Life Devoted. By Connie Ann Valenti

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1 Life Devoted By Connie Ann Valenti

2 Life Devoted is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Copyright 2016 by Lumen Gentium Inc. eisbn Editing and production by Denise Duriga. Cover image and other photos by Denise Duriga. For more stories by Connie Ann Valenti visit

3 About the Author Connie Ann Valenti started her writing career with regular columns in the Pittsburgh Catholic with Father Ron Lengwin. Later, she wrote Stories of Jesus: A Gospel of Faith and Imagination and has self-published more than 30 books available at Amazon.com or at connieavalenti@wordpress.com. About the Photographer Denise Duriga was introduced to photography at a young age. She is pursing photography full time and has an incredible passion for nature. Her photos are featured in numerous books by Connie Ann Valenti.

This book is dedicated to the memory of Sister Mary Innocenta formally known as Anna Mae Meyers. She was a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis Newman Communities.

4 This book is dedicated to the memory of Sister Mary Innocenta formally known as Anna Mae Meyers. She was a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis Newman Communities. A very special thanks to Sister Mary Agnes Gibbons for her hospitality and gracious tour of Mount Alvernia Convent in Millvale Pennsylvania. Thank you to the Sisters of Saint Francis Newman Communities for their permission to photograph their beautiful Convent.

5 Yours, Yours, Yours New Life The Rain Drops Wisdom A Silent Prayer Time The Rose Trees Song The Altar A Bishop Love You Jesus A Priest Confession Communion Mother and Father The Rosary Prayer Faith Faith and Love A Sister What Are Our Gifts From God? A Letter to Jesus Life is a Mystery World Unseen My Choice Blessed Mother s Prayer Before You Heavenly Father

7 Yours, Yours, Yours I sit here and watch the world go by No silent star to catch my eye The golden light through your window God I look through The nights are like a silent bird No sound of praise to Your name Only the stars shine their light upon the golden gate Why me Lord? A mere child I hear not your voice, but in my heart a silent song Who goes there Lord? I cry to the stars In the morning light the sun begins to glow The rainbow of tears, by me God, has disappeared The silent beat of my heart cries I am here God I know now I must submit to Your will Like a silent song unsung I am Yours Yours to guide Yours to love Yours, yours, yours

9 New Life She stands so straight and tall The music sounds its trumpet call I am here Lord can you see? The shining star called Anna Marie My name to change My life to rest I am here God until you call Let the trumpets bare their sorrowful sound Let me rest in Your loving arms The sound of life and laughter rings My life has just begun I sit in reverence and respect for I am the chosen one Hark not the angels call For a silent prayer of hope For energy does fall It calls me to His loving heart and to His home to rest

10 The Rain Drops The rain drops beat gently down Down Down Down into millions of tiny pools of tears I hear not a sound for my life is silent I cry not but no one hears Only the rain drops to fill my tears The rain drops gently now The silent star of inner peace knocks at my soul Oh silence tempt me not For I am quiet not by choice For I speak not a word For like a rain drop I too will disappear and be silent once more Tempt me not to speak for God has called me home

12 Wisdom Wisdom comes in three The chalice is hope The host is life The wine is His suffering

14 A Silent Prayer Please and thank you, two responses I have learned Please help me in my need and thank you if you hear I need so much you see I need so much it seems Yet when times are good and kind I forget to thank you I am answering this with a silent thank you Please be kind and understand my need

15 Time Time comes and goes for the human mind The soul must stay silent until called upon But once awakened time knows no bound

16 The Rose The silent rose stands at full attention at the window sill near my bed There is no silent song it sings You see like the bells that hang in silence, so does the rose

18 Trees The tree stands so tall and straight So proud like an angel who has never felt rejected or lost Now you are wondering who has ever seen an angel speak No one but God

19 Song Song, peace, hope, a gift of love Peace, caring, sharing a life God help us if we fail For God gave us life Must we destroy Must we be like an angel of death To destroy is not only a sin, but an abomination of His will

21 The Altar I stand so close it almost seems I can touch my Jesus, my love He is never seen but always noted Through life struggles we have come so close I know He loves me so He gave me teachings He gave me His love He shed His blood so I could be loved Loved by the father Held by the heavens When I return home the altar is the gate for His sacrifice is the key that beckons me

22 A Bishop A bishop is like a shining star A guide to hear the struggles of life He calls upon the men of the cloth to pull the oars of life When all are in tune, a meeting is called Off to his father s house he goes A prayer in his heart, a dream in his mind Peace, love and salvation is the song he cries out When he returns he tells of the love of the Pope His love, our love Combined to make the Church of Christ a heaven of love, salvation and most of all comfort until we are called home

24 Love You Jesus I love Jesus I know it so For when I go to mass I tell Him so I love you Jesus I love you God The angels are my witnesses I am telling you so

25 A Priest A priest is a man of the cloth He wears a white collar and a black suit When he is at the altar of love, he is the sacrificer to bring us love He helps the Son to change our love into a host to receive His love Love, love is shared by all For when we receive Him, He receives us into His heart

27 Confession Soon I shall enter I will not be afraid For I know all that I say you know Please forgive me for I am sad Not because I must confess But because my sins have made Your cross heavy

29 Communion How can I tell You what I feel When I really cannot explain You see I am here and You are there Soon I shall have You in my heart Forever we shall be one

30 Mother and Father Thank you Jesus Thank you God Thank you all Without your loving care I wouldn't be here today Thank you teachers for you have given me a dream, a hope and prayer You see I am special today Because I am going to receive Even though I am special everyday Today I am pure of heart Because You are special too Jesus What a beautiful gift we give to God Please join me and receive

31 The Rosary The rosary is both a gift and a comfort A gift to help you every day with comfort You can pray it anytime of day or night One grows close to Mary because you learn so much She lets you walk through her life and feel her joy and sorrow

33 Prayer Why should I pray? A silent prayer is only between you and God A prayer said out loud is between you and the world A prayer said sincerely is a gift A gift to be cherished by you and God No matter how you pray A prayer is saying I love you for all You have given me Protect, bless and walk with me

34 Faith Dear Jesus Thank you for having faith in us For without faith where would we be? Would I have followed another, doing all but only receiving earthly benefits? I have found true happiness because of the truth the church teaches me

36 Faith and Love Faith never stands alone Like the tree has branches, faith must have love Love must come from the heart Like a beacon of hope from God That we His children may be guided in all we do

38 A Sister A sister is a teacher She may or may not be dressed in a habit But her love and commitment is as precious as the sun For she lights up our mind with beautiful gifts of our faith

39 What Are Our Gifts from God? KNOWLEDGE TRUTH LOVE OF FAITH Gifts that never leave our heart and soul We are the privileged ones that are here to share His gifts

41 A Letter to Jesus Dear Jesus, Thank you for the teacher who has installed in me love of faith Bless her each day and may she always remain in my prayers Amen

42 Life is a Mystery Life is like a song Each of us has our own way of singing The notes we put together The way we sing our song The way we answer is not always true Only God the Almighty knows our soul

44 World Unseen end The ground is cold no flowers adorn our graves No one comes to visit or say a silent prayer We are the lost society it seems The young are no longer encouraged to enter Why? I questioned God Do they not want to thank thee? Then out of nowhere a bird came and sang his song A song of love a song of peace An angel appears and says to me Time to go and off to a world unseen A world only upon death does one see the heavenly gates open There is a beautiful glow of comfort and love Where flowers bloom day and night The angels praise the Heavenly Father and tell Him of human love A place of peace for the weary soul who comes to his maker with love The light of the Father never dims Telling all we are special We only have to ask Him why? He still loves you even thou you have sinned

45 My Choice I kneel at the alter My heart and soul in love Yes, in love with my savior There is no doubt that I have made the right choice The choice to be His bride The cross will be heavy This I understand I must be a soldier and He will be in command Obedience and unconditional love to my community and the church I will offer daily prayer My bed will empty but my soul will be filled I give all my love to my God I honor the rules of the church I will be a sister of the Franciscan community Please God help me, inspire me to do Your will Jesus you died upon the cross so I may have eternal life Oh blessed mother I ask you to help me to stay pure of heart Amen

47 Blessed Mother Prayer Oh Blessed Mother I come to you As a woman of faith Give me the strength to be strong Let me be a soldier in our faith Let me be strong in all that I do The cross I wear is the cross in your heart I wear it proudly for you have given the world our savior I give to the world my prayers for peace, hope and love of all humanity

48 Before You I stand before the altar With many prayers in my heart For those who are ill, dying or unbelievers You carried the cross for all I carry the prayers of love from Your children I place the prayers on the sacred altar Where the priest changes the host and the wine into the body and blood That You shed for our salvation Have pity upon us the children of the world And ask the heavenly father to bless us, protect us in the struggling time with Satan

50 Heavenly Father My Heavenly Father You have blessed us by giving Your only son to the world There is much in my heart that feels the emptiness of many who struggle day in and day out We need Your protection and love as never before For there is much hate, pain and sorrow Oh Heavenly Father hear my prayer and guide me to do Your will Jesus and Mary help me to understand and continue to do good work I am one of many women who have pledged and given up the worldly gifts But the gifts of the community are many Help me be strong and wear the habit that was given to me as I pledged my vows

TALKING WITH GOD. MANNA PUBLICATIONS

TALKING WITH GOD. MANNA PUBLICATIONS he could not ask his father for help. He was not in fellowship with his Father, and he felt he could not ask for his help. If he had been at home, pleasing his father, he could have asked. His Father loved