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SFP VOICES MAY / JUNE 2011 Vol. VII, No. 3 © |
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Some Expressions of our Lived Associate Life in Senegal
The Community Is an Extended Family in Italy
Community Life in Brazil
Living Community Life in the U.S. Area
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SOME EXPRESSIONS OF OUR LIVED ASSOCIATE LIFE IN SENEGAL
“We are like family with our Associates as they share with us the same charism . . .”
Suzanne Mbengue’s Experience
From the beginning, my life as an Associate has been a journey that helps me grow in faith through the spirit of Blessed Frances Schervier. The established relationship with the community is first and foremost a family relationship, marked by friendship in later life. This experience has made me a better woman through all I share and live through.
The Communal Dimension - Casa Alleluia
We as a community thank God for all the Associates, particularly for those in Senegal. They are a blessing and gift from God. Contact with them happens in great simplicity in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. Some of the Associates provide us with services on a regular and timely basis with a spirit of dedication and selflessness.
We are like family with our Associates as they share with us the same charism in a world where the worries of life cause many men and women much suffering. We also notice their generous actions: for example, at each meeting they contribute money to a fund that can be useful in certain circumstances -- like helping poor people identified during the apostolate.
We welcome our Associates to be more proactive; the Sister is certainly there as sponsor, but it is the Associates themselves who need to take the initiatives in their way of life.
From time to time during our monthly meetings we have been able to watch videos, thanks to modern technology, and then share our impressions. This also allows us to learn more about St. Francis.
In the future the Associate relationship could be even more rewarding and continue to be a path of growth for members. This is why it is important to always update the charism and strengthen the exchange and life experiences among the Associates of different Areas.
Sharing the Gift of our Charism
We give thanks for Mother Frances, who has left us this exquisite and noble healing charism as a legacy that we can share with the laity, serving the poorest of our brothers and sisters.
May God hear our prayers and send us many vocations so that the charism of Mother Frances may become better known and appreciated!
Associate Suzanne Mbengue and Casa Alleluia
THE COMMUNITY IS AN EXTENDED FAMILY IN ITALY
Sisters and Associates – L to R: Andrea Canova, Sebastiano Passari, Sr. Giuliana Vitale,
Calogero La Zara, Sr. Barbara Torregrossa, Antonio Fulco
“Entering into the life of each one and sharing a chapter of their journey helps me grow and to realize that not only consecrated people are children of Mother Frances.” – Sr. Loredana Most of the Italian Area Associates live in the same places where the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor have their own communities and relate to these communities in many different ways. They participate in meetings, prayer, and celebration – expressing all the visible signs of an extended family. Here are some of their experiences: Being Strong Together-- Though in Different Places I am committed to live the communitarian dimension in my daily life and in every event – foreseen and unforeseen – that requires my energies. On a personal level – as an Associate – I commit to “remain faithful and rooted in the choices I made” in all the activities with which I am involved. This is a big challenge because at the moment I am going through a difficult time. I find strength, hope and serenity in everything that God, my personal family, and the wider family of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor have given me.
Every time I think about the communitarian dimension, many beautiful moments lived together come to mind. Over time relationships change, however, in this change I find the importance of being part of a family that shares an ideal, of being strong together, everyone in his/her own place even though time and space keep us apart. The moments spent in the community of the Sisters or the Associates are unique and very important to me. I have them all in my backpack like a good scout and I'm filling it with all necessary and essential things for living a full life. That backpack is on my shoulders and I'm trying to empty from it superfluous things that have weighed me down. I am certain that the future of the Associates is still a rich way to walk together, supporting one another when the burden is overwhelming, when distrust is ready to stop us, but rejoicing when the love of God fills us all again. Bringing Joy and Lightness of Heart
According to this "call" we participate in monthly dinners organized by the OPG (psychiatric juvenile hospital). We bring dinner and share the evening with all the patients. We talk with them, listen to their stories, and try to comfort them. This can be difficult because of their life. A great moment of joy occurred when earlier this year three girls, including our daughter-in -law, joined us. These young people fully understand the spirit of the meetings and bring joy and lightness of heart within the walls of the hospital. At the same time they are moved by the stories of these "young men." In September of last year, the Sisters of Santa Chiara Community moved to a suburb, which is close to our home. The neighborhood is going through a difficult time and the arrival of our Sisters is a sign of hope. Together we can better live the charism of Mother Frances as we try to meet the needs of the poorest. Thanking God for all the opportunities that God gives us I saw the Charism become flesh first of all in the families. I felt the passion of bringing it into the work places. Some environments are not easy and are not always filed with believers. I thank God for all these brothers and sisters, for their reciprocity, for all the formation meetings of this year. I thank God for the welcome and the warmth they gave me. I entrust each Associate to Mother Frances so that they may be blessed in their journey and be filled with all graces! Casa Santa Chiara and Associates |
L to R (standing): Tiago, Janaína, fiancée of Junior, Silvino Jr. L toR (seated): Lúcia Helena, Silvino, Thays
Associates Lúcia Helena and Silvino Alves dos Santos
“We are very grateful for being Associates of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor . . . ”
Community of Life as Family
To live a community life means above all having faith and love for our religion and the humility to believe that, through our example, we can improve our relationships with people. We are driven by a desire to build a better future, while looking for changes for ourselves and others in both small and great things.
Tiago, our first son, is a lawyer. With the Sisters, he attended World Youth Day in Rome in 2000. This was a remarkable experience for him. Our daughter, Thays, is a journalist and missionary of the New Song Movement *, a “community of life.” Thays also had a beautiful experience while visiting the Holy Land where she encountered all the complexity and richness of the spiritual land of the Bible. Later, she was transferred to Rome where she worked as a journalist. And . . . we have our youngest child, Junior. He was given a great blessing by Jesus: the miracle of life. Junior was healed from nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder. After undergoing treatment for thirteen years, he is about to finish law school and is working for a law firm. My mother, Dona Izaíra da Silva, aged 75, is healthy, thanks be to God. She is also preparing to be a future Associate.
Our Joy in Ministry and the Challenges
Silvino and I are practicing Catholics. We work in various ministries of the Church: the Couples for Christ (CFC), the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR), the base community in our neighborhood. Silvino teaches the Marriage Preparation course in our parish and is a minister of Baptism and Marriage.
We are well aware that challenges are part of our daily life, especially with the secularization of society. Many people behave by forgetting that the essential is “to be” and not “to have things.” Consumerism speaks louder than common sense, leaving aside what is most important to us historically: the search for the infinite.
We are very grateful for being Associates of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor because we are learn with the Sisters how to share and live in a more communal way by supporting those we encounter.
In closing, we wish you all Peace and All good things!
*[The New Song Community Association received Pontifical recognition in 2008. It is the main Catholic channel in Brazil and reaches the whole country. It is now international, available online: www.tv.cancaonova.com/].
“ . . . We are called to be something more. . . .”
Leah Curtin, SFP-A
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It is the end of June, and we – Sisters and Associates – have recently completed the International Conference on the Healing Gift: Today and Tomorrow. Most of us – you and me – inch our way through life one hour to the next without thinking, until we experience something profound – such as the moments we shared at the conference; moments that called us to become something more than we are.
An Ongoing Process of Becoming
In many ways, that is what living the associate life is all about – whatever we are doing, however old we are, whether we are rich or poor – we are called to be something more. In fact, the opportunities the Sisters offer us – help us to understand that religion itself is not simply a series of beliefs, and certainly not attendance at church on Sundays. Religion is a process of becoming… Living life as an Associate brings one face to face with the fact that religion is a multi-layered phenomenon that draws one to become more, to reach higher, to live…in fact, religion offers a method – and ongoing process – of accessing the spiritual. Of approaching God. Through the Associate life, one learns that religion is not a millstone around one’s neck, but an unending process of growth: To learn more; to understand that the spiritual life is not static…that the eternal verities remain, but that our ability to understand their message grows as knowledge grows. The eternal Truths do not change, but we do – as our ability to understand grows.
Becoming a practicing Associate offers one spiritual refuge from consumerism, corporate growth, and greed…all the things rampant in society. It offers an opportunity to turn toward the things that really count: relationship (with God and with other humans), and kindness. Being an Associate pulls us out of self-absorption and offers many opportunities to give to others. So, we are offered not only opportunities for spiritual growth, but also opportunities to give to others through a myriad of different ministries – which in turn help us to be good by doing good. And to do so in the company of courageous women who have continued to do so for all of their lives. The Sisters serve as guides and role models…very human role models who prove, by their lives and choices that normal human beings can follow in the steps of Jesus.
Associate Life in the Future
As we step into the future, I can only share what I have seen and experienced. I believe that the relationship between Sisters and their Associates will grow and change – and most likely become more formalized. At least here in the United States, I think that the Associates will become more than spiritual companions, but will share in the healing ministries by assuming more of the work. I also think that Associates will become self-governing and self-supporting, sharing in the Sisters’ charism – and to some extent in their life
A Distinct Call
While I do believe that becoming an Associate is a call in and of itself, the call is distinct from that of vowed religious. An Associate is not a religious-wanna-be. An Associate is a layperson who is called by the Sisters’ charism within the context of their lives as lay women and men. They are not merely the Sisters’ friends, although indeed they may be their friends. They are not merely benefactors, though some in fact are. They are not just volunteers or employees or collaborators. Associates are people who want to live the Charism of Mother Frances as fully as possible. They are people who feel a strong call to develop spiritually – and they are willing to sacrifice -- devote time and effort and their resources to do so. They are still wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, grandparents and friends, professionals and workers – but they are passionate about wanting to continue to grow in their baptismal commitment through Franciscan spiritual development within the context of Mother Frances Schervier’s healing charism.
Copyright 2011 Franciscan Sisters of the Poor