Archive for the ‘Celebrations’ Category

                                        Many of you know Jean Molesky-Poz.  Jean blessed our house with a visit at the end of Oct.  A few weeks later her marvelous husband, Martin, was in Bloomington translating for five immigrant families before the Fort Snelling immigration court.  He is a specialist in three Maya languages and is flown all over the US as translator.  He had just time for a bowl of chile and a plate of rice here at the monastery before he had to be at the airport to board his flight to Boston where he would translate for more immigrant families. Martin is a true American hero.

Sister Cecilia was with us as we remembered the 60th year anniversary of Poor Clare  community life here in Bloomington, Minnesota.  We were also celebrating the feast day of Sister Cecilia.  Our Franciscan brother,  Anthony Crisitelli,  presided at Eucharist. followed by a lively Community meal.

 

 

This night our Community room is open to eighty 15 year olds who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  They want to learn how to pray.  After a presention and Q and A we processed outside through the dark, cold night singing a Taize mantra and into the Chapel, the spiritual fireplace of our monastery. We prayed psalms 95 and 96 antiphonally, listened to a short Scripture reading, then closed our eyes, attending to the Holy Spirit breathing in us and prayed silently for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the highlighted words from the last letter to all the Poor Clares from Friar Michael Perry:

“Like Jesus, be ‘accessible,’ ready to receive whoever draws close to you.”  And again, “Be a mirror of His mercy so that the meeting with Truth can liberate.”

 

 

 

 

Our monastery here in Bloomington, Minnesota is a member of the Mother Bentivoglio Federation of Poor Clares in the United States.  We team up with the Holy Name Federation every two years for an inter federation assembly.  Our Sr. Gabriel Zwiener, second from the right, serves on the Council of the Federation.  

 

Two weeks ago, Saturday, May 17, twenty five couples from Assumption parish joined us for our Saturday morning Eucharist, together with the team of five couples who would serve the day long Marriage preparation retreat.  It was a great joy for us to have these beautiful people with us and to experience how lay leadership is developing in our Church today.

 

Pictured here is the Marriage preparation team.

Three of the 20 bags of Garlic Mustard collected in two hours.Our precious friends at the end of a wonderful morning in the woods.

Our beautiful Sister Clara Pak is with us visiting from our monastery in Yang Yang, South Korea near the DMV.  The Sisters pray for peace and reunification for the North and the South. Sisters Lucie and Frances show how happy they are to be in the sunshine after the long winter.

 

 

Sisters’ Oral History Project

Through a generous grant from the Hilton Foundation to St Catherine University, Religious Sisters in our area were invited to participate in an oral history project chronicling the lives of Women Religious. The purpose of the project is to connect collage women with Women Religious and to create a clearinghouse of electronic media to support those seeking vocations in religious life. There was an underlying hope that the Student and the Sister would develop a personal relationship.  Tanell Green and Sr. Beth were paired up.  They “connected” the moment they met..

Energies

There are truly no words to describe how beautiful and meaningful interactions have been with my Sister. With her bubbly bright spirit, loving energy and lovely connection, Sister Beth is truly a gem. The first time I met her, the first thing I noticed right away was her smile. I couldn’t believe the amount of charisma she had! I could tell that we would make a connection right away. I had many conversations with Beth and during one found that we had many similarities, one significant similarity being our love and feeling for good energy.  Compassion, love and seeking true joy in life are among the many things Sister Beth likes to share with me. I have learned so much from my Sister and I can say she is truly like a second mother and teacher to me.

As I have been given the opportunity to meet this wonderful woman, I have been able to learn a lot not only about my Sister but a lot about myself as well. Learning about Sister Beth has been a very exciting experience as I was able to learn more about the unique lives of nuns and sisters alike and the beautiful lives they lead. I expect to continue my relation with Beth being just as fun, intriguing and full of amazing energy as I experienced the first time we met.

Tanell Green, University of Saint Catherine.  Tanie is a Communications major and hopes to work in Hollywood.

 

 

                                                                        Easter, 2014

Dear friends,   

Tucked into the January 13, 2014 address given by Pope Francis to diplomats accredited to the Vatican was this curious statement,

 “God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but when nature—creation—is mistreated, she never forgives!” 

 For believers in God who is love, the first part of the statement is fundamental to our faith.  As to the second part, experience tells us that humans have an uneven record on forgiveness.

 The third part of this statement gives pause for thought.  In context, Pope Francis was using the quotation regarding the unforgiving nature of creation to advocate care for the environment as our common home.

 But is creation unforgiving?  Or is creation continually forgiving, allowing us the freedom to choose to care—or not to care.  St. Francis in his well-known Canticle of the Creatures sees all created reality, including human beings, in familial terms, praising the God of all creatures.            Closer to our own times is the Irish poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ of the 19^th century, assuring us that “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” 

Ours is a changing world. The Christian interpretation of evolution credits God with so much love for us as to allow our participation in the development of this cosmic order. Sometimes the work is ecstatically beautiful and at others bitterly painful. 

 Throughout the liturgies of Holy Week and into the amazing celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection we are mindful of you and your families.  May you know the deep truth that in God’s economy the pain we share with the Lord always leads to the joyful surprise of resurrection.

 With grateful hearts for your friendship and support, we are

 Your Poor Clare Sisters