Franciscan Blog
Celebrating the Life of Sister Joan Phyllis Dyreks, OSF
Private funeral services for Sister Joan Phyllis Dyreks OSF will take place Friday, July 28, 2023. She will be laid to rest among her Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in a special section of Resurrection Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
In Praise of Regifting
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 thoughtless way of keeping up social conventions, but it doesn’t have to be.
Collaboration: God’s Gift
The more we practice and encourage daily collaborations, being neighborly despite our differences and “reaching across the aisle,” the better prepared we’ll be to take on issues that are too big for any one person or organization.
Trying Tenderness
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 name? The pastor patiently guiding and comforting the struggling adolescent? All of these are reflections—human expressions—of the “tender mercy” of God in whose image and likeness we are made.
Wonder-full Love
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, and priorities. As we understand them more, our love for them often grows.
The heavens are telling…
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.
Submit & Be Fruitful
Yielding in the sense of submitting isn’t a popular concept in mainstream, secular American culture. Truth be told, it doesn’t seem to be a driving force among most American Christians either. We’re much more interested in the capitalistic/individualistic aspect of yield—getting more or getting our way—than in giving way to God or to others.
Love Letter to the Sisters
“You shall know them by their fruits. Every good tree brings forth good fruit.” MT 7:16a & 17a Until a few short years ago, I had never heard the names Solana, Ernestine and Hilaria. The foundresses courageously followed God’s call to form the Franciscan Sisters...
Stay Open to Being Surprised by God
God’s universe is not structured the way we often think it is or how we think it should be. Why all this pain and suffering? But thank God that creation follows God’s pattern and plan and not ours! Like the women in chapter 16 of Mark’s Gospel, our intentions are...
Moving Beyond
Even though we’re a few weeks into Lent, it is not too late. Dedicate the remaining days, in unison with the global Church, to the traditional three-fold disciplines of Lent—or just one of them. You’ll be glad you did and so will all those who will be touched by your efforts, though you may never know who they are.