by Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Jul 24, 2023 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News, LCWR, Obituaries
. SISTER JOAN PHYLLIS DYREKS Feb 23, 1938 — July 16, 2023 . “What you hold, may you always hold. What you do, may you always do and never abandon.” — Letter of St. Clare to Agnes of Prague, 1237 This letter could easily have been written to our Sister Joan... 
by Jack Zimmerman, Friend of the Franciscan Sisters-OLPH | Dec 19, 2022 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News, Reflections, Uncategorized
Regifting gets a bad “wrap”—sorry for the terrible pun! During this season when we spend a lot of time and energy thinking about, shopping for, and purchasing presents, I think this practice deserves to be reconsidered. Sure, regifting can be a cheap and relatively... 
by Jack Zimmerman, Friend of the Franciscan Sisters-OLPH | May 23, 2022 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News
Here in southwest Wisconsin, spring has finally arrived. It took a while to get out into the garden due to rain falling every other day or so for weeks, but we were finally blessed with a dry stretch that made it possible to prepare the soil. As soon as I could, I... 
by Jack Zimmerman, Friend of the Franciscan Sisters-OLPH | Feb 22, 2022 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News, Reflections
What does the word “tenderness” bring to mind? Is it a young mother gently brushing the hair aside from her sleeping infant’s forehead? The nurse speaking words of reassurance to a scared patient? The gray-haired man spoon-feeding his wife who no longer remembers his... 
by Jack Zimmerman, Friend of the Franciscan Sisters-OLPH | Jan 13, 2022 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News, Reflections
When we love someone and want to grow closer to them, we try to get to know them better. We wonder about their lives. We observe how they speak; how they act and react. We ask about their families, their occupations. We consider their thoughts, feelings, preferences,... 
by Sister Cheryl Kemner | Aug 30, 2021 | Franciscan Blog, Franciscan Sisters News, Reflections
God is always with us. When the troubles of this world seem so very heavy, I, like many, look to God’s Creation for assurance, to find refuge and to seek balance. “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” — Psalm 19...