Wow.  May we all grow deeper in love with Love!
Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Read to find out about the promises connected to the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

This is now hanging in our kitchen and went up today.
How appropriate for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sister is at it again - decorating the kitchen this time.
See below for a more finished look of the stencils.

Sr. Mary Magdalene and Sr. Mary Grace renewed their vows for one year.
Congratulations!!!

When Sisters are in "temporary vows", they are called Junior Sisters.
They are in formation for Final Vows. Pray for all of our Sisters in Temporary Vows.

Sr. Mary Grace concentrating on her vows....

Fr. Ron loving Jesus as he processed with the Lord on
the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

Hope you're all having a great summer. It will go by too fast. Don't forget to spend time with the Lord of Love!  and don't forget to spend quality fun time with your family.

God bless you all!  We're praying for you!

Conglomeration Blog Time

Many, many things happening at Sancta Maria Convent!  So many things that this will be a conglomeration blog.

1)  Renewal of Vows -- Sr. Mary Magdalene and Sr. Mary Grace will be renewing their vows this Sunday on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi!  We are very happy for them again making this next step.

2)  Politics -- there are so many things happening in our country right now that is something to be concerned about.  Debates in the courts about the definition of marriage, the HHS mandate, and much more.  As history tells us, the time of the Christians before Constantine's religious freedom, Christianity was very vibrant.  To be a "Christian" meant that you were literally willing to die for your faith.  You daily risked your life to be one.  Apparently, once the tide turned and it was no longer illegal to be a Christian, many people became lukewarm and did not really practice their faith.  So, maybe today's persecutions are not so bad after all?  It is certainly a time to stand up and be counted.  May God walk with us through this present trial in our country. May He be glorified even in the midst of these interesting times that we live. May we be instruments of love and peace and truth.

3)  Movies -- speaking of persecution, have you seen "For Greater Glory"?  It is about the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico during the 1920's.  There is a lot of violence in the movie, but it certainly is inspiring to see how courageous people helped change the horrendous situation.  In times of persecution and difficulties is precisely when God raises up great saints.  May we be the saints that God is calling us to be in our lives!  Vivo Christo Rey!

4)  Summer "Vacation" -- This is one of our FAVORITE times of the year!  All the Sisters are home from the schools.  We just feel more complete when everyone is here.  We have our Annual Retreat, and this year's retreat is by one of the Fathers of Mercy on the Eucharist.  Some Sisters are going on their home visits to see family and friends, and we're also involved in a summer camp, retreats, and a Catholic "vacation bible school".

5)  Entrance Date coming up -- we're very excited and looking forward to new candidates.  We'll keep you posted!

Pray for us as we pray for you!  May God continue to bless you abundantly!

The School Sisters of St. Francis

Mother Teresa's Humility List

 

1. Speak as little as possible about yourself.
2. Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.
3. Avoid curiosity.
4. Do not interfere in the affairs of others.
5. Accept small irritations with good humor.
6. Do not dwell on the faults of others.
7. Accept censures even if unmerited.
8. Give in to the will of others.
9. Accept insults and injuries.
10. Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.
11. Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.
12. Do not seek to be admired and loved.
13. Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.
14. Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.
15. Choose always the more difficult task. 

 

 

Something to ponder . . . 

We had a STUPENDOUS time with 2 beautiful families--
One family donated a "Dinner with the Sisters" to our FUN Raiser
and another family bought it.  May God bless both families
in abundant, amazing, and surprising ways!

St. Joseph's Elementary School in Amarillo had a
Spring Festival last month. The children recited poetry by
Fr. Joe Kempf.  We had a great time there as always.

During this time of the Texas Panhandle that is over run with
millers, it was refreshing the other day when a beautiful little butterfly
(or something similar?) was perched on one of our gates.
God's creation is so beautiful. Don't forget to smell the roses,
be amazed at the details of a butterfly, or to enjoy the song of a bird.

Just a reminder -- God is in control.
He is taking care of everything,
and if there is suffering involved, He is there to walk with us in it.

God bless you all!  We're praying for you all every day!

Planting Seeds in a Desert?

Easter Vigil Night 2012

Our Lady of the Angels Chapel

It's hard to see, but imagine lilies everywhere, candles everywhere, and love everywhere . . .

He is Risen!  Alleluia! 

Happy and Blessed Easter to all!!!

(Easter Season lasts for 50 days until Pentecost -- We're still celebrating!)

You may wonder why there is a patch of dirt with a little bit of grass growing, and why it's on this blog.  We used to have some old tennis courts in our back yard -- full of weeds and such.  Guess they were put there for the Children's Home and parish at one time. . . a long time ago.

Anyway, with the help of local farmers (relatives and friends), we had the asphalt removed.  Now we are attempting to plant grass.  If you've ever planted grass, you know what a trial that can be. 

So the other day, the grass-watering Sister was getting very discouraged.  "Oh Lord, please let the grass grow.  Is it going to grow at all?  Is the ground fertile enough?  Did it get enough water?  Did we get the seed down correctly?"

And right then, she spotted some new baby grass!!!  How thrilling it was to see the little baby grasses coming up here and there!!!  You have to have the eyes to see it -- at first glance, there was nothing.  But taking a closer look, there were baby grasses coming up all over the place!

This is how life can be sometimes.  We can get discouraged in our prayer lives, or our ministry, or our work, but there is always hope!  Even in a desert, there is hope!  Because God is the gardener.  It is He Who plants, and He Who waters.  We must trust it even if we can't see the fruit yet.

This is an example of planting seeds. Last Saturday, Sr. Mary Ana and Sr. Mary Michael gave a retreat to students and parents preparing for their First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation.  It was a beautiful experience spending the day with the people who are hungry for God and want to know Him better.  We fertilize it with prayer and love.  And then the fruit is up to Him!

We've been doing all kinds of house - finishing.  We finally almost finished this "Archive Cabinet" started about two years ago.  It's an attempt at giving a tribute to the people and Sisters that worked so hard to give needy children a home and love.  Rose Gordon (in gold frame on the left) donated all of the land and the building for the Children's Home.  Sr. Valentina and many other Sisters gave their lives for years to the children here.  May they rest in peace.  Amen.

If you are not receiving our E-newsletter, then sign up here!  One will be coming out soon hopefully.  It will have more news from the School Sisters of St. Francis!  God bless you all!

TOB and Holy Week

TOB 4/by Teens came to Nazareth to evangelize the teens there!
Of course, Sr. M.M. was in the middle of it --
two of her favorite things (Naz and TOB)!
They did an awesome job!
Sr. Mary Jude always enjoys a good party.
On St. Patrick's Day, she was at St. Ann's
Nursing Home (next door) partying with the residents.

Beautiful flowers are a great reminder of God's beauty
and God's love for us! What an awesome little gift
He gives us every day to remind us.

Spring Break 2012 -- Picnic and Zoo!
It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't live here how much we enjoy when

all the Sisters are home. Even if we do simple little things like this on our Spring Break,

it doesn't really matter, we just like to be together. God is good!

Holy Week is right around the corner. Let us not waste this special time of the year -- an opportunity of extraordinary grace to be truly sorry for our sins, to be grateful to God for dying for our sins and for loving us THAT much! Let us in turn forgive everyone around us, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Are we willing to die for those we love? Are we ready to lay down our lives every day in service to those around us? God is calling us to do just that. Lord, help us to be your self-giving love in this world. Amen! (That is TOB!)

HHS Mandate & Other Important Things

Dear Friends,

We live in exciting times . . . .

First, the pictures above are from some of our latest activities -- the top picture is part of a family of nine that visited us as part of their vacation. One of the little ones helped us weed the rose garden -- we had a great day. In light of the recent HHS Mandate discussions, it was so refreshing to be with a family that believes in life!

Click here to read the letter written by the CMSWR in support of our bishops on this matter:

http://www.panhandlefranciscans.org/index.cfm?load=news&newsarticle=2

Secondly, the other pictures are from a trip to St. Louis for a CMSWR workshop. It is always a great experience to be with Sisters from all over the country who share many, many things. (The picture of Sr. Mary Ana in front of the old courthouse -- yes, she's pretending to run like the statue behind her.)

It's Spring Break for us! We're having a blast with everyone home (in between the work and prayer and rest).

As for Lent, may we all make time to reflect on what needs conversion in our lives, have the courage to ask God to help us make progress in that area, and then have the desire and drive to actually change. Lord, give us the grace to say Yes to you in new and beautiful ways! Give us true humility to be able to see ourselves as you see us. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.