First, Do No Harm

Disclaimer: Habitually Speaking, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, and the Roman Catholic Church do not support any particular political party. The following entry is about a human rights violation that happens to be undertaken by the current administration of the United States. The political party is irrelevant,  because this issue is beyond party lines. Both Republicans and Democrats are upset about what has happened.

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One of my favorite things about our Community is our commitment to social justice.

• We stay informed on the status of human trafficking, and on January 11th, we had a special evening prayer for all human trafficking victims.
• Some of the Sisters at our Motherhouse and surrounding convents volunteer regularly at Hope House, which provides housing and services to help homeless people get back on their feet.
• Our Community also provides our lay employees, no matter what their jobs are, with a living wage and health benefits.

These are some of the issues that we are committed to. Very recently, we found another thing to be concerned about: one that affects us in a significant way, because we sponsor some Catholic hospitals.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan explains:

"all but a few employers will be forced to purchase coverage for contraception, abortion drugs and sterilization services even when they seriously object to them. All who share the cost of health plans that include such services will be forced to pay for them as well. Surely it violates freedom of religion to force religious ministries and citizens to buy health coverage to which they object as a matter of conscience and religious principle.
The rule forces insurance companies to provide these services without a co-pay, suggesting they are "free"—but it is naïve to believe that. There is no free lunch, and you can be sure there's no free abortion, sterilization or contraception. There will be a source of funding: you.

Coercing religious ministries and citizens to pay directly for actions that violate their teaching is an unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience. Organizations fear that this unjust rule will force them to take one horn or the other of an unacceptable dilemma: Stop serving people of all faiths in their ministries—so that they will fall under the narrow exemption—or stop providing health-care coverage to their own employees.

The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone. The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease." (http://usccb.org/about/media-relations/resources/wall-street-journal-op-ed-on-religious-freedom.cfm)

In order to be exempted from this new law, Catholic hospitals can only treat Catholic patients, and can only hire Catholic employees. Really, is that possible? Even if it was, would we want to be so exclusive? Never.

Doctors should be able to live out the Hippocratic Oath according to their consciences.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity are not backing down. We are joining the efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association of the United States to stop this law from taking effect. Our administration has asked us to participate through our prayers.

Please also pray for the protection of the freedom of conscience.

Photography and Basketball

Sr. Caritas Marie, Sr. Regina Rose, Sr. Leslie, Regina, and I just finished a game of basketball in the gym. We had a lot of fun together. It was 2 on 3, so we kept switching up the teams and we played zone ball so that a person would only be guarded by one person.

I also got a chance to practice shooting some action photos for my digital photography class. I experimented with the settings, and realized that if I have to choose, I prefer the "grainy" look to the "blurry" look.



Grainy look




Blurry look


I am hoping to learn how to get somewhere in the middle of these two. I think it would help to be in a brighter place.

We are in the experimental stage of the class right now...just getting used to using the different manual settings on our cameras, instead of relying on the ever popular Auto Setting.

I am also enjoying taking Logic (a philosophy class), which was a surprise for me, because I know people who love it and people who hate it. I wasn't expecting to be one of those who love it, because I always thought of my thinking process as more intuitive. I like the class, though, because I enjoy word problems, and that is essentially what it is. I must have had good teachers.

Church History and World Religions are also great classes, and they fit together really well. I'll write more about them in a future entry.


***Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Remember Roe? She's pro-life now. Please join her in prayer for a greater respect for all human life.

My Mission Experience in Greenwood, Mississippi

I have been home from Mississippi for a little over 24 hours and the day has been full. Classes began today for the Spring Semester. I started working on my online class- World's Living Religions and I attended my first Digital Photography class. Tomorrow I have Logic and Church History (and more World's Living Religions).

Regina, Sister Regina Rose, Sister Leslie, and I have all been sharing stories about our mission experiences whenever we can. We also had evening praise and supper tonight with a high schooler....that was fun. She's a really nice person!

Things are going back to normal, but I am feeling refreshed and I had a wonderful time at St. Francis of Assisi in Greenwood, MS!


(For more pictures and also to view pictures of the experiences of Sr. Leslie, Sr. Regina Rose, and Regina, click here.)

I got to stay with Sr. Mary Beth, Sr. Mary Ann, Sr. Francis, Sr. Kathleen, and Sr. Annette. They are great Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity! We had fun together!

Greenwood, MS is where The Help was filmed, so one of the first things we did was go on a tour of Greenwood, and the Sisters pointed out the places that were in the movie. The hard part was to see, in person, the division between the poor and the rich, separated only by a bridge. Racism is also very strong.

After the tour, we ate at La Piñata, which has the tastiest refried beans I have ever eaten. That night, we watched The Help. It was my first time seeing it, and I loved it.



The Franciscan Friars of the Assumption BVM Province came to Greenwood in the early 1950s to establish a school and parish. They come over to FSCC's convent for morning prayer (and Mass when there isn't Mass at a later time).

       Camp Franciscan Reunion: Mrs. Toy and Jailynn! It was so good to see them again!
I also got to meet Jailynn's little brother Jy'Veon.



Another Camp Franciscan Reunion! It was great to visit with Daisy and
meet a few of her friends!

To sign up for Camp Franciscan 2012, click here! (Note: this is a PDF file.)

I got to judge the Spelling Bee alongside Sr. Mary Ann. It was an honor, and I enjoyed it very much! I was very impressed with all of the spellers!



Some hard work in Pre-K!



I went out for recess with the kindergarten a few times and it was always a fun time!

Throughout the week, I helped in Sr. Mary Ann's office (the principal), helped in classes, shared my vocation story, and other activities. This is a picture of me giving a math lesson to the kindergarten.
Throughout the week, I was very impressed with the quality of education offered. I realized that the students were a year ahead, knowledge-wise and maturity-wise than others I have worked with.

Favorite quote from one of Sr. Kathleen's kindergarteners:

"Sr. Monica, I know why you have a white veil and Sr. Kathleen has a black veil. It's because you are learning how to pray and when you know how to pray then you will get a black veil."




I also shared my vocation story with children, teens and adults at Sacred Heart Parish is Winona, MS, where Sr. Mary Beth serves as a Catechist for the children. Here are two of the children she works with.That was a nice community.

 


There is so much I could have shared in this entry, but this at least covers some of it!

Going Down to the Delta!

My bags are packed and I am all set for a weeklong mission experience with our Sisters in Greenwood, Mississippi! Needless to say, I am very excited for this adventure.

Here is more information about where I am going: Greenwood, MS

This is where the others are going:
Regina: Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Sister Leslie: Cambridge, Ohio

Sister Regina Rose: Westpoint, Nebraska

I am taking the overnight train. Trains are my favorite mode of transportation. I should sleep well tonight, because I am bringing my Lions-Packers fleece blanket along, and I made sure to get less sleep last night. ;)  For our New Years Eve celebration, we had a wonderful Holy Hour together in St. Mary's Chapel, followed by a social. Then a bunch of us watched Jane Eyre (1996).

It was fantastic! Neither Regina nor I have read the book or seen the movie before! It certainly had us at the edge of our seats as we waited to see how it turned out. We also paused it just on time to count down to the the New Year with Dick Clark!

I went to bed just at Wisconsin was welcoming the New Year. It's nice being in the Central timezone, because we get all the excitement and celebrations at 11pm, and we can retire by midnight...

All in all, it was a fun way to bring in 2012.

I hope that your 2012 is a year of health, happiness and growth in relationship with God!

A Most Unusual Orange

This morning, I was going through the cafeteria line for breakfast, and I grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl. Only it was.....different. The best way to explain it is to show you:

I shared it with the Sisters at my table and we were impressed with the straight lines. I then took it back to the novitiate. The other novices and I decided that what might look like a "quality control oversight" is none other than sheer ingenuity.

Then Sr. Regina Rose and I penned a toast, similar to the ones in the  "Real Men of Genius" radio ads (Bud Light). Here it is:

Here's to you, Mr. Produce Painter guy!

While other guys are out painting chapel ceilings and creating full blown  art exhibits,

you sit at home thinking of the most complicated styles of engraving, etching, hatching, and cubism for this year's fruit and produce.

No ordinary designs will do.

No simple, monochromatic color schemes.

No!

You strive to make every scrap of produce a sublime piece of craftsmanship; a stimulating masterpiece.

So crack open a nice, cold carton of eggnog, Mr. Produce Painter Guy!

Sit back and relish the stunning spectacle that is this year's Christmas fruit basket.

The Blessing of Playing Guitar

Throughout my life, I have always wanted to learn the guitar. To me, it's a sacred instrument. Its notes and chords seem to transcend space and time and enter into the heavenly realm.

I didn't grow up with an organ player in my church, and I know that for many of our Sisters, that's their "God-instrument."  However, at St. Thomas, Mrs. Proulx lead us through mass every week with her trusty guitar. Then in high school, when I went to youth group and retreats, it seemed that the guitar was the instrument of choice for the leaders of praise and worship.

It's not that I think the guitar is better than other instruments for praising God--not in the least--its just the one that for me, whenever I see one or hear one, my mind naturally turns to God. So I am delighted to get to take guitar lessons.

Yesterday was my very first guitar recital, and it was at the Holy Family Conservatory of Music. All of Sr. Angela's guitar students took part in the Christmas Concert. (Other Sisters' students performed today with various instruments.) It was a wonderful concert. Everyone did great, and there was a nice variety of Christmas songs and carols. I was relieved to discover that the audience was very friendly, and I was grateful for the support of the others in initial formation and our directresses who came. I also enjoyed conversing briefly with other guitarists "backstage" before and after the concert.

I played "Up on the Housetop" and "Coventry Carol."
Both songs were arranged by my guitar teacher, Sr. Angela.

 All in all, it was a positive first experience of playing a guitar in front of a large group of people. Getting to learn the guitar is certainly one of the nice "surprises" that came with answering God's call!

"Peter began to say to him, 'Look, we have left everything and followed you.' Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and the sake of the good news, who will not recieve a hundredfold now in this age--houses and brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions--and in the age to come eternal life.'"
-Mark 10:28-30, NRSV

It's simple, I know, but I think it is a part of the hundredfold.

***Thanks, Sister Pamela Catherine, for letting me use your guitar this year!***

A Gift Idea and Other Preparations

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but....

I have been waiting for the opportunity to post a gift idea, and since Cyber Monday is approaching, I thought now would be a good time. It is a game those of us in formation enjoy playing during recreation, and we found out about it like many other people: through word of mouth, since there is no formal advertising. It's that good of a game that there is no need for advertising.

It is called "Fill Or Bust" and you can buy it at http://www.fillorbust.com/. As of the date of this posting, it is $6.00. At this time, it can only be purchased online. It's a very fun game that can be played by two or more people. You can also play on teams or have a tournament.

Advent and preparations for Christmas are fast approaching:

• We received Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2011-12
• Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be baking Christmas cookies for our employees at the Motherhouse.
• I am practicing Coventry Carol and Up on the Housetop  on the guitar for a Christmas Recital.
• Just before the recital, we'll be having our Advent Reflections mini-retreat.
• Snow Shovels are out....
• The Fall Semester is quickly coming to an end...

Of course, all of this is after the Thanksgiving mass and meal tomorrow.....and we have a lot to be thankful for!