The Ascension…What’s Your View?

I was searching for some interesting art work for the Feast of the Ascension and I came upon this painting done by Salvador Dali.  At first it made me smile, with its focus on the soles of Jesus’ feet.  But, the more I thought about the image, the more I appreciated it.  The words of Scripture this morning featured that famous question, “Why do you stand there staring up into the sky?”  Why am I staring into the sky, wanting to hold onto the soles of Jesus’ feet, when his face of Wisdom, his heart of Love and his hands of Healing are all waiting to be recognized in the depths of my soul, in the silence of my heart?  Indeed, why am I staring up into the sky?

Franciscan Sisters gather for Adoration

It is our Day of Recollection and Adoration. Many prayers for the needs of all in our “Book of Prayer Intentions” and all who come to mind, especially vocations to the Consecrated Life and for those in discernment.

Magnolia buds decorate the altar.

Magnolia buds decorate the altar.

Sister Kathleen had been watching our trees most of the day to find some buds low enough to cut for the altar. She did well.

She usually likes to have the altar ready before we come to chapel, but this time we caught her in action.

She sure has the gift for decorating and making our chapel such a peaceful place of prayer.

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“O Jesus joy of loving hearts, The fount of life and our true light, We seek the  peace your love imparts. And stand rejoicing in your sight.”

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“O Jesus ever with us stay; Make all our moments calm and bright; Oh, chase the night of sin away, Shed o’er the world your holy light.”

Mother’s Day Calls for Gifts

With the approach of Mother’s Day,  Kindergarteners everywhere are creating love-ly gifts for their moms.  St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood has joined that movement.  Brother Patrick provided each Kindergartener with a pot, soil and 3 petunia plants.  With his expert assistance in potting, the little plants had a good start.  The class needed to keep the flowering beauties alive and well for about 3 weeks in anticipation of Mother’s Day.  Each day they went out armed with their watering cup to attend to their personal plant.

As the children watched their plants grow, they studied the needs of growing things and the parts of a plant.  At last it was time to make the card to go with their flowering gift.  This involved a lot of heart cutting.  Students wrote “My love (heart) 4 U…” on the outside.  Inside the folded heart was the rest of the message “…keeps growing!”

Finally all of the cards were finished and the pots wrapped.  The collective effect truly brought joy to the givers!

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Now it’s time to go home.  Gifts in hand, all are intent on getting this treasure safely into Mom’s hands.  Blessings on all mothers!

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First Communion: A Grand Franciscan Celebration

The faith community of St. Francis of Assisi joined other parishes across the country in welcoming the little ones to the Table of the Lord.  17 Hispanic children celebrated their First Holy Communion in grand style on Sunday, May 3.  We want to invite you to enjoy a glimpse of their glorious day!

A glorious Sunday morning blooms upon the Delta with the scent of magnolias.

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Cars roll up and excited families arrive.

Waiting is always hard!

The girls have a shared moment.

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As the moment to begin Mass nears, it’s time for one last little practice.

It's kind of a tight space for practicing this bowing stuff.

It’s kind of a tight space for practicing this bowing stuff.

All is in readiness and the celebration begins.

comm 3At the end of Mass all received and lit their beautiful Communion candles.

comm 5a  Then it was time for cake and juice.

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This day of great rejoicing was a blessing for all!

St. Francis of Assisi school Greenwood, MS. teaching, practicing Peace.

 

St. Francis of Assisi school has been promoting peace through an amazing project this year.  Staff and students are exploring a peace curriculum.  The project began with some time being set aside each week for meditative prayer on Gospel stories.  This gave the students and staff a greater appreciation for a peaceful time in their week while getting to know Jesus, the Prince of Peace better.

The next phase of the study consisted of a detailed study of the peace pledge that all planned to take.  Each week one phrase of the pledge was highlighted by an age-appropriate lesson.  All of the phrases had been studied by the end of Advent.

 

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Students and staff gathered in church for a prayer service.  During the prayer all took the peace pledge and then affixed their names to the large poster displaying each of the phrases of the pledge.  Each class also received a classroom copy of the pledge which they took back to their places of study to sign and display.  Today the pledge hangs on the hall wall as a daily reminder to everyone of work to become more peaceable people.

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The study continues with a series of lessons on peacemakers in history.  Students have learned about people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Ruby Bridges and many others.  It is our hope that this study will take root in the hearts of all as we strive to follow St. Francis, the Instrument of Peace.

St. Francis School Lives Lent

A sure sign of Lent among Catholics is the appearance of the Rice Bowl.  This program sponsored by Catholic Relief Services encourages us to eat a simple meal once a week and to put the money saved in the rice bowl.  All money contributed goes to help the poor in many ways and in many places around the world.

 

Every little donation helps!

Every little donation helps!

 

Students in Sister Kathleen’s kindergarten class are enjoying a new lesson each week.  The lessons take them on journeys around the world to various countries where Catholic Relief Services are active.  The provided lesson plan is enriched by video presentations from each country which we enjoy on our Smart Board.  Here, the students are learning about a coffee grower in Nicaragua who is challenged by blight in his coffee plants.  CRS workers help to find agricultural answers and also help the farmers to learn budgeting skills.

 

This journey to Nicaragua’s coffee fields included a look at the Catholic Social teaching regarding the care of creation.  Students heard an African American version of the creation story.  Then they “created” something and reenacted God’s breathing life into what He had made.

 

 

 

Finally students did a worksheet helping them to define ways that they can be good stewards of God’s creation.

I can really do these things!

I can really do these things!

 

Mississippi Visit of Sister Snow

Be praised, my Lord by Sister Snow!

Franciscan Sister is Rolling in the Dough-nuts!

Sister Mary Ann Tupy, principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood, MS seemed to take on the title of Krispy Kreme Queen.  Over 1000 dozen of the sweet treats arrived on schedule Tuesday.  As part of the school’s fundraising program, this sale was in full swing.  All that remained to be done was to have the parents pick up their orders and deliver them.  This seems very simple, but takes on new dimensions when the delivery date coincides with school cancellation due to ice.  The doughnuts arrived to an empty school.  Sister Mary Ann made many phone calls which resulted in a very efficient delivery phase.

A Franciscan Mission Enters the Lenten Journey

 

 

“In these days of Lenten journey,

we have seen and we have heard,

the call to sow justice in the lives of those we serve.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Lyrics from the hymn In These Days of Lenten Journey

 

Pottery highlights the environment of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Greenwood, MS during Lent.  The pots, like us, are of various sizes, colors and shapes.  They stand before our prayerful presence empty and silent.  They are a Lenten image of us, the faithful.

The holy water has been removed from its normal spot and placed within a pot atop the baptismal font.  When we enter this holy place it is not “business-as-usual”.  We are jogged out of our habits and forced to call to mind that this Lenten journey is traveled with the Elect.  We, like them, are called to make ourselves more open to the graces of our Baptism.  We are challenged to renew our own response to our identity as followers of The Way.

Greenwood, MS Lent

On the Sundays of Lent our women and girls take turns leading a sweeping rite.  They lead the Entrance Procession into church by sweeping their way to the sanctuary.  This is a cultural reminder of our own need to clean out our hearts in preparation for the rising of Jesus in faithful souls.

Our children at St. Francis School have been challenged to pray, fast and share.  Images of their own hands are a daily reminder of this Lenten challenge.

Pope Francis has given us a Lenten message urging us to avoid indifference.  He says,

“The suffering of others is a call to conversion, since their need reminds me of the uncertainty of my own life and my dependence on God and my brothers and sisters. If we humbly implore God’s grace and accept our own limitations, we will trust in the infinite possibilities which God’s love holds out to us. “

May your Lent be a journey deeper into the Lord’s presence!

Franciscan Sister Shares Kindergarten Adventures

As winter deepens, St. Francis of Assisi School kindergarten students have not slowed their pace.  They continue to be busy about many things.  They have been learning that life is valuable in all its forms and that includes growing in our willingness to improve the quality of life for others.  The students learned about the work of Heifer International.  They agreed to begin collecting their money so that the class could purchase some livestock for the poor in other countries.  When the money jar filled, it was time to do a major math task of counting the money and then deciding which animal(s) we could purchase.

 

A drum roll…and we’ve arrived at a grand total!

That's a lot of numbers to think about!

That’s a lot of numbers to think about!

 

Now the students had to consider which animals they could purchase.  A lot of discussion and voting ensued and they arrived at the decision to buy one flock of chicks and one flock of mixed ducks and geese.

Voting brings a decision.

Voting brings a decision.

The check went in the mail and the children knew the joy of helping others in a big way.  The remainder of their collection was the seed money to begin their Lenten Rice Bowl project.

The little ones are not only helping other people, but other creatures too.  They embarked on a bird feeder project.

It took a while for the birds to learn of our culinary establishment, but finally the first customers came and were followed by many other sparrows, purple finches, cardinals, morning doves and of course, red-wing blackbirds.  The children loved watching God’s creatures through our classroom windows.

Winter continues to be a time of learning and growth despite the dark and cold days!  Be praised my Lord for all the seasons!