Meet our newest affiliates
Affiliate Cathy Burge
Prayer: Prayer is a central part of Cathy's life – it shapes, nourishes and sustains her spirit and relationships. She has been a prayer partner at St. Rose Convent for the last three years and begins and ends each day in prayer. "I feel such peace and closeness to God when I enter the chapel and spend my hour in Adoration," explains Cathy. Cathy sees prayer as an opportunity to communicate her intentions, concerns and desires with God, and knows they are listened to, embraced and a part of a sacred story.
Ministry: After many years of teaching students, Cathy has found new opportunities in retirement to continue being engaged in service and ministry. Each opportunity provided a new "door" that God opened for her. This has included being a patient companion at Gundersen Health System, weekly visits with an elderly family friend and volunteering at the Humane Society.
Community: Being an active and contributing member of the community is important to Cathy – in order to give back, but also to be in relationship with others. She supports and appreciates having a diverse and just world, and is mindful of this in all she encounters. Cathy chose to become an affiliate with FSPA in order to "continue to grow in my faith journey."
Affiliate Brother Dominic Michael Hart
Prayer: Brother Dominic is a familiar face to many in the FSPA community. He has taken this opportunity of being close to FSPA and St. Rose Convent to deepen his connection to adoration and prayer. Prayer is what centers Brother Dominic in all else – his relationships, ministry, sense of community and presence. It is through prayer that he meets others where they are at.
Ministry: The Franciscan Brothers of Peace began as a ministry to people living on the streets. Brother Dominic's formative years were spent in outreach to care for those dying from AIDS. His sense of ministry is rooted in Gospel living. For many years, his ministry was spent "nursing the lepers of our day" (AIDS patients). More recently, his ministry has shifted to one of presence and prayer – specifically through making rosaries that are given to those he encounters.
Community: Brother Dominic is in a period of transition, as he discerns his place in community. FSPA and FSC have provided him with a "home" during this transition. Even so, Dominic feels very connected to this next stage in his life, where certainty and uncertainty lead to new growth and invitations to deeper relationships. Affiliation is one such community that Dominic has chosen to enter into.
Affiliate Angelo Luis
Prayer: Angelo is someone who is deeply rooted in prayer. It is an expression of prayer though, that is mixed with levity, spontaneity, compassion and joy. His prayer is inclusive – nobody is left out or forgotten. Angelo, through his presence, offers a welcome invitation to everyone he meets. Angelo is contemplative, engaging and dynamic in how he lives his life – much like Saint Francis, he is a troubadour for God.
Ministry: Angelo serves as the chaplain at St. Anthony Hospital. He is also a part-time pastor at a local ELCA church. Angelo's ministry is one of compassionate presence. Angelo hopes that he can share with his colleagues his experiences of Francis and Clare that he encountered on pilgrimage. Angelo understands Franciscan living to be our response "to suffering, isolation and rejection."
Community: Angelo is very involved in the community. He has done this through taking on leadership roles and carrying out new ideas and initiatives. This has included raising funds for a bus to take nursing home residents out into the community, organizing a 5K to benefit mental health awareness and simply responding to colleagues and patients at St. Anthony's through offering prayers and support.
Affiliate Kathryn Re
Prayer: Kathryn is grounded in prayer. For her it is an avenue to share her gifts with others, especially at this later stage in her life where she lives in an assisted living community. Through leading the rosary, attending adoration and offering her musical talents (keyboard and choir), Kathryn invites others to be in community. Kathryn uses her gifts to teach others – building community through being a reliable and joyful presence.
Ministry: Kathryn's desire to create connections and teach others first developed when she was a child. Kathryn had a calling to enter religious life, but due to personal circumstances, she moved in another direction. Her life was a constant pull between teaching and providing care and support to her husband. In retirement, she continues to provide support to those in her assisted living community, offering rides to mass, sharing her musical talents and creating space for prayer.
Community: Although Kathryn's community consists of her neighbors in the assisted living residence where she lives, she is looking forward to re-entering into the presence and spirit of FSPA through the local group in Spokane, WA. She feels that this connection will provide her not only a sense of peace, but also a connection to a piece of her spirituality that has remained just under the surface ever since being taught by FSPA.
Affiliate Silvana Richardson
Prayer: Through her compassionate presence, Silvana seeks to uncover God in all whom she encounters. Reflecting on her desire to become an affiliate, Silvana shared the words of St. Clare – to "Gaze, Consider, Contemplate, Imitate." These words provide a mantra, offering a path to prayerful discernment. Silvana's calm and quiet presence has allowed her to be a blessing to those she serves.
Ministry: Silvana's career overlaps with her ministry as a healer. Having worked as a nurse, and also as a mentor and teacher, Silvana has stayed grounded in being an advocate for those she cares for – whether that is a patient, her students, or adopted children. She does not let someone's personal circumstance define them; rather, she listens to and acknowledges their story, while also offering compassion and love.
Community: Silvana seeks to serve and benefit every community that she is a part of – whether through mentoring, cross-cultural experiences, or finding the overlap between the health of a community and the justice issues that are present. In contributing to the creation of an evermore just and compassionate world, Silvana is drawn to continuing her spiritual and personal growth through her relationship with FSPA and affiliation.
Affiliate Renee Vandlik
Prayer: Renee's discerning spirit (through prayer and spiritual texts) has led her to a deeper wisdom that recognizes the sacredness of each person's journey and each religion or spiritual tradition's desire to grow closer to God. This has led Renee, throughout her life, to embrace spiritual practices that offer an ecumenical approach, while also uncovering newfound appreciation for her Catholic faith.
Ministry: Renee's professional life (in the world of politics and government relations) provided her with an avenue to use her talents to advocate for and foster change. Working in public relations, she sought to build bridges for the betterment of the community. In retirement, Renee continues in her spirit of actively giving back as she volunteers at St. John's Cathedral Open Door Community, participates in a hospital ministry and continues her philanthropy efforts for organizations that lift others up.
Community: Renee's curiosity has consistently pulled her in directions where community is the center of her relationships. Affiliation is an avenue to continue developing sacred relationships and connections with a community that has sustained and encouraged her growth in uncovering the sacred.