Written by Sister Jan Kilian, this blog will give an understanding of what it’s like to be Franciscan. Living out the spirit of Saint Francis, we see all God’s creation as brother and sister. We, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, are committed to building relationships and community, ministering wherever there is greatest need, promoting justice and healing Mother Earth’s wounds. My writings will give a glimpse of the compassion, spirituality, interconnectedness and goodness of living Franciscan.
I've been thinking about bridges. We have this bridge west of our farmhouse and hermitages. It goes over our creek and leads to the Sacred Path in the woods. This bridge can take you from our farmyard traffic to a place of shaded solitude. Bridges.
This month of July might be labeled summer; however, I see the leaves beginning to change from the fullness of green toward yellows and brown. Summer is a time all its own. I don't want to miss a day of it. Why do I feel one foot already stepping into fall? Are we always walking on a bridge from one time to another, one place to another? How do I just be here in one time, one place, one day?
In our Franciscan community, we are invested in the fullness of today's services in many parts of our world. At the same time, we look to our diminishing resources with eyes of humble servants. While we live fully today, we have an eye to the future. How are we to be good stewards for what was so necessary for us yesterday but apparently won't be needed tomorrow? We are on a bridge. I say, let's move onto and over our bridges with all the enthusiasm we can muster.
The end of June 2010 saw four young men and women taking several days of retreat to review their 10 months of service with Franciscan Community Volunteers (FCV). During this time of quiet and shared reflection, these special people gleaned insights into how they had grown from their original goals through graced opportunities to places they hadn't dreamed possible in such a short time. Katie Janssen (FCV program manager) enjoyed the lunch break on the deck of Clare's Well Retreat Farm with the 2009-2010 volunteers: Caitie Tobin, Alicia Landale, Will Braun and Spencer Buchert. FCV Director, Sister Clara Stang, sent them off with gratitude for the commitment and energy each contributed to make this new ministry of the Franciscan Sisters such a huge success.
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