Community News

News regarding the Wheaton Franciscans Community

Remembering Sr. Mary Patrick Salm

     February 14, 1930 - December 2, 2020           Memorial MassThursday, December 10. 2020Service Begins at 10:00 AMvia LivestreamBurialAssumption CemeteryWinfield, Illinois    Click For Livestream Link    Click For Reflection          Obituary:On December 2, 2020 Sister Mary Patrick Salm breathed her fullness into the abundant love of her life: God. She walked Earth for 90 years with the goodness who she knew as Trinity: One who is Love, Beloved and Lover. And thus she grew in wisdom, grace, service, humor, simplicity and mysticism as our “Sister” Pat!She was destined to [...]

Remembering Sr. Mary Patrick Salm2020-12-11T23:28:15+00:00

Celebrating the 160th Anniversary of our Founding

On October 30th of every year, the international congregation of the Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (known in the United States as the Wheaton Franciscans), celebrate the founding of their congregation. It was on this day in 1860 that Konrad Martin, Bishop of Paderborn, Germany, approved the Constitution of the new congregation, written by its foundress, Mother Clara Pfaender. It was not a usual occurrence to have a woman religious write the bylaws, statues, and constitution of a newly found women’s religious community in Prussia at that time. Yet, such was the relationship and [...]

Celebrating the 160th Anniversary of our Founding2020-10-30T17:45:07+00:00

Election 2020: For the Common Good

“I ask everyone with political responsibility to remember two things: human dignity and the common good.” Pope Francis As a community of Franciscan hearted people, we join with others in expressing our deep concern about the state of our nation and the future of our democracy. We share the belief that we are facing one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes in a nation that is increasingly divided. We are offering this website page as a resource for prayer and inspiration as we accept the role of compassionate, respectful, and responsible citizenship for the sake of the common [...]

Election 2020: For the Common Good2020-11-03T16:21:19+00:00

Homeless Bees Visit OLA Garden

In mid-September, Mary Krystinak, Director Our Lady of Angels and Sisters Healthy Living, received an urgent email reporting, “The Bees are Swarming!” The email included pictures of hundreds of bees in a cluster, hanging pendulously from a branch above the current beehive.Fortunately, Mary was in route to the OLA gardens for her weekly visit. She called our beekeeper, Alphonse Scepurek, to advise him of the emergency. You may recall that earlier this year, only a few weeks after the installation of our new hive, we experienced a swarm, and we did not arrive in time to discourage the bees from [...]

Homeless Bees Visit OLA Garden2020-10-23T19:12:38+00:00

Remembering Our Sisters Who Have Gone Before Us

The Transitus of St. Francis is celebrated by Franciscans around the world as it marks Francis’ “passage from death into new life”, the literal meaning of the word Transitus in Latin. The evening ritual held on October 3, usually consists of readings of Francis’ death. During the service, one has the experience of being with a beloved as they die. In a death-denying society, during a time when one needs to sign legal documents to not have medical technology intervene to keep a body technically alive, it is quite a welcomed change. It returns us to the reality that death [...]

Remembering Our Sisters Who Have Gone Before Us2020-10-02T20:04:32+00:00

Announcing The New Regional Community Leadership Team

Dreaming, Daring, DeepeningCreating a vibrant, shared community  With abundant joy and deep gratitude, the Wheaton Franciscan Community is happy to announce the new Regional Community Leadership Team. On Saturday, September 12, 2020, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, the St. Clare Regional Community called forth three sisters to be the leaders of the newly created Region. They are Sr. Melanie Paradis, Regional Directress; Sr. Glenna Czachor and Sr. Rose Mary Pint, Team Members. We are grateful to Srs. Melanie, Glenna, and Rose Mary for their willingness to serve and to share their gifts and their wisdom with the [...]

Announcing The New Regional Community Leadership Team2020-09-18T14:48:53+00:00

Season of Creation 2020

Jubilee for the Earth Today we begin our annual celebration of the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is celebrated around the world and in many faith traditions. The season begins on September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions. The ecumenical steering committee that plans and promotes the season each year put it this way: "The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, [...]

Season of Creation 20202020-10-02T21:23:16+00:00

2020 Jubilarians

Although we cannot physically gather now, we want to take this time to honor our 2020 Sister and Covenant Companion jubilarians. Over the next few weeks, we will celebrate the lives and contributions of our 7 Sister jubilarians and our 3 Covenant Companion jubilarians. Please join us in recognition of their commitment to living Gospel values. Message from Provincial Directress Sr. Melanie Paradis:      70 Years      Sr. Mary Patrick Salm What attracted you to the Franciscan way of life? “After high school I worked in the main office at St. Elizabeth [...]

2020 Jubilarians2020-07-17T15:34:23+00:00

Anti-Racism Response

It is Time: Enough is Enough “If you want peace, work for justice” Pope Paul VI The Wheaton Franciscans join our voices with those of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and other faith, civil, and business leaders in condemning the police-killing of yet one more black man on the streets of our nation. We share in the profound anger, frustration, and grief of so many African Americans and allies as we face, once again, the violent effects of systemic racism.In the National Catholic Reporter on June 3, Heidi Schlumpf wrote, “White people, let's do our homework.”  It is [...]

Anti-Racism Response2020-09-25T18:27:49+00:00

Laudato Sí 5th Anniversary

     Laudato Sí Week - May 16-24, 2020We’re living through history-shaping events. People everywhere are crying out for hope, and our faith is urgently needed to light the way.Laudato Sí Week honors the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home. The theme of the week is “everything is connected.” Laudato Sí teaches us how to build a better world–together. We invite you to stand with us and with our brothers and sisters in faith as we continue to grow through the crisis of this moment to build a better tomorrow for all!Join the global [...]

Laudato Sí 5th Anniversary2020-05-27T21:33:35+00:00
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