Thank you to all who helped make our 4th Annual Taste of St. Cloud a big success! We are happy to share that this was our most successful Taste of St. Cloud yet, which helps fund the Franciscan Community Volunteers program.  Our long term volunteers and the clients and students they work with daily thank you for help and support!

We would like to share some of the pictures from our event with you.  

If you missed this year's event or want to make a point to join us next year, we have our 5th annual Taste of St. Cloud date already!  Save the date for Monday, May 5th, 2014!  Thanks again for your support.


















  

We are very excited to give an update on the progress of our Taste of St. Cloud! With only 18 days remaining until our big event on Monday, May 6th, the primary fundraiser for the Franciscan Community Volunteers, we're doing great. 


Here are some of the things you can look forward to at this year's 4th annual Taste of St. Cloud:
16 featured restaurants:  Cold Spring Bakery, Coyote Moon Grille, Custom Catering, Great Harvest Bread Co, Grizzly's, Henry's Catering, House of Pizza, Jimmy's Pour House, Le St. Germain Catering, Mexican Village, Noodles & Co, Pacific Wok, Reality Roasters, Sawatdee, Sterling Catering, & Texas Roadhouse.

A cash bar available from Coyote Moon Grille & small samples given by Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Spring.

We're getting some WONDERFUL silent auction items donated for the event!  Some highlights include:

-Twins tickets to games on 5/19 & 6/29
-Wine baskets
-Gift cards to Target, Northern Tool & Equipment, Boulder Tap House, HOM Furniture, Scheel's, Walgreens, & more 
-Women's accessory basket from Marishka's     
-Bagels for a Year from Panera
-Butterfly themed basket from St. Cloud Floral
-1/2 share of vegetables all summer from the Common Ground garden
-Dinners and outings sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters
-BoDeans concert at the Paramount Theater    
-Organic & local foods basket from the Good Earth Co-Op
-Overnight stay at Grand Casino MilleLacs
-Handmade art items: wooden, paintings, weaving, cement art, and a native fur rug   
We will post pictures about the baskets on our facebook page the week before the event -  be watching for those!

Also new to the Taste of St. Cloud this year, we'll be setting up tents in the front of Coyote Moon at the ticket area, and another tent out back to extend the lower level.  As we continue to grow, we are thankful for this extra space.

Thanks to all who have bought tickets already; you can purchase advance tickets ($25) online by May 4th on this website, here:   or by mailing your check to Franciscan Sisters, 1600 11th Ave S. St. Cloud MN 56301, noting "FCV Taste" in the Memo.    Tickets can also be bought at the door on the day of the event for $30.

Thanks to all our supporters and especially our Financial Supporters:  Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, DJ Bitzan's Jewelry, Live Edit, St. Stephen's Parish, Brandl Motors, The Catholic Foundation, Marco, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Briggs and Morgan, and Westside Liquor. 

See you at the Taste of St. Cloud in just 18 days!


- Kaitlin D          
    
 
         

Enjoy delicious cuisine from over a dozen local restaurants, live music, and a silent auction. Learn more about the FCV program, visit with the Sisters and meet the volunteers.


Tickets can be purchased on this page of our website.


Enjoy food from these 16 participating restaurants!


 

Many thanks to our financial sponsors of the Taste of St Cloud 2013.       

Francis. Pope Francis. What good news for all of us! Eight hundred years ago, St. Francis heard Jesus’ words, "Francis, Rebuild my church." I sense that Jorge Bergoglio heard these same words when the Cardinals voting at the conclave called him to be our New Pope! While not knowing exactly what it all meant, we are delighted that his answer again was ’yes.’

The words to St. Francis - Rebuild My Church - are exactly what our Franciscan Community Volunteers have been doing since August. At a recent gathering, we asked the Franciscan Community Volunteers to list the words that quickly come to each of their minds when they think of their experience in this Franciscan setting. This Wordle (above) depicts their responses. Wouldn’t St. Francis and Pope Francis be proud of them? We are!

Where were you and how were you feeling when you heard the announcement that we now have a new pope who has chosen the name of Francis? I was at a Leadership meeting at the Franciscan Sisters Motherhouse in Little Falls. The announcement over the public address system interrupted the meeting, and needless to say, when we saw who was elected there was lots of excitement. Later when I got home, I was interested in the comments from the Franciscan Community Volunteers. From one I heard "It’s incredible, I think he is just what our world needs right now." From another who has had the previous experience of being a Jesuit Volunteer I heard, "I feel I’m connected because I have Jesuit and Franciscan roots just like he now has!"

Like St. Francis, Pope Francis has agreed to walk that faith journey. We, as Franciscan Community Volunteers, walk with him!


- By Sr. Clara 

Last night, March 25th, the Franciscan Community Volunteers had a community night field trip.  As you may know, the volunteers and FCV staff gather each Monday for reflection, prayer, and dinner.  We had the opportunity last night to attend an event at the Spirituality Center on the nearby campus of the College of St. Benedict.  The Benedictine sisters there have been sponsoring a series on the Modern Day Stations of the Cross; how Christ in our midst is suffering.  The station reflected upon last night was how Jesus was stripped of his garments. 

Immigrants and refugees arriving in a new country often have very few possessions with them; they are stripped of the culture and language they know, often leaving family members behind, and are expected to acclimate to a new culture with minimal support.  With many of the refugees from Somalia fleeing the war in their homeland, they often come without many possessions and are waiting to be welcomed into the community here.

As the number of Somalians in St. Cloud grows -- about 11,000! -- this event and the organization is timely and very appreciated.  The presentation was given by a Somali woman named Anab Mohamed Dahir, who is a mother of 5 and has lived in the US for 15 years (11 years in Tennessee before coming to St Cloud 4 years ago).  Anab and her children live in the La Cruz community through Catholic Charities, where she says about 700 Somali live together. Anab has founded a new non-profit organization called W.O.M.E.N.4 C.M.  The name represents that Somali women are: Wonderful, Outstanding, Mature, Excellent, and Necessary For Central Minnesota.  

W.O.M.E.N.4 C.M. assists newly arriving Somali women in St. Cloud so that there is assistance for the newest members of the St. Cloud community and a way for them to learn basic guidelines for driving, immigration services, homework expectations so their children succeed in school.    Anab shared that "our goal is to get women out of their homes and into the community, to help them get jobs, to help them learn about places in their community, to help them with driving, voting, parenting, to provide activities and education, an all the things that will help them to have a better future."  Anab is currently working on the obtaining a non-profit status for the organization to help recieve donations; currently, the individual women and families are funding the W.O.M.E.N 4 C.M. efforts themselves.

We greatly appreciated Anab's candor and insight as many of the Franciscan Community Volunteers are working with immigrants, especially from Somalia, in organizations around St. Cloud. One of our current service sites is with the La Cruz community center through Catholic Charities.  What a wonderful service this new organization is providing;  may we all grow in our efforts to welcome our newest Central MN neighbors!


-By Kaitlin D.       

Sr. Clara Stang has been the Director of the Franciscan Community Volunteers program since its beginning in 2009, and she has been a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls since 1957.  Sr. Clara reflects here on Lent as a time to follow the example of St. Francis. 
 
Lent is a time in the Church year when Christians focus on the Paschal Mystery, meaning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Lent is a time to relate to and ponder the  cross of Jesus Christ.   Do we view the cross as a place of guilt and judgment or a place of  conversion and freedom?  Pondering these questions brings me to my knees.  It gets me to wrestle with some very core questions.  Who am I?  Whose am I?   What is most important in my life?  What is freedom?  In choosing to love is it necessary to choose to suffer? 

St. Francis spent much of his life contemplating the Cross of Jesus.   In this contemplation he asked and pondered a basic question, “Who are you God and who am I, Francis?”   It is in front the Cross of Jesus, that Francis discovers God’s unconditional love.  Francis comes to know a God who always chooses to Love.  Love is God’s very essence.   Gradually Francis comes to know that the reason God became one of us in our humanity as Jesus was precisely to teach us by word and example what it means to love. 

It is before the Cross of Jesus that Francis also discovered his own purpose for life itself, namely to turn from selfishness in order to choose to love God and to choose to live a life love.  This kind of love is not easy…there is a cost to love.  The Cross the Jesus teaches how hard it is to always choose to love.  Francis sought to love like Jesus did—and this for him was a life of daily conversion.   

What an example Francis is for me.  As a Franciscan, I’m realizing more and more that my life too is basically a call to love.  It, too, is a call of conversion meaning I need to turn from selfishness to love.   Even a life of daily conversion in itself would be totally impossible except that I know that God takes the initiative in loving me whether I love or not.  The way of daily conversion is to rely on God’s love and grace to help me to be able to freely choose to love.  


- By Sr. Clara 

Lisa Yanzer is a 2012-2013 Franciscan Community Volunteer.  Her story is unique in that she joined the FCV program after a year of long-term, post-grad service with the Jesuit Volunteers in Maine.  Lisa serves at the St. Cloud School District #742 as an Autism Resource Program Assistant.  Lisa offers a reflection on the Winter retreat weekend February 1st-3rd in Little Falls.   

Our last moments together were spent at the airport. I remember vividly clinging to the three other people I spent a year with in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. We were unwilling to let go of each other after all that we had built in our incredible year together. Transitions are difficult; they are times of uncertainty and trust that we are ready to move towards something new or different. I came into the Franciscan Community Volunteer program the same day I left Portland, Maine and my community there. Eight hours of travel later, and I had transitioned from Maine to Minnesota and into a new community. I felt torn out of the comfort and love of relationships that were built through hard work and common goals and thrown into the unknown of relationships yet to be made.

I reflected on this transition when we recently went on our winter retreat. David Liedl led us in a prayer filled retreat; he named it "Lessons From the Deep: Leaving Thine Outgrown Shell by Life’s Unresting Sea.” He centered much of it on an amazing sea creature called the Chamber Nautilus. The Chamber Nautilus gives us a beautiful image of transitioning and growing. Throughout its life this sea creature moves into new chambers. Sealing off the old and outgrown chamber and living presently in the new, it does not leave these chambers behind to be forgotten but carries them with it always. We learned thought the retreat that, in a sense, this unique creature mirrors our own lives and the transitions we all are certain to face. I could see how perfectly this image reflected my transition from last year into this year.

David encouraged us to take time and reflect on life’s transitions and the beauty of that moment when you have indeed outgrown an old chamber and moved into something new and wonderful. This can be a very emotional thing to do. We spent much time searching inwardly and exploring those things in us that we often neglect to think about; maybe something is painful and we have been avoiding dealing with it or because we have built walls around those painful areas of our lives. For me it was another step in deconstructing what last year meant to me. I have transitioned out of my year with the JVCs, but I am still learning how it has affected me and how it will continue to affect the rest of my life. Even though my heart at times aches for my former community members, I am happily living in this new chamber, this community, and this year. Perhaps I moved into this chamber kicking and screaming, but I now live happily in its joys and challenges. It is good company to keep when you live with those who can, together with love, support, tears and laughter, dive deeply into true humanity.

“…Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes…


-Lisa Y. 

Sr. Rose Mae Rausch has been a Franciscan Sister for 63 years.  She has ministered in many different countries and places in the United States.  She joined the community of sisters that live with the Franciscan Community Volunteers in 2011, after serving as a missionary in Mexico.  Sr. Rose Mae is one of the 5 Franciscan Sisters that currently live with the young adults pursuing long-term, post-grad service in the Franciscan Community Volunteers program.  Sr. Rose Mae is pictured here with the other sisters living at the Franciscan Welcoming House; she is at the far right.
 

Hello everyone! I am Sister Rose Mae, one of the Franciscan Sisters, and I have the privilege of living with the Franciscan Community Volunteers.  What a privilege.  I myself have been a missionary in Venezuela for 8 years, and in Mexico for 7 years.  Living with the wonderful young adults working for the Lord and the betterment of so many people in need, I definitely see that these young adults are TRUE missionaries, working here in our own country. 

As they tell me their stories of their experiences in their ministries, I am astonished at the depths of the misery that they find and the depth of the own commitment to do all that they can to be of help.  These young adults are giving of themselves, dedicating an entire year, without remuneration, to helping others.  Our program is stable in the sense that they do receive personal support in this very demanding work that they do.   

I thank God for them and ask God to bless them and all of their service.

-Sr. Rose Mae   

The creation of a Minnesota snowman was much different from anything I have experienced from the central valley out in California. After 11 inches of snow fell in December, Shannon, Andy (her boyfriend) and I decided to go out and make a snowman. As we put on our snow gear, Andy asked, “Have you ever made a snowman coming from California?”  Of course I had, as we often traveled just a few hours north to Lake Tahoe, CA. 

As we entered the backyard, I finished putting on my water proof gloves, of which I had to borrow (insight to my level of preparedness), and began my way toward the center of the yard.  Looking up I saw Shannon diving into the ground. “Wow!” I thought, “She must really like the snow!” Her hands crushed the snow in front of her as she crawled toward the center. Seeing her excitement, I could share in this joy, but I turned to Andy and asked, “What is she doing?” He so plainly responded, “Making a snowman— didn’t you say you’ve done it before?”  Not quite understanding, I looked up to find some kind of clarity, when a giant ball preceded Shannon as she crawled along the grass, the snow disappearing.  “What?!” I was in awe! Not quite processing this new concept, I had to verbally ask…“Did she roll that?”  Yes, roll it she did!

My mind flashed through all the cartoons which depicted this scene, but I dismissed as the accuracy of Hollywood. Completely entertained by this new concept, I recorded the act as evidence. The ball was huge! I could not believe it, and once at the center of the yard, they started all over for the second level.  Though this one we had to lift onto the first. “Well, being snow,” I thought…“no problem!” as the 11 inches we received equated to a mere inch of rain. I could lift this much in ice, or probably water, but how wrong I was!  We rolled this snow ball up Shannon’s back and pushed it onto the first giant ball. Then finally the smallest “little” ball on top. 

In sharing my very different experience with making a much smaller snowman, I was educated on the variance of snow…the hard and clumpy kind won’t stick together, the soft and slushy kind will just melt right away. I don’t know that I will be able to identify the perfect snowman-making snow, but my education and extensive display of various snow forms has me wondering each day: “Is this the right kind of snow?”

- By Kristine O.  

The following is a reflection shared by 2012-2013 Franciscan Community Volunteer Philip Lomneth on the 28th annual Homeless Memorial March, held on December 20th, 2012 in Minneapolis. 

As a Franciscan Community Volunteer, Philip serves as an AmeriCorps Youth Leadership Advisor with GRIP, the Great River Interfaith Partnership.

I am cold. My toes are numb and my face feels frozen. No matter how much I try to warm my hands, the cold makes them ache just to move. And yet, I am fortunate. No, more than fortunate. I walk in silence with over a hundred people and carry the name of David, 53, North St Paul. People doing their Christmas shopping downtown pause and look at this strange parade of silent, frozen faces carrying the memory of all the people without a home who died in the past year.

We marched for at least an hour and a half, a pale-faced, larger than life puppet leading us forward, announcing our presence to all those around. When first seeing the figure, people seemed excited, but the longer they looked and as they read the names, the faces of excitement turned solemn. Some people looked away or rushed to pass us by; others could not stop staring. As we walked, a person would occasionally thank us or begin crying at what they saw. Did they know someone? A friend? A sister? A brother? Themselves? At one point, I heard two men debating: was this real? Did that many people in homelessness really die in Minnesota? Look how long the line is. No, Minnesota is a rich state…

Did that many people in homelessness really die in Minnesota? But Minnesota is a rich state. Look how long the line is. Yes, well over a hundred people without homes or who were formerly homeless died in Minnesota this past year. Yes, Minnesota is a wealthy state. But look at how many people are left out of that wealth.

So now what? I marched with people to raise awareness about homelessness in Minnesota, but the problem still exists. I still walk down the street and see people without homes, shelters are still far too full, and far, far too many people have no safe place to live. So what can I do about it?

Whenever I approach this question, I always feel the answer is twofold. The first part I can answer best with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” The problem of homelessness demands immediate action, demands that we give directly and exactly that which people need. Yes, it is as simple as that.

The second answer to what you and I must do requires another question. It requires us to ask why people are homeless in the first place. The answer to that question is as multifaceted as the people in homelessness, but that does not mean we can shy away from it. There are structures we participate in that keep people in homelessness, and we are called to change those systems. I do not believe we can nor we should change those structures on our own. I believe it a matter of pride to think that we can do so alone. If we wish to change the structures in our community that push people down, then we must join with other people to push back for change.  Groups, such as the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, work to address issues like affordable housing that directly affect people in homelessness. And several other organizations here work to address structural poverty and inequity. If we truly wish to live in a more just world, I believe we must collaborate with these groups of people to bring about justice. If we won’t stand for one more person dying on the streets, if we want to stand for God’s justice, then we must stand alongside other people.

-By Philip L.

Every Monday night, the Franciscan Community Volunteers & program staff have Community Night, during which we focus on the three pillars of the FCV program: Service, Community Living, and Franciscan Spirituality.  As the year has progressed, we have used the weekly gathering to explore the volunteers' service experiences and how they see connections to charity & justice issues.  This comes in light of the pillars of community living and support, with the focus on how St. Francis modeled service and care for others through his faith.

At this point in the year, we are exploring Catholic Social Teaching, one topic at a time.  Last evening, Sr. Clara led a discussion on Care for God's Creation, and it's evident that St. Francis treated the earth with reverence and care that is necessary for our world to continue to exist as a Creation, a Gift from God. 

We looked at the 4 models expressed in "Ecology at the Heart of Faith" by Denis Edwards - how different they are!

"St. Francis intuitively realized that we belong to a cosmic family tied together by God’s loving act of creation."  Daniel Horan


- Kaitlin D. 

Here in St. Cloud we have begun an active ‘Central Minnesota Anti Trafficking Task Force.’  January is the month devoted to Anti-Trafficking efforts.   Thanks for prayers this weekend to end slavery and Trafficking.

The Franciscan Action Network (FAN) is an active member of the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking and works closely with the Anti-Trafficking Program of the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops).

Human Trafficking/Slavery is a high priority issue for many FAN members who will be interested in the new Amistad Movement awareness campaign in immigrant communities around the nation who are most vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking and the Weekend of Prayer in January. Learn more about these initiatives through the USCCB Anti-Trafficking eNewsletter.


- Sr. Clara Stang 

A social justice reflection on Christmas with excepts taken from “A Monk in the Inner City” by Mary Lou Kownacki. 

May God be with you and your family during this time of preparation for Christmas!
  

“When God enters human history as a poor child of a virgin, born in a stable with angels filling the sky, the old order is thrown into confusion. Who holds power now? How does the world look? How does it work?  Who holds it together?

This shift in perspective provokes powerful changes. Anything becomes possible. It is possible that the powerless will dethrone the powerful. It is possible that swords will be beaten into plowshares. It is possible that the poor will triumph and slaves will be freed, and that all who call earth home can live to fullness.

What is the meaning of Christmas? To imitate God and imagine a different world.”

Bells ring out each Christmas announcing the Good News that God’s Love has been made incarnate through the coming of Jesus. Our hope and prayer is that you and your loved ones will know the blessings of this Season of Love.

At this time we give thanks to the parents of our volunteers. Our Franciscan Community Volunteers are doing a marvelous job in carrying out the mission of Jesus in their lives and in their service with us. We give thanks for the many ways you support their work in these agencies: St. Cloud Children’s Home, Lutheran Social Service, Catholic Charities’ Immigration and Refugee Office, St. Cloud School District 742-Autism Resource Program, and GRIP (Great River Interfaith Partnership).

The volunteers thank their companions — Maureen Reynolds: Roger and Sue Linz and Sister Carol Virnig; Kristine Origone: Patty and Morris Keeling and Sister Maurita Bernet; Phil Lomneth: Tom and Cathy Rudolph and Sister Bernice Rieland; Lisa Yanzer: Caroline Linz and Sister MaryAnn Capizzo; Shannon Hagerty: Mary Helen Montgomery and Sister Joanne Heim.

We are most grateful to Father Tom Knoblach and Holy Spirit Parish for the use of Elizabeth Seton School and the Knights of Columbus for supporting us at the Pancake and Sausage Breakfast fundraiser. Chris Brixius and Mark Schneider graciously made the pancakes and sausages! Thank you to all who supported us in any way at that event!

We are greatful to Tom and Diane Cassady and Duane and Terry Sakry, who have become FCV Sustainers by donating $50 monthly. Thanks for your faithfulness and generosity. Thank you donors: Loren and Deanna Boone, Tom and Colleen Borgert, Pat and Lynda Brandt, Elaine Northern, Larry and Bea Britz, Dorothy Chizek, Bob Claegens, Pat and Kathryn Cox, Father Gerald Dalseth, Gary and Jo Hennen, Renee Hoffman, Morris and Patty Keeling, Bev and Cliff Korkowski, Sandra Krebsbach, Leander Kruchten, Gertrude Martini, Irene McGeary, Conrad Meier, Michael Monnens, Janice Morloch, MaryAnn Penick, Mike and Barb Petschl, Connie Sias, Brother Dan Stang, Rosie and Jim Sauer, and Janet Wiener.


Blessings to you and your family this Advent season!  


- By Sr. Clara  

We shared an invitation in this blog to attend the FCV Christmas Open House last week.  We would now like to share some pictures and thanks as a follow up to the Open House.

First, a little history: The tradition of having a Christmas Open House began with the start of the Franciscan Community Volunteer program in 2009.  The intent was to make the presence of the young adults serving as FCVs known to those in the neighborhood community.  Franciscan sisters, families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and sponsors were all invited to attend.  Along with the Christmas celebration with these friends at the Open House, there began a tradition of having a theme to the event.... there has been a different display every year around rooms of the Franciscan Welcoming House and the Volunteer House, encouraging the guests to take a tour of the homes.  

This year the display was art of Mary; we had about 40 different pictures, statues, or figurines of Mary, who we honor especially during the Advent season.  The response of Mary, saying "yes" to God's call, is an inspiration to all.  We were happy to have such beautiful displays borrowed for the event.  Thanks to all who shared their art, and many thanks to Sr. Tonie Rausch, who helped by displaying the art in preparation for the event.  Everything looked great! 

 Many people helped us provide wonderful festive goodies for the event, thank you!  Nothing says "Christmas party" like a huge table full of cookies, bars, chips & salsa, and cheeses.  Thank you to all who shared the Christmas spirit in this way.  

It was great to see so many friends and neighbors there. Thanks for coming, we wish you a Happy Advent & a Merry Christmas!


-by Kaitlin D. 
          

Here at the Franciscan Welcoming House, we are gearing up for the 4th annual Franciscan Community Volunteers Christmas Open House! 


And you are invited to join us!



When:  Sunday, December 2nd, 2012,  2-4pm


Where:  Franciscan Welcoming House & Volunteer House at 1600 11th Ave. S. & 1025 16th St. S. in St. Cloud


Who:  All friends, coworkers, neighbors, Franciscans, companions, family members, etc!  


We'll have festive Christmas snacks, tours of our houses, artistic displays of Mary (our theme for this year), and lots of friendly faces.  Hope you are able to come!
             

We tried something new this fall!

Each year, the connections for our Franciscan Community Volunteer program grows.  In our 4th year, we added in a Pancake & Sausage Breakfast fundraiser, which was held this past weekend at St. Elizabeth Seton school, which is right across the street from the Franciscan Welcoming House.  The proceeds would go to support the Franciscan Community Volunteers.

The neat part of this connection is that the school, once Holy Spirit School, now called St. Elizabeth Seton school and is a Catholic grade school, was started by the Franciscan Sisters in Little Falls years ago.  The sisters lived here in the Welcoming House and served at Holy Spirit school across the street.  Sr. Clara, the FCV program director, was a 7th & 8th grade teacher for a few years there.
 

We titled the breakfast "Meet, Greet & Eat," acknowledging that many families in the neighborhood may not even realize that Franciscan Sisters still live in the same house as the Sisters who taught at the school years ago, and the neighbors may not know that there are now young adults, the Franciscan Community Volunteers, who are carrying out the Franciscan mission right in the community here.  

Therefore, we hoped that people would come to MEET the volunteers who are serving generously during these 11 months, GREET their neighbors, family, friends, and possibly their former teachers from Holy Spirit, and EAT a great breakfast while doing so. 

In our evaluation, we are glad to have reestablished some of our connections with the local neighborhood; being able to introduce the volunteer program to people was really the greatest part of the morning.

We are so grateful for all who helped make the day possible: our cooks, table servers, those who set up or cleaned up, ticket sellers and greeters, and especially all those who came!  We were glad to see you!


-By Kaitlin D. 

There is lots of life, love and laughter as our six Franciscan Community Volunteers and the five Franciscan Sisters join hearts and prayer and prepare to form a new Franciscan Community this October!

You may well ask “what’s that mixture like?” Here is a short one-liner from each of us about living in this community:

Corey Dossey: “Everyone brings something very special to this community. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to live and serve with these incredible people.” (Corey provided service as an AmeriCorps Support Services Assistant at Talahi Elementary School)

Shannon Hagerty: “God created us to live in community, giving and receiving support, which leads to generosity and gratitude; the 11 of us hope to do just that.” (Shannon serves at the St. Cloud Children's Home as an AmeriCorps Clinical Support Assistant)

Sister Cordy Korkowski: “I can hear Saint Francis affirming us in our living of shared Gospel values—with support and love for each other.” (Sr. Cordy is the Pastoral Associate at St. Francis Parish in Sartell)

Philip Lomneth: “Living community has pushed me out of my comfort zone, forced me to let go of much of what I thought I knew in order to grow. This will be a challenging year, but one, I hope, with much growth.” (Philip's service position is the AmeriCorps Racial Equity & Youth Organizer at ISAIAH/GRIP)

Sister Michelle L’Allier: “As I transition into this vibrant community, I’m grateful for the opportunity to live in an intergenerational community for Gospel living and serving.” (Sr. Michelle is our community newest member; she will be working with Young Adult Ministry in the St. Cloud area)

Sister Ange Mayers: “Living in the FCV community means each is being Eucharist—being nurtured and nurturing in the spirit of Francis and Clare.” (Sr. Ange is the Co-Vocation Director for the Franciscan Sisters)

Kristine Origone: “Living in a community attests to the truth that we are always a part of, and affecting, much beyond what we can see.” (Kristine's service as an FCV is as the AmeriCorps Immigrant and Refugee Services Assistant at La Cruz and Bel Clare Community Centers through St. Cloud Catholic Charities)

Sister Rose Mae Rausch: “It is indeed a privilege for me to grow in relationships with these very beautiful and outstandingly generous young people! May God be praised!” (Sr. Rose Mae is our wisdom guru and recently returned missionary in our midst!)

Maureen Reynolds: “I’ve never lived with so many people! It’s definitely an adjustment, but it is already proving to be a wonderful experience.” (Maureen provides her long-term service as an AmeriCorps Refugee Caseworker at Lutheran Social Service)

Sister Clara Stang: “A highlight is when all of us gather at one table! It’s a celebration of the giftedness of diversity within the bondedness of community.” (Sr. Clara Stang is the Director of the Franciscan Community Volunteers)

Lisa Yanzer: “It’s a great joy living in community with so many wonderful people. I am excited to continue growing in faith with this group.” (Lisa serves as an AmeriCorps Autism Resource Program Assistant at St. Cloud Public Schools)


-Posted by Kaitlin D. Contributions by all :)  

Franciscan Community Volunteers Lisa Yanzer & Shannon Hagerty reflect on the group's service day with Morrison County Habitat for Humanity in Little Falls, MN on Saturday September 15th.  We chose this weekend in response to the National Day of Remembrance and Service on 9/11.  The Franciscan Community Volunteers worked on this special project with Habitat for Humanity as their way of connecting with other long-term volunteers who also served in a special way to honor the 9/11 memory. 

This year as Franciscan Community Volunteers we will have many opportunities to grow in relationship with one another, our greater community, and in our faith through service and the desire to continue to grow in relationship with each other through Christ.

Recently we had the chance to build in a nonfigurative way through Habitat for Humanity of Morrison County. The six of us FCVs and our associate director worked with four other volunteers to build a home, benefitting a local family. As each wall frame was pieced together we were challenged and guided to learn new skills, such as how to run a nail gun, measure, saw and hammer. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was to see the progress we made. When we arrived on the site, it was merely a cement slab; when we were ready to leave, there stood the full frame of the house.

We used many tools that day to help in the building at the Habitat site, but we also received many useful tools to take back with us into community, such as receiving and giving constructive criticism, and a new found appreciation for the importance of working together. Communication skills were built and patience and love were used throughout that day. These tools are so important for us, because each time we use them we grow in community with one another which will enable us to live our life of service and community this coming year. Beyond the joys and challenges of building the frame of a house and working with one another to complete such a task in a day, it was great getting involved with the Habitat for Humanity site. It allowed us to reach beyond our service sites and to grasp more fully the needs of the community. 

We seek to learn about our greater community here in St. Cloud and the surrounding area. We are able to do so through our various service sites and sharing with one another around the dinner table. To be able to gather together and share the experience of building a house for a family in need was a great way to bring together our desire to get involved with the community and our commitment to service and justice.


- By Shannon H & Lisa Y. 

Every week, the Franciscan Community Volunteers have a busy Monday evening: they come home from work early to attend a Community Night, with a gathering of the volunteers and staff for reflection, sharing, discussion on their service sites, personal growth, exploration of Franciscan spirituality, and community development.  Following that gathering is a prayer organized by one of the community members, and dinner as a large group of Franciscan Community Volunteers, Franciscan Sisters who live at the Welcoming House here in St. Cloud, and any guests that are invited that particular Monday.    

At our community night this Monday, the prayer was particularly powerful.  Members of Christ Church Newman Center visited and led us in praise & worship as group.  The energy and peace that filled the room was inspiring.  I couldn’t help but notice that almost everyone in the room was familiar with the praise songs already and that familiarity helped us sing praise as a community, focusing on the prayer instead of the words involved.

I’ve been thinking about another praise song and just how fitting it is to this community and long-term volunteering in general.  The song: “My Desire” by Jeremy Camp, in which the refrain says “This is my desire, This is my return, This is my desire to be used by you.”

The connection between that song and long-term service that spoke to me was that when a young person decides to volunteer for a year, they ultimately say to God, “I want to be used by you… I want you to lead me to where you need me to go… I want to be your instrument in service.”  St. Francis asked for God to use him as an instrument of peace too.  

In choosing to do something so radical for young people in their 20s, the Franciscan Community Volunteers and other young adults all over the world are giving a year of their life in demanding service, moving away from their familiar surroundings, living in an intentional community with others, and expanding their comfort zone.  The Franciscan Community Volunteers have put so much trust in God to lead them to a place where they are being called to be used by God.  



-By Kaitlin D.     

Recenty, I had the privilege to take a few days off as my time as FCV Associate Director comes to an end and backpack through the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was my first experience backpacking and I was pretty nervous as I laced up my hiking boots. Would my legs give out? How bad would my back hurt from the 30lbs strapped on? And just how high are these mountains? 

The nervousness faded away as I slowly immersed myself in the environment. The landscape was breathtaking - old growth forests, running streams, rock formations jutting out of the Earth, and wildlife you can't find anywhere else. I found myself falling in love with this deeply authentic way to spend time in nature. 


Moreover, I was struck by how spiritual the experience felt. I was reminded of Francis, who found God's presence in all. He believed in a deep sense of sacramentality. And I too was awed by God's creation with each step on the rocky path. To me, the beauty with which we are graced with on Earth is a visible sign of God's love for us and God's desire for us to live in beauty and harmony.


For me, this experience was deepened by the fact that backpacking is a challenging practice in simplicity. I only carried one extra shirt, just enough food for the four days, and I washed up in the stream. There was no access to internet and rarely a cell signal. Stripped away of distractions and forced to live on, and in harmony with, the Earth brought me into a deeper understanding of the life Francis lived - taking only what he needed, and often less, minimizing any negative impact he had on others and the Earth. He sacrificed in a Christ like way in order to serve others and God.


Lastly, I felt blessed to experience these lands that not only felt sacred to me, but have been a sacred space for American Indian tribes for centuries. While we may use different words, I felt a keen awareness that what I call sacramentality is probably similar to the synergy and harmony with the Earth that these tribes experience. Knowing these were sacred lands of others challenged me to go deeper in my own spirituality, practice of simplicity and care for the Earth to the best of my ability.

Back home with the Franciscan Community Volunteers I reflect on how to deepen the ability to experience sacrementality and care for creation in a post-graduate volunteer experience. May our Franciscan Community Volunteers have many opportunities in the coming months to do so!

-By Anna Z.

2012-2013 Franciscan Community Volunteer Kristine Origone shares her volunteer experience with family and friends, and she invites us to read about her MN adventure.  Kristine joined the FCVs from her home in Lodi, California, and she provides service at Catholic Charities with the La Cruz and Bel Clare Estates communities. 

Thank you, Kristine, for sharing your reflection with us!  We are glad you're here!

 
9-3-2012
Hello! I hope this note finds you well on this Labor Day!!  Just another update for my week.  
 
Much has happened these past couple weeks.  Though mostly internally!  There has been a change; difficult, but good!  I have found myself undergoing and being more willing to face things that I have kept hidden.  I have found myself desiring to face challenges that I would have desired to cower down from.  I have found myself leaning ever more dependently and confidently on a God that loves and cares for those with whom He hungers for relationship.  I have found it funny that God has brought me all the way over here to begin working on my heart, but I am forced to ask is that Him bringing me over here to do that, or is that me being more willing to listen to what He has been attempting to do this whole time.  Through all of this, I foresee even more growth than I had formerly predicted, which is wonderful!!! 

For my daily life, things haven't really changed much since I have last written!  At my service site, I have been doing much at my desk, not quite out with the kids yet, as they start school this week.  One of our sites will start its after-school program this week as well, and then the site I will primarily be at will be starting up next week.  My site supervisor wants me to come up with family and teen group activities, so that will be touching a familiar area of work for me, as I did social groups back home with ARS.  I really look forward to that!!

At the service site, I also see so many growing opportunities, as we all have different approaches of the same situation.  This reminds me of a story a good friend of mine told me in regards to a monastary.  She said that a man once responded when asked about the challenges of community life, it is great, but everybody's mom cooked the potatoes a little differently.  So just to say that we are all working for the same goal (cooked potatoes), but have different means of getting there.  

Here at the house, I have found a greater desire to grow in my intentionality of community life.  I see the beauty of those around me, the differences and similarities of each of my community members.  I have spent some time this past weekend really trying to find ways to enter into this community more fully, as my fears and insecurities find ways of minimizing engagement.  

-By Kristine O.

Hello! As I begin a new adventure as the Associate Director for the Franciscan Community Volunteer program, I am excited to be here and share a little about myself with you.  My roots are in the Mankato, Minnesota area, where I grew up with wonderful parents, two brothers, and a huge extended family.  Our family gatherings are sometimes close to 100 people and happen a few times a year, so being back in MN, I look forward to being around more for the weddings and holiday gatherings that we celebrate. 

My background in ministry focuses mainly on a Lasallian spirituality; I received a degree in Pastoral & Youth Ministry from St. Mary's University in Winona MN.  My path then led me to join the Lasallian Volunteers, a long-term volunteering ministry of the Christian Brothers of De La Salle.  I volunteered for a year in Kansas City, Missouri at Holy Family House, a Catholic Worker House where we welcomed many individuals and families for meals each night.  This ministry to the homeless was both chaotic and life-giving, attending to the basic needs of anyone who came through the door.  The next year of service with the Lasallian Volunteers had me working in the Campus Ministry & Social Action office at Manhattan College in the Bronx, New York.  I was able to use my experience with poverty in Kansas City to support students by creating volunteer opportunities throughout the year.  For those students, being able to step off campus into the Bronx, which is the poorest urban county in the US, and serve those in their neighborhood was eye-opening. 

After volunteering, I returned to Pipestone, MN and worked in a parish setting as the Director of Faith Formation for a Tri-Parish in the southwestern corner of the state.  I worked with all ages, everyone between preschool and adults, overseeing the faith formation classes, bible studies, sacramental preparation, and youth activities.

I am very excited to be in this new position with the Franciscan Community Volunteer program.  Being able to work in this supportive environment and in a position that makes it possible for others to have faith-filled volunteer experiences is a perfect fit.  So far, my experience with the staff and community here at the Welcoming House has been wonderful, and I look forward to continue exploring Franciscan spirituality and making connections within the St. Cloud community. 


Posted by Kaitlin D.  

It's hard to believe that it was less than ten days ago that the six new 2012-2013 Franciscan Community Volunteers were arriving in central Minnesota.  Some arrived after several hours on a plane, some were driven here by parents or friends, and one had only had a few blocks to travel.  We are so grateful for their safe and enthusiastic arrivals to St. Cloud and to the Franciscan Community Volunteers program.  
  

Our first week of orientation together consisted of introductions to one another in the community, the Sisters, their site supervisors, their companions and sisters who will pray for their well-being this year.  We had lots of free time scheduled in as well, which is when we discovered how active our volunteers are this year.  Even after discussing the handbook one afternoon, the volunteers spent their free time in community, riding bikes to Lake George to explore the free paddleboats & standing boards.   


Other fun things we did included a pontoon ride with some of the Franciscan Sisters in Little Falls, a picnic social with the Companions at the Summertime By George concerts, an afternoon at the Air Maxx trampoline park, exploring key places around St. Cloud like the library, Clemens Gardens, the Newman Center, the Cathedral, and a tour at the Stearns County History museum.  


Many of our hours the community spent together were around the meal table, where great meals and conversations were shared.  Many thanks to our great cooks and companions at these meals.  We're on a great start to building a wonderful community this year. 


After a weekend of celebration in Little Falls for the commissioning service on Saturday and S. Michelle L'Allier's 25th jubilee (S. Michelle will join the community in October), the volunteers began working at their service sites around St. Cloud yesterday.  S. Cordy here at the Welcoming House refered to yesterday being the "Launch Pad" for the year; how appropriate for their start to a wonderful year... ready to start service with open hearts! 
 


Posted by Kaitlin D. 
 
      

We are missing our FCVs dearly now that they have "graduated" from Franciscan Community Volunteers last week. Luckily, we have lots of pictures to remember them by, and to remember all that we learned throughout the year in the areas of service, Franciscan spirituality, and community. Here are a few from our closing activities in the month of June.

Back in May, during the Taste of St. Cloud, we had a silent auction. One of the items won was a meal with the Franciscan Community Volunteers and the Franciscan Sisters at the Welcoming House. S. Bernice Rieland's family won and they joined us in June for the meal:


Here Michael and Brandon serve up the salad course with S. Ange (Can you find S. Cordy in the background?):


Next, we had our final community night and were able to spend time with our sponsors one last time. We shared in a prayer service together where we lit candles for what we will leave behind and what we will take with us:


Julia with her sponsors Patty and Morris


Michael wtih S. Cordy and S. Ange:


And with S. Maurita and her guitar present, we couldn't miss the opportunity for a little sing-along:


During our last Tuesday night meal the Franciscan Community Volunteers posed wtih the FCV tree - it was planted the first year our program started:



Finally, we ended our year with our closing retreat. There was lots of time for reflection, sharing and storytelling, as we are doing here with Ss. Carol and Issa:


But there was also lots of time for fun. Here we are playing the "official" card game of the FCV program, "Hand and Foot:"


We feel so blessed to have had these five amazing people a part of the Franciscan Community Volunteer program. And we wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

There are days in your lives that you will never forget for any number of reasons. I have experienced many of those days over the last five months. I remember the day I arrived in St. Cloud, nervous from not knowing what to expect, tired from jet leg after returning from Germany only four days earlier, and the head cold I had managed to pick up on the flight home. I also remember the first day of work at Hands Across the World where I helped some of the women with a sewing project, feeling quite overwhelmed and unsure of what I had gotten myself into.

I remember the day I was working in one of the classrooms, seeking it out for a quiet space with no interruptions, only to find a bat was also hanging out in the room. I quickly left there and am still paranoid that when I open the building in the morning its brother or sister will be waiting to greet me upon my arrival. I clearly remember three days before my “big event,” as I liked to call it, I had to call the fire department and was in charge of evacuating the building because there was a lingering smell of natural gas. These are the types of things that are definitely not funny at the time, but when you look back you cannot help but laugh.

I fondly reminisce on the “big event” that I had the wonderful opportunity to plan and organize. The event was on human trafficking and was quite successful. I am passionate about social justice related issues, community organizing, and community development. As I was putting this event together, it was very important to me to include an action related component as this was something that I saw needed to continue on after the event. My dream was to see a task force develop, and I am delighted to say that it happened. There is nothing like knowing that your efforts have made an impact on the lives of others. I am inspired by the people who will continue the work on this issue and am excited to see where this group of people will go with it.

During my time here as a Franciscan Community Volunteer, I have learned so much about myself, had the opportunity to form new friendships and relationships with others, learned about community organizing, and so much more. I feel very fortunate and blessed with the experiences I have gleaned and the opportunities I have been granted. This fall, I will begin my master’s in social work with an emphasis in community practice at the University of Minnesota and will take with me the knowledge, skills and memories that will last a lifetime. One of my favorite quotes is from Apple Computers which says, “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” I have worked with many people who do this on a daily basis. Just as importantly, each and every Franciscan Community Volunteer was crazy enough to think they could change the world, and in some way, they have.

The elaborate mystery of time’s connection to a journey may forever remain one of life’s greatest unanswered questions. I have finished my most recent endeavor, now awaiting what will lay ahead in an upcoming future. As if riding a now worn out horse, I dismount and walk forward to what appears to be the gateway to a new journey of multiple possibilities. Exhausted and triumphant I embrace the new challenge that I will soon encounter. Around me the sun is starting to set as the red sky overcomes its blue predecessor. Although I am tired, stamina now running low, I must walk forward to see where the future will take me. However, I realize that in order for this future to be conceivable there was past that made it all possible as the past leads to all possible futures. For me it was a year of challenges, new people in a different world taking me far from my comfort zone for the longest period of time. While a challenge at first, I discovered I had the ability to adapt and blend in with places that I never envisioned myself ever trekking to. It all unfolded in a journey, one that forever shaped me to endure a future that I have the utmost confidence in not only for myself, but for the world I inhabit.

American novelist and poet Don Williams Jr. once said, “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” With the nightfall hour of my FCV tenure now imminent, I’ve come to view the past 10 months as a unique chapter in my journey through mystère. I shall admire the year as a lesson not only on the value of service, but myself. I’ll soon be embarking on yet another unfamiliar path found at life’s mysterious crossroads. Concurrently time will pass, most memories slowly fading away like a morning fog. Interesting enough, this journey’s chapter could serve as its own stand-alone novel. There was the cast of characters and plotline that unfolded through time. While most of the characters served mainly as the everyday confrère, there are the few that’ll be remembered. It’s their lessons about life’s beautiful mystery that grant them immortality. Guided by the passage of time, I was allowed to experience that process and with it rejuvenation emerged from the ashes of a recent past. It’s mystifying how we take the passage of time for granted not realizing its supremacy. Instead, it’s more than an hour glass flowing out its limited supply of sand. We try to overturn it only to realize the effort is feckless. If we’re fortunate we recognize it as a power truly far greater than ourselves. At times I wondered why events unfolded the way they did, the enigma of human nature, yet I now deliberate why I engaged in such contemplation. Looking back at the year that was, I concede that although the past is unchangeable, it provides the lessons for a future of an unknown fate. Adrift in a sea of stars, I endured the siege of life’s unpredictable predicaments the year brought, all delivered by the perfect storm. The challenges arrayed against me, though formidable, were unable to drive me away from this journey. I swam through their treacherous oceans, climbed and navigated their perilous mountains. In the end, despite it all, I’m still standing enclosed in a beam of light, forever stronger now rising upwards to the stars with an earnest self-reliance towards discoveries in a new world.

When I made the decision to join the Franciscan Community Volunteers, I honestly did not know what to expect, with one notable exception: a ton of snow. And yes, we got some snow when I arrived in late January, but the one thing I was expecting did not last. In fact, when I mention the winter to Minnesotans, they respond, “Winter? What winter?” There was no planning for me and it was a good thing I didn’t make any plans because the plans would have been a big waste of time. I have learned that we cannot know what life will be like in the future, especially without knowing the people we will be working with, living with, and interacting with on a regular basis. To spend time creating expectations and master plans for a future that we cannot know does a disservice to the present as well as the future for which we are perfectly ignorant of. Living in community has helped me understand this fact. Each and every person in community is made unique by their Creator, and by sharing life with each individual, our lives are made unique by way of their uniqueness. In this way, community helps define our lives in the present. We can choose to cherish the gifts God has given the community through the wonderful people we live our lives with, or we can disregard these gifts, disregard God, and obsess about a day that may never come. While some days can be difficult, it always helps me to remind myself that God is present. He is present in the community. He is present in the simple things that can so easily be overlooked or taken for granted. I believe this is the heart of Franciscan spirituality. St. Francis communicated his love for God by giving glory to Him. St. Francis truly knew God, and therefore, he recognized Him everywhere He was present. And like a true servant, he couldn’t help but give glory to Him wherever the good saint saw Him.

The ten months that I have spent in the Franciscan Community Volunteers Program have marked an important transition in my life. The transition from college to the “real-world” is a time to discover who you are and what you want to do with your life. People start to contemplate these questions during college, but the true discovery of the answers does not happen until after college. Y

As a Franciscan Community Volunteer, I worked atCathedralHigh Schooland while working there I had the opportunity to teach on my own periodically throughout the year. This was a very valuable experience for me because it affirmed my desire to teach and it also affirmed how much I love being in the classroom. I am looking forward to having a classroom of my own someday.our original beliefs are either affirmed or proven to be incorrect.

Another valuable thing that I was able to gain from my experience as a Franciscan Community Volunteer was a greater sense of independence than I’ve ever had before. When I left college, it was a time for me to let go of the many things that had become my “security blanket” and to truly venture out into the world on my own. I have grown so much this year, and have learned many new things about myself. I am very proud of the life I have here inSt. Cloud. I will never forget this experience or the many life lessons I’ve learned while being here. As this chapter of my life closes, another chapter will open, bringing its own new set of challenging and rewarding aspects. 

We have just five weeks left in the service term for our current Franciscsan Community Volunteers. The time is flying quickly! Each week, during these last five weeks we will feature a closing reflection from each of our volunteers. You will also be able to find these reflections in our June newsletter. Enjoy this reflection from Anna Konopacky:

My ten months of volunteering have been filled with all varieties of emotions and experiences that would be difficult to fit into one article. When I first entered the program, it was a spur of the moment decision and happened so quickly I had no time to develop expectations. I really had no idea what being an FCV might be like. I think this helped me as I adjusted to a new lifestyle, new people, and the new challenges of my work site.

My work with refugees has presented several unique challenges that I had to navigate and overcome. One is the often-significant language barrier between the caseworkers and clients. We work around this by using our very limited Somali vocabulary and volunteer interpreters and, sometimes, clients’ English-speaking neighbors. Another difficulty for me initially was the unpredictability of the job. As a serious planner, it was at first challenging for me to adjust to plans consistently going awry. After several months, I discovered I am more adaptable than I believed.

Overall, through my work and the life in our intentional community, I feel that I have gained skills and stories that will carry me through whatever entails the next stage of my life.

Recently one of our Franciscan Community Volunteers, as a part of her work at her service site, organized a launch event for an anti-human trafficking campaign in St. Cloud, MN. The event, entitled "Free At Last," was a huge success and was a great start to a community effort to keep St. Cloud safe from trafficking. Moreover, almost all the FCVers were present that day and or helped out with Sara's effort in some way! What a community! Below is her reflections on the event. These reflections will also be featured in the Summer edition of the Francsican Sisters of Little Falls publication, Our Journey.


On Thursday April 26, 2012 120 people gathered at Hands Across the World for Free At Last: Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign. Free At Last was a half day event aimed at creating awareness in the St. Cloud area on the issue of human trafficking.  After three months of hard work, the day had finally arrived.  The big event as I liked to refer to it as was here.  After countless phone calls, meetings, and emails, and hundreds of hours of planning and organizing, it was time whether I was ready for it or not.  I arrived at work around 6:45 that morning excited and ready for the day to begin. (At right - the room is all ready for the event.)
 

The morning officially began at 8 am with breakfast and registration.  It was wonderful to watch people mingle with one another and catch up before the start of the day’s event.  I sat down to be interviewed by a writer from the St. Cloud Times shortly after 8 while still trying to field questions from volunteers.  After the interview concluded, I had some time to continue to tend to a few last minute details and greet people when I could.  Around 8:45 as people began to take their seats, I realized that we were not going to have enough chairs (we planned for 100), so I quickly organized volunteers to bring in more chairs.  Thank goodness we had room for a few more! (At left - participants discuss how to prevent human trafficking in St. Cloud in teh breakout sessions.)

At 9:00 Erin Bitzan who is a board member for Hands Across the World provided opening remarks for the day.  A panel consisting of Linda Miller, Michele Garnett McKenzie, Peggy Roy, and Richard Wilson followed for the next hour.  Panelists answered questions about human trafficking, what it is, myths surrounding human trafficking, what they have been able to accomplish, and what we can do to combat human trafficking. It was a lively discussion and an excellent start to the morning.  Following the panel, and then a short break, participants had an opportunity to partake in breakout sessions.  In the breakout sessions, people were asked to reflect and discuss the question, what should St. Cloud do to prevent human trafficking?  Participants in groups of about 20 had approximately 45 minutes to explore different issues.  Some groups discussed the need for outreach and education in the schools.  Others discussed the importance of creating awareness in the community about human trafficking.  To conclude the morning, a keynote address was delivered by Joy Friedman of Breaking Free.  Joy is a survivor and eloquently combined her experiences with passion, motivation, and encouragement to the audience to take a stand to prevent human trafficking.  She reminded the audience that we are all children of God and being a victim of human trafficking or prostitution does not change that.  Victims can be of all ages and backgrounds which is something people often forget.  Her address was moving and motivating, leaving audience members charged and ready to continue to work on this issue. (At right is a picture of Joy Friedman of Breaking Free giving the keynote address.)

The overall response from the event was very positive and despite the minor glitches that happen with any big event as I told the audience that morning, the event was a success.  I am delighted to have had the opportunity to put this event together.  It was wonderful to see people come together to learn about such an important topic; the atmosphere that morning was very charged and people were eager to continue the work to keep St. Cloud safe.  I am truly inspired by the commitment of the community and hope that people will continue to work on this very important issue.  I believe the most successful communities are the ones in which members feel involved and committed to the success and wellbeing of its people.  It was a beautiful day to see the beginnings of this as participants came together to learn about human trafficking and realizing there is much work to be done.  As I gave the closing remarks for the morning, I concluded by exclaiming that it is our hope through the work began by this event that one day the citizens of the world will be able to restate the famous works of Martin Luther King Jr., “Free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, we’re free at last!”

(At left is Franciscan Community Volunteer, Sara, presenting at "Free at Last.")

On May 7, 2012 the prayers of the Poor Clares paid off and sunshine pierced through the days of rain, hail, and thunder for the 3^rd Annual Taste of St. Cloud.

What a beautiful day at Coyote Moon Grille!

This year we had 16 restaurants and over 600 attendees!


Check out those lines of tasty food!


Somali Cafe graced us yet again with their delicious rise and sambusas!


And Cold Spring Bakery's cake balls were a huge hit!

We doubled our silent auction baskets, and with that doubled our bidding!
      


Watercolor paintings from S. Mary Zirbes were up for bidding too!

Paul Imholte, "The Stringman," graced us upstairs and down with his beautiful music on various string instruments.


As many commented – the food was great, the atmosphere was beautiful, but the people were the best. So many friends, new and old, had fun and fellowship the whole night through!

 

Most importantly, each and every one of you who sold tickets, donated to the silent auction, provided a business sponsorship, and/or were in attendance showed your support for the work of young adults in the Central Minnesota community and the service they provide to those experiencing poverty and marginalization in our area.
A BIG thank you from all of us to you! We couldn’t do this work without you!



And don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Fourth Annual Taste of St. Cloud on
May 6, 2013 at Coyote Moon Grille and Territory Golf Course!

We are beginning a new series in our newsletters and on our blog where we will spotlight a different service organization with whom we partner at Franciscan Community Volunteers. We will share the great mission and vision of the organization, as well as the wonderful work done by our FCV volunteer. Welcome to our first spotlight on Brandon and the St. Cloud Children’s Home.
 

The St. Cloud Children’s Home (SCCH) is an adolescent treatment center for at-risk youth from many different cultures and between the ages of eight years and 18 years. Their treatment includes academics; individual, group and family therapy; recreational therapy; vocational guidance; and spiritual development. The SCCH is a ministry of St. Cloud Catholic Charities. The mission of the Catholic Charities Children’s Residential Services, including SCCH, is to foster and promote services for children and families to enhance their growth and development.
 

The Franciscan Community Volunteer is responsible for providing and/ or coordinating various Clinical Support activities in conjunction with the Youth Ministry and Experiential Learning programs. Brandon, our current volunteer at SCCH, has been organizing the Special Friends program, bringing youth to church services on Sunday, coordinating service activities for the youth, and much more. Brandon says, “My work here at the St. Cloud Children’s Home has given me a renewed sense of purpose. It allows me to work for the greater good and contribute to a community. One such project in the works is a time capsule that is aimed to preserve the history of the Children’s Home.”
 

To learn more about the St. Cloud Children’s Home and their incredible work in the community, visit http://www.ccstcloud.org/SCCH.

We hope this blog post finds you enjoying a continued, blessed Easter season! At FCV we had our community celebration this past Tuesday, and what a wonderful celebration it was!

We spent most of Lent exploring Catholic Social Teaching, exploring how these principles can inform our service, community, and spirituality. The last principle we explored was "Solidarity." As a part of this community night, we decided on ways to practice solidarity with those who are poor, with those who lack dignity of work, who experience war, and with the earth and its precious resources. We came into Easter renewed with a sense of justice and charity for our community, those we work with, and the whole world.

To celebrate all we have learned and all the ways we have grown during Lent we celebrated Easter with a potluck. And while everything was tasty, we had to share a picture of the most amazing cake we've ever had, made by our FCVer, Brandon! Four layers of chocolate cake, with chocolate whipped filling and chocolate frosting!



Mmmm, S. Rose Mae and Michael enjoy their generous pieces:



We hope you also had a blessed Easter celebration with family and good food!

People First

By Anna Konopacky

For nearly six months, I have been a volunteer at Lutheran Social Services resettling refugees. In that time, I have engaged in direct service to over fifty refugees, including both adults and children.  Any period of time spent working with an extensive and varied population will result in a mixed bag of interactions and relationships, with some leaving better impressions than others. What has helped me greatly in this respect is responding to our clients as people first, rather than solely refugees.

Certainly, our clients have experienced great hardship and unusual circumstances that shape who they are, however, interacting with them only on the basis of one factor denies them the opportunity to be viewed as complete and unique individuals. An important part of the resettlement process is teaching new arrivals to be self-sufficient. Some clients need lots of encouragement to do things on their own, and the attitude that they are incapable because they are refugees does not help them. 

A lot could be gained if everyone approached the strangers in their life as people first instead of making assumptions based on a person’s identifying features. Just as Americans do not want to be judged as one conformist mass, we should not assume members of other groups and cultures are cookie cutter impressions of each other.  In my work at LSS, I find it important to approach each client with no prior expectations and with an open mind.

For the week of March 25, 2012 Fifth Sunday of Lent (John 8:1-11)

In our Rite of Baptism, water is used to signify cleansing. Our Christian faith teaches us that we are “washed clean” in the waters of baptism. But with that purification comes the same message heard by the adulterous woman in today’s Gospel, “Go and sin no more.” Our life as Christians is to be a testimony to our desire to honor the great redemptive act of Christ. •Sunday: When have you felt condemned by others?

•Monday: Who offered words of and understanding to you?

•Tuesday: How has your judgment of others come back to confront your own behavior?

•Wednesday: Who are the people you point fingers at?

•Thursday: When have you felt supported by Christ, especially at a time of failure?

•Friday: Have you ever offered support to someone accused by others?

•Saturday: How seriously do you receive the message, “Go and sin no more?”

-Sister Jean Schwieters

Calling all interested young adults!

Are you graduating from college? Not sure where life will take you next? Could you use a year of discernment and service?

Then come join the Franciscan Community Volunteers in this long-term, post-graduate opportunity and dedicate a year of your life to service, community and spirituality.  On top of that, you will have an opportunity to become an AmeriCorps member and earn an AmeriCorps education award! 

We are currently in the process of recruiting for our 2012-2013 (August 5, 2012 to June 30, 2013) volunteer year. Applications are coming in quickly and we have already accepted two volunteers! We have openings with various service sites in the St. Cloud area, whether you are interested in social justice education, working with kids, or refugees. If you or a young adult you know is interested in dedicating a year of your life to service, then apply now! You can download an application from our website.

Questions or comments? Call Anna Zaros at 320-240-6184 or e-mail, azaros@fslf.org 

In the midst of planning for our Taste of St. Cloud and processing incoming applications we have been remiss in posting Lenten reflections on our blog! One of our Franciscan Sisters, S. Jean Schwieters has been creating beautiful weekly reflections for Lent. Here we provide you with her reflection questions for the upcoming Fourth week of Lent. We hope these help to guide your spiritual journey.

For the week of March 18, 2012 Fourth Sunday of Lent (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

In today’s Gospel, we have the story of two brothers in need of repentance. One brother receives forgiveness. The other, because of anger and resentment, will not resolve his need for repentance. For both, the loving arms of a forgiving Father are open. As baptized Christians, our life journey brings us at times to such a crossroad. Which path do we chose? Repentance? Resistance? Refusal?

•Sunday: When have you been in need for forgiveness?

•Monday: What have you actively done to seek forgiveness?

•Tuesday: In what ways have you experienced the pain of sibling rivalry?

•Wednesday: How do you hang on to resentment, jealousy or a sense of being “the victim?”

•Thursday: Do you believe in God’s unconditional love for you?

•Friday: If you believe God forgives you, can you forgive yourself and others as well?

•Saturday: What are some ways in which you celebrate God’s love for you?

~Sister Jean Schwieters

Martin Luther King Jr. Day might be my favorite holiday of the year in the United States. This is the one day of the year we don't argue over whether social issues matter. This is the one day of the year we don't feel scared to talk about racism, privilege, and their enduring scars on our society. This is the one day of the year the nation is called together to acts of service in honor of our history and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

I also appreciate being reminded, every year, to reflect on my own privilege. On Sojourner's God's Politics blog Ruth Hawley-Lowry wrote an article entitled, "Martin Luther King Sunday is Not Just for Black People." She writes, "We live in a nation where 'racism is in the air we breathe and the water we drink,' as the Rev. Dr. Gardner Taylor (a confidant of Dr. King) observes. We who are in the majority culture must acknowledge and confess that we benefit from the privileges we receive."

Hawley-Lowry's challenge to all of us is to not only work against racism, but also whatever may be our racially-based, unearned privileges. As a member of the racial majority in our country, I ask myself, how can I live so that, at least in some small way, I counteract the generations of oppression of racial minorities, and the privilege given to my own race? At the very least, I try to maintain an awareness of my privilege and communicate about it with others. Part of counteracting my privilege, however, has also meant being uncomfortable. When close friends, professional contacts, or even my own family states racist remarks, whether intended or not, whether "positive stereotypes" or not, how do I react? How can I be clear, while expressing compassion, that this remark was not okay? None of this has come easy to me, and I am continually making mistakes and admitting that I too, am a "recovering racist," socialized into my privilege, tripping a bit as I try to find my way forward.

And that is why Martin Luther King Day is so important - it is a stunning reminder that we must keep challenging our racially prejudiced systems, communities, and sometimes, even, selves. We hear the words every year -- King's "I Have a Dream Speech," radio excerpts of his assassination, and the voices of those who shared in his struggle. If anyone was uncomfortable, in danger, or struggled against hatred, it was King, and yet he cultivated his own courage, changing our country forever.

I just want to end with a quick YouTube video celebrating some of the lesser known sayings of Martin Luther King Jr. He promoted some pretty radical ideas about social justice, the need to end militarism, and the importance of changing our economic system. His ideas still ring true today, as the nonviolent social action Gandhi and King laid out continue to bring down corrupt leaders in the Arab World. And his words still challenge us to a different sort of social order, one of justice, love and forgiveness - words so relevant in our time of economic depression and electoral hate.

One last video - because how could I resist? Here are some local MN celebrities singing We Shall Overcome and quoting MLK. This video is a little inspiration to keep the MLK Day spirit going through each day of this next year!

More of my MLK Day reflections, including some of what has been written here, will be included in our upcoming FCV newsletter.

AZ

I was reminded today by Jeff Odendahl, Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls that today has been designated "National Human Trafficking Awareness Day." He wrote this message to us:

"Human Trafficking or Trafficking of Persons is modern-day slavery. Human Trafficking is defined as controlling a person through force, fraud or coercion-physical or psychological-to exploi...t the person for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or both.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops estimates that annually 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders and 17,500 are trafficked into the US annually: 80% are women; 15% are children; and 5% are men. Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity throughout the world.Victims of Human Trafficking can be found in sweatshops, forced prostitution, domestic servitude, restaurants, agriculture, construction, hotel/motel cleaning services, and nail salons to name a few.

Pope John Paul II called human trafficking 'a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights.' Pope Benedict XVI addresses the trafficking in human beings, especially of women and girls, as 'a scourge.'As people of faith we are challenged to raise awareness about this heinous crime against women, children and men and to work and pray toward ending it in our lifetime."

A couple of months ago we spent a community night learning about human trafficking. We learned why it happens, where it can be found, and how we can work against it. Trafficking can be a sobering topic to talk about, and often, after such presentations I find myself on edge, suspicious of others around me. Trafficking happens under our noses. Indeed human trafficking is the fastest growing black market crime on the planet, second only to drug dealing. Human Trafficking generates an estimated $32 billion dollars each year (UN). I used to work as a case manager with trafficking victims and I hear of cases in rural areas, suburbs, cities, including wealthy families and primps, I hear of abuse of all types of women, regardless of race or nationality, and abuse of men as well. It is easy to feel, on hand, as if everyone could be a possible trafficker, or on the other hand, that doing anything about trafficking is hopeless. But trafficking thrives because it is both immensely profitable and easy to do. Our laws and our awareness aren't enough yet to fully combat this terrible crime.

But there are things you can do, there is hope. First, it is incredibly important to educate yourself and others. Visit the Polaris Project website, their website is the place to learn about trafficking. And here is a resource from the Polaris Project to help you recognize the signs of Human trafficking:

If you see any of these red flags, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888 to report the situation. Click here to learn more about reporting potential human trafficking situations. This list is not exhaustive and represents only a selection of possible indicators. Also, the red flags in this list may not be present in all trafficking cases and are not cumulative.

Common Work and Living Conditions: The Individual(s) in Question:

• Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes

• Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts

• Is in the commercial sex industry and has a pimp / manager

• Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips

• Works excessively long and/or unusual hours

• Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work

• Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off

• Was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work

• High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)

Poor Mental Health or Abnormal Behavior

• Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous/paranoid

• Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up law enforcement

• Avoids eye contact

Poor Physical Health

• Lacks health care

• Appears malnourished

• Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture

Lack of Control

• Has few or no personal possessions

• Is not in control of his/her own money, no financial records, or bank account

• Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)

• Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or translating)

Other

• Claims of just visiting and inability to clarify where he/she is staying/address

• Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or do not know what city he/she is in

• Loss of sense of time

• Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story

AZ

It is our first blog post of the New Year! We send warm wishes to all our readers as the Christmas season wraps up - we hope it has been a relaxing and beautiful, family and friends-filled time for all!

This weeks' Advent reflection comes to us from the Franciscan Action Network, check out all of their newsletters here.

Dwelling Among Us

Raise your hand, all those for whom Advent is your favorite liturgical season! Many of us love this hushed season while our culture becomes more frenetic in its clamor to shop, spend, decorate, party. We may have a foot in both worlds, yet yearn for more time to be quiet, to listen and wait in hopeful anticipation. We want more time to reflect on the rich imagery that Advent offers.

The readings the Fourth (and last) Sunday of Advent offer two images of a dwelling place for God. David, with good intention, wants to do a "home improvement" for the "ark of God," building a house of cedar to replace the tent, but God sees otherwise (cf. 2 Sm 7:5). It is among the people that God will establish a house and kingdom that "shall endure forever" (2 Sm 7:13). And when the time comes, the Word made Flesh seeks and finds a dwelling in the womb of a young Jewish girl (cf. Lk 1:26-38). Over and over the scriptures remind us that God's ways are not our ways.

The human way often runs counter to God's ways: In a recent newspaper story, a picture of hundreds of people standing in line with umbrellas all through a rainy, chilly night, hoping to be placed on a waiting list for a low-rent apartment; a TV account of an increasing number of children living in cars. These are realities in the most prosperous country in the world. These are not God's ways.

God longs to make a dwelling among us and within us. For a breathless moment, God waits for Mary's "yes" before becoming one of us and finding a home in her womb. Aren't we all home-seekers? Men and women waiting all night in the rain, children sleeping in cars, undocumented immigrants, those of us who live comfortably-all yearn for a place where we are accepted, loved, wanted. Even God desires to find a home in and among us. Even God waits for our "yes".

Perhaps God is asking you to reach out to those without homes this week. You can say "yes"! Identify a local homeless shelter and volunteer time or give a donation. Search online to find the 60 Minutes segment on "Living in Cars: Homeless Children in Florida." Read the Circle of Protection Statement to address poverty and the federal budget, which the USCCB, FAN and many other Christian organizations have signed. If there is an Occupy group in your town or city, make a visit and ask people why they intend to spend Christmas in a tent in public space. There are now a few Occupy Home groups standing vigil outside a neighbor's home, defending the family against eviction.

Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF
FAN Director of Advocacy and Member Outreach

I came across this short and sweet reflection on Gaudete Sunday from the blog of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association:

Monday's Spiritual Smoothie: Joyful Recognition
Posted December 5, 2011
By Sarah Heiman

This Sunday we [celebrated] Gaudete Sunday, rejoicing that the time of the Lord is almost here. Our readings remind us that "God is the joy of my soul" and that we are to "rejoice always" and "pray without ceasing." In John's gospel we're reminded of the importance of John's role in proclaiming the coming of Christ, "one who is among you but whom you do not recognize." During this Advent season as we wait in joyful expectation, perhaps we should take a moment to think about how Jesus is already among us but how and when we have failed to recognize him.

I wonder sometimes how our joy would be increased and more in keeping with God's plan if we were to truly proclaim a year of favor as the first reading suggests. What would our ministry and relationships look like if forgiveness and mercy drove all of our decisions? I think we all know the joy that comes from showing compassion and generosity to others; some of the best moments and strongest friendships I've made have been those that happen in the context of volunteer service. It is often easy to see where Jesus is in those acts of justice and charity. But where is Jesus in the student that continually tries our patience or in the person who seems to exist solely to remind us of what our pet peeves are?

This Advent perhaps we can begin to rejoice in God by seeking for the Christ that we have failed to fully recognize. How do we point the way to Christ as John did in our role as campus ministers? Who are the people who have helped us along our own faith journeys, leading us to recognize and rejoice in God? And where have we missed God's presence by our unwillingness or inability to proclaim the year of favor from the Lord?

Sarah Heiman is Administrative Director of Campus Ministry at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

It is the Second Week of Advent and it is just starting to sink in for me how much I love the beginning of a new liturgical year, coupled with the descent into winter.

I have to admit, I've been a bit spiritually dead lately, struggling to integrate prayer in my life in a way that I find life giving. But Advent always arrives providentially, just when I need a bit of a boost to give my Spirit new life. I find that the message of Advent, coupled with the spirituality of winter always helps something to blossom within me.

I first became aware of winter spirituality when I attended the Nordic prayer services at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN. Each year there are different themes, but what I remember most from the year I went was that there was feet upon feet of snow on the ground, the sky was pitch black by the time service began at 6:51pm, and we sang the mantra "the earth waits with eager longing." And slowly, as I attended each month, it got a little less dark at 6:51pm, the snow began to recede, and that eager longing developed into the birth of Spring.

This week in Minnesota we finally hit the cold winter temperatures, usually reserved for January - temperatures in the teens, wind chills in the single digits, and overnight temps dipping below zero. You step outside and it is a shock - the burst of cold air forces you into an awareness of your surroundings. And, for me, that shock carries over to my spirituality, the cold yells out to me - "Wake up! Pay Attention to what's around you, to what's coming!" This weather is a perfect physical accompaniment to the liturgical season of Advent, a season that bids us all to "Be Prepared! Something great is upon us!"

I am a transplant from the South and so I often get asked "How do you handle that cold weather!?" My reply is always the same, "Yes, its really cold, but most winter days are sunny here, unlike other gray wintery places I've lived, such as North Carolina and Indiana. I would take colder temps and sun over warmer temps and gray any day." And that's the beauty of Advent - we sit in the darkness, we recognize the shocking cold that has creeped in, but a light is always shining through, a hope that something extraordinary is about to change our lives forever.

The beautiful season of Advent has begun! We are going to find an Advent reflection for each week to help guide our preparation for Christmas. Our first one comes from Fr. Neil, a Franciscan Friar, who writes for the Holy Name Province Today Newsletter.

An Advent Reflection
by Neil O'Connell, OFM

Click here to enlarge photo or to see other photo(s)

Francis of Assisi identified himself as "the herald of the Great King." Baptized as Giovanni Baptista or "John the Baptizer," he no doubt wished to imitate his patron, thus Francis is the perpetual Advent person and Franciscan men and women are perpetual Advent people.

As a Franciscan, then, I am a strict Adventist. I avoid doing Christmas things prior to Christmas Eve, since Advent has its own rich and enveloping experience.

A Franciscan Advent is apocalyptic and forward-looking in a creative sense. We stand erect and raise our eyes as we do cosmic and environmental housecleaning for the arrival of the Great King who makes all things new.

A Franciscan Advent is renovational. We straighten out paths twisted by confusion and anxiety, we fill in valleys of poverty and alienation, we bring down mountains of pride and self absorption, we smooth out roads roughened by violence and racism so that all may plainly see the Great King who is always healing.

A Franciscan Advent is evangelical. We announce and live the good news of the Great King who embraces sinners and who refines them into nourishing wheat for others.

A Franciscan Advent is Marian. We, with Mary, bearing the embryonic Word Made Flesh within us, hasten to those once empty to make present to them the Great King who makes their whole being leap with joy.

Since Franciscans do not belong to an exclusive club, they welcome all to be companions in observing a Franciscan Advent. Though Advent concludes prior to the Christmas Vigil, Franciscan women and men and their companions remain adventist for the rest of the year as they herald the Great King in his ministry, passion, death, resurrection and sending of the Spirit.

- Fr. Neil, a former president of St. Bonaventure University, is the Catholic campus minister at Manhattan Community College and Herbert H. Lehman College in the Bronx, where he is also an adjunct professor of history. Other reflections about Advent appear in the blogs written by HNP friars.

Two weeks ago, for community night we all sat down and watched Food, Inc. together. Have you seen this movie? It is a real eye-opener! Here is a description of the move from the Food, Inc. website:

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli-the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Food, Inc. reveals surprising-and often shocking truths-about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Shocking, indeed! We finished the movie feeling as though the problems and injustices seen in various places within the food industry are so big and overwhelming - is there anything we can do? In order to not end the night on a defeating note, we explored the following questions, hoping to uncover small ways in our every day lives that we can bring justice to our food industry and nutrition to our plates:

How do I choose whether I:
1. . . . buy everything organic or only particular food items?
2. . . . buy from the Farmer's Market (usually organic but often not certified) to
support local produce or certified organic products (usually from larger corporations)?
3. . . . buy organic out of the hope that I will contribute to driving organic food prices down so it is affordable for all, or do I shop at cheaper grocery stores and deny myself certain foods out of solidarity with the poor?
4. . . . eat in season?
5. . . . learn to can, dry, and freeze food?
6. . . . buy name brand foods or generic?
7. . . . drive to the grocery store that is father away (and may be cheaper, or more organic) rather than the one closer? Do I walk, bike, bus or carpool to the store?
8. . . . buy in bulk to avoid packaging waste?
9. . . . shop at the grocery store that has a worker's union?
10. . . . share food resources with my neighbor?
11. . . . try out gleaning?
12. . . . plant a community or backyard garden?
13. . . . investigate the sustainable food practices of the restaurants I frequent?

Eating sustainably may never be an easy, black and white choice, but there are efforts we can make in our daily lives to choose sustainbale food practices, one step at a time. Listed below are a few more resources for making these choices for those of you in St. Cloud and beyond:

St. Cloud Saturday Farmer's Market
May 7th through October 29th8:00 AM - 12:00 PMBremer Bank Parking Lot, (Downtown)1100 W St. Germain St.St. Cloud, MN 56301

Good Earth Co-Op
Centennial Plaza2010 Veterans DriveSt. Cloud, MN 56303
http://goodearthcoop.com/

Internet Resource: http://www.sustainabletable.org/

Have trouble eating well and sustainably on a small budget, check out this food blog: Poor Girl Eats Well

How do you choose to eat and live sustainably in your life?

We did it! After two years of hard work, several applications, and many words of encouragement from our supporters we have now become a Catholic Volunteer Network AmeriCorps member!

Just to give you a little bit of history and background, the federal agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service "engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve." AmeriCorps as a part of CNCS, was begun in 1994, and provides "opportunities for Americans to make an intensive commitment to service. The AmeriCorps network of local, state, and national service programs engages more than 70,000 Americans in intensive service each year. AmeriCorps members serve through more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies,and faith-based and other community organizations, helping meet critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. The variety of service opportunities is almost unlimited. Members may tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, or help communities respond to disasters." For more information visit the CNCS website.

As a part of CVN/AmeriCorps the FCV program, our volunteers, and our service sites have become part of a national movement of service, as well as affiliated with our AmeriCorps State Service Commisstion, ServeMinnesota. Our volunteers also join the ranks of other AmeriCorps members, with access to trainings, resources, and the opportunity to earn an AmeriCorps education award at the completion of their year. This award can be used to pay off student loans or help with future education costs. In a time of rising student loan debt and a slow growth economy, what a valuable reward for our volunteers who dedicate almost a year of their lives to service, community, and spirituality!

You can find a full list here of Catholic Volunteer Networks' 2011-2012 AmeriCorps grantees. Congrats to them all!

No matter what your political persuasion, the current state of the economy and politics are quite sad. The everyday American is plunging further into debt and unemployment, and it is easy to wonder whether our politicians are paying attention. Every now and then at FCV our conversation turns to this sad state. Here we are working away for social justice and community, but where can we find examples of similar work to inspire us in our larger society? It can be hard to keep hope that our actions are making an impact when those in charge appear to be on a separate wavelength.

We did it! We completed our first fundraiser of the year -- and we did it by biking a total of 100 miles!

On September 10, 2011 Catholic Charities hosted the 6th Annual Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride For the Kids. The ride began in St. Joseph and ended in Sauk Centre. Families of all faiths were invited to participate in this benefit event. Funds raised support the Catholic Charities St. Cloud Children's Home and local participating faith communities (that's us - FCV!).

S. Clara, S. Carmen, S. Joan, and FCVers Tamara, and Julia came out to cheer on the riders (and enjoy some St. Joe Local Blend muffins!) early in the morning at the start. S. Bernice, S. Ange, and FCVer, Anna biked from Freeport to Melrose, a six mile stretch.

Anna, FCV Associate Director and her husband, David, showed their support by biking from St. Joseph to Freeport and back (just over 40 miles!)

Central Minnesota was blessed with a beautiful day and each stop meant new people to meet and share in fellowship with -- it was a wonderful ride! Not to mention the delicious snacks along the way, especially those BBQ meatballs, they were perfect fuel for the ride! We can't wait to do it again next year!

The Franciscan Sisters praying over the volunteers at the Commissioning Rite

It has only been a week and a half since our volunteers started work, and two and a half weeks since they arrived, but it already feels as though so much has happen. These times of transition are full of excitement and nervousness. And we are all in need of patience, trust, and openness. It is amazing to see our volunteers, Sisters, and staff already begin to settle into a rhythm for this volunteer year, but also energizing to think of all the unknown growth, changes, and challenges that we will face in the next ten months. In all that we bring to this year, in all we will give, and all we will gain, we ask for God's blessing:

O Faithful God, as your people,
we cherish our memories
and our history as a sacred gift.
We ask you to guide us in our time of transition.
We need your wisdom, that we might be receptive
to change, conversion and growth.
We need your grace to redirect our hearts
That we may be willing to offer ourselves
in joyful service,
Do not allow fear, ignorance or pride
To limit the work of your Spirit,
Nor custom to prevent
The creativity within us from bearing fruit.
Open our hearts to the call of the Gospel.
Give us courage and renewed hope,
That we may meet the challenge of being
The church of our time.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.

We found this prayer here

I've still been reflecting quite a bit on the subject of my last post -- how to live a life of gentleness in a world ridden with so much of the opposite. Although I can be a bit of a current events junky, I've found myself turning off news radio for vast amounts of time because I've found myself unable to emotionally handle less and less the despair and destruction I hear about on the news. And amidst such terrible news, I have had a hard time being gentle with myself as well. I keep needing to tell myself I don't have to do everything and it is ok that I can't save the world. In the midst of a difficult, yet sunny summer, I came across this article: "Joy Requires Tending" by Lynn M. Levo, CSJ, Ph.D. My hope in sharing this piece is that we can all find inspiration to move out of despair by tending our joy.

After a few months of ending our 2010-2011 volunteer year and transitioning into the summer, our hiatus from the blog ends! As the new person at FCV I have been transitioning myself -- as a part of this time I have been soaking up the ideas and history that mark this program. Many of the volunteers and staff have read Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, so I've been reading through it these past weeks, bringing about several reflections.

Shane helped found The Simple Way in Philadelphia, a community known as a group leading the way in the New Monasticism Movement. Shane and his friends at The Simple Way practice simplicity, nonviolence, and service to the poor. In his book Shane tries to explain that he is not attempting to be an attention-grabbing radical, instead he calls himself an "ordinary radical--" he is just doing what he believes all Christians are called to do. Much of the book is quite challenging -- he doesn't think it is very easy for rich people to go to heaven and he decries the oppressive systems, such as the military-industrial complex and economic class divisons, that mark United States' society. I have to admit, some parts of the book ruffled my feathers, perhaps because I would like to follow the Christian call the way he does, but find myself unable. But in general I agree with Shane, I agree with his social analysis, with his frustration with lukewarm Christians and apathetic middle class lifestyles. I also appreciated, however, his own personal evolution through the book. He acknowledges he began his journey with much more condemnation of those who hold onto their wealth, or live their religion differently than him. Near the end of the book, he increasingly accepts the different ways others live out their Christianity and starts calling for an end to self-righteousness and, instead, the development of gentleness and love with one another.

A few passages stood out to me:

"Just as 'believers' are a dime a dozen in the church, so are 'activists' in social justice circles nowadays. But lovers are hard to come by. And I think that's what our world is desperately in need of -- lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are cocnerned about. We are trying to raise up an army not simply of street activists but of lovers -- a community of people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them."

Later Shane calls for a "gentler revolution:"

"Protesters are everywhere, but I think the world is desperately in need of prophets, those little voices that can point us toward another future. Some of us have spent so much time fighting what we are against that we can barely remember what we are for....Most people are aware that something is wrong. The real question is, What are the alternatives?
Protestors are still on the fringes like satellites, revolving around the system. But prophets and poets lead us into a new world, beyond simply yelling at the old one."

Gentleness. This word and these passages stood out to me while I read his last few chapters and reflected on the current state of our country. Swirling around me is political gridlock over the national debt ceiling and the Minnesota state budget. Few are able or willing to compromise. Indeed, during my drive to work I spend a lot (perhaps too much) time listening to National Public Radio. The stories don't get any better. The environment in our country seems laden with antagonism, division, and partisanship. Where is the gentleness? Like Shane, I see the need for those of us who struggle with apathy to feel some righteous anger and injustice, to rise up and fight with the poor and oppressed for rights and justice. But can our righteous anger go too far? Do we sometimes need to step back and remember how to balance what we are against and what we are angry about with what we love and how we want to promote peace? I am not sure how to do this, how to love those people we struggle to like, how to really empathize with "the other," but in the current environment of anger and hurt, I think it is time to try.

If you are interested in reading Shane's book, here is the full publication information:
Shane Claiborne, Irresistable Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2006).
If you don't have time to read the whole book, listen to Shane describe his life and work on Krista Tippett's radio show Speaking of Faith.

Photo Credits: http://www.goodreads.com and http://focuswear.ca

Bro. Mickey McGrath, OSFS
KC
Today's feast snuck up on me. Probably taken by the sun that has finally awakened, or dazed by the carpooling I did this weekend to make it to my family's cabin-opening, up north. During this car trip I was voraciously reading a book called The Help. The story is about "the help" of southern households and their experiences as such, in the midst of the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. The stories that these domestic workers share are heart-wrenching and heart-warming. I have been delighting in this vivacious cast of characters for the past four days.

I am certain that is why I was so struck when I walked by the Franciscan chapel this morning, by the picture of the Visitation that had been prominently displayed, the Windsock Visitation. it is my favorite depiction of the exchange between Mary and Elizabeth; when Elizabeth's child, John the Baptist leaps within her at the arrival of the Savior in Mary's womb. These two women, though not dressed in the white uniform of The Help, exude the same energy and personality of the spirited lives of the women I have been reading about. Their love for one another is visible.

This deja vu experience stirred questions within me about my own encounters with the Spirit as well as the lines I have drawn in my own life, in the routine and unexpected. I hope for the the stamina to love, tangibly, for the wisdom to recognize the Spirit when it knocks and the courage to open the door when it does.

(Charles Schulz)

It has been a real treat this year, keeping up with our alum as they travel, study, find jobs, get married and move, but May has been an exceptional month! Not only did we get the support of one of last year's group at our Taste of St. Cloud, but this week we had two alum join our current volunteers for supper and prayer on Monday. What a riot to have a room full of these folks who are so interconnected in the intentional community quirks from one year to the next. We have been blessed to have one of these alum in town all week. She generously shared a reflection with me which deserves sharing:

A.L.
"...Nearly a year later, I still cherish the Tau cross and all the encouraging notes we received from the Sisters through the year, but what vividly stayed with me are not only the sweet memories but the sincere lessons learned. I don't consider myself an expert on the three pillars of FCV, that is, intentional community, selfless service and open-hearted spirituality, but what I did genuinely experience during those ten months greatly impacted and altered my world-view, which influences my daily life still. God used that time to shape me, even if minutely at first, and I see this more and more in retrospect.

For instance, I feel I have a keener understanding of what joyful brother/sisterhood is like. It is not selfish for sure. Also as an intentional community member last year, I learned things about myself that might otherwise go unnoticed. These revelations were sometimes positive but usually unflattering. Though isn't that a pivotal part of sincere growth, recognizing these things? Since leaving, I continue to notice a few of those positive characteristics prevailing and there was definitely a visible decrease in a good few of those flaws. I learned the importance of grace and I extend it much more freely and naturally...It is my prayer that these lessons learned are important to God and that is why he would have me learn them. Through being tried and refined that year, such lessons are better ingrained in me and I recollect and apply them more naturally and liberally than before, hopefully for His sake and glory."

What a gift it is to be a part of these journeys! Thank you.

Photo Credit Michelle Schefveland

I remember Mr. S, my sixth grade science teacher, telling me that liquid water always expands to fit the container into which it is poured. I found the same to be true of our guests at our 2nd annual Taste of St. Cloud, as our expanded space invited even more folks to come out and celebrate with us than last year. Though it was certainly roomier than our previous years' gathering, I was amazed by the way our guests filled in at tables and around vendors, listening to the musicians, and enjoying the sun on the southern deck.

We were thrilled by the many familiar faces that were present (Franciscan Sisters, Associates, St. Francis High School Alumnae, FCV alum, FSLF Staff, etc.) on Monday, and even more excited by the numbers of people we were meeting for the first time. No doubt there was a wide array of reasons for coming: to visit with old friends, to try many local restaurants in one fell swoop, to connect with Franciscan Sisters or the Franciscan Community Volunteers. Though, it is our hope that all of those who joined us that day learned a little something new about the program (FCV) that they so heartily supported.

It is an exciting time of the year both because of the volunteers' level of confidence in the job that they have been doing and the expertise that they bring to it, along with their evolving plans for the coming months. That paired with the enthusiasm of the incoming group's enthusiasm and curiosity around the journey that they are agreeing to enter into. There is something bittersweet of this thrust of growth, and in turn, moving on. Our 2010-11 FCVs will finish up their year of service next month with a closing retreat at Clare's Well. Thank you for the many ways your prayers and presence have supported this group.

Plans are already underway for next year's Taste which is to take place at Territory Golf Course on May 7th, 2012. Mark your calendars and plan to join us again!

In St. Cloud, MN we're celebrating Easter, spring, upcoming graduations and the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere (finally!). What better way to capitalize on such a collection of happy events than by coming out to the Territory Golf Course for the Taste of St. Cloud on Monday May 2?! There will be food from 16 local restaurants, live music, excellent silent auction items, Franciscan Sisters, Franciscan Community Volunteers and plenty of community supporters. Tickets are $25 online (click here) or $30 at the door on Monday. Proceeds go to support the FCV program, which provides over 7,000 hours of community service annually.
We hope to see you there!

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C.S.
Lent is a time in the Church year when Christians focus on the Paschal Mystery, meaning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Lent is a time to relate to and
ponder the cross of Jesus Christ. Do we view the cross as a place of guilt and judgment or a place of conversion and freedom?

Pondering these questions brings me to my knees. It gets me to wrestle with some very core questions. Who am I? Whose am I? What is most important in my life? What is freedom? In choosing to love is it necessary to choose to suffer?
St. Francis spent much of his life contemplating the Cross of Jesus. In this contemplation he asked and pondered a basic question, "Who are you God and who am I, Francis?" It is in front the Cross of Jesus, that Francis discovers God's unconditional love. Francis comes to know a God who always chooses to Love. Love is God's very essence. Gradually Francis comes to know that the reason God became one of us in our humanity as Jesus was precisely to teach us by word and example what it means to love.

It is before the Cross of Jesus that Francis also discovered his own purpose for life itself, namely to turn from selfishness in order to choose to love God and to choose to live a life of love. This kind of love is not easy, there is a cost to love. Jesus expressed his immense love for us when he chose to accept his own cross and death on our behalf. Francis sought to love like Jesus did-and this for him was a life of daily conversion.

What an example Francis is for me. As a Franciscan, I'm realizing more and more that my life too is basically a call to love. It too, is a call of conversion meaning I need to turn from selfishness to love. Even a life of daily conversion in itself would be totally impossible except that I know that God takes the initiative in loving me whether I love or not. The way of daily conversion is to rely on God's love and grace to help me to be able to freely choose to love.

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KC
Working with Franciscans, I have observed a great many traditions that cause me to ask where I have learned (or not) to ritualize the important occasions that mark a lifetime: birthdays, death anniversaries, feast days, days of Sacramental celebrations, etc. What beauty there is in dwelling upon the Spirit that animates the lives that have passed and those that continue to live on in us. A thing I have vowed to 'do' better.

I am told that I am named after my great grandma, Catherine, who single-handedly raised nine children under one small roof in rural Wisconsin. I never had the privilege of meeting her, though I have heard stories and often thought of the connection we might have shared. No doubt her hands were raw and she spent late nights to ensure her children were clothed and fed. No doubt, she was a force to be reckoned with. There are days I relish this history; days I need to be reminded of my own strength.

Other days, I wonder. Was there someone that spoke to my great grandma Catherine, who, gave her solace on days her load seemed too heavy to bear? I've often imagined it to be Catherine of Siena, the peacemaker who brought unity to a divided Church. It could have been, Catherine of Alexandria, intercessor and evangelist who accompanied my grandmother through nights of worry? It has not been until recently that I discovered Katharine Drexel (who celebrates her feast day today), likely my great grandmother's contemporary, who though poor, challenged perceptions of fair treatment of people, particularly Native Americans. It begs the question in my heart, to which 'Catherine' am I innately connected?

I love imagining these possible relationships-past and mulling about what these women have to share with me now. And when I do, Rainer Maria Wilke's words echo in my ear: "Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

Amen

E.M.
A little over a week ago, we headed to Otter Tail for a weekend of relaxation and reflection. We had a chance to wander outside onto the frozen Otter Tail lake, sit by the fire, and play a crazy game of charades.

We had time to reflect on the past 6 or so months and look forward to the decisions about "what next" that are looming in front of us. The weekend was much needed time away from the busyness of work and everyday life. I know that I spend much of my week running from appointment to meeting and don't take the time to see where God is leading. The retreat weekend gave the volunteers time to take a breather and think about where we are being led after this year.

A couple of weeks ago we re-visited an old movie that resulted in an impressive, introspective conversation. Enjoy the snip-its.

***
The repetition of our service sites in our day to day existence, in many ways, parallels the plot of Groundhog Day. We go to work, come home, go to work, come home, shovel; we can easily get lost in our own stories and not see the impact that we have on others in our lives. Here lies the connection to the film- we can awaken our caring, aware selves to break the routine of our days and see each day as its own world, its own universe. Like Bill Murray, many of us can lose sight of our best selves; however, like Bill Murray, we can learn to adapt to our surroundings and live to conquer our situation.
***
As I watched the movie, Groundhogs Day, I found myself feeling a variety of emotions...He was so puffed up with pride, and expected that everyone was there to 'dance' to his arrogant desires. Even after several repeated opportunities to 'grow up' he continues to be immature, full of self-pity and self indulgence.
At times I found myself laughing at the trap that he was experiencing. When would he finally get it? And then was I identifying with him and my laughter at him perhaps was ironically also laughing at myself?...
Happiness does not come from outside of a person but from within. The endless cycle of unhappy events doesn't change for Murray until he looks within himself and decides to make the breakthrough and redirects his focus outside of himself. How true it is that selfishness traps a person but by choosing to be other-centered truer happiness can reign.
***
Faced with the challenge of living life on repeat, he initially copes by satiating himself in instantly gratifying ways. His struggles to find meaning and purpose in Punxsutawney lead him to a path of hedonism. Not surprisingly, he finds his attempts to either be futile or empty...Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of redoing our days until the lesson sinks in. And, many people do see their lives as repetitive and lacking in meaning. Take every opportunity to redeem yourself and begin anew. Pick up the broken pieces. Try again. It is okay to mess up. So long as you don't quit, one day you will find a way to fix "it". It is through this process by which we hone our skills, ourselves and our relationship with God.
***
I was touched by the radically different ways that Phil approached February 2 throughout the movie. At the beginning of the film he is sarcastic, angry and impressed with himself. As he continues to wake up on the same day, his attention is divided by the variety of ways he can spend his time-his character changes from one of completely self-absorbed motives, to one who lives with great attention to others. What begins as possibly the low-point of a TV weatherman's year, a report from Punxsutawney, PA, can range from angry and self-pitying to a day when he is lovingly received by another. He sees himself as a better person and is seen as such. Although he is trapped inside a day that is not of his choosing, he is given a great opportunity to encounter himself-with all of the negative and positive attributes therein. I have to ask myself if the same were to happen to me, what would I find and would I like what I saw?

KC
After celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and attending the birth of a new baby the same evening, I have been thinking a lot about waiting. The kind of waiting that reminds you that what is coming is going to be significant: a test score, x-ray results, preparation for marriage, having a baby, waiting for Christmas. As Christians, we have a long history of waiting-and reaping the benefits, spiritual and otherwise, of that wait. The liturgical milieu of waiting can include fasting, retreating, Sacramental preparation, Advent wreaths-each occasion in which we hope to be changed by our participation in that larger event.

Perhaps it was the very honest observation made in the delivery room by a first time father that struck me: "I didn't realize it took so long to get to the delivery part." What resonated so deeply with me was the idea that coming to the hospital tonight probably meant for him, an end to the waiting; Participation in that famous scene from a movie, the main event, the end result! And it is, mostly. The more I thought about it, I wondered: Isn't that the very thing we long for as Christians, ministers, human beings? To witnesses first-hand (and immediately, of course!), the fruits of our [God's] labors?

And there it is-sweet humility.

The end result, no matter my role as participant in the work of an idea/process/baby, is that it is not any more mine in the end than it was God's to begin with! This is where my heart has settled this Advent season-gratitude for my role as participant in something much greater than I could have imagined. I have long loved the prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero, but understand it with new perspective this year.

Happy Advent!

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E.M.



In the past 2 months, I have been welcomed by St. Cloud. I have learned my way around town, mastered the bus schedule, and navigated doctor's visits with medical terminology that was as foreign to my ears as it was to the Somali refugees I helped. In turn, I have welcomed refugees to St. Cloud. A couple people have observed that I "learned" St. Cloud alongside the Somali refugees I help. I agreed - we both came here around the same time without knowing anything about the city. That is, until one made a comment to me. She said, "but you're not learning in a new language."

Her comment struck a chord with me. She was right. I don't have to wave my hands and say "no English" when people try to explain something to me. I can read the bus maps, street signs, medical information, and anything else thrown my way. Minnesotans may have a different accent than Ohioans, but we still speak the same language. Many of the refugees I work with at LSS are not able to successfully read the bus maps when they first arrive or visit the doctor by themselves - without the help of an interpreter. This is a new world for them. St. Cloud, despite being more agriculturally based, isn't a world away from my home in Ohio. I didn't travel across the world from the refugee camps of Nakivale in Uganda or Ifo in Kenya. I've kept her comment in mind as I've worked with other refugees, remembering that the difficulties they face as they transition into life in St. Cloud.

CS
The shorter days, the cooler weather as well as the changing color of the trees and the ringing of the school bell across the street all speak to me today of the need to let go of summer for autumn is upon us. Everywhere there are icons of autumn; geese honking their farewells, squirrels scurrying to fill their winter cupboards, and fall harvesting. Much as I'd like to hang on to the warmth and light of summertime I know it is not possible. When it comes to the changing of the seasons I am not in control.
So I ask myself, what's the message in all of this? For sure with the harvesting of produce: tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, beets, pumpkins, I find myself needing to celebrate a festival of Thanksgiving. From the tiny seeds planted just a few months ago, Mother Earth has multiplied fresh produce to stock our cupboards. Thanks God!
Another message of the arrival of Fall and the approaching Winter season is the necessity to be open to change and transformation in all of life, especially my own. The bittersweet truth in the air is a chilling reminder that all things are transitory. We are reminded that we are not to cling to God's Gifts.and that we are not God. At the same time we have the confidence that our God is a giver of gifts for all kinds of weather and all stages of our inner transformation.
So the Season of Fall is an invitation to let go, to yield, to welcome transformation. I'm reminded of the Scripture reading from the Prophet Isaiah, "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" For me I'm hearing, "what in my life needs to fall away like fall's colored leaves, so another life waiting in the wings can have its turn to live?"

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W.E.
Last week, the Franciscan Community Volunteers went to Camp Shamineau. It was a wonderful day full of team-building exercises: crawling through the forest in blindfolds, unraveling a series of human/rope knots and zip lining. Oddly, the most startling revelation of the day came very early on. Our wonderful guide, Charlie, broke the ice by asking us which cartoon character we identified with the most. The answer was indubitably, Eeyore!
I did not flinch. I did not second guess. I knew. From the tender age of 7, this beloved A. A. Milne character has captured my heart. My favorite picture of Eeyore is one where he is sitting while a butterfly rests on his nose. It illustrates unquestionable gentility and innocence. It gives us a glimpse of his imperfection and how that makes the world more beautiful. Truly, Eeyore was Franciscan by heart.
I have grown to appreciate the Eeyorean heart. First, Eeyore is persistent. He unceasingly rebuilds his house after its continuous collapse. Second, people take him at face value and dismiss him because he isn't bouncy, happy or charming. Yet, he is the only character in the show that was able to grow a plant out of love and compassion. Even Rabbit, the farmer, failed to succeed at this feat. Eeyore is often overlooked. I feel that I am too; hence, I am a sad person, a blue person, but mostly, a more introspective person. Some people fear sadness. I do not. I embrace it. I wish to see beyond your facade and be there for you.
Halfway between screaming for dear life and freefalling into the Minnesotan forest, I realized that I am not just like him. I AM Eeyore. I came to this new Hundred Acre Wood, looking for community and peace. I hoped that I wouldn't be too different or peculiar. I hoped that everyone else would be bluish gray and come with a detachable tail. Instead, I found myself in the middle of bouncing Tiggers, thoughtful Piglets and Vegetarian Poohs. I sigh to myself and said, "Oh well, this is beautiful too!"

C.T.

How do we ensure that the dignity of those we meet is respected and upheld?

As Christians we are brought up to recognize that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision of society, a principle grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image and likeness of God. That is, that the person is the clearest reflection of God among us. Many of our values stem from this understanding: God's decree, captured in Matthew 25, "Truly, whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me", offers it as the justification for the preferential option for the poor: the "least among us", cloaked as they may be in a distressing disguise, are Christ revealing himself.

Since arriving in St Cloud I have been struck by the cohesiveness of the community, by the social structures that are in place to protect and nurture the rights of the poor. As in all communities, however, sometimes the dignity of a people is disrespected. January saw several anti-Islamic drawings posted in two locations in St Cloud, both home to Somali communities and businesses. Deeply offensive, the pictures defiled the most sacred and loved part of Islam in extremely vulgar ways.

In the outpouring of sentiment and argument several questions came to the fore about basic, human rights and responsibilities. While the person who posted the cartoons did so with a legal freedom, our faith teaches us that with every right comes a responsibility, in this case, to respect the beliefs of others.
With this individual responsibility overlooked, however, comes the responsibility of the community: of Saint Cloud, to reconcile and alleviate the harm.

For me, our responsibility as a community to act is intricately linked with our call towards a preferential option for the poor, the two moving hand in hand, for is it not to the marginalized and poor that injustice is often done? Though the Somali community and Muslims in general may not to wear the usual cloak of the poor, the privations and deprivations engendered by the cartoons inflicted a form of poverty: in denying the dignity of the central figure in Islam, the cartoons impoverished Muslims as much as, if not more than, the deprivation of material goods.

Admittedly, I often find myself wondering how to enact a preferential option for the poor in my daily life, especially when I may not have direct contact on a daily basis with those who are marginalized. However, a Town Hall meeting organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations offered one such opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who had been hurt by the cartoons. Students, teachers and elders of all backgrounds came together to discuss the cartoons: their meaning, intent and ramifications for St Cloud and, in particular, the relationship between the Somali and American communities. Certainly, I don't believe that my presence by any means moved mountains, or even shoots of grass, but I do think that, as Christians, we are called to do something.

In other words, to live lives that follow more than faith-based charity, which allows oppressive systems to stay in place and, at its best, offers crumbs from the table to the hungry. In this case, to turn a blind eye to the cartoons, resigning ourselves to the fact that acts like these "just sometimes happen". If we want to truly live out our faith and bring about God's kingdom on earth, we are called, indeed impelled, to take up faith-based justice. That is, to find deep within ourselves a desire to change existing systems and offer those in need a place at the table. To bring them up to the level of equality, respect and dignity which we enjoy in our lives.

For this, dialogue is essential. Of course, reality is complex and such dialogue requires conviction of its importance, persistence and compassion. However, I am comforted with the understanding that every journey begins with one, small step and that no step is too small in the eyes of God.

As we struggle to reconcile this wrong, I pray that God gives us the courage and conviction to move towards taking this first step in each of our lives, however large or small an imprint it leaves.

(Image link: http://gnews.com/world/Images/31135323615)
A.L.
As updates from Haiti continue to pop up, with more and more haunting, devastating and disturbing images and stories, my heart can't help but break for everyone involved. I'm almost sick to my stomach at every news article or blog I read that adds more detail to the destruction.
I imagine that this is the Holy Spirit grieving within me. I definitely feel that if I hadn't opened my heart to Him a few years ago, I would've been a lot more numb about this tragedy. It makes my stomach churn to think that, but then again, I'm sinful and my "heart is desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). God, however, isn't. His compassion and sorrow and nausea over the pain in Haiti right now are deep and everlasting. God is among the suffering, He is right there in Haiti with his hurting creation. He is suffering alongside them and losing loved ones with them. God never fails to astound me in that He identifies with those He loves.

As an FCVer, I was naturally interested in the Franciscan participation in relief efforts. In his official appeal to the Catholic community, the Pope actually gives a shout out to the Franciscan and Dominican orders, both of whom take vows of poverty and who have both been present in Haiti, establishing communities there well before the earthquake hit earlier this week. A particular group of Franciscan Friars have taken to various Haitian cities in the past quarter of a century; in the capital of Port-au-Prince, as far as I've learned a handful of Friars and Postulants have settled in the poorest district there to serve.

In the Pope's appeal, there is a gem that he closes with that I felt should be shared. Amidst his obvious empathy and compassion upon the affected Haitians and his urging for immediate aid by the Catholic community, he is sure to pair his message with the mission of all Catholic orders, to spread the Gospel.

"At the beginning of this year we invoke Holy Spirit, the eternal youth of the Church; may he help everyone feel the urgency to provide a consistent and courageous witness to the Gospel, so the world will never lack holy men and women, who make the Church radiate, to render it capable of irresistibly attracting the world to Christ, to his salvation. "

- Quote from Pope Benedict XVI, at the close of his appeal for the Catholic Church to reach out to Haiti

My heart warmed when I read this. The Pope here is urging the Church to be instruments in reaching the world with the Gospel message, "irresistibly attracting them to Christ" as he puts it eloquently. In his appeal he pledges the wholehearted support of the Catholic Church to support and care for the victims and families thereof. His remarks are found amidst a whirlwind of unity, support and focus on this poor country; he isn't alone in his desire to stir up numb communities. It's everywhere. I myself found out about the catastrophe on Twitter, simply following the trend for hours until my eyes blurred and I couldn't think clearly. I read appeals from Haitians themselves, who had barely survived collapsed buildings, immediately followed by pleas for aid, and links to groups like Unicef, Compassion International and Red Cross. Thanks to such incredible communication technologies, everyone is connected, on the same page and thus unified, I think, in a way the world has never been after a natural disaster before.