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Love is Our Mission: The Visit of Pope Francis
With great joy we welcomed our Holy Father to U.S. soil
for the first time this September. Twenty one of our Sisters had
the opportunity to participate in some of the papal events.
A group of our Sisters journeyed to Washington D.C., where
the CMSWR (Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious)
organized a group of 116 Novices and 35 Major Superiors from
41 different communities to attend the Canonization Mass of St.
Junipero Serra on September 23. Novices and seminarians were
invited to greet Pope Francis inside the Basilica of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington D.C. prior to the Canonization Mass.
Our Sisters present in Washington, D.C., then journeyed to
Philadelphia, where more Sisters joined them. They attended
the Festival of Families on September 26 and the Papal Mass on
September 27.
In his remarks for the Festival of Families, Pope Francis
said, “Love is something we learn; love is something we live;
love grows as it is ‘forged’ by the concrete situations which each
particular family experiences.” The experience of encountering
Pope Francis amid other pilgrims from across the country and
around the world was a true lesson in love. Our mission to love
was clear as much in the conversations with other pilgrims as the
witness of the Vicar of Christ. Thank you to all those who made
this trip possible, and thank you to Pope Francis, for reminding
us that “Love is Our Mission!”
Sisters pose in front of the City Hall in Philadelphia on
their way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where
Pope Francis greeted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
Summer/Fall 2015
IN-FORMATION
Taking the Next Step
FEATURE
Be Joyful Unto God:
Celebrating Jubilee
SOURCE AND SUMMIT
Pope Francis’ Visit
A
fter the example of St. Francis and our foundress, Blessed Maria Theresia, the
young women who enter our Community strive to live the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. After becoming a postulant in September and living with us for a year, each August
we celebrate the steps our Sisters in initial formation take toward becoming a Sister of St.
Francis of Perpetual Adoration.
Postulant Entrance
Renewal of Vows and First Profession
On August 9, Sister Maria Kolbe
Elstro renewed her vows at the
close of the formation retreat.
Sister M. Joan poses with her pastor,
Father Bob Van Kempen, from St. Mary
of the Annunciation in Bristol, IN.
Sister M. Regina with Father Dan
Scheidt, former pastor of her home
parish, Queen of Peace, Mishawaka, IN
Miss Wendy Rutherford receives a Bible during her
Entrance Ceremony on September 6. Wendy is
from Portland, Michigan and met our Sisters while
studying at Michigan State University in Lansing.
Prior to entering she worked at Franciscan St.
Francis Health as a Medical Laboratory Scientist.
Wendy shared, “I think so much of being a sister
is being a spiritual mother. I want to be a woman
in love with the Lord who trusts Him enough to
follow Him anywhere and do anything He asks of
me. I believe that vocation is not about what we
do . . . it is about who we love.”
Investiture
Our new novice, Sister M. Mercy Briola, shares, “As
I prayed about my name choices over the past few
months, one word kept coming to my mind: mercy.
I believe that mercy is the perfect umbrella term
that unites my two favorite saints, St. John Paul
II and St. Maximilian Kolbe. They both hail from
Poland, the land in which Our Lord chose to reveal
His message of mercy to the world. The Lord has
blessed me with many beautiful experiences of His
mercy.” Sister M. Mercy received her habit and
new name at a ceremony on August 10.
Sister M. Joan Roeder and Sister M. Regina DeVreese professed their first vows on
August 10. Sister M. Joan is teaching English and Religion at Central Catholic High
School in Lafayette, IN, and Sister M. Regina is studying theology at Franciscan
University of Steubenville.
Be Joyful Unto God:
Celebrating Jubilee
Jubilarians 2015 and Bishop Rhoades: Back row: Sister M. Ann Kathleen Magiera, Sister M. Lenore Schwartz,
Sister M. Marlene Shapley, Sister M. Julianne Wenzel, Sister M. Jeanne Esther Niswonger, Bishop Kevin
Rhoades; Front row: Sister M. Jane Anthrop, Sister M. Cheryl Dazey, Sister M. Ann Bernadette Hoernig,
Sister M. Angelita Ayala, Sister M. Louise Pfeifer, Sister M. Marcene Franz, Sister M. Anna Marie Hofmeyer.
On June 20, our Community gathered to celebrate
the dedication of 13 Sisters in their many years of
consecration. Sister M. Florence Wenda celebrates
her 75th Jubilee. Celebrating 60 years are Sister M.
Anna Marie Hofmeyer, Sister M. Ann Bernadette
Hoernig, Sister M. Jane Anthrop, and Sister M.
Louise Pfeifer. Our Golden Jubilarians are Sister M.
Ann Kathleen Magiera, Sister M. Lenore Schwartz,
Sister M. Marlene Shapley, Sister M. Marcene
Franz, Sister M. Jeanne Esther Niswonger, and
Sister M. Julianne Wenzel. Sister M. Cheryl Dazey
celebrates her 40th Jubilee, and Sister M.
Angelita Ayala celebrates 25 years. Thank you, Sisters,
for your loving and dedicated service as a Sister of St.
Francis of Perpetual Adoration!
Sister M. Lenore visits with Father Tim Alkire, pastor
of St. Boniface Parish in Lafayette, IN.
Sister M. Louise greets Bishop
Kevin Rhoades before the meal.
Sister M. Jane and Sister M. Cheryl prepare for the
Jubilee Mass with Bishop Rhoades.
Our
Life
in Pictures
“From your great coastal cities to the plains of the Midwest, from the deep South to the far reaches
of the West, wherever your people gather in the Eucharistic assembly, may the Pope be not simply a
name but a felt presence, sustaining the fervent plea of the Bride: ‘Come, Lord!’” - Pope Francis
to Bishops of the United States, St. Matthew Cathedral, Washington, D.C., September 23, 2015
Batter up! The Sisters enjoyed many outdoor summertime
activities, including this softball game.
On September 13, we invited people from the local
community to “Come and Pray with the Sisters”
during this Year of Consecrated Life.
Our Novices greet Pope Francis inside the Basilica.
Left: Sister Maria Gemma
shares with a young
pilgrim during the
Festival of Families.
Sister M. Jacinta provides a tour of the campus for Sisters
celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the University of Saint
Francis.
Right: Blessed to be so
close to the Holy Father!
Fort Wayne-South Bend Seminarians Daniel Niezer and
Thomas Zehr wait for Pope Francis with Sister Mary
Bosco, Sister M. Mercy, Sister Cora Marie, Sister Mary
Augustine, and Sister Maria Gemma.
Sisters board the regional rail to head into Philadelphia
for the papal events.
The 125th Anniversary of USF also included a special Mass
with Bishop Rhoades at the Cathedral in Fort Wayne on
October 4, the Feast of St. Francis.
Students from Marian High School in Mishawaka
participated in a schoolwide day of service. Some
students visited our Sisters at Our Lady of Angels.
Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration
1515 W. Dragoon Trail
P.O. Box 766
Mishawaka, IN 46546-0766
Return Service Requested
Mission Statement
We, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, participate in the mission of the Roman Catholic
Church by living the Gospel after the example of Saint Francis and our foundress, Mother Maria
Theresia Bonzel. We strive to combine the contemplative life with the active through perpetual
adoration and the works of mercy in education, healthcare, and other ecclesial ministries.
Discernment Retreat February 26-28, 2016 or call to schedule a visit
[email protected] • facebook:SSFPAvocations • 574-259-5427 • www.ssfpa.org