God to change us through prayer and saying yes to Him every day. He even takes sinful people like us and transforms us if we let Him.

There's an awesome section in this book which is too long to quote here, but this will give you a taste:

"The power of the cross of Jesus actually communicates strength through the sacraments to the believer to live the moral life: 'It is in the saving Cross of Jesus, in the gift of the Holy spirit, in the sacraments which flow forth from the pierced side of the Redeemer[,] that believers find the grace and the strength always to keep God's holy law, even amid the gravest of hardships.'"

(The Human Person - According to John Paul II, p. 178)

Wow. God's very grace comes from the pierced side of Christ. After being pierced, His heart was totally empty.

Lord, help us to love in a self-emptying way. Help us to be self-forgetful for love of you and our neighbors!

More Visitors!

2011-04-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

God is good! We love having visitors that are wanting to know more about Religious Life, discernment, and prayer. This is our last crew from last weekend.

When God has an open heart that is truly seeking His Will in all things, He does amazing things in them! Our prayer for you is that you will trust Him so much, that you will open your heart more and more to whatever His is leading you through! May your Lent experience be fruitful with the Lord of Love!

"Vocation" Talks and Pro-Life Banquet

2011-03-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The top picture is from a recent "Vocation" Talk in a local parish. Most teens think we're going to talk to them about God calling us to be Sisters and priests. We do mention that, but it's so much bigger than that! It's about what God is really calling each individual person to.

Maybe God is calling them to a holy marriage. Maybe God is calling them to be a good mother or a good father that puts God first in their lives and spends time with their families, examples of holiness and self-giving love!

We have trouble giving a talk without throwing some Theology of the Body in somewhere. This day we talked about how God created us to "give and receive" (in imitation of the Holy Trinity). God made us to give love and receive love. It's when we decide that we know better and try to "take" something (love, happiness, fulfillment) that we get into trouble. Adam and Eve paved the way for us on this one.

So, if God is calling you to a special vocation, whatever that may be, trust that God will take care of you! He will fill you with love, happiness, and you will be fulfilled. Be patient. Receive it and share it to all those around you!

(The bottom picture above is from the Diocesan Pro-Life Banquet held last Sunday. It was awesome too.)

God bless you all!

Are You Seeking Happiness?

2011-03-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today's Gospel of the woman at the well always touches us. We (all of us individually) are the woman thirsting for God! We are the ones that need to go to Him for a "drink" of water! The other day at Mass, the reading of the day was from Jeremiah 17,

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.

He is like a tree planted beside the waters

that stretches out its roots to the stream:

It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green;

In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit."

This is so powerful. In a world of uncertainty and interesting ups and downs, God is telling us what the answer is! The answer is daily communion with HIM. A daily connection with the Only One Who can truly sustain us. "My dear young people, I know what you seek, you seek happiness. Seek it with all your might for it is your right. But remember, the happiness you seek has a name and a face - Jesus!" - Benedict XVI

Amarillo's New Cathedral! Awesome Ceremony

2011-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Yesterday we went to the official transfer of our diocesan Cathedral from St. Laurence to St. Mary's. It was a beautiful and moving liturgy. The middle picture is Bishop Patrick Zurek sitting on his new cathedral Chair. The bottom picture is us posing with Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller from San Antonio. He gave the homily at the vespers the night before -- he is a fireball preacher!

Cardinal DiNardo gave the homily at the Cathedral Installation Mass. It was equally awesome. He reminded us that now our diocese is under Mary's patronage. It is now our challenge to live more like her in the virtues of God.

We are kind of on a high from this. Yes, transferring a cathedral may not sound like a big spiritual experience, but it was! The Holy Spirit was definitely present and touching hearts!

God bless you all! Pray for us as we pray for you every day!

Amazing Week with the CMSWR!

2011-03-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

This week has been an amazing week! Two Sisters went to a CMSWR Workshop (see some pictures above) in St. Louis. The arch is amazing. It's more amazing to be with Sisters from all over the country. We studied one of the documents of the Church on Religious Life together among other things.

Before they came home, they stopped at the new St. Louis Cathedral. Again, amazing!

Then on the way home they were able to stop and pray with the Infant at the National Shrine (He has a special place in our hearts).

So, we prayed for all of you this week! God bless you all!

Spring Break 2011

2011-03-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

It would've been fun to have a Nun Spring Break Picture Chronicle of this week and its activities with all the Sisters home, but . . . the webmaster will be out of town at a CMSWR Workshop. So . . . this is all you get for now.

As you can see above, the Sisters can be a little crazy. Should've seen the Lord of the Rings Monopoly game last night. It was hilarious.

Mostly, it's down time for the teachers, spring cleaning time, etc. Most of all, we just enjoy being together.

God bless you all! Pray for us as we pray for you!

Stand on the Rock(s) of Your Faith!

2011-03-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

"The Rock" at Texas Tech -- Sr. Mary Michael talked with the College Students about standing on the "rocks" of our faith when the winds blow and try to topple us over. Some of those rocks that she has experienced first hand are found in the Unconditional Love of God for us and the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (see the bottom picture above).

These pictures are mostly from our trip to Lubbock, but the middle one with the wigs is from the TOB talk with the Middle School recently. It was too funny to pass up.

God really does give us extraordinary gifts! If she had more time to talk, she would've talked about the "Rock" of Scripture that helps us to keep our sanity and peace in this world. No matter what ups and downs come our way, we need to be solidly clinging and standing on the Truth of the True Roman Catholic Church, the Truth that God is Trustworthy and is totally connected to us in intimacy and Love, and intimate prayer with God is one of those ways to have a strong-hold on this more balanced life!

No matter how busy you are, you need prayer every day! Don't miss out on this awesome Truth!

Also, April 1-3 will be our next "Receive Love -- Be Love" Retreat for those wanting to know more and to briefly experience Religious Life in a real way! Pass the word!
http://www.panhandlefranciscans.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=163

God bless you all!

T.O.B. for Teens! Being "Self-Forgetful"

2011-03-03T05:32:00.001-08:00

Last night we spoke at a Middle School "Edge" program on the Theology of the Body! It was fun! Top picture is from our skit "costumes". Bottom picture is an actual skit. Sr. Mary Michael felt like breaking into a rap song, but she didn't.... She doesn't quite have that rhythm.

It was awesome, actually, being an instrument of God's awesome love, the truth of happiness in being "self-forgetful", and so much more! This alone is enough to think about, ask God for the grace for, and to work on practicing every day.

Come Holy Trinity, live in our hearts! Help us to be self-forgetful to serve and love our neighbors. Mary, be our Spiritual Mother. Pray for us to grow in purity of mind and heart and soul. Amen.

God more than "created" us!

2011-02-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from the book, "The Human Person according to John Paul II" by J. Brian Bransfield:

When reflecting on the book of Genesis and how man was created by God in His own Image, John Paul II points out that the Hebrew word used here for "create" is bara. Apparently, this word was only used when referring to God and reserved to God alone. It is a "divine action" different from our ability to make a chair or something similar. God's bara is divine.

God not only created us, but continues to hold us in existence: "God, as part of his creative power, continues to hold creatures in existence." (p. 59)

God's work reveals Him, just as a painting or work of art reveals part of who the artist is. John Paul II said, "God drew man from the mystery of his own Being." (p. 60, quoting from a General audience talk Dec. 6, 1978)

"God is present in analogous fashion in creation." (p. 60)

Wow. God has created us in His Own Image! He not only created us, He continues to hold us into existence. He is intimately tied to us in this magnificent relationship.

Lord, help us to be more like you every day, so that we can show others the Beauty that you truly are!

Busy February and Great Insights!

2011-02-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

There's so many things happening -- the green signs above are from the Denver FOCUS Conference we went to a couple weeks ago. Great speakers . . . and it's always great to be with the ever-growing "John Paul II Generation"! The top picture above is from an awesome retreat that we recently visited. It was awesome too!

The insights that we've been growing in are partly from books: http://www.amazon.com/Men-Women-Mystery-Love-Responsibility/dp/0867168404 The insights from John Paul's "Love and Responsibility" are amazing. Hopefully we can give some of those insights in this blog soon!

Another good book is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Human-Person-According-John-Paul/dp/0819833940/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298856871&sr=1-1 "The Human Person According to John Paul II". Powerful book. Again, we'll share some of those insights soon in this blog.

God bless you all! Pray for us as we pray for you!

Aggie "Busy Student Retreat"

2011-02-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Sr. Mary Michael just spent last week with the Aggies at Texas A&M at their annual "Busy Student Retreat". It was intense work as she met with several retreatants for 4 days in a row, helping them to grow in their prayer life and to deepen their understanding of God's infinite love for them! It was great.

Sr. M. Herlinde, our Superior General from Vienna, is here through Thursday. We've been enjoying getting to know her better!

We hope all of you are doing well! We're praying for you every day!

Vita Consecrata

2011-02-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

A Spectacle -- even though our diocese is in the "Bible Belt" with a low percentage of Catholics, we have a pretty high percentage of Religious Sisters! And most of us are Franciscan!

So, on Saturday, Bishop Patrick Zurek met with all the Sisters of the Diocese to celebrate "Vita Consecrata". We had Mass and a meal together. Bishop Yanta used to do the same thing. We love spending time with the other Communities -- in a way, they are a part of our family.

Sorry, we forgot our camera, so we don't have a picture . . . just imagine a bunch of Sisters, in different color habits and some without one, all together for prayer and fellowship. It's a great feeling.

This is a special day (Vita Consecrata on Feb. 2) to celebrate and reflect on the Consecrated Life. God is alive and well, calling many to love Him in a very special and exclusive way. We pray that all called to the priesthood or Religious Life will hear Him, respond with an overwhelming YES!, and be filled with the joy and peace and love that He has for His Brides.

Pray for us as we pray for all of you!

Catholic Schools Week!

2011-02-03T05:26:00.001-08:00

We're in the middle of "Catholic Schools Week"!

We LOVE Catholic Schools (and the students, staff, and families involved)!!! We as teachers and students can talk about and integrate God and faith all day long if we want to. This includes teaching morals, virtues, and all the awesome Truths of the Faith!

There's so many activities this week -- vocations, learning about famous American Catholics that have contributed to society, not to mention the Catholics that have built the school system in America. (Our Catholic ancestors have also been instumental in creating most of social charities, working for human rights, the poor, the sick, and the most neglected.) Today, actually, at Holy Cross Academy, the students and teachers are dressing up as one of these people mentioned above. It'll be interesting to see what they come up with!

Help us to pray for these awesome youth!

Pray! Pray! Pray!

2011-01-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, as most of you know, was the 38th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. How our hearts hurt as we think of each little child that should have lived . . . . They would've been our friends, relatives, Sisters, classmates, students, and so much more. The atrocity happening in the U.S. is heart-breaking enough (3,000-5,000 abortions a day). We learned yesterday that in China there are 35,000 abortions a day. Dear God, help us! Imagine the wounds involved in the survivors of this holocaust. We are actually all wounded from this terrible experience.

Pray, pray, pray! Pray that, with God's grace, we (all of us) can ourselves live the Culture of Life! In this contraceptive-mentality world, let us beg for the grace from God to be the opposite -- to live true love . . . to truly live a life of self-sacrificing love and truth.

God bless you all! We join with you in prayer. God is in control -- we just keep saying yes to His promptings and His Plans, always trusting that He can bring good out of every situation! :>

Jesus, we Trust in You!

More FOCUS Quotes

2011-01-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

One of us went to a Theology of the Body talk. Dr. Sri gave a great presentation. He talked over the main points found in his book, "Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love" based on Love and Responsibility and TOB....

Here's a few quotes:

Mother Teresa said, "Unless a life is lived for others, it is not worth living."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "Love is to will the good of the other." (unpack that one in your prayers for a while)

"Love is manifested through sacrifice." Self-giving love is the ability to give up my autonomy to serve the other.

"Freedom exists for the sake of love."

"What we do in our bodies expresses who we are."

"Christ lives through me!" We are weak.... (he was talking about loving his wife, but we can think about this with loving anyone around us that is counting on or needing our love) -- "She needs Christ's love radiating through me." We need to frequent the Sacraments to have the grace and ability to allow Christ to shine through us. Wow.

Curtis Martin said a lot of awesome things, but to continue the above thought, he talked about how we are supposed to be a living monstrance -- showing Jesus Christ to the world.

Lord, help us to be this living monstrance. Help us, with your tremendous and powerful grace and love, to shine your light before men so that you may be glorified. Amen.

"God Likes You!

2011-01-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

We're here in Denver, CO at the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) Conference. Here's a couple of quotes that struck us:

"God not only loves me, He likes me!" (from John Leyendecker's talk about his conversion) This is true for all of us! He LIKES us!

"God called you into being with His word...." (from Jonathan Reyes' talk)

Wow. That's how we know God likes us! He chose to create us and made us exactly how He wanted us to be! Wow.

Jonathan continued, "God does not treat us like a child. A child is told what to do and is expected to obey. God treats us like adults. Because of our dignity, He gives us the freedom and ability to 'think' with Him!"

Awesome! So many people that we know that are "discerning" Religious Life or the priesthood are waiting for God to drop a scroll from the sky to tell them what to do. God does not work this way with us. He did not create us to be robots who wait for every command and then obey.

Jonathan also said (these are not direct quotes), "Commit yourself to know the mind of the Master. Commit yourself to know how He thinks -- and think with Him when making your decisions. Study the Scriptures, receive the Sacraments, pray!"

More to come....

Pray for those attending this conference -- may the Holy Spirit overwhelm them with His Love!

New Video -- "Love is Our Home"

2011-01-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Someday we hope to have a professional video made. Until then, you'll have to enjoy our homemade ones!

The first time we put this song to the pictures, there were tears in our eyes. Especially when the Sisters in Argentina or in the Motherhouse came up to the words, "...even though we're far apart, our hearts can beat as one..." This song is perfect to help communicate what we're doing . . . what we're living. It's close anyway. One has to experience it in person to know it in a deeper way.

Another part that is so awesome is the parts of the song that say, "...where love is, we come together there..." Wow! The CHAPEL! Adoration! That's where love is, and that's where we can come together -- in our house, but also with everyone in our Community and all of our friends, benefactors, relatives, and those we serve! It's so awesome! God is so good!

God bless you all! Hope you enjoy this video!

(for those of you reading this on Facebook, sorry it's a repeat video posting -- this is a feed from our blog)

Texas Party!

2011-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Our Superior General (far right with Texas flag) from Vienna left today after two weeks with us! She visited the schools and "missions", she visited with each Sister, and we talked about all kinds of things. She even got to go to a basketball game.

Our prayers are with you! Auf Wiedersehen! (they don't usually say "good-bye" in Austria -- they say this, which means, "until we meet again")

This weekend we go to Denver for the FOCUS Conference! We're very excited about that.

God bless you all! United in prayer and love....

December Awesomeness! Superior General Visits

2010-12-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

December Awesomeness -- Top picture is Sr. M. Herlinde, our new Superior General from Austria. She's visiting now!

2nd Picture: We have a tradition that the youngest (time in convent) in the Community gets to carry the baby Jesus in our procession on Christmas Eve! Sr. Mary Grace got the honor this year.

3rd Picture: Our Lady of the Angels Chapel on Christmas Eve!

4th Picture: Beautiful Texas Panhandle sunrise in December

5th Picture: Sr. Mary Magdalene made her award-winning pralines again this year! Yum.

6th Picture: Sr. Theresa just finished a quilt that she'd been working on for over a year. It has all 50 states with their bird and flower on it.

There's not a picture for this one: we're enjoying our time off from school and being together at home for Christmas break! We'll be going back to the schools this Sunday ready for school on Monday!

God bless you! You're in our prayers!

What Do Sisters Do on Christmas Eve?!

2010-12-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered what Sisters do on Christmas Eve? Well, we just finished decorating for Christmas today. As Catholics, we celebrate Advent to the full, usually waiting until the last minute or last few days to decorate for this special solemnity. Actually, as I write this, some Sisters are still running around doing last minute (literally) decorations before our big celebration begins.

Here in a few minutes we will meet in the Chapel to sing and pray. We will then process to the Dining Room, listen to the special Christmas letter from our Superior General, and Sr. Mary Ana will say a few words of joy and hope! Then we dive in (I mean, we begin) eating goodies and opening little gifts. Not sure what gifts we get this year, but it's usually something practical, like a good book to read, special stationary, . . . I don't know! We haven't opened them yet! If a Sister got something in the mail from a family member in the last few days, she gets it to open at this time. We usually try to get something or to make something special for the Superior -- not always an easy task to keep something like that from her!

After visiting, laughing, eating, opening, and enjoying ourselves just being together, we process with the Baby Jesus to the Chapel and sing to Him. We then go to Christmas Eve Mass. After Mass, yes, more goodies to eat! And, for those who wish, we stay up and watch movies! It's always a special time.

May St. Francis, the first to make a "Nativity Scene" to reenact the first Christmas, pray for you especially during this most Holy Night. May the Holy Family be an inspiration to you to have an even holier family! May you have the grace to remember what is important in your life -- things that cannot be bought in a store or found from working too much . . . the people you love, God Who Loves you and me, and the ability to spread that love to all around us!

Merry Christmas from all the Sisters!!!

Advent Waiting

2010-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Advent is a time of waiting -- yes, it's still Advent!

What have we been doing? It's a special art to be busy (December Christmas plays, Advent gatherings, and a Come and See Day for High School friends, decorating, shopping, and cleaning.....to name a few) and to be prayerful at the same time.

Busy and prayerful! In this very busy time of the year, don't forget to keep your priorities straight -- God is really the One that has to be most important in our lives. He is the Gift we're really looking for!

United in prayer -- we thank God for all of our friends, family, and benefactors! Even those of you out there that we do not know in person. God knows who you are -- thank you for your prayers. We pray for you as well!

3 more days until Christmas Eve!!!

Receive Love - Be Love!

2010-12-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

You cannot be a loving person without first receiving love from God!

"God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God and God abides in him." (1 John 4:16)

Every ounce of love in this world is from God. Don't forget to take time every day to "receive" love from Him -- meditation, quietly sitting with Him . . . receiving love, going to Mass, reading the Scriptures, and living in His Presence.

Then be love to those around you! Love from God automatically overflows from you to others. Sometimes it takes some effort -- some self-sacrificing, some forgiving, overlooking of faults. Real love is other-centered (not self-centered).

We have such an awesome God?! He's the real deal.

The Joys of Community Life -- No Picture can Tell

2010-12-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

You know, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the diocese let school out for the first time in a long time. As a result, all the Sisters came home last Wednesday to celebrate this beautiful feastday together.

We like to post pictures most of the time on this blog, but the truth is . . . no picture can tell how awesome it is to live in unity and love. At recreation that night, we really didn't do anything special. We just sat around talking, laughing, and enjoying each other. Yes, we thought about taking a picture, but some pictures in life are just for your heart. Just thought we'd share! And . . . Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

We just published our last e-newsletter. If you're not on the list, go to our website to sign up!

Here's a link to the Advent E-newsletter -- includes news about a visit coming up from our new Superior General, Franciscans in Guatemala that are running a children's home for disabled children (awesome ministry), an article about why we pray to Mary, and more....

God bless you all!!!

Mary - Our Spiritual Mom

2010-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

We are preparing to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Wed. - December 8). This feast is very special to Franciscans. The picture above shows some of the Franciscan saints that either had a special devotion to Mary and her Immaculate Conception and/or were instrumental in the teaching and understanding of this special doctrine of the faith.

One of the most instrumental, perhaps, was Blessed Dons Scotus. Here is an article about him to explain more (very interesting):

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/scotus.htm

Here is an article explaining the Immaculate Conception:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm

And another website with explanations about our beliefs about Mary:

http://www.apologeticsguidebook.com/mary.shtml

In our own lives, Mary has proven to be a very powerful intercessor and Mother. May she continue to intercede for us constantly mothering us closer to Her Son!

God bless you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all from the School Sisters of St. Francis!

The missalette at church said something like this before today's liturgy,

"If we can thank God in all circumstances, that is a kind of conversion."

This is so true. Thank God in good times and in bad. Thank Him because He is doing something in every situation. His Providence is always at work. Jesus, we trust in You!!!

God bless you all! We really do pray for you every day!

Growing in holiness???

2010-11-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

First up -- here's our latest "paper" newsletter!

Secondly -- the topic of this blog post -- Growing in Holiness???

We usually use this blog to tell everyone what we're doing and to post pictures and things. We hope you enjoy it!

This time we will talk about something that we usually take for granted in our own lives. We have time to pray, we take time for spiritual reading every day, and we get to go to Mass every day (we usually get quality time in front of the Blessed Sacrament too!). We hope that some of these practices can help you grow in holiness as well.

Daily Mass: If you can, go to Daily Mass as often as possible. There's nothing greater than receiving Jesus in His Body and His Word to feed our souls!

Spiritual Reading: Try to take at least 10-15 min. a day to read from the Bible, the lives of the saints, or another religious book to help feed your soul. It's amazing to us how often the spiritual reading that we have is "just what we needed" that day to inspire us or to help us.

Daily Prayer: Take time every day to commune with God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this:

"The grace of the Kingdom is 'the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit.' This, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him." CCC #2565

God thirsts for us! We thirst for Him too, we just have to take the blinders off to see it. . . or should we say, we need to open our hearts.

Practice Mortification: In this crazy world where everything is easy to get and we think we're too busy to do the things that are really important, we many times leave mortification in the dust. This is really the key to happiness. Learning to control ourselves is so critical. If we do not control our passions, our passions will control us. So, we can practice mortification in little things -- don't add salt to a meal, for example. Little things like this will help us control ourselves in much bigger temptations. We know, it's an oxymoron. "I'm supposed to give up stuff and be happy?" Yes, it's true -- try it.

The Catechism says, "...they [the virtues] dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love." CCC #1804

Wow -- practicing the virtues DISPOSES us to COMMUNION with DIVINE LOVE! God is so awesome!

Bottom line: Make God #1 in your life. That's it. Make God a priority . . . and watch your life turn around. You give yourself to Him, and He will give you Himself!!!

Texas Tour was Great!

2010-11-12T13:41:00.001-08:00

The top picture is with a family in Port Lavaca that we used to teach! The young man in the red shirt was Sr. Mary Michael's 3rd grader (a few years ago)! He's now in college!

The second picture from top is from a gathering at Texas A&M for Discernment of Vocations. It was a great experience. Every place we went was a great experience. For more pictures, check out our website (photo albums are on the bottom right): http://www.panhandlefranciscans.org/

The bottom picture is taken from our "Community Day" a couple weeks ago! We LOVE it when all the Sisters are home and we can be together.

God bless you all! United in Prayer!

Great Community Weekend . . . and the Texas Tour!

2010-10-31T18:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, we just had another great "Community Weekend" (we usually have them about once a month). We always have some kind of "ongoing formation", then we get to watch a movie, eat snacks, and just enjoy being together.

Our TEXAS TOUR begins this week -- we'll be at:

the Catholic Student Center at the University of Texas (Wednesday).
Victoria, Texas (Thurs. and Friday).
College Station and the Catholic Student Center at Texas A&M (Saturday and Sunday)
Tarleton University (Sunday evening)
Irving and the Catholic Student Center at the University of Dallas (Tuesday)

Pray for us to spread the New Evangelization and for us to meet whoever God wants us to meet! May the Holy Trinity be in the middle of all of it! God bless you all!

Receive Love - Be Love

2010-10-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

We had the most AWESOME retreat this past weekend! "Receive Love - Be Love!" We explored how deeply God loves us and how we in turn overflow God's Love to others. We discussed Religious Life and all vocations. We also talked about the awesome plans that God has for our Community with an awesome future. It was a very fruitful retreat -- continue praying for us as we pray for all of you!

We are God's Powerful Instruments

2010-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

We do not usually do "personal" blogs from a specific Sister, but this time it is. I have been given the task of teaching Religion Class to our local Catholic Middle School 7th and 8th Graders at Holy Cross Catholic Academy. It has been a challenge in some ways, as this is my first time to teach middle schooler's on a daily basis. However, it has awed me how God is using me in this assignment. Every day I clarify things for the students -- misconceptions they had about God, about how God works, or the Catholic Church. I get to talk to them about God's Love. They are learning things, such as, that God can bring good out of evil situations. They are learning that God is in control and that they can trust Him. (The text we're using integrates quite a bit of the Theology of the Body that I love so much too!) They've been learning a lot.

So have I. I'm learning that it is fun to watch the light bulb go on in their heads and hearts as they have the daily opportunity in school to get closer to God. They have become a highlight of my day and a joy to teach! Help me pray for them and all those we minister to in our apostolates! God bless you all!

Temporary Goodbye to a Great Mentor

2010-09-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of Fr. Thomas Dubay? Maybe you've seen him on EWTN TV. Maybe you've read a book or two of his on prayer or Religious Life.

He went on to his eternal reward the other day, so we temporarily say good-bye to him. He was our retreat master two times, and we use many of his books and talks in our initial and on-going formation. He has made a huge difference in the Religious Life, especially in this country.

Fr. Dubay, thank you for all of your inspiring talks and insights! Thank you for teaching us about contemplative prayer and the wonders of Communion with the Holy Trinity (from Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross mostly). We will miss you!

http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2010/09/father-thomas-dubay-sm-rip.html

Super September, cont.

2010-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, we began with the Holy Mass, all of our Morning Prayers and Adoration, and then we trecked out to the local "Wildlife Refuge". Most people do not know that we have one of these in our backyard. We had a good time there, as you can see in the pics above!

Super September!

2010-09-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It's been so busy -- sorry the blog has been low on the priority list. Teaching Religion, having a "Sisters Day Out" at the Wildlife Refuge (those animals above are at the refuge, not in the classroom!) . . . it's been busy! This bottom picture is from St. Joseph's School in Amarillo -- the Sisters are enjoying their new "mission"! More pictures in the next post!!!

Top picture is from our Prayer Time together in Amarillo before going to the Refuge.

Getting ready also for the upcoming "Come and See Retreat" -- the Theme is "Receive Love -- Be Love". Pray for us!

God bless you all!

August Happenings

2010-08-29T13:15:00.001-07:00

Top picture: Awesome Annual retreat with Fr. Jordan Kelly, OP! We had a GREAT week. Thank you to all of you who were praying for us!

Middle picture: Holy Cross Catholic Academy (where Sr. Mary Michael is teaching, on same campus as St. Joseph's Elementary School where Sr. Mary Grace and Sr. Mary Pia are)

Bottom picture: "Poverty, Chastity, Obedience" painted on our kitchen wall. Thanks to all who helped prepare our new house.

More pictures to follow soon!

Getting Ready for School!

2010-08-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

We just moved to our new mission at St. Joseph's School! Wow! The parishioners REALLY spoiled us -- they've been working overtime to prepare our convent, getting us new appliances, furniture, repainting everything, and many other sacrifices that we don't even know about. It's very touching to see how excited everyone is for us to be here! We're excited too! We love St. Joseph's!

Our St. Anthony's Sisters will leave tomorrow to go to prepare for school there! Pray for us as we begin a new year of surprises and a journey with the people at these two parishes.

"Oh How He Loves Us!"

2010-07-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

That song is stuck in my head. The following is from a talk we heard in Houston at their Life Awareness Weekend:

Pope John Paul II's "Interior disposition of Eucharistic Spirituality" (we should have these points in our lives as people that love Jesus in the Eucharist -- only possible with God's grace through Communion with Him!)

Thanksgiving and gratitude (live a life of gratitude . . . to God and to others; and see God in EVERY situation)
Self-Offering (live a life of being a "self-gift" . . . be a gift to others!)
Charity (live a life a true charity)
Contemplation (long to contemplate and to be in communion with God . . . silence and love with the Lord)

God bless you all! Lots going on as usual..... Every day we pray for all of our benefactors, friends, relatives, and people we work with in our apostolates.

"I can change the world by allowing God to change me!"

School Sisters "Family Retreat"!

2010-07-18T13:54:00.001-07:00

This awesome family bought our "Family Retreat with the School Sisters" at our FUN Raiser last year! We had an awesome weekend together -- talked about prayer, family life, virtues, thanksgiving for God's blessings in their family so far, Theology of the Body, and much more. The kids had their own retreat with Sr. Pia and Sr. Mary Jude. We even played basketball!!!

We topped it off with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. God bless all families!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots Going On!

2010-07-09T06:33:00.001-07:00

LOTS going on! The top picture is from the 5 inches of rain that we've had in the last day and a half. We're getting our roof repaired and it is unfortunately helping us find our leaks.... One repair at a time! :> From what I hear, our 5 inches is mild compared to other places in Texas that are flooding!

The beautiful chapel picture is from our Motherhouse in Vienna, Austria. We have 3 Sisters there now as delegates to the General Chapter to be held next week! Pray with us for this intention -- May the Holy Spirit inspire us in amazing ways!!!

The picture of our Sisters with Our Lady of Guadalupe is from the Holy Trinity Seminary where the recent Dallas/Fort Worth Vocation Awareness Program (VAP) was held. It was awesome as always.

The bottom picture is from a recent short meeting with some young ladies -- we shot the breeze and then reflected briefly on the book called, Fire Within, by Fr. Thomas Dubay about prayer. The chapter called, "Conditions for Growth" is a favorite. St. Teresa of Avila says that if one wants to have a deep prayer life (a life of love with the Holy Trinity), she/he must live a generous life, with humility, and striving to live the virtues. Live a life of love! She said that this is the secret to a deep prayer (love) life with God, not the "method" of prayer.

God bless you all! United in prayer and love,

The School Sisters of St. Francis!

First Vows (and Vacation)

2010-06-20T12:12:00.001-07:00

Sr. Mary Grace made her First Vows and Sr. Mary Magdalene renewed her vows on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (June 11). Congratulations!!!!!!!!

Some of us just got back from our annual vacation in the mountains as some gracious benefactors allow us to use their cabins and have a relaxing and fun time for a few days.

United in prayer, The School Sisters of St. Francis!!!

Bishop Cantu at Life Awareness Weekend

2010-06-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

The Life Awareness Weekend went very well. It was also a great pleasure to meet Bishop Cantu, the administrator of San Antonio (Archbishop Gomez was transferred to Los Angeles). We've been praying for you all!

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

2010-05-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the awesome Solemnity of the Holy Trinity! The Holy Trinity has become very important to us -- we were made in the Image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26). We were made in the image of the Holy Trinity -- an image of perfect Love and Unity and Communion. Wow.

Here is a quote from Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (yes, Franciscans love Carmelite saints too, and have a Blessed Feast of the Visitation!):

"I have found heaven on earth, since heaven is God, and God is in my soul. My mission in heaven will be to draw souls, helping them to go out of themselves to cling to God, with a spontaneous, love-filled action, and to keep them in that great interior silence which enables God to make his mark on them, to transform them into himself."(Letter 122)

Here is a prayer from her to the Holy Trinity:

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance. O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the "Beloved in whom You are well pleased."

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.

Happy and Blessed Feast of the Pentecost!

2010-05-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

We must prepare ourselves for the receiving of the Holy Spirit! Jesus prayed deeply before each big decision or event in His life, so we must learn from Him! (taken from Bishop Zurek's homily preparing for Pentecost Sunday)

We've been busy -- top picture is Fr. Ron praying the Mass with us.... nothing is as beneficial to our souls but to be with and to receive our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Second picture is from a recent youth rally in Amarillo. Teens are awesome!

Third picture is from our little faith formation class here in Panhandle that is graduating. Small but powerful witnesses to the Lord in this world!

Bottom picture is from our recent visit from Greg and Julie Alexander. They work hard to let God use them as instruments to enrich marriages and save marriages, all with the Gospel and the Theology of the Body.

God bless you all! Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit!!!

Busy Mother's Day Weekend!

2010-05-11T06:22:00.001-07:00

Busy weekend -- Bishop Zurek came to St. Theresa's Parish for Confirmation. Sr. Mary Grace finished her year with her students who were able to make their First Communion. We had our May Crowning with our Sunday Holy Hour in our Chapel with Sr. Rose Marie crowning Our Lady. And then we had a special "program" for Sr. Mary Ana for Mother's Day -- Sr. Mary Jude attempted to dress up like Captain Jack Sparrow . . . you had to be there.

We celebrated Mother's Day for ourselves as Spiritual Mothers. And, every year, we all light a candle for our own Mothers whether they are living or deceased, to pray for them!

We love you, Mom!!!

We love you Mary, our Spiritual Mom!

Feast of St. Joseph & Fun at the CSC

2010-05-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

First of all, HAPPY FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER!!! St. Joseph is one of our special saint friends!

Secondly, what people do to raise money -- Fr. Nick and Fr. Daniel agreed to let the students throw pies at them for a price to raise money for the Relay for Life. Aren't they cute???

Thirdly, the Sisters in the schools are looking at their last month of school before summer break. Keep up the good work, Sisters! The children depend on you!

And finally, we will post pictures from visitors soon.....

God bless you all! Please join us in prayer for the many petitions that have been entrusted to us to pray for!

Youth Rally, Fr. Tony Ricard, and a Great Story.

2010-04-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week was the Amarillo Diocese's Annual Youth Rally! If you have never heard of Fr. Tony Ricard, he is an amazing priest. He's from New Orleans and is quite an entertainer. He's full of stories and full of joy! May he inspire many to get closer to God and to follow their call to whatever great life God is calling them to!

We heard a story the other day -- A lady with 3 children went to McDonald's. She noticed a homeless person sitting there eating a hamburger that she had gotten from someone's donation of a coupon. She prayed fervently, thanking God for the meal. The lady felt like she was supposed to buy her a box of cookies. "I will not buy her cookies," she thought, knowing that a homeless person needs more substantial food and not desserts. The thought would not go away. So she finally sent one of her children up to buy the cookies and to give it to the homeless lady. She told the child to say, "Happy Valentine's Day" since it was about 2 weeks after that holiday. The little girl took the cookies to her and said, "Happy Valentine's Day!" The lady responded, "Oh, it's too late for Valentine's Day," she continued as she looked up, "but I knew He wouldn't forget. Today's my birthday!"

Now that's faith. What a beautiful story about someone who really has a relationship with God!

God bless you all!

An Old Friend and School Open House

2010-04-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, the top picture is of an old friend of ours, Sr. Mary Colette!

The other 2 pictures are from the St. Joseph's School Open House last night -- we are very excited to be there again! It's like going home in many ways. So many of the same parents were there last night that we knew years ago from the last time we were there on "mission".

We're on our way to a Youth Rally this weekend for the Diocese of Amarillo! Let's pray for each other!

Bishop's Visit!

2010-04-10T13:01:00.001-07:00

Bishop Zurek came to visit our Community last night for Evening Prayer and vespers. We had a great time!

May the Risen Christ be your strength and your joy!

Easter Octave!!!

2010-04-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Easter Octave!

We know, we're late posting, but the last one was such great news, we held off on this one.

We're celebrating the Octave of Easter! We're almost finished renovating the Novitiate / Guest House area . . . getting ready to choose art for the renovated chapel (memorials are available for that) . . . The "school" sisters are gearing up for the end of another school year . . . all kinds of things going on . . . getting ready for Divine Mercy Sunday!

God bless you all!

Holy Week

2010-03-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

The current magazine of "Religious Life" featured our Holy Trinity Mural! Perfect picture for Holy Week - hope you all take extra time this week to reflect on the LOVE that God has for us . . . dying for each one of us as if we were the only one. At the same time reflecting on the LOVE God has for us through the Holy Trinity. Wow.

Some of the March Activities

2010-03-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Most of the blog entries do not have the apostolate pictures in them -- the webmaster does not live in a school right now, so we do not always have access to school pictures, etc. Maybe this will be remedied in the future.

Top picture -- last night at the Matt Maher Benefit Concert for St. Mary's Church in Amarillo.

Middle picture -- recent diocesan Respect Life Banquet.

Bottom picture -- some friends of our stopped in for about 24 hours. They have 9 children and we thoroughly enjoyed their company!

God bless you all!

Spring Break pics

2010-03-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Spring Break 2010!

2010-03-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

We have all the Sisters home from school and we decided to go to the lake! It's hard to believe that we're still in the Texas Panhandle when we are standing on a beach with sand and seashells, but we were! We had a great day with softball, prayers, a movie, games, and fresh air! (we'll post more pictures here or on our website)

God bless you all!

Hand yourself over to the doctor

2010-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

The following taken from today's Office of Readings, "From the book addressed to Autolycus by Saint Theophilus of Antioch, bishop":

A person's soul should be clean, like a mirror reflecting light. If there is rust on the mirror his face cannot be seen in it. In the same way, no one who has sin within him can see God.

But if you will you can be healed. Hand yourself over to the doctor, and he will open the eyes of your mind and heart. Who is to be the doctor? It is God, who heals and gives life through his Word and wisdom....

Losing a friend

2010-03-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

This morning we lost our dear friend, Ray Huseman, who has been fighting leukemia for two years. He is the brother of Sister Mary Michael, and he was always a rock of prayer, faith, and trust in God. After a great battle, Ray is now well and safe...and in a position to help us with our earthly battles until we are together forever, safely enfolded in the unending Love of the Blessed Trinity. Ray was family to all of us here in Panhandle, someone who loved serving the Sisters and welcomed us into his and Kim's home at any time. He was a man who loved being Catholic and could defend his Faith to anyone, including any Jehovah's Witnesses who were fortunate enough to knock on his door! Ray was a man of prayer, who even in the darkest moments of his diagnosis, knew and trusted that there was a higher Plan than what he could see. We will miss him, and we will ask him to intercede for us in time to come. We ask your prayers for his family. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

God suffers in us

2010-03-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

There are so many things that we could put on this blog. Pictures of the renovations of the children's home building, lent reflections, or Catholic School reports. We might as well post what's really on our minds.

Sr. Mary Michael's brother, Raymond, and his family, have become a large part of our family. We've all adopted them. Now Ray is suffering in ICU with some complications. He's on a ventilator. It's interesting that this is happening during Lent. As he lays there suffering, one cannot but think of him sharing in the sufferings of Christ. The family watching him are sharing in the sufferings of Mary and John at the foot of the cross.

When something like this happens, it's amazing how things we thought were so important are not important anymore. Something to reflect on.

Remember, we're human beings, not human doings. Go home and love your family today.

Awesome Retreat! Mother - Daughter - Bride - Sister

2010-02-22T13:30:00.001-08:00

Some of us just got back from an awesome retreat in Florida! It was truly life-changing!!!

One of the themes that kept showing up was the fact that all women are called to be mothers, sisters, daughters, and a bride. Wow. God used this in a powerful way this past week in our experience, and we have a feeling that it's about to grow in more amazing ways. Read the Song of Songs to find out more!

This past weekend we also went to Lubbock to the Footsteps in Faith Conference with Scott Hahn, Brant Pitre, and Michael Barber. It was also awesome!!! They shared some great and inspiring insights. More on that later.

God bless you all!

Sr. M. Valentina -- May She Rest in Peace

2010-02-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Our beloved Sr. M. Valentina died in the middle of the night last night. She was a great example of a life of love. She was a mother to so many children in the Catholic Children's Home for 40 years. She gave and gave and gave.

In most recent years, she suffered from Parkinson's Disease. She has been unable to walk or barely able to talk for several years.

May she rest in peace with the Holy Trinity for all eternity!

Sr. M. Valentina, pray for us! You will be fondly remembered by us and by so many of your children!

Snow! Snow Ball Fight!

2010-01-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful snow the other day, and today we had a snowball fight. It was great.

United in prayer, The School Sisters

Dear Lord, Please Help Us!

2010-01-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

This young family of 9 is praying for the end of abortion. Jesus, please help us!

March For Life

2010-01-23T09:07:00.001-08:00

Some of our Sisters are at the diocesan Walk for Life this morning. They will walk from a Peace and Justice Mass at one church to Texas Panhandle Family Planning, the offspring organization of Planned Parenthood, to pray the rosary and then to another church for lunch and a talk by the diocesan director of Respect Life Ministries. All of this will mark the sad anniversary of 37 years since Roe vs. Wade.

As I see my Sisters who remain at home going about their daily duties, I see one walking for life in the kitchen, one walking for life at her desk, one walking for life with her mop and bucket, one walking for life as she does the errands in town, one walking for life as she takes phone calls.

And I am sadly aware that some of the Sisters who are supposed to be here are not walking for life at all, because they were aborted.

God is a Beautiful Artist!

2010-01-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

Almost every morning during breakfast, we have the most glorious view! He blesses us with this beautiful painting in the sky and reminds us of His Love for us and His awesomeness!

Today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that made it possible for legalized abortion. Pray with us for the end of this tragic ongoing slaughter of innocent human beings, the healing of the aches of the mothers and families involved, and for the conversion of abortion doctors!

Today is the Feast of St. Berard and Companions!

2010-01-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Today is a very special feast in the Franciscan Family! St. Berard and companions lived at the time of St. Francis. They were sent to try to convert the Muslims in Morocco. After preaching to the sultan, he became very angry with them. The friars were tortured in unspeakable ways. After that, they actually tried to bribe them with money, wives, and power. They refused and continued to try to teach the sultan about the truths of the Church and God.

The sultan was so angry that he ended up killing them himself on January 16, 1220. After St. Francis heard of the martyrdom, he said, "Now I can truly say that I have five Friars Minor!" It's amazing -- when the relics of these martyrs were being carried through Portugal, St. Anthony of Padua (who was an Augustinian at the time) was inspired to become Franciscan! He wanted to be a martyr too.

These martyrs were canonized in 1481. May we allow God to use us in powerful ways as well! Lord, open our hearts to your amazing ways!

Welcome to our Mother General!

2010-01-08T17:41:00.001-08:00

We welcomed Sr. M. Petronilla, our Mother General from Vienna, a few days ago! Here she is pictured third from left with some other guests and with the Sisters.

God bless you all!

Merry Christmas & Blessed New Year!

2009-12-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT Christmas! We prayed for all of you -- we had a novena of Masses for all of our friends, benefactors, and relatives before Christmas.

The top picture above is a meditation on the Humility of Christ. He was humble enough to become a vulnerable baby, to be vulnerable on the cross, and now is vulnerable in the Eucharist. HE LOVES US THAT MUCH! We too are called to imitate Him in humility. May He give us this grace!

All the Sisters were home for Christmas -- the middle picture is of Sr. Mary Jude renewing her vows for 2 years! Congratulations!

The bottom picture is from Christmas Eve -- we processed with the baby Jesus to the chapel before Christmas Eve Mass.

God bless you all! United in prayer...

Come and See Discernment Retreat!

2009-12-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT weekend of retreating, learning about discernment, and learning more about Religious Life. God is good!

Pray for all those who are discerning the Religious Life and the Priesthood!

School Sisters FUN Raiser & Advent Gala

2009-12-16T08:05:00.001-08:00

Our 2nd Annual FUN Raiser and Advent Gala was a huge success! It was so great to see how many friends we have -- so many of them volunteering, helping, preparing, and giving of themselves. We'll try to get more pictures posted to our website soon.

God bless you all!

Blessed Advent to You!

2009-12-01T17:43:00.001-08:00

Blessed Advent to you! This is a beautiful season to contemplate "waiting" . . . waiting on the Lord! Notice in the top picture -- on the bottom is an empty crib. We're waiting on the Lord, longing for eternal union with Him!

From "Daybreaks, Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas" by Fr. Ron Rolheiser:

"St. John of the Cross, in The Living Flame of Love, compares our pre-Advent selves to green logs that have been thrown into a fire, the fire of love. Green logs, as we know, do not immediately burst into flame. Rather, being young and full of moisture, they sizzle for a long time before they reach kindling temperature and take into themselves the fire that is around them. So, too, the rhythm of love: only the really mature can burst into flame within community. The rest of us are still too green, too selfish, too damp."

"What helps change this is precisely the tension in our lives. In carrying properly our unfulfilled desires, we sizzle and slowly let go of the dampness of selfishness. In carrying tension we come to kindling temperature and are made ready for love."

Again, blessed Advent to you all!

November Happenings

2009-11-26T17:40:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since we posted on this blog! We've been busy getting ready for the FUN Raiser, getting out newsletters, etc.

The above pictures (top): is from today! We had a great Thanksgiving meal together and invited some residents from St. Ann's. It's become a tradition now for us to have friends over from there.

The middle picture is of Sr. Mary Felice making an afghan for the FUN Raiser Craft Store.

The bottom picture is of the list of all the Sisters that have died here in this Region since it began in 1954. Many Sisters have lived their lives of service and love for the people here in the Texas Panhandle. May they rest in peace!