In this Issue:

Peak of the Week!

Welcome Sister Death

Mission Society Christmas Cards

Motherhouse Happenings

Founder's Day Feature -

St. Joseph's Hospitals

Gratitude Dinner with Former BayCare CEO

Mother Teresa Booklets

Faith Sharing at St. Elizabeth's Motherhouse

Chaplain at the Polls

Adventures in Mozambique

Adventures of Horseback

Peak of the Week!

Something to make you smile this month!

November 17

Use Less Stuff Day

This unofficial holiday encourages people to buy and use fewer things in order to reduce environmental waste and lower their energy use.

The holiday was created as a response to the huge amounts of trash created by people around the U.S. during the holiday season that begins with Thanksgiving day and ends with New Year celebrations. Some estimates show that trash production in the U.S. increases by 25% during the winter holiday season. This means that American families generate about 4 to 5 million ton of extra waste in just a matter of a month!

Celebrating Use Less Stuff Day is easy - just reduce, reuse and recycle.

Did You Know…

…that about 38,000 miles

of ribbon is used and

discarded around the holidays every year?

This is enough ribbon

to tie a bow

around the Earth!

November 24

Celebrate Your

Unique Talent Day

Embrace your unique talent and celebrate it, no matter how quirky it is on

Celebrate Your

Unique Talent Day.

Sing out loud from the rooftops, dance on the streets, paint a picture, jump through hoops or wiggle your nose. Our unique talents are some of the things that make us who we are and in many cases define our personalities and our outlook to life.

This unofficial holiday of unknown origins encourages people to wholeheartedly accept their special talent and showcase it to the world.

Did You Know…

…that talent was once an ancient measurement of weight? It was also used as a way to value work. A talent in ancient Greece was equivalent to about

55 pounds or

25 kilograms of silver.

November 26

Cake Day

Have your cake and eat it too on one of the greatest holidays ever invented.

Cake has been everyone's favorite dessert since ancient times, though the earliest cakes were more like bread and were usually sweetened with honey. These cakes were mostly used for religious purposes and in religious and cultural ceremonies and were usually round in shape

since they were made and

molded by hands.

In modern times, cake is seen as a symbol of celebration. Most special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and weddings prominently feature cakes.

In popular culture, the term "cake day" is also sometimes used to refer to one's birthday.

To see where we found these fun holidays and check out more from around the world, visit: www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun 

Welcome Sister Death

Sr. John Francis Coyle 

Born: Phyllis Ann Coyle, December 10, 1922 in Alma, NY

Died: November 7, 2022 in St. Joseph Hospital, Tampa, FL

Daughter of: Philip J. and Lulu (Cook) Coyle, Bolivar, NY

Obituary:

Sr. John Francis entered the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany on February 2, 1945; was received into the Congregation on August 15, 1945; and professed her final vows on August 16, 1952. She joyfully lived the Mission and Charism of the Franciscan Sisters for over 77 years.

Phyllis attended elementary and high school in the Bolivar School System from 1928 – 1940. Following her high school graduation, she studied at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Buffalo, NY receiving her RN in Nursing in 1944. Sister pursued studies at Barry College, Miami, FL and Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where she received her BS in Nursing. She continued her education at Catholic University of America and received her Master’s in Administration in Nursing Education in 1958.   

Her initial ministry was at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach, FL as Head Nurse for 13 years. In 1959, she became the Director of Nursing at St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in Brighton, MA. Five years later, she was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital School of Nursing in Camden, NJ where she made her impact for 38 years, first as Director followed by the position as Dean. She was known as a firm but outstanding Nursing Director. Graduates from “Lourdes” had the reputation as excellent RN’s due to her commitment to her ministry.  

In 2002, Sister retired to St. Elizabeth Convent, Tampa, FL, following a brief period of time caring for her ill sister, Theresa. She was an avid reader and enjoyed solving crossword puzzles, so she took advantage of the free time that was now hers. One of her main delights was baking apple pies for the enjoyment of others. 

Sr. John Francis is predeceased by her parents, Philip J and Lulu (Cook) Coyle; her brothers, John and Francis; and her sisters Lucille, Theresa and Agnes. She is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A wake service is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 4:00 PM in the chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 9:30 AM in the chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. Burial will follow in St. Bonaventure Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Letro-McIntosh-Spink Funeral Home, Inc., 646 East State Street, Olean, New York. For condolences, please visit www.letromcintoshspinkfuneralhome.com. 

Send your special prayer blessings to friends or loved ones this Christmas with Christmas Mass enrollment cards from St. Elizabeth Mission Society. As members of the Mission Society, their intentions will be remembered at Christmas Eve Mass and in other Masses celebrated throughout the year in the Motherhouse Chapel. 

They will also share in the prayers and good works of our Sisters in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States. 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. 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 poor in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

Christmas cards, as well as various other enrollment cards, can be ordered online at https://www.franciscanhope.org/shop/ or you can call the Mission Society office at (716) 373-1130 or e-mail the staff at StEliz.Office.Manager.@FSAllegany.org for more information about ordering the enrollment cards. Christmas cards will also be available in the Mission Society office. 

On November 2, 2022, a celebratory dinner was held at the Franciscan Center to honor the retiring CEO of BayCare, Tommy Inzina and his wife Suzanne. Congregational Leadership and sisters that serve in the hospitals or on the boards were in attendance to share their gratitude. It was a wonderful gathering with many great stories to share from Tommy’s 29 years of working with St. Joseph’s Hospital and later BayCare.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Tommy and Suzanne and we wish them all the best as they begin their new adventure in retirement.

Mother Teresa O’Neil, OSF, is honored as the founding mother of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY. At the invitation of Fr. Pamfilo da Magliano, OFM, in 1859, a young Mary Anne O’Neil left New Jersey and travelled to Allegany, NY, where she joined two other women, who had also responded to an invitation by Fr. Pamfilo. Thus began a congregation of Franciscan sisters that continues to this day. 

We have created this booklet as a snapshot of the life of Mother Teresa, as written by Sister Veronica Rodriguez, OSF in her text, A Heritage: History of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY (1979), which was never published or widely distributed. When we rediscovered this section on Mother Teresa, we decided to share the story as told in a more personal way than in other histories of the Congregation. 

If you wish to obtain a copy of this historical booklet, please email our Congregational Archivist.

We hope you will enjoy reading about her and perhaps find in her life inspiration for the way we are being called to live today.

On October 7th, 2022, some of our sisters were joined by parishioners from St. Bonaventure Church and St. John's Parish for Faith Sharing at St. Elizabeth's Motherhouse in Allegany.

Our gatherings are on Fridays at 2:00 PM. People of all faiths are welcome to join us!

Would you mind telling us a bit more about your work as a Polling Chaplain?

How did you discover there was a need for a chaplain at the polls, and how did you come to take on the position?

"An Allegany Associate, former Bandmate and friend, Rosemary Weiss, emailed me the information about a month ago. I liked the idea and registered for the one-time on-line training session with Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD). Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner is the spokesperson for the Core Team that includes: Rev. Jim Wallis, Rev. Adam Taylor and Rev. Terrance McKinley."

What were your duties as a polling chaplain? 

"As nonviolent peacemakers, we provided a moral, prayerful presence to voters across the country. The training prepared us to act as a calming influence in face of potential threats of violence, such as the intimidation and obstruction of voters."

I found the experience personally rewarding. We were limited to the Philadelphia area; and I chose the Hill-Freedman Academy Station in the Mt. Airy section of the city. I also chose the 7:00 to 11:00 AM time slot. There was no violence at the Station while I was there. In fact, an atmosphere of serious, professional activity prevailed. 

There were three large classrooms set aside for four voter sub-sections. Soon after my arrival, I met Mack, (see photo) one of the Station managers. He spontaneously escorted me to each sub-section where he introduced me and my mission to the electoral staff. Then Mack called on me to offer a prayerful blessing for their work that day.

One of the Poll Watchers, Lauren, a later-in-life seminarian student, and I compared notes on Houses of Prayer and other efforts we are making to “inspirit” our neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, November 8, Sr. Goianira Silva arrived safely in Maganja da Costa and has been enjoying her time with our sisters and the people.

Sr. Harriet (far right) went for a ride on horseback with her former secretary at St. Mary's School, Gail Teeter, former Pre-K teacher, Robin Emm, former Pre-K aide, Linda Boylan, at Highland Forest.

Everyone had a wonderful time!