SISTERS of ST. JOSEPH of ST. AUGUSTINE, FL Next Step News July, 2015 Welcoming into the Novitiate On June 7th, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Grace Ford was received into the Novitiate and became Sister Grace. Upon entrance into Novitiate, Sister Grace receives the St. Augustine cross worn by the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine. Sisters Grace, Margaret Mary and Florence Grace entered the postulancy at the Motherhouse in St. Augustine on August 1, 2014; with her adult children thriving very well on their own, she was free to answer God s call to consecrated life as a Sister of St. Joseph. For the next two years she will be studying church and congregational documents, learning more about the mission and charism of the Congregation and immersing herself more deeply into the contemplative dimension of religious life as a Sister of St. Joseph, not as an opposite to, but as a complement of the apostolic ministry. S. Jane places SSJ cross on S. Grace On August 24th, Sister Florence Bryan will accompany Sister Grace during her first few days of orientation at Manna House of Prayer in Concordia, Kansas, where Sister Grace will begin eight months of intensive S. Carolyn Tucker formation. and Grace The Novitiate Program will include six other novices from other SSJ congregations in the United States and Canada. Three Sisters of St. Joseph from Concordia will be directing the program for the next eight months during this canonical year of novitiate. S. Eileen Therese welcomes S. Grace When Sister Grace returns to St. Augustine after her canonical novitiate, she will begin her Constitutional year, preparing her for fuller involvement in the apostolic ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph. One of of the most solid Houses houses of Formation is Community Life
A Call to Something New The Sisters at St. James Catholic School in North Miami have been invited to embrace an exciting new venture. Holy Family Catholic School is located 3 miles northeast of St. James and serves the same population of students, the Haitian community. Over the past few years Holy Family enrollment has been declining with this past year being the greatest concern. Will another inner city school have to close? The Archdiocesan Superintendent of Schools met with Sisters Stephanie and Kathleen, pleading for help. After much discussion and discernment, St. James recommended their highly qualified Early Learning Director for almost 20 years, Doreen Roberts, as the new principal for Holy Family. Mrs. Roberts was excited about this new opportunity and S. Stephanie, Mrs. Roberts, S. Kathleen quickly agreed to accept the position. For several years the Archdiocese has been asking for the SSJ presence, charism and skills to turn this inner city school around. It, too, can become a star school in the Archdiocese. It is clearly a call to further the SSJ mission to the Haitian children and their families, much like our first Sisters did! The leadership model for the school will be: Sister Stephanie Flynn remaining as Principal of St. James and Supervising Principal of Holy Family, Doreen Roberts as Principal of Holy Family, Sister Kathleen Carr as Campus Minister/Faith Formation for both campuses. Sister Mary Kuester has been remissioned to Holy Family Catholic School as Art teacher with some Mrs. Roberts with Holy Family students religion classes. This is clearly an S. Stephanie with new students exciting opportunity to spread the Gospel message of unity, and our charism that all may be one (John 17:21). The new life and energy of these three Sisters is palpable! There will be MANY needs at Holy Family as the summer becomes a busy time for painting, cleaning, organizing, planning, ordering, strategizing, etc. The four R s will become the priorities: Religion, Reading, Respect, Responsibility. The SEPTEMBER Next Step will offer some specific needs and ways that you can help. Pray for the children and families at Holy Family Catholic School as well as our Sisters who will be bringing the charism to them.
Grace abounds at the Villa Flora Catholic Renewal Center As the Sisters and Restoration Committee wait patiently to get word on their request for a state grant for the restoration of the Villa Flora, activities continue to take place in Villa Flora-Brown Hall Renewal Center. Rachel s Vineyard has found solace at the renewal center for their regular meetings and retreats. Other regular groups include Catholic Volunteers in Florida, WCCM retreats and workshops, vocation retreats, private week/weekend retreats and hospitality for congregational or parish activities. Several members of Committee with S. Mary Christine With retreats and other activities going on, the Christian Meditation group is the constant at Villa Flora. It averages about 20 attendees a week. The group, led by Tom Morrell, has met every Tuesday, without exception, for five and a half years. Participants arrive by 6:30 in the evening to listen to the teachings of John Main, OSB and Lawrence Freeman, OSB, and to enter into the prayer of silence and stillness for a period of 20 minutes. Some Christian Meditation regulars People come from all walks of life and often share the variety of experiences that led them to Christian Meditation. For many, it is a coming home. For others, it is a significant step in their spiritual journey. Those who attend regularly sometimes share the fruit that has been wrought in their lives by the discipline of this prayer. On the last Tuesday of each month, in addition to the 20 minute period of silent prayer, the group participates in Lectio Divina led by Sister Mary Christine Zimorski. Lectio Divina is the ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. It involves reading and praying the same Scripture in prescribed steps that are intended to lead one to Christian action. The first step, Lectio, poses the question, What does the Biblical text say in itself? Meditatio, the second step, asks, What does the Biblical text say to the reader? Oratio, the third step, asks S. Mary Christine leads Lectio Divina the question, What does the reader say to the Lord in response to His Word? Contemplatio, the fourth step, asks, What conversion of mind, heart and life is the Lord asking of the reader? The answer is often what leads the person to Operatio, the last step, which is a call to action that is inspired by the Scripture itself, giving evidence of the power of the Word of God to change lives. The doors open every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. All are welcome! God is good, that the Sisters own this space to extend an invitation to the dear neighbor to dwell in the house of the Lord through prayer, reflection and renewal.
Joy in My Call to Religious Life Let s listen to Sister Josephine Marie Melican as she reflects on her slow but steady call to religious life. Grad from Bishop Kenny H.S. Dad was in the Navy so we moved around quite a bit. It was in 1950, when we moved to Jacksonville, Florida, that I was to be enrolled in a Catholic school and had my first encounter with the Sisters of St. Joseph. When Dad took me to register, I noticed an elderly Sister standing on the porch, praying the rosary. The idea flashed across my mind, That s what you re going to be. I experienced their joy, happiness and serenity. Yes, God had planted the seed. I thought, Not me; I was going to be a nurse. I was going to marry a doctor and we were going to have three boys and three girls. My life was all planned out. But, as you can see, it did not work out that way. Our guest signs in at Lourdes Convent As the years progressed, I became closer to the Sisters, and experienced a deeper calling. Many times I would be dancing with my favorite date, whom I thought would be the one. But frequently the thought would come, this is not what you want. I want you for Me. And there was no competition. I entered the Sisters of St. Joseph when I was a junior in high school and made my final profession of vows in 1960. I have experienced a diversity of ministries, beginning as a teacher and later was asked to study gerontology. I have had many experiences with both young and old. The greatest joy I have found in my religious life is that I can help the elderly because so many times they are lonely and scared. I have been at the death bed of many of our Sisters and laity. They always bring me closer to God, being with them just before they see the face of God! Today, I am in ministry to the sick at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Winter Park. My greatest joy in my religious vocation has been the ability to know that I have helped people in some way and have brought them closer to God. And by bringing them closer to God, I have been drawn closer. S. Josephine Marie brings Communion to a parishioner Jesus wanted to teach us that vocations in the church do not come by chance, neither by themselves, nor can we make them ours of human efforts only. They come to us from the mercy of God. If we do not pray to obtain them, they will not be given us. St. Hannibal Di Francia
A Reflection on Stewardship As each of us has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10) Sister Nancy Keane asks the question and reflects on the answer: What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly is one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent and treasure. But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord. Therefore, we could say that stewardship is a method of managing the gifts God has given each of us. We look to the life and teachings of Jesus as our model in how we live our lives. Each one of us is uniquely called by God. We are not a nameless person in a faceless crowd. We each have our role to play in carrying out the Church s mission, which is to teach and proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We are called to keep the Church alive, to reach out to parish and diocesan programs and to the universal Church with our time, money, prayers, and personal service according to our circumstances. What counts in the eyes of God is not the amount, but rather the generosity in your heart to be of assistance to others in spreading the kingdom of God and His love and mercy. Excerpt from Christ the King Courier, May 2015 Vocational Presentations Several Sisters have been speaking and presenting on Vocations this past month: Sisters Barbara Cekosh and Diane Couture were invited to share their vocation stories at a Vocations Dinner at Santa Maria del Mar Parish in Flagler Beach. Sister Jane Stoecker was invited to make an appeal for St. John Bosco Clinic, Miami, at St. Joseph Church, Mandarin. After all the Masses, both Sister Jane and Sister Grace Ford were available to offer vocational materials and to answer any questions.
In the June Next Step, you read the letter that Bishop Augustin Verot wrote to the Motherhouse in LePuy, France, asking for eight Sisters of St. Joseph to come to teach and evangelize the freed slaves after the Civil War. On the steamer Lafayette, heading for the United States, Sister Sidonie writes these excerpts home to LePuy: My dear Mother, August 2, 1866 The company aboard is ideal; all the passengers are polite, very solicitous for us. There is no inconvenience because of having kept on our religious dress. English people are numerous aboard ship, also Germans; truly it is pleasant to hear all the languages. These words are frequently heard I speak English...One would imagine herself in a large city, on a quay, passengers go and come; they speak of business, politics and the like. Sister Clemence was the first to be seasick; she felt the first symptoms after a quarter hour of crossing. Sister St. Pierre, as well as Sister Celinie, did not wait long to be ill. No one has given in yet, thanks to Mother Agathe s excellent liqueur; the basins are ready just the same. The other four sisters go and come comfortably; as for me, I am fine, and what pleases me most is to chat with you, my dear Mother. I left you last evening at 6:00 to go to dinner, and I want to say a little hello today, although seasickness is bothering all of us; our Sisters are in bed and the passengers too; the sea is very stormy, surging, we haven t good weather. I was forced to get up; it isn t very pleasant, but what can you do? I am going back to bed as soon as I have said a word to you; farewell, Mother. The whole colony is better today; we laugh at past misery. It is really a thing, this seasickness; a person is nauseated, has not the courage to speak; as soon as one raises the head above the bolster, one is lost! Little by little, everyone got up, even those who hadn t put a foot on the floor all day; we were happy the moment we saw everyone united. The air awakened an appetite. I went to the official to buy some bread. He said, No, Sister, I don t want to sell any, I am going to give you what I have. Actually that good young man had five or six pieces on a plate; we closed ourselves in our cabins to eat it with fond thoughts of LePuy Your obedient and faithful daughter, Sister Sidonie Rascle