Reflections from a Franciscan Sister

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“Now Thank We All Our God”…a Fitting Song to End My Little Getaway
SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 / Our Franciscan Fiat
Sr. Christina M. Neumann

Riding back to Grand Forks yesterday afternoon, I put my vocal chords to work in effort to help Sr. Jean Louise with her driving. After a busy day at school, she was getting a bit sleepy; singing songs together was a way to help her keep awake. Along with “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “Amazing Grace,” “Now Thank We All Our God” was an additional piece we chose in this safety endeavor.

This song of gratitude was very fitting for me after four days’ vacation spent with our Sisters in Rugby, ND. I had ridden home with them after Labor Day weekend and was catching a ride back now with Sr. Jean Louise, who had to return to Grand Forks anyway this weekend for a board meeting.

Yesterday morning, as I spent my daily meditation time in the small, intimate chapel at Little Flower Convent in Rugby, I found my mind repeatedly returning to thoughts of gratitude. Although it wasn’t the passage I had selected for the morning’s reflection, my mind went to the gospel account of the ten lepers who were cleansed when only one returned to give thanks. Like this man long ago, I had so much to be thankful for.

Foremost in my mind was this beautiful time I had enjoyed with our Sisters. Along with having a much-needed get-away and enjoying some extra R&R, I had been able also to help out with some of the fall work at their convent, including making a pot of chili with some of the plentiful tomatoes. I sometimes enjoy cooking and baking and this was a chance to make have a little fun in the kitchen.

In the course of my stay there, I did get moist eyes, though not from emotions of gratitude. This was because I was helping make a dish akin to salsa by dicing onions; they were quite potent, and by the time I was finished, my left eye was sealed shut from moisture.
 
Purity of (and power in) Intention
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 / OUR FRANCISCAN FIAT
When discussing a deep frustration recently with a trusted friend, I got some direction which gave me courage to face the situation with resolve, hope and peace. It had to do with intention. What she said makes all the difference in the world, serving as a powerful reminder to me:

“Do it for Jesus; He’s the one we do it for.”

I pray that I can keep this in mind, when facing frustrations and struggles. May I do what I “have to do” for Him; this way, a frustrating situation, which once was so hard, can become a way of saying “I love you.”

We have the beneficial custom in our community of praying the Morning Offering before beginning Lauds in the Liturgy of the Hours. In this way, we can dedicate our day as an act of love to Jesus. When we do this, we don’t know what this will all include.

I was also reminded by my friend that, “as busy people we can’t be thinking every minute about why we are doing things, but making the intention to live generously and sacrificially …(daily, or even multiple times a day) helps us to build virtue and good habits that allow Jesus to love and serve in us and through us.”

When things are hard, I hope to find courage, peace and strength in “doing it for Jesus.” Without this in mind, it can be hard to make our way through the challenging situations that life gives us. If we have the focus, the intention, of doing it for Him, somehow, we find courage (and maybe even joy) to face challenging situations.

Sr. Christina M. Neumann
 
Boy, That Sure is a Noisy Washer!…
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 OUR FRANCISCAN FIAT
20150919_102328This morning, I finally decided to do laundry (or at least my ‘blacks’). I debated whether I should hand-wash them or throw them in the machine. Hand-washing tends to be a bit easier on the clothing and does not require running the big machine. I filled a basin with warm/hot water, preparing to wash them by hand this time.

However, it was a good size load, and I discovered the basin really wouldn’t be big enough to soak them all properly. (I wanted to pre-soak them to make sure they got good and clean and any spots and smudges were removed.) After adding the clothes to the basin, I changed my mind and just threw them in the washer. I figured if I used the ‘hand-washables’ or ‘delicate’ cycle, it wouldn’t hurt these homemade skirts and vests.

As I was attending to other duties at the convent, I noticed that the machine was exceptionally noisy. I tried to brush it off, figuring it was probably the canvas piece from my veil. Not noticing anything wrong with the machine, I just let it be and went on with my day.

However, this afternoon, when I returned to the house to take out my freshly laundered items, I made a discovery that made me chuckle: the plastic basin that I had considered using to hand-wash the items was still in the machine! I examined it carefully and found, thankfully, that it was not damaged from being tossed around mercilessly by the washer. Good thing I had used the ‘delicate’ cycle. As I took my black clothes out, I paid attention but they did not seem to be damaged, either.

How can you forget to take out the tub/basin? I could hardly believe it! I must have gotten distracted! I was feeling pretty ditsy after this. However, one of my co-workers shared a story of a comparable humiliating experience with laundry, so I’m not alone.

Actually, this experience with the ‘noisy washer’ could be an opportunity for me to follow our Franciscan Rule more closely, which encourages humility in more than one passage. One quotation which seems especially apropos for today’s humiliating experience is: “…all the brothers and sisters, whether they are engaged in prayer, or in announcing the Word of God, or in serving or doing manual labor should strive to be humble in everything.”

Good thing life (or my own shortcomings) provides me with opportunities for this!
 
A Week of Special Visits
SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 / OUR FRANCISCAN FIAT
This week is truly a special time for us!

As American Catholics, we are happy at the visit of Pope Francis to our own country. I’ve been following the coverage of his travels somewhat.

As Dillingen Franciscan Sisters of the Hankinson, ND province, we’re also having a special visit: our superior general, Sr. Roswitha, is visiting from Germany, along with one of her Councillors, Sr. Paulit, originally from India.

Here at St. Anne’s we’re ‘getting into the spirit.’ We enjoyed a presentation from our visiting Sisters about their native lands, and this morning our activity director is doing a little program on the pope and using some fun trivia questions I found.

As I type this, from the comfort of the St. Anne’s reception desk, Sr. Elaine is filling a role she enjoys, that of a driving tour guide. She is showing our Sisters the sites of the City of Grand Forks, complete on insights into the history, especially that related to the infamous ‘flood of ’97.’

I am happy to have other duties that detain me from coming with (working the front desk) so I can avoid getting car-sick.

Nonetheless, I would like to close by reflecting on how blessed we are, this week in early autumn, to have these special visitors!

Welcome to the U.S.A., Pope Francis, Sr. Roswitha, and Sr. Paulit! It is good to have you with us!
 
Thoughts from a Friend of the Sisters
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 / OUR FRANCISCAN FIAT
Guest Post by George Wirsing

A year and a half ago, as of October 1, I moved into the independent apartments at St. Anne’s Guest Home, which is run by the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen, who have convents around the world in Germany, India, Brazil, and here in North Dakota.

They have had a long history here in North Dakota, doing ministry among the people in various areas, including Grand Forks, Hankinson, and Rugby.

I have been blessed to get to know some of them: the Provincial, Sister Ann Marie, and just recently, the Superior for the entire Congregation, Sister Roswitha as well as Sisters Jean Louise and Mary Ruth at Rugby, and others who have come to St. Anne’s. But the sisters that I have had daily contact with are Sister Rebecca, Sister Elaine, and Sister Christina, whose friendships I appreciate the most. Their insight and overseeing of this facility make it a safe and friendly place for the elderly, the retired, and those with a variety of physical needs.

I have come not only to value them for their vows and the service that they render to our community, the Church and specially to our Lord and His Mother, Mary, but for their friendship and individual talents that they bring. And, in the end, I value them among my very best friends.
 
These are quite lovely and inspiring vignettes. I hope you continue to post them.

Yours in Christ,

Trevor
 
Connections with St. Therese
Our Franciscan Fiat
OCTOBER 1, 2015

Although she’s not a Franciscan saint, St. Therese, the Little Flower, has a kind of special place in my life and in our community. Let me explain…

When I was confirmed in eighth grade, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, I chose her as my Confirmation Saint. Sr. Rebecca and Sr. Elaine Marie, my fellow Sisters here at St. Anne’s did likewise in their youth.

Another connection I have with today’s saint of “the Little Way” is having served at Little Flower School and parish after finishing my novitiate there at Little Flower Convent in Rugby, ND. This was an especially fitting place for a novitiate experience in that St. Therese is the patroness of novice mistresses. (She actually served in this role herself.) Novitiate can be a very memorable and important time in the life of a Sister.

I must confess I am facing a bit of that good old “writer’s block” today, so I will fall back on my earlier creativity. Below, I will share a poem I wrote as a novice about my experiences. I apologize that some references made therein may not be clear to outsiders. However, I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless. Please note, this was written in increments over several months, not all at once. Continue reading →
 
Thanks for the links. We appreciate being able to read your posts. 🙂
 
I have decided to discontinue sharing my articles or links to the blog posts in “Our Franciscan Fiat” here. I think it’s best for me to cut back from a lot of this social media/internet use.

I hope you have enjoyed these articles and found them at least a little bit helpful. I will continue writing regularly on “Our Franciscan Fiat” but just will not be frequenting this forum. I also hope you will continue to read the articles, if you’re interested. You can visit ourfranciscanfiat.wordpress.com (I post twice a week) or email me at sr.christinaosf@gmail.com to be added to my electronic subscription list. Also, you can view posts from our Facebook page for the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen: facebook.com/Franciscan-Sisters-of-Dillingen-1541824536106656/ .
 
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