Franciscan Sisters March in Memory of Martin Luther King

The Greenwood community held the 34th annual Martin Luther King March on Sunday, January 21.  Following tradition, the Franciscan friars and Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity joined with sorority and fraternity members, civic club representatives families and youth groups to commemorate one of Dr. King’s most effective tools–the peaceful march.

 

Each year civic minded persons of all ages and walks of life gather, often bearing signs that hearken back to the days of Dr. King’s presence, back to the height of the Civil Rights Era.  The signs find many ways to speak of the peace that Martin Luther King so longed for.  It is always an honor to take part in this event.  The echoes of “We Shall Overcome”,  “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” and “This Little Light of Mine” blended with the beat of marching feet to remind all those present that the message of Dr. Martin Luther King is too important to lose in the passage of time.  That message of longing for peace and justice lives on!

Franciscan Sisters Join Mark Cancer Awareness Month

The Franciscan Sisters and St. Francis of Assisi Faculty and students participated in Cancer Awareness this past week. During Wednesday’s school mass the students carried up candles in remembrance those who died of cancer, those who survived and their caregivers.  Survivors were mentioned by name in the prayers of petition.   Thursday, pink table cloths covered the cafeteria tables and pink lemonade was “on tap”. Come Friday the students came in with pledge sheets and monies for the cancer walk slated for the afternoon.  At 2:00 everyone poured out of their classrooms and headed for the field behind the school.  Mrs. Lewis gave a countdown and students and teachers began doing laps.  The aim was for everyone to do 5 laps.  Some did more and little ones did less, but it all averaged out to a worthwhile activity.

 

 

 

The fifth and sixth graders were ready to go!

 

 

The Principal, Mrs. Lewis giving directions on where to go. Five laps if able!

 

And the students and faculty were off!

 

 

 

 

Sister Kathleen kept close track of her students. They are so precious at that age!

 

 

 

A quiet place in the shade to rest.

 

After the long walk a refreshing bottle of water or a snow cone hit the spot!

 

 

Ahhh! The pause that refreshes!

 


 

 

A week of remembrance, prayer, and fun.

The students raised $384 which was given to the American Cancer Society.

Saturday Smorgasbord for Franciscan Sisters

The Franciscan Sisters at St. Francis began the morning on Saturday by attending a “Regional Faith in Action Workshop” here in the cafeteria. It is always nice when you don’t have to travel for a meeting! The session was sponsored by the  Diocese of Jackson and dealt with  the topics of Catholic Social Teaching, Parish Social Ministry and Advocacy. The Diocese is encouraging parishes to form “Faith in Action Teams” which will build on the existing social ministry programs so that Catholics can more effectively live the Gospel.

 

 

Following the workshop, a group of our parishioners gathered at the grotto of Mary next to our convent to pray the rosary and commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions to the children at Fatima.

 

 

Midday here in Mississippi gets very hot so we opted to pray in the shade of a magnolia tree. This involved moving chairs to a position beside the grotto facing the highway.  Fr. Cam elevated this logistical move by remarking, “This is good as we are now praying with Mary and not to her”.  He added, that by facing highway 82 we would be “praying for the people of the world, and including the needs of all who passed by.”

 

 

A moment to relax before the next event.

 

Next on the day’s busy agenda was our Fall “Meet the Sisters” gathering.  As the young ladies arrived, snacks were served and games “relaxed” everyone! “Heads Up”, using a tablet was first. This has become a favorite activity for the group. Then our guests were challenged to use a spoon to transfer ping pong balls from a full bowl to an empty bowl. Finally, with a sandwich cookie on their brow the young ladies had to try and get the cookie into their mouth using only their facial muscles!

 

Now all were ready for a craft activity. Being October, Sister Kathleen led the group in making  a decade of a rosary using cord and beads in the same fashion as St. Theresa beads.

 

 

Sister Kathleen carried the theme of the rosary a little further. All were divided into five groups.   Each fivesome was given a bag of miscellaneous items. From a list of the mysteries of the rosary, each group had to act out the mystery of their choice using all the items in their bag. This took some thought and led to a lot of laughter as the audience figured out which mystery was being portrayed.

 

 

Please excuse the clotheslines!

Can you guess which mystery they each acted out?

 

 

After the Mysteries of the Rosary were enacted Sister Elena had the hot dogs ready for the hungry crew. From the hot dogs to Sister Judy’s s’mores, the young ladies were perfectly content.

 

Finally, it was time to come together in chapel for a prayer planned and led by Sister Judy.

 

 

Here we prayed for world peace through the intercession of Mary. A decade of the rosary was included in this prayer service. It was a perfect time to try out the new craft decade each young woman had made.

 

 

We had a wonderful time together with our young Catholic ladies. Before we knew it, the parents were arriving to pick up their daughters. As goodbyes were said, the usual question was asked; “When are we doing this again?”

Greenwood Secular Franciscans Gather for Annual Retreat

 

The St. Francis Secular Franciscan Fraternity at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Greenwood, came together this past weekend for their annual retreat. Brother Patrick McCormack, OFM, led the  Seculars in a very stimulating and prayerful time together.

 

Brother Patrick McCormack, OFM is a member of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province.

 

All gathered Friday evening for a Holy Hour after which Br. Patrick gave the group several questions to ponder; “Is this what I want with my whole heart?”  “What is it that I value?” “What is my understanding of Community/Fraternity?” With much to consider, the evening came to a close with Night Prayer.

 

On Saturday, Brother challenged the group to think about the word Community and opened it up starting with its Latin roots. Com=Cum=with and munity = munas=gift. He continued with the question, “What gift do I bring to Community?” A familiar question all remember from Initial Formation! The discussion broadened to consider, “What gifts do I bring to this Fraternity? What gifts are shared with me?”

 

 

The weekend was filled with reflecting, sharing , praying, enjoying meals and celebrating each other. All were enriched by a sense of peace and assuredness, as well as insight and gratitude for all that God has done in them, for them, and through them.

Franciscan Sisters Capture St. Francis School Fall Festival

The day for the annual St. Francis of Assisi School Fall Festival turned out to be a beautiful day in the Delta. The weather was perfect for outdoor fun and games. Many volunteers had arrived early to grill the BBQ chicken, fry our traditional catfish and prepare many other foods for the hungry festival goers.

While the adults enjoyed bingo and kept an eye on the Silent Auction the younger ones easily migrated to the games and activies.

Each of the Friars and Sisters were eager to serve and do all they could to contribute to the success of the event.

Sisters Emy Beth and Monica Mary came to St. Francis to support our efforts and share in the days activities.

As the day wound down and the crowd deserted the cafeteria, we found Mrs. Lewis happily enjoying a well needed break and a few quiet moments, grateful for all the God had done at St. Francis… again.

 

 

 

Franciscans of the Delta Gather over Labor Day

Sunday of Labor Day weekend was a  wonderful occasion of sharing, laughter, food and Franciscan joy for the Sisters of Mound Bayou and Greenwood along with the Franciscan Friars of Greenwood. Following the Sunday Liturgy at St. Francis all came together at the Convent for an afternoon together.

 

Shared stories of labors in the Lord’s vineyard, memories of growth in the Franciscan life and joy in the delicious food shared were all voiced in the simple spirit of St. Francis. Pax et bonum!

 

Franciscan Sisters Pause to Go Beyond the Tech Web

“Come let us worship the Lord, all things live for Him” Ps. 95:6

“How many, O Lord, are the wonders and designs, You have made for us.”   Ps. 40:5

“Let everything  that lives and breathes give praise to the Lord.” Ps 150:6

Let us ask Him to help us see more than webs and obstacles to trip us up.  Let us seek to view all the events of our day with the eyes of a child who knows the Father’s love.

Mississippi Sisters Begin a New Year Together

We Sisters at St. Francis have been busy with many things as this new school year begins. The Friars community had determined this summer was the time to address a ceiling “face lift” in a major area of our home for which we are very grateful. So first on our list was some major removal of dust after this summer ceiling replacement project. Then it was time for getting things ready in school and the classrooms. The meeting of faculty and staff; new and old, meeting parents and students and readying the classrooms to begin the new school year. Once that was in place we were able to come together and share thoughts and plans for our year together in community.

Our lanterns then became the centerpiece for a special meal we prepared for the Friars on their Provincial Feast of the Assumption Of the Blessed Virgin Mary and as a farewell for our pastor Fr. Greg who has been reassigned.

The evening ended as we all gathered in our chapel with a special Night Prayer of Thanksgiving. The prayer was based on the writings of Bonaventure where he tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, to St. Francis, was Mother, Advocate, and Queen. Peace and God’s blessings to all.

Franciscans Remember 20 year Anniversary in Greenwood MS.

Twenty years ago the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity answered the request of the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province to join them in ministry at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Greenwood, MS. On July 28, 1997 four sisters; Sister Natalie Binversie, Sister Rochelle Kerkhof, Sister Delores Vogt and Sister James Ellen Woolsey left the Motherhouse as the Community blessed them singing, “The Blessing of St. Francis”.

Many of our Sisters have served here since that day and have found the blessings of life and ministry at St. Francis to be as real for them as it was for those pioneer Sisters. In remembrance of these 20 years of presence and all the Sisters who have served here over the years, Fr. Jim Gannon, Provincial, and the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province gifted us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  We are enjoying them with deep gratitude.

Franciscan Sisters of Greenwood Enjoy the Calm and Beauty of Sky Lake

It is often said that we can miss the beauty in our own backyard. This was true of the Sisters at St. Francis of Assisi until this past weekend. Just 35 minutes from our home we discovered “Sky Lake” An article published in our local paper, The Commonwealth describes it as; “a hidden gem tucked away in the remote reaches of southern Leflore County and northern Humphreys County.”  Near the town of Belzoni,                                                                MS,  Sky Lake is an old abandoned channel of the Mississippi River.                                                                        Native Americans are thought to have occupied it thousands of years ago.

The 1,735 ft. boardwalk, which is 12 feet above the forest floor, was completed in 2010. The shallow swamp is home to some of the largest and oldest bald cypress trees on earth. Some are thought to be more than 1,000 years old and are in the same family as the Sequoia and Redwood trees.

Along  the boardwalk we learned many interesting facts about the cypress and the area.

The day was overcast and the temperature of about 70, so combined with the humidity we had an ideal day to slowly enjoy God’s nature from the boardwalk.

Surrounded by all of these reflections of God’s beauty  in nature we also reflected and pondered the wonder of God’s immensity.

We noticed many things small and large as we walked along the walkway.

We saw the most brilliant warbler flying about the area, but never spotted the alligators or bear!

It didn’t take us long to understand why it is called “Sky Lake”! The reflections were beautiful. It was hard sometimes to see where the tree ended and the water began.

We are sure we will re-visit “Sky Lake” in other seasons of the year to see the changes and to show visitors who travel to our home.