spirituality - Related Content

Statue "Dancing Francis"

Each year on October 4 we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis: a day when many revel in the perpetual presence of a man said to be peaceful; a patron of ecology and advocate of animals (inspiring annual pet blessings around the world).

FSPA-supported free wellness screening for the underserved. 

But this year I invite you to venture away from the customary events—to go to the margins of his spirituality. Francis was not a perfect man with 20/20 vision. He had no intention of becoming a saint. Stepping out of his comfort zone through conversion he learned to embrace ministry to the lepers. The place of his greatest fear became the sweetness of service.

Sister Donna Stevens (center) serves White Mountain Apache substance abuse treatment center.

Among the lepers Francis saw the pain of ostracization by family, friends and faith communities. Yet he stretched out a mantle of care and compassion, casting aside the label “unclean” as he and his followers tended to the wounds of the afflicted, soothed to restore dignity to each person.

FSPA collaborates with U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (and other national/local groups) to eradicate modern day slavery.

Jesus does not promise a life of ease when following the call to discipleship. Gospel ministry requires long hours and challenging service. Encountering your brothers and sisters on the liminal edge—a space you may feel uncomfortable in—can challenge your values and compel you beyond your conscious. Each encounter with a life reality different than your own leads to greater understanding of humanity. On the Feast of St. Francis let us applaud the inspiration of the peace-keeper and ecologist; the patron of animals and founder of a religious order (here are the Gospel texts that guided the Franciscan Order formation: Mark 10:21, Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:3). But let us also accept his call today and everyday to search out those on the periphery. The margins may be closer than you think.

Sisters serving meals to the homeless.

Who do you see outside the boundaries?
How will you reach out to these brothers and sisters in need?

How is St. Francis guiding you? Post a comment and inspire us!

"I love companioning people as they live into the fullness of God's invitation for their lives."

FSPA Golden Jubilarian Beth Saner, celebrating 50 years of vowed religious life

“The direction for your life,” says Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Beth Saner, “may be hiding in plain sight.” In celebration of her golden jubilee — 50 years of living vowed religious life, engaged in furthering the work of the Gospel and the Catholic church — Show me a sign shares some of Sister Beth’s soul-searching discernment story and the wisdom she offers to those beginning their own. 

Show me a sign:
How did you know that you wanted to be a sister?

Sister Beth:
I didn’t really 'know.' My best friend and I decided we would become sisters when we were 11 years old, probably because we were fascinated by the sisters we knew; their lives seemed so mysterious. We never really talked much about it after that until we were high school seniors.  She went to college intending to study medicine, and I chose to go to the convent.

Show me a sign:
How did your family and friends react when you first told them of your desire to live religious life?

Sister Beth:
I encountered mixed reactions. My mother was adamantly opposed, while my dad was quietly supportive. Everyone else was noncommittal. I didn’t say much to my friends until it was time to go but when I told them, they were supportive.

Show me a sign:
As you reflect on your jubilee, what facets of serving as an FSPA first come to mind?

Sister Beth:
After 50 years, here are a few:

• As a young religious, I was always energized and enthusiastic about the way religious life was evolving in response to Vatican II.  
• I’ve found that community life is not always easy, but living, working and praying in community has been a rich and personally fulfilling experience for me.  
• Opportunities for on-going education, both formal and informal, all for the sake of FSPA mission, are true gift.

Sister Beth (left), a member of the FSPA Incorporation Team, rejoices in the moment that Sister Michelle Petitt (right) becomes a novice.  

Show me a sign:
What has been your favorite ministry, and why?

Sister Beth:
I’m lucky to have ministered in areas of my choice and that utilize my gifts and talents. I have loved my life of service, first as a teacher and liturgist at Viterbo University and then as a spiritual director and instructor in Chicago. I love companioning people as they live into the fullness of God’s invitation for their lives. That happened for me, both as a teacher and now as a spiritual companion.  

Show me a sign:
What advice would you give women discerning religious life today? 

Sister Beth:
Pay attention to your dreams and desires. The direction for your life may be hiding there in plain sight.

Are you discerning religious life? Walking with someone who is? We invite you to share this link, www.fspa.org/showmeasign, and join the conversation.

Photo courtesy of www.dreamstime.com

Earthquakes have shaken the lives of people from Italy, near New Zealand and here in the U.S. News stories full of destruction quickly circulated our world. I searched coverage for any small sign of hope in the rubble that littered the streets; glimpsed the good hearts of people like beacons of light, shining brightly in the darkness of pain and loss as everyone searched feverishly for those who were trapped. Sitting a world away in front of my computer, I cheered for the rescues and the fight of the human spirit even in the most horrendous of circumstances. I took stock of my own environment and wondered what elements of normal routine—working, playing, cooking and sleeping—erupted. When suddenly the solid ground beneath them trembled, forever altering their lives.

Long after the media lights go out let us continue to pray for those who will do the back-breaking work of clearing debris, who will make the heart-breaking decision to grow beyond grief and rebuild their lives. I can’t imagine the reassessment that must occur; the reevaluation that has to take place. Is the unsatisfying clutter that existed “before the earthquake” closely examined to see if its value “after the earthquake” is worth restoring?

Bigger questions often emerge out of the ruins with survivors: Why am I still here?

While many people will never experience seismic surges in the physical sense, most of us find ourselves in symbolic situations when the earth no longer feels solid or safe, when life shakes us to the core. The shock waves you’re feeling may come from within, might surface as a spiritual earthquake. And discernment can actually echo tangible reverberations. The landscape of your beliefs may quake, your deep-seated values exposed to the elements.

You may find cracks in what you thought were concrete foundations, and must make choices that align with your conscious and unceasing call of the Gospel. Walls once separating you from the needs of your neighbors may crumble to dust. A new mindfulness of global needs may emerge as discernment reveals new places of solid ground. There may also be aftershocks—discernment is not a onetime event. It calls for continual responsiveness and readiness for what becomes unearthed.

Could it be that shakings of your spirituality awaken you to what is perhaps buried in unconscious activity?

How has your life changed in the “after” time of a spiritual earthquake?