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Did you know that a daily reflection is posted on our Facebook page, or that it is also shared with a Portuguese translation by our Sisters in Brazil? Take a look! 
Issue 4.16
August 23, 2016
Feast of St. Rose of Lima
 
Dominican saint, Rose of Lima is recognized as patron saint of Peru and of all South America. Born in 1586, she was named Isabel but was commonly referred to as Rose because of her beauty. 

As a young girl Rose served those who were sick, poor and hungry. She devoted her time to prayer and penitential practices. In 1606, Rose became a Dominican of the Third Order choosing strict enclosure, contemplation, and a life of severe austerity. "The gifts of grace increase as the sorrows increase." - Rose of Lima
Focus on Francis: Conversion
By: Arlene McGannon, Vice President of Mission, St. Joseph's Hospital
This is the next installment in a series of reflections distributed by Arlene to St. Joseph's Team Members. 

  A conversion is a turning away from one way of thinking, believing or behaving, and taking on another. The word is most often associated with a deeply spiritual experience, when a person's life is completely changed by an encounter with God.
   In his 20s, Francis of Assisi underwent a profound spiritual conversion. After being captured as a soldier and held as a prisoner of war for over a year, he returned home a changed man. Francis went from a being a self-centered, affluent, strong-willed young man to one who renounced all earthly wealth and possessions and wanted only to follow God's will for his life. The transformation was so shocking that his father was convinced Francis had lost his mind.
   The Franciscan spirit is one that is willing to change, sometimes radically, so that God can have first place in one's life. As a Team Member in a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, how does that speak to you and your life?
 
Sr. Anne Dougherty in Rwanda
 
   Since August 5, 2016, Sr. Anne Dougherty has been in Rwanda, Africa, where she was teaching  Post Trauma Stress and Resiliency with the University of Hartford, Connecticut to teachers who are survivors of genocide.
   The purpose of the seminar was to give the teachers the knowledge to build resiliency in their own students. The 446 participating teachers graduated on August 18. "It was an incredible experience," Sr. Anne said of her time in Rwanda. 
   Following the graduation, Sr. Anne spent a day at the Rwanda Genocide Museum, which serves as a permanent memorial for the over 250,000 Rwandans killed in the 1994 genocide, an educational space on genocides worldwide, as well as a place of solace and peace for both survivors and visitors. 

Remembering Sr. Elizabeth Sweeney
Taken from her biography written by the Sisters of Divine Mercy

   Sr. Elizabeth Sweeney, foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Divine Mercy in  AnĂ¡polis , Brazil, and former Allegany Franciscan, died on August 12, 2016 following a lengthy illness.
   Sr. Elizabeth, a native of Binghamton, New York, found herself drawn to minister in Brazil and i n 1952, while in the novitiate,  v olunteered to serve there. The congregation had other plans for her; however, in 1969 she was approached to go to the Santa Casa Anapolis, Goias, Brasil, as administrator of the hospital. It was there that she came to know and love the poor. 
   As the years went on she was drawn into a more c ontemplative life based on prayer, simplicity, and poverty. Not wanting to separate herself from her Allegany sisters, but respecting canon law, she became the Foundress, along with Sr. Ignez Gonzales, of the Franciscan Sisters of Divine Mercy in 1989. They  applied for official approbation from the Holy See in 1998, which was granted in 2002. At the time of her death, the Franciscan Sisters of Divine Mercy number 34 professed sisters.

LCWR Assembly 2016
Embracing the Mystery: Living Transformation

   We know that r eligious life will continue to experience deep and significant changes as we move into the future. This year's LCWR assembly in Atlanta, Georgia, was designed to assist leaders in reframing their perspectives away from diminishment and toward transformation. Designed to help members view the changes occurring in religious life - with all of its pain and challenge - as significant opportunities for growth, the assembly offered ideas and insights on how to embrace the invitation to transformation. The assembly was conducted as an experience of contemplative engagement. Designed to help leaders learn, reflect on, and discuss this transformational opportunity for religious life in a contemplative manner, participants also left with contemplative engagement skills that they can apply to their own leadership ministry.
   The following resources are available:
St. Joseph's Hospital President featured in TAMPA Magazine's 10 Leading People 
From TAMPA Magazine

   Lorraine Lutton is the President of St. Joseph's Hospital, the busiest not-for-profit health care provider in Hillsborough County.  In the Emergency/Trauma Center alone, an outstanding team of emergency medicine professionals provide care to more than 150,000 children and adults annually. On a daily basis, more than 4,700 team members work together throughout the hospital to provide excellent care to about 450 inpatients.
   Lutton has been instrumental in the hospital's growth and ability to serve the community. St. Joseph's Hospital has also become known for its programs in Stroke, Neuroscience, and Orthopedics, as well as advancements in imaging services, surgical services, and more.
   Lutton's interest in health care began when she volunteered at her local hospital as a teen and continued after her graduation from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA when she started working at the University of California, Santa Diego Medical Center as their quality manager. "The quality manager position was a great introduction to hospital management because I got to see how all the departments worked and interacted together," Lutton said.
   Under Lutton's leadership, St. Joseph's - along with its sister BayCare hospitals - have consistently earned the highest patient satisfaction ratings in the Tampa area.  "We have a wonderful group of professionals at St. Joseph's dedicated to high quality, compassionate healthcare," she said. "Everything starts with our team members and their interaction with and ability to listen to our patients."



Upcoming deadlines: 

September 7, 2016 - First edition e-newsletter
September 21 - Second edition e-newsletter