 
Email us at
mfic@mficusa.org
|
|
-
Special Mass and Celebration for
-
Catholic Refugees on Northside of Syracuse
-
-
 Sr.
Francis Dabrowski, MFIC, has made it her ministry to seek out and
make the refugees on the Northside feel welcome and at home at Our
Lady of Pompei Church. These refugees came here from Burundi at
the beginning of summer, 2007, having spent years in refugee camps
in Tanzania. All the children were born in the camps. Catholic
Charities has been resettling them and, along with other
interreligious groups, provides centers for learning English.
-
-
-
On
Sunday, April 13, 2008, Sr. Francis and Fr. Paul Machira, a Kenyan
priest who is stationed at St. Cecilia’s, Solvay, organized a
special Mass for the refugees at Our Lady of Pompei Convent,
Father celebrated Mass in their native language, Swahili. Martin,
who arrived here just 6 months ago directed the singing. He had
been in several refugee camps for over fifteen years prior to
coming here. The music was outstanding and filled the convent.
-
-
-
Sr.
Francis planned a pizza party afterwards, and the children
especially enjoyed all the festivities.
-
|
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
-
Mass to Honor Consecrated Religious
-
-
 Saturday,
February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation, is set
aside as a day to honor consecrated religious all over the world.
The parish community of St. Cecilia’s in Solvay, New York, guided
by Sr. Lucy Flaherty, MFIC, decided to invite the consecrated
religious of the Western region of the diocese to come and
celebrate a liturgy in their honor. Approximately ninety religious
from the region responded with great enthusiasm and were in
attendance for the celebration.
-
-
Bishop
Thomas Costello, Fr. George, Hartnett, pastor of St. Cecilia’s,
Fr. Paul Machira, Parochial Vicar of St. Cecilia’s and Fr. Joseph
O’Connor, Director of Vocations concelebrated the mass. The homily
was given by Fr. O’Connor. The sisters and brothers participated
in the different parts of the liturgy. The St. Cecilia’s choir,
under the direction of Betty Hommel, was honored to be there and
they were in their greatest form.
-
-
The
beautiful liturgy was followed by a great lunch prepared and
served by the women of St. Cecilia’s. The sisters and brothers
had an opportunity to share with each other their joy in working
for the Lord with the people of the diocese of Syracuse. We thank
God for them and ask God to continue to bless them as they labor
in the field of the Lord.
|
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
|
Spotlight on Our Associates . .
|
|
-
-
Sharon Tompkins,
Boston Associate
-
Sharon
attended her first associate meeting in 1991 and made her
first commitment as an associate on May 6, 1992. She wrote
the following, “I needed to be a
part of a community where I would be challenged out of
self-centeredness to otherness. There has always been a drive
within me that is strong and sometimes wild, but
procrastination sometimes stifles me. The invitation to
Associate Membership with a community that I had come to love
and trust came just at a point in my life when I was being
called to respond/react/do…! Over 17 years ago I set a goal
for myself, to learn how to balance the energies of life. It
seemed like St. Francis was trying to do much the same thing.
He was a man of vision and dreams, who I believed struggled to
find balance. Franciscanism is many things, but for me,
Fransciscanism has always been the balance between creator and
creation. The community’s openness and acceptance has given me
much hope.”
-
-
Sharon has volunteered in a variety of areas
over the years, and in particular she has volunteered an
invaluable service by serving on the Elizabeth Hayes Grant
Committee and by helping to establish our web site. She also
shared in her biography about the two sisters who have been
most influential for her. She met Sr. Pat McNulty in Tenafly.
She states, “Pat shared the gifts of honesty, faith and prayer
with me through her ability to accept all challenges of life
as a Gift.” Sr. Mairead O’Reardon was her formation director
and Sharon states, “The gifts she shared with me were
otherness, hospitality and
discipline. Mairead shared these gifts through her passion to
serve the poor, her ability to do much with so little, and her
wisdom to draw the line between wants and needs.”
-
-
Sharon added that the gifts the vowed community
shared with her were “otherness, hospitality, gentleness,
honesty, inclusiveness, simplicity, risk takers, discipline,
and most importantly their continuous unconditional love.”
-
-
She concluded by stating that the gifts the
associate’s community has shared with her are “Honesty,
family, patience, challenges, trust, diversity, wisdom and
experience.” Sharon is now one of the co-directors of the
Associates Directors. Sharon, thank you for sharing so richly
with us. We are thrilled that you are an Associate with the
MFIC’s.
|
|
|
|
We
Remember . . . . . |
|
Sr.
M. Augusta Kelly
May 25, 1920 - April 7, 2008
-
 You’ve
blessed me with friends
-
And laughter and fun
-
With rain that’s as soft
-
As the light from the sun.
-
You’ve blessed me with stars
-
To brighten each night
-
You’ve given me help
-
To know wrong from right.
-
You’ve given me so much
-
Please, Lord, give me, too,
-
A heart that is always
-
Grateful to you.
(An
Irish Proverb)
-
-
The words of this Irish proverb speak of our Sister Augusta. She was
always grateful for all that God had given her, even the simplest
things. She loved to hear laughter and see people enjoying
themselves. She loved to be of service to the sisters and she kept
busy until the last few weeks before she went to St. Patricks’ Manor
on February 29th of this year.
-
-
Augusta had not been feeling well for several weeks and saw
the doctor in January. She did not improve over the next few weeks,
and when she returned to the doctor in late February, she was
hospitalized at St. Elizabeth’s and transferred to St. Patrick’s at
her own request. She was grateful for the care of the sisters at
Centre Street and the Carmelite community at St. Patrick’s and
felt blessed to be receiving such good care.
-
-
At 5:45 a.m., on the morning of
April 7, 2008, a call came from St. Patrick’s that
Augusta’s breathing had changed drastically. Madonna Sweeney
and I drove immediately to Framingham and when we arrived at 6:45
a.m., we found Sr. Bernadette, O.Carm. praying with
Augusta, who did not speak at all. We were able to reach
Patricia, her sister, and we put the phone to Gussie’s ear so Pat
could speak to her — Gussie smiled when she heard Pat’s voice. As
her breathing slowed, we prayed with her, and at
7:40 a.m. she went home to the God to whom she had given her
life.
-
-
Gussie would have celebrated the 60th Anniversary of her
Religious Profession on April 26th. Instead, she joined
her God, knowing that “Yahweh’s love will last forever, His
faithfulnesss till the end of time . . . Yahweh is a loving God . .
. Yahweh the faithful one.”
-
-
Augusta was the eldest of the four remaining Kelly siblings
— “Gussie,” Fr. Ignatius, Kathleen and Patricia. She continually
prayed for them and for her deceased sisters, Mary and Peggy, and
brothers Tom, Owen, and John, who were waiting to welcome her home.
-
-
Augusta lived a very simple life and it was clear that her
family and her Franciscan community were most important to her. A
note from one of the sisters that was waiting for her when she
arrived at St. Patrick’s summed up the love that sister had for
Gussie. She said that she wanted to thank Gussie for all the ways
she had served our community, and she shared the following: “I do
not doubt that you will continue to do so by your never-ending
prayers . . . It amazes me how we exchanged very few words, and yet
I always saw something so special about you. Thank you for the gift
of You.”
-
-
She kept few letters but had a recent letter from Fr. Ignatius, in
which he assured, “my dear Ellen . . . you and Bridie have been in
my Masses and prayers, just as I have been in yours. This is one of
the great blessings of the three of us being of the one Franciscan
family — the sharing of spiritual gifts, in every direction. Thanks
be to God.”
-
-
Although Fr. Ignatius, who serves at the Franciscan Friary in
Surrey, England, was not able to be with her in person, his words
brought her comfort in those final weeks when she openly spoke of
soon being with the Lord, whom she had served for so many years.
-
-
Augusta brought her talents to the children in many of our schools
from 1948 until 1988, when she came to Centre Street to serve the
sisters’ needs. Anyone who visited was welcomed to the dining room
by Gussie’s smile as she made sure that each guest had everything
that was needed. She truly was a faithful follower of the
hospitality of Clare and Francis.
-
-
As we say goodbye to you, Gussie, we express our gratitude for all
you have done for us and we pray with St. Clare,
-
“May the Lord be with you always
-
And wherever you are
-
May you be with Him always.
Marion and the Centre Street Sisters
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
- Sr. M. Josephine Regan
- February 25, 1919 - February 4, 2008
 |
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
Sr.
M. Rosaire Hughes
November 1, 1927 -
January 26, 2008
-
“Praised be you, my Lord, through our
-
Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and
-
governs us, producing varied fruits with
-
colored flowers and herbs.”
(Canticle of the Creatures – St. Francis of Assisi)
-
 These
words of St. Francis embody the life of Sr. Rosaire Hughes, who was
called by “Sister Death” in the evening of
Jan. 26, 2008.
Her peaceful death brought to an end the journey she began 53 years
ago when she entered the Missionary Franciscan Sisters.
-
-
Her early years in the community were spent caring for the needs of
the sisters. She delighted in every opportunity to care as well for
flowers, trees, birds, cats, dogs — all God’s creatures. She truly
felt that caring for nature was her true Franciscan calling.
-
-
In 1966, she was one of the first of the sisters to train for a
“non-traditional” ministry when she studied to be a hairdresser. This
was a skill she used for the sisters, for customers in the several
hair salons where she worked, and for shut-i
-
ns she
visited to give them the gift of feeling that they looked their best.
With all haircuts came cheerful conversation as she imparted her views
on a wide variety of subjects.
-
-
For many years in the convent at
Manet Road, Rosaire made sure that John Duplissey, a person
with special needs who lived in an apartment in Hayes Hall, was well
cared for. John assisted the custodians as well as he was able and
upon his death was buried with the sisters at
Holy
Cross
Cemetery in
Malden.
-
-
In 2005, Rosaire’s health began to fail and she joined other members
of the community at Marian Manor in South Boston, under the care of the Carmelite Sisters. She was
thrilled to be chosen to ride on the “Trolley Tour” bus representing
Marian Manor in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
-
-
She brought “Gabby,” her parakeet, with her to Marian Manor and for
the first few years enjoyed caring for him there. When this became too
much for her, the bird came to Centre Street, where the sisters continue caring for him, while
remembering Rosaire’s fond attention to all of God’s creatures.
-
-
In October 2007, Marguerite Dowling and Rosaire joined ten of our
sisters at St. Patrick’s Manor, in Framingham. Rosaire’s health continued to decline and her
memory loss increased.
-
-
In a sympathy note, Sr. Elaine reflected that “we can only imagine her
joy in waking from her confusion at the sound of God calling her by
name and revealing to her the beauty of the destiny for which she was
created.”
-
-
In the words of the Blessing of St. Francis, we ask that:
-
“The Lord bless you and keep you, Rosaire.
-
May He show His face to you
-
and have mercy. May He turn
-
His countenance to you
-
and give you peace."
The Sisters in the Mt. Alvernia Circle
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
Sr. Ida Maria DeNittis
September 9, 1911
- January 23, 2008
-
-
‘…I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
-
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.’
-
-
‘Then sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee,
-
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!’
-
-
-
Dear Sisters,
-
-
On January 23, our Sister Ida Maria DeNittis went to her
eternal reward. Without a doubt the strains of her
favorite song were ringing through earth and heaven for
her as she gave her final earthly ‘FIAT’ to her God - ‘Si,
Jesus, qui sono.’ ‘Yes, Jesus, I am ready.’
-
-
On December 17 when Ida Maria fell in her room as she
reached to turn off a light, the firemen were on their way
to us for our annual Christmas party. As the fire trucks’
sirens blared up the driveway, the ambulance siren cleared
the route for Ida’s trip to the hospital. We heard ‘…the
rolling thunder.’
-
-
Although she came through surgery well, Ida never regained
her former strength. Ida Maria was ready when her God
called as she had told us in her final days she ‘was
waiting for Jesus’.
-
-
Sister Ida Maria was born in Potenza, Italy in 1911 and
joined the Missionary Franciscan Sisters in 1929. As a
Franciscan Sister she ministered in several places:
Brooklyn and Bronx, NY; Rockford and Chicago, IL; Jamaica
Plain and North End of Boston, MA; Molfetta and Assisi,
Italy; Hoboken, NJ and finally in 1998 she retired to
Tenafly. In each of her places of ministry, Ida Maria
shared her love of God and creation. She taught Italian in
Brooklyn for several years and then kindergarten, first
and second grades in several places including Molfetta.
-
-
Ida Maria loved creation, the arts and music. She took art
classes and guitar lessons when she was in her 60’s. She
enjoyed oil painting and taught arts and crafts for
several years.
-
-
Ida had the distinction in recent years of being the last
native born Italian sister in our Institute. Though her
homeland and its language were always important and
special to her, she was very much at home in the United
States. She loved life and enjoyed all of her 96 years.
She had many friends with whom she personally communicated
even to this last Christmas.
-
-
Ida taught us one final lesson in her death. Be Ready! She
was ready. She spent her final days waiting peacefully and
prayerfully for God’s call. She had her clothes neatly
boxed with a note on them to be used for her burial. There
was a clear listing of the persons to be contacted in case
of death and she made sure we knew that How Great Thou Art
and Ave Maria were her favorite songs.
-
By how well she was prepared, she showed us she was
unafraid of the approach of Sister Death.
-
-
Ida Maria, thank you for living life fully from beginning
to end. May you rest forever with your God.
-
-
Con amore!
-
-
The Sisters in Tenafly
-
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
|
ËËËËËËËËËËËËË |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
