For Me, Life is Christ
Posted on February 22, 2009
Filed Under Vocations / Discernment |
On February 20-22, 2009, ten young women ages 21-33 from CO, IA, MN and WI arrived in Manitowoc, WI,  for a Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity ‘For Me, Life is Christ’ (Phil.1:21) Discernment Retreat Weekend. Sister Mary Ann Spanjers, OSF, and Sister Julie Ann Sheahan, OSF, guided the retreatants focusing on the conversion stories of St. Paul, St. Francis and St. Clare.
Paul was a tent-maker, Francis and Clare re-built ruined churches, you and I build our lives.
While providing personal prayer time to grow in one’s relationship to God, the young women joined the Franciscan Sisters in the liturgy of the hours, Eucharist, and meals. Personalized mosaic creations concretized the ‘construction’ theme. Sister Anne Turba, OSF, facilitated this prayer activity. Sister Karen Suhr, OSF, Sister Laura Wolf, OSF, and Sister Caritas Le Claire, OSF, gave of themselves for Friday evening’s opening session .
A Saturday snow storm allowed the opportunity to walk on frozen Silver Lake and protective, evergreen-lined trails, as well as find healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Contemporary praise music was a shared joy for the group.
Retreatants’ question: How did this experience touch your life?
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It helped me to be at peace with issues going on in my life. It gave me time to pray away from distractions. I met a great group of spiritual, Catholic, lively women on the same path of faith.
This retreat instilled great peace. Christ’s love amongst all of us young women brought me joy. I loved the silence, prayer, long beautiful walk-very contemplative.
It was really wonderful to be able to stay at the Motherhouse. To interact with the sisters and live and pray in this space was a really enlightening experience.
I met many other women that have similar beliefs and I got different perspectives on different subjects. It’s good to know there are others out there who share these things.
It was good to be able to connect with other Catholic women my age. It was something that gave me hope for the world & our future. All we hear about are bad things people do, so it’s nice to be around such a large community of caring individuals.
It was the perfect time for me to get away from my crazy life back @ home. The Lord used this retreat to remind me of the call He’s given me to serve Him in the people around me back at home. Humility.
This retreat was peaceful and restoring. I feel a great peace here and when Sunday comes I don’t feel like leaving. Every retreat is its own unique blessing. It was wonderful to hear Sr. Laura and Sr. Karen’s story.
It helped me focus on God’s call in my life. It also helped me understand more about the Franciscan way of life.
The Mother house and the lake are so beautiful! Our walk with Sister Mary Ann and Sister Julie Ann and the young women rocked. It was contemplative and was fun talking w. everyone. We must do that again in May and see how God’s painting has changed. What a fitting property for St. Francis he would have loved to have walked the snowy hills and see the water lay still and ever so peaceful. The discernment weekend was lovely. Have a good week to all the FSCC! Peace and love!
While it is mysterious how the shapes, textures and colors come together in a mosaic, it is God alone who ‘called’ this group of retreatants ‘to be’ together and designed the weekend to fit their needs. The Church is blessed by the faith of these young women. Peace and all good, Erin, Callie,Michelle, Marie, Michelle,Jodi,Leslie and Tammy as you build your lives on the love and experiences that are yours today. Francis and Clare did likewise. Thanks for your comments.
Congratulations to all of you who conducted or helped in this Retreat weekend. From reading the comments of these young women it sounds like God was really working through you to reach them. How wonderful they could experience the peace and joy of our community and our surroundings. God bless you.
The retreat, the sisters, the lifestyle there was just so real, so simple. It was a reminder to me that we are called, as St. Francis was, to rebuild Christ’s Church everyday with love, faith, and hope. And we can do that in the simple things, little things . I think it easy to be overwhelmed in trying to be holy and lead holy lives but we can do that within our real lives, through simple tasks, through just simply loving. ” Do small things with great love!” ~ St. Therese
Thank you, Sisters, for being an example to all of us on how to live and love simply!
How delightful to read the comments from the retreatants and Sr. Julie Ann. I prayed for all of you this past weekend and was eager to read the blog today… I knew there would be something wonderful to read.The mosaics are striking!
Thank you for being such a beautiful part of the weekend Rose! The depth of faith in you and the other gals on the retreat is truly inspiring! May the Lord fill you with his peace and strength to respond to whatever direction He desires for you! Count on our prayers!
Your prayers and those of all of our Sisters are so important Sister Anne Marie! It is a joy to share the gift of our life with all of these young women! Thanks for your continued loving support!
I enjoyed reading all the comments by the young people that were at the convent for the weekend.I’m sure their lives were touched by the Spirit.
God bless you who worked so hard to be present to the girls.
Peace and all good things,
Sister Mary Bodwin
I am happy to hear that the weekend was a blessed time for all of you. We were delighted to share our home and ourselves with you. I thoroughly enjoyed working with you on the mosaics. They are beautiful and reflect the beauty that was so evident in each of you. I was struck by the respect and love you showed one another! There was a real, felt, genuine caring among you. What a beautiful gift - that is what community is made of!
It was great to talk with you Sr. Anne thanks for sharing so much of your birthday with us. Good luck on your herb garden
Maybe it’ll be the start of bigger things. I am thankful for all you sisters. I hope you have a blessed and successful lent.
Leslie, I hope your science methods planning went quickly. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We are grateful for knowing you. Peace and all good to you.
Leslie,if the herb garden “grows” into something bigger in the future, I am going to need you to come and help me!!! It was great to see you again and to have a chance to visit.
I pray your Lent will be a blessed time of drawing closer to our Lord. Sister Anne
Thank you for the comments about the retreat. How wonderful it is to hear how God is working in your lives! Time with the Lord is precious. The more we give over to Him, the more He does surprise us. Peace is a great gift from the Lord.
God bless you on your journey of faith…