Franciscan-Clarian Spirituality Committee 

By: Judith Terrameo OSF

Franciscan-Clarian Spirituality Committee Chair

   The Franciscan-Clarian Spirituality Committee met at St. Clare's Convent in Tampa, FL February 22-24, 2019. The meeting began with a Friday morning mini-retreat led by Sr. Judith Terrameo, using a talk by Br. Bill Short OFM, entitled, "Hearing the Word, Doing the Word." Following the presentation, there was time for personal reflection and some deep sharing. This time of sharing was powerful and the movement of God's spirit very tangible in and through the whole group. This mini-retreat helped to feed and foster good conversation and sparked some very productive work within the group throughout the weekend.

   The committee reviewed its three-year plan to assure that we are on task with the goals we previously set forth. In regards to our goals, we remind you of the following that might be helpful:

   During our meeting we had a Skype call with Sisters Maria, Elvira, and Alba Luz Mejia Solis in Bolivia. The committee felt that it is important to reach out and connect with Maria and Elvira and we will schedule a Skype call with them at each of our meetings. It was also decided that we will send our Franciscan-Clarian Committee minutes to them after each of our meetings.

   As a committee we are aware of some challenges before us:

   We invite you to respond to the following question: Francis and Clare walked in the footsteps of Christ. In what way am I doing this in my daily life? Send your response to Sr. Judith Terrameo at [email protected]. We will publish these via the e-newsletter and the website.

 

   It is with sincere appreciation and gratitude that the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY and the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Center, Tampa announce that Sister Anne Dougherty , OSF, D. Min., will be retiring as President and CEO of the Franciscan Center effective March 1. 

   Sr. Anne has served the Tampa Bay community since the 1980s when she founded Francis House, a much-needed place providing services and support for people facing HIV and AIDS. Prior to her role at the Franciscan Center, Sr. Anne served as Administrator of Graduate Support at Academy Prep, a private, nonprofit school in Tampa. Presently, she is the Chaplain to the Tampa Police Department and the FBI, Tampa. She serves on the Tampa Bay Regional Critical Incident Team, from which Operation Restore was developed. In 2015 Sr. Anne developed the First Responders Post Trauma Training program, with the leadership and support of now retired Tampa Chief of Police, Jane Castor. Operation Restore has since served over 200 first responders throughout the Tampa Bay area. In 2014, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Human Rights Council awarded Sr. Anne with the Eddie Mitchell Memorial Award for her selfless time and efforts to help others and support the community.

   In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, Sr. Anne's commitment to the Center's mission can be commended by her interfaith retreat ministry to all. She will continue to support Franciscan Spirituality programming and the Post Trauma Training for First Responders at the Franciscan Center. We wish her well in her retirement!

 

   Recently, the church tabulated its weekly costs of operation, and determined that any amount they receive in donations above $9,475 will be given to a charity organization. Parishioners selected the charity by online voting. The Dwelling Place of NY was chosen as the recipient for any additional funds the church receives between January 1 and April 1, 2019.

   For more information on the initiative at the Church of St. Francis de Sales, click here.

 

   The St. Elizabeth Motherhouse community will host a viewing of Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 7 p.m. in the Motherhouse community meeting room. Cracking the Codes, produced by the World Trust, challenges us to understand and talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity.

    World Trust Educational Services is a non-profit social justice organization that provides deep learning, tools and resources for people interested in tackling unconscious bias and systemic racial inequity in their workplace, community and in their lives. Through film and dialogue, World Trust ignites courage and expands capacity to create a world free from racism.

   The film contains three sections:

Section 1: Social Determinants: History, Identity, and Culture
Section 2: Internal Components: Bias, Privilege, Internalized Racism
Section 3: External Relationships: Interpersonal, Institutional, Structural

   The film features moving stories from 24 racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Harley Eagle, Ericka Huggins, Yuko Kodama, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tillman Smith, and Tim Wise.

    The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshment will be served following the film. For more information on the World Trust and the Cracking the Codes film go to the website:

https://crackingthecodes.org/.