In this Issue:

Peak of the Week

Grief - A Poem

Preserving History Together

Old Motherhouse Property Update

Butterfly Garden Blossoms!

A Reflection on "A Portrait of Mother Teresa"

SOURCE

St. Elizabeth Motherhouse Happenings

The Hundredfold Arrives at

Unexpected Moments

The Dream Team Meets in Tampa

Celebrating Anne Dougherty, OSF

 Article From "Caring Together"

The Joliet Franciscans

Peak of the Week!

Something to make you smile this month

September 12th

Chocolate

Milkshake Day

Also known as thick shake,

a milkshake is a cold beverage made by blending together milk or ice cream with some sweetening agents and flavorings.

It is believed that the original milkshakes were alcoholic, though in its present day form milkshakes are generally associated with wholesome family meals. In many parts of the world, burgers, fries and milkshakes are considered to be a good food and beverage pairing.

Instead of making dark or milk chocolate milkshakes, why not make white chocolate milkshakes? Experiment with flavors. Add a bit of orange essence or mint to your chocolate milkshake. Or what about making a oreo or brownie batter chocolate milkshake?

September 13th

Positive Thinking Day

Is life getting you down?

If your answer is a yes, then Positive Thinking Day (PTD) on September 13 is just the holiday you need to celebrate.

The holiday, also known as International Positive Thinking Day encourages people to deal with difficult situations in life with optimism and positivity.

Positive thinking can have many benefits. Studies have shown that positive thinking can reduce stress and the risk of heart diseases, lower depression and increase life span. Some studies have even shown that positive thinking can increase the body's resistance to the common cold.

September 17th

National CleanUp Day

The third Saturday in September is

National CleanUp Day

in the United States.

The outdoors can bring a lot of joy and peace to those who enjoy hiking, walking, and climbing. Littering and trash, however, can not only ruin the experience, but it can also negatively affect the flora and fauna.

National CleanUp Day is an attempt to bring together those who love the outdoors and nature to help clean up trails, parks, beaches, and other natural communal spaces. The observance encourages people to make an effort to reduce littering and to recycle so that the nature around us remains clean and devoid of garbage.

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

Given the great losses we have had in the congregation, it seemed appropriate to share this poem on grief written by Pat Klemm a number of years ago. 

Grief washes over me

like an ocean wave

stealing my control,

pushing, swirling,

driving me down

into the sands of sorrow.

What is this powerful emotion

taking possession of my soul?

Unbidden it appears, unrelated

to the memories and events

against which I so carefully prepare.

How can it heal the pain

when each assault renews

the sense of emptiness 

and sadness comes again 

to take its primal place?

It cannot change the loss 

from which it rises and yet

somehow, in some unknowing way

it moves my battered heart

beyond the pain. 

Like a riptide, it must

be ridden without resistance

as it moves me to another place

where I can stand erect

and shakily secure.

January 12, 2003

In the Congregational Archives, we are always on the lookout for new pieces of history to add to the collection. Our Franciscan story is as varied as it is vast. The more storytellers we can add to the narrative, the better!

Last month, we were delighted to accept a donation of photographs from Margaret Howard, MSN, RN, MAPM. In 2001 and 2005, Margaret traveled to Brazil to volunteer as a nurse. On each of those trips, she met and spent time with the Allegany Franciscans who were ministering in the same area. Margaret generously offered to donate her photographs that included the Allegany Franciscans, such as the photo below.

In 2005, Margaret and three other volunteers spent two weeks working in a clinic that is run by the Allegany Franciscans in Goianorte, Tocantins, Brazil.

Photo depicts the clinic staff with (in back row) Dr. Bob Rento; Sr. Valdete Patrocínio, OSF; Margaret Howard, Sr. Eileen Clifford, MD; Shirley Tantillo; Sr. Maria Cecília Bandeira, OSF; and Sr. Patricia Reid, OSF.

Thank you, Margaret, for helping us to add a beautiful new story to the Archives’ Brazil collection!

If you have photographs of a ministry, mission, or project that involved the Allegany Franciscan Sisters, Associates, or a Sponsored Ministry, we hope you will consider donating them to the Archives and adding your voice to our story!

For more information about donating photos, please email Ellen Winger, Congregational Archivist, at archives@fsallegany.org.

"Officials from Allegany Rescue and EMS and Franciscan Sisters of Allegany stand Friday with a sign noting the future site of Allegany Rescue and EMS on Route 417. Construction is expected to begin next summer."

To read the full article, visit: Olean Times Herald, Allegany Rescue & EMS

In August the new butterfly garden at St. Elizabeth's Motherhouse was dedicated in memory of Sister Eva DiCamillo, OSF. A lover of nature and an avid photographer, Eva would undoubtedly be delighted to discover that the garden has already attracted new visitors! A monarch caterpillar currently calls the milkweed home as it awaits its transformation into a beautiful butterfly.

It did not take long for young women to seek out the treasure offered by Mother Teresa and decide to be part of that daring group that would bring forth life in Education, Healthcare, and in many other ministries in their own homeland, as well as in Jamaica, Bolivia, Brazil and now Africa. This Passion of God will not die. The charism is planted and bears fruits that, perhaps even if we are not aware of them, will continue to tell the story.

How I dreamed and wanted to meet our Foundress, to answer a question that has accompanied me all my life: why did Mother Teresa alone receive the privilege of the laurel of Foundress, when before her other young women had already started the journey? It seemed to me to be an injustice on the part of the Congregation.

Reading her story, although based more on outside impressions than words Teresa herself left for the understanding of future generations of sisters, I realize that she was a woman strong in convictions and in the management of her life and the young women who sought her company. These were dominant aspects that made her the Foundress.

Many times I have wanted to know more about Mother Teresa so that I could talk about her with the same ardor I feel when I hear other Congregations lovingly tell the story of those who dared to dream of a group that would become witnesses of their time and needs, and who would embrace the cause as only Jesus Christ did in his time, rescuing the dignity of the human person and giving him the space in a harsh lived reality that only he could assume and transform. So were all the founders in the diversity of causes. Mother Teresa was one of those founders who left their mark on history.

Thank you, from my heart, to the team that researched and wrote this story that enriches a memory that was hidden in the backstage of time, told to us who, too, do not know how to visualize the preciousness of so many women who left their marks in this way of life. May the Father have with Him his daughters who left this wonderful memory of our foundress.

A loving and grateful hug,

Sister Terezinha de Jesus Oliveira, OSF,

proud and grateful for her religious life consecrated in the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany.

SOURCE

By: Colleen Brady, OSF

Margaret Crowley, RSM (facilitator) shared her energy, experience and skills in a process which addressed mission, people, structure, and resources (MPSR). The core group was able to identify SOURCE as “a vibrant, inclusive and evolving spiritual network with persons of shared values connecting diverse local community initiatives in mutual support for the common good”. 

Next steps will involve individually getting to know local service groups, attending SOURCE meetings, and staying informed about SIS (Sisters in Solidarity). SIS is a local community initiative that evolved from the ministry partnership of Valarie and Liz through Catholic Volunteers in Florida (CVIF). SIS is a pilot project of SOURCE with the overall purpose “to provide Christ-like, spiritual support to single moms, vulnerable young women, and people on the margins who are seeking intentional community (with or without walls), where financial support, economic opportunities, shared resources, professional support, housing, and healthcare (mental and physical) is afforded to everyone so that all people can liv into their call and purpose.” 

Could this have been be the crowning of the Vocational Month, instituted in 1981, when, in their 19th General Assembly, the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), urged that this moment be a propitious time for prayers, reflections and actions in religious communities? Was this event included in the agenda of the Mãe Admirável Community? No, manifestations of divine providence are not limited to our willingness and disposition or to the need to do something different or just to fulfill a set demand. This was to be a day of recollection, thanksgiving, the living out a variety of experiences that extol fraternity.

An invitation was extended and accepted with great enthusiasm. A “never before” event in the life of two sister Congregations: the Poor Clare Sisters of the Anápolis Monastery and Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, in their communities at Mãe Admirável, Portiuncula and Menino Jesus.

The day was beautiful, lovingly prepared by our heavenly Father so that that sacred moment of our fraternal encounter would be marked with special blessings for all the sisters and so, with the presence of twenty Poor Clares, a script was elaborated for them to enjoy every moment of this unprecedented meeting: getting to know the Mãe Admirável Motherhouse where the first group of Poor Clare Sisters who came from the United States were welcomed and who lived with us while the monastery was being built; getting to know the Ecological Sanctuary so lovingly built for the enrichment of all who visit; along with moments of leisure in the pool, in friendly chats, in the exchange of experiences. All of this accompanied with the wine of love, friendship and a meal where the ties of Franciscan sisterhood were confirmed around the table.

What a day, Lord! We thank you because we could feel, until the every end, the sweet taste of being sisters and the promise of “the hundredfold” for those who are faithful to the call of the Kingdom.

It was truly a memorable and unforgettable day!

From August 29-31, meetings took place at St. Elizabeth Convent, Tampa, FL, brainstorming on options for future leadership models for St. Elizabeth Motherhouse.  

Sisters pictured left to right:

Back row: Judith Terrameo, Dolores O’Brien, Marlene Weidenborner, Bernadette Schuler, Melissa Scholl, Margaret Foley, Margaret Magee, J. Miriam Natale, Chris Tenn, Gwen Melhado.

Front row: Shirley Sweney, Mary Ellen Tucker and John Francis Coyle

On August 19th, members of the Tampa Bay community and the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany gathered to celebrate and acknowledge Sr. Anne Dougherty for her impact in the Tampa Bay community.

An open house hosted at St. Elizabeth Convent, provided the venue to acknowledge the tremendous impact made by Sr. Anne Dougherty for 17 years. Those in attendance came to wish Sr. Anne well as she continues her ministry in the Allegany, NY area.

Local community leaders shared stories and tangible examples of how Sr. Anne shared her Franciscan Charism and Spirituality with the Tampa Bay community. An impact that continues today.

Congratulations and well done, Sr. Anne!  

Sr. Anne has made an impact in many ways, including:

• Founding The Francis House, a place of respite for members of the HIV Community and their families, at a time when fear and misconceptions about the disease limited opportunities for care;

• Serving as Chaplain for:

• Tampa Police Department
• Clearwater Police Department
• Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Various First Responder Units in Tampa

• Executive Director, The Franciscan Center

• Worked with the poor and marginalized youth in Tampa Bay in preparation for the application process for college and vocational scholarships.

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