By: Patricia Demjan, Communications Coordinator, St. Elizabeth Mission Society

   As a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society shares in its spiritual aims, one of which is to advance the awareness of God's love. 

   One way the Mission Society accomplishes this is through spiritual enrollments using greeting cards. A colorful variety of cards, including sympathy, birthday, get well, all occasion and Christmas and Easter, are offered. What sets the cards apart from others, though, are the prayers of the Sisters and the blessings of the Motherhouse Masses that are bestowed upon those who send and receive them. 

   For a suggested donation of $3.00, the sender receives the card of his or her choice, which contains a brief enrollment form. This form is completed by the sender, who notes the name of the recipient, and returns it to the Mission Society. The recipient and the sender are then remembered in the Sisters' prayers and in the daily Masses in the Motherhouse Chapel. They also share in the good works of the Sisters as they conduct their missions throughout the world.

   Most enrollments are yearly, but perpetual enrollments are also offered. These are suitable for both honoring the living and remembering the deceased. The suggested donation for a perpetual remembrance is $15.00.

   Donations given for the cards are used to support the ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany who work to educate, heal, clothe and feed those who are desperately poor in Jamaica, Bolivia, Brazil and the United States. 

   All the card designs are made by Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and Mission Society staff. The full assortment can be viewed and ordered online at www.franciscanhope.org/store/products. Others may wish to call the St. Elizabeth Mission Society office at (716) 373-1130 or to e-mail the staff at [email protected] for more information about ordering the enrollment cards.

   April 22 is Mother Earth Day. 

   This year marks the 46th year of a movement that continues to inspire, challenge, and motivate people to action. International Mother Earth Day promotes a view of Earth as the entity that sustains all living things found in nature. It honors Earth as a whole and human beings place within it. More information is available at: http://www.un.org/en/events/motherearthday/