It is beginning to feel a little like advent with the cooling weather and extra choir practices containing all of the beautiful advent music focusing us on our path toward Christmas.

After our beloved choir director of many years, Lynn left us to care for her family, we were without a choir director for some time.  Now we have Clare as our new director.  Her name in Italian is Kiara which means light and beauty and our new director brings those qualities to our music bringing in the organ magnificently, the piano with zest and weaving in other instruments like percussion, flute,  and guitar.

Sisters Jo and Beth are in the choir and right in the middle of all these preparations in our beautiful chapel.

Sister Jo sends warm greeting to her family and friends and especial those who joined in the celebration of her nephew Kevin Kenney as our new Bishop.

Last Monday, Clares from Assisi Heights followed Sister Jo up to the St Paul Cathedral where hundreds filled that holy space to celebrate the ordination of Sister Jo’s nephew, Father Kevin Kenney as Auxiliary Bishop of St Paul/Minneapolis Archdiocese.

A replay of that event can be found at:

The Episcopal Ordination of The Most Reverend Kevin Thomas Kenney on October 28, 2024

Cindy Boggs, Mike McDonough, and Richard Morton came to visit from the Cities.

Sister Caroline and Mike cleaned their plates while enjoying the conversation. It was so great to have members of our Secular Franciscan family with us.

Cindy Boggs is one of the leaders of the secular Franciscan community in Minneapolis/ St Paul.

Out in the courtyard, St Francis is giving his blessing to these beautiful followers of his dynamic program of Love for God and all that God has made.

Franciscan Friars from California stopped to visit with us for two days on their trip to Wisconsin.  What a joy to have them!  The older brother, Friar John, has worked in ministry on the west coast for many years and often spent the Easter holidays with our Poor Clare sisters in Alberta Canada. Brother Tony is the younger Friar and he is working now in San Francisco at the Friars’ food pantry. Sister Beth smuggled them up to the third floor to visit our beautiful little chapel.

Kevin Thomas Kenney presided at the funeral of his mother, Dorothy Jane Casey Kenney a few weeks ago.

It is easy to see the family resemblance in this photo of Jo Casey and her sister.

Here is Kevin Thomas Kenney, priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in a photo from 5 years ago, pushing his beloved mother Dorothy Casey Kenney in her wheel chair.

Fast forward 5 years, if you read the Diocesan Newspaper, you would have seen very large photos of Kevin who has just been called by Pope Francis to be Bishop of that Archdiocese.

Next month on the Feast of Saint Jude (Patron Saint of Lost Causes) October 28, Kevin will be consecrated as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul / Minneapolis.

You can be sure Sister Jo Casey, his aunt and sister to his mother, is lining up all the Poor Clare sisters from Rochester to attend this beautiful ceremony at the Cathedral in St. Paul.

This is our lovely chapel in September where we remember all of you in prayer.

This is a good way to get information to a friend—Pick up your camera and take a photo.

St Clare’s special day arrived once again.  This year we have the beautiful modern icon of our Mother Clare written by Jill Westendorp.