BERNARDINE FRANCISCAN SISTERS
Weekly Relay
April 2024
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the Power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Community Update – Death of a BFS
Prayers are requested for the departed soul of our dear Sister and for the comfort and consolation of her family and friends:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
1. MONDAY – Afternoon Addition
Community Update – Sister Edna’s Funeral Information
2. TUESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
3. WEDNESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Community Update – Death of a Family Member
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
4. THURSDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Community Update – Family Member
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
5. FRIDAY – First Friday
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Lusete Morelli
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update – Family Member
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
6. SATURDAY – First Saturday
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Lenita de Argollo Mendes
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
7. SUNDAY – Second Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
8. MONDAY - The Annunciation of the Lord
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Maria Socorro Alves
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Updates (2)
A copy of an e-mail to Elaine Cusat [Editor of the Fr. Walter Ciszek Prayer League Newsletter, Shenandoah, PA] requesting our prayers for a miraculous healing for Dan through the intercession of Fr. Ciszek
Elaine,
We are praying through Fr. Ciszek’s intercession for a miraculous healing for a single father of two teenage girls. He is in his mid 50s in ICU at John’s Hopkins Hospital after a massive stroke. The doctors say there is no medical way he can recover. The girls’ mother died not long ago of cancer. His name is Dan.
Are you able to get others in the League to pray for this healing through Fr. Walter?
I have given the family a Christmas card handwritten by Father Ciszek to my grandmother, as a relic to pray with in Dan’s hospital room.
Thank you!
In prayer,
Fr. Phil Hurley SJ
https://www.ciszek.org/ Includes a photo of our Sister Evangeline, sister of Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J.
Prayers are requested for the departed souls of our Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for the comfort and consolation of their families:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
9. TUESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Miriam Hugh MacKillop
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
10. WEDNESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Community Update – Family Member
From Community Life
The latest newsletter, titled Whole Person Wellness offers suggestions for the pursuit of the highest level of functioning through the integration of body, mind, and spirit. During this Easter season, may you have a renewed spirit and new life.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates:
11. THURSDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Gemma Legel
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Resurrection Garden at St. Joseph Villa
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 6th grade students from Sacred Heart School in West Reading, PA came to St. Joseph Villa to make a Resurrection Garden with the Sisters. The results of their work were then placed in the Villa courtyard. Afterwards, the children spent time talking with the Sisters.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
· for Frances’ elderly parents who are dealing with health issues.
· for Bernadette, Jonathan’s mother, that her test shows the absence of disease.
12. FRIDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Raimunda de Sousa Fernandes
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
13. SATURDAY – St. Martin I
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
14. SUNDAY – Third Sunday of Easter
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
15. MONDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Lucimara Martins da Silva
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Updates (2)
Reading Public Library Book Mobile Comes to St. Joseph Villa
Pictures taken on Thursday, April 11, 2024, of the Sisters at St. Joseph Villa getting books from the Reading Public Library Book Mobile that comes twice a month. The Sisters have library cards and come down to the Villa Library to select books that are then processed by Ryan Yanchocek (Librarian).
Sister Annuntia Koller, MSC with Ryan Yanchocek (Librarian)
Sister Phyllis Marie Soja browses the new arrivals.
Sisters de Marie Sawicki, Stella Ann Tumanow, and Charlene Dalrymple pondering a selection.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
15. MONDAY – Afternoon Addition
Community Update – Death of MSC Sister
16. TUESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Yasmim Victória dos Santos Oliveira
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
A Moment in Time
Celebrating 130th Anniversary of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters
1894 ~ 2024
Bernardine Franciscans in the Ministry of Education
With deep trust and unwavering faith in Divine Providence, the small mission group was sent out by the superior of the convent in Poland in 1894 to respond to the plea of a pastor for the Sisters to teach the immigrant children.
In 1899, with little income to sustain the lives of the Sisters as well as the lives of the orphans in their care in Ridgewood, the Sisters began teaching in St. Casimir’s School in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania for a very minimal salary of $15.00 a month.
Requests continued to come in rapid succession from pastors for the Sisters to teach; thus, the Sisters were placed in charge of schools in the surrounding coal regions of Pennsylvania, to the city and suburbs of Philadelphia, as well as to the western part of the state.
In time, the Bernardine Sisters could be found staffing schools throughout the United States in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas and Washington, D.C.
Alvernia College in Reading, a cherished dream of Mother Chrysostom, became a reality in 1958. 1960 saw the opening of our La Reine High School, a private High School for girls, that offered both a college preparatory and a business curriculum, plus an honors program for gifted students.
Some significant moments in our history in education were:
The woman, who long past her youth, filled with the love that overcomes obstacles, set in motion for generations to come, the response of the Bernardine Sisters to God’s call to teach the children of immigrant families in the United States and the children of the generations that followed.
Adaptation of information found in
The Bernardines by Katherine Burton (1964)
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Prayers are requested for the departed souls of our Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for the comfort and consolation of their families:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
18. THURSDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
From Sister John Ann Proach (Congregational Minister)
Sisters, please read the email from Eliza P Eames, Director of New Student Programs at Alvernia University, and open the link to vote. Voting deadline tomorrow, Friday, April 19, 2024, at noon. Peace and All Good!
Hello Sister John Ann,
I am emailing to invite you (and any other Bernardine Sisters) to help us name our Golden Wolf Mascot. Our committee has gathered a list of names submitted by various students, faculty, staff, and alumni to be our new name, and we need help narrowing it down to one. If you are interested, please click the link below to vote on your favorite name. Please feel free to share this link with any other Sisters, as well. We look forward to hearing from you!
Please vote by Friday 4/19 at 12pm: https://forms.office.com/r/HaRdS2Rwrp
Thank you! The Mascot Naming Committee: Dan, Eliza, and Kristin
Inauguration of the Hope Social School
Curitiba, April 11, 2024
The inauguration of the new service unit of the Marist Brothers Brazil network in Vila Torres, Hope Social School, was attended by the Mayor of Curitiba, Rafael Greca (4th from left), Sister Gilbetânia Ferreira de Andrade (Immaculate Conception Province Minister—3rd from right), Marist Brothers, and Education Administrators. Photo: Daniel Castellano / SMCS
"This Christian hope is what Brazil needs. Hope for a better world, for better cities," said the mayor.
Sister Gilbetânia is presented with an image of Our Lady of Hope
Left to right: Sister Regina Paula de Menezes Silva, Sister Gilbetânia Ferreira de Andrade,
and Sister Odilia Viera Lopes.
Prayers are requested for the departed souls of our Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for the comfort and consolation of their families:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
19. FRIDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Community Update – Family Member
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
21. SUNDAY – Fourth Sunday of Easter/World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
22. MONDAY – Earth Day
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Community Update – Family Member
Chapter Implementation Committee (CIC) Assembly
Saturday, April 20, 2024-Reading, PA
Theme: Dare to Embrace our brothers and sisters in Islam, Buddhism, Judaism
Left: Buddhism. Middle: Islam. Right: Judaism
Sister Jean Jacobchik (CIC)-Introduction
Hasna Bahor (Campus Minister for Abrahamic Faith Cultures at Alvernia University), Sister Carol Ann Nawracaj (CIC),
Imam Elsayed Ashour, Fathi Tonsi (Cantor “Sultan Call to Prayer”)
Islam
Imam Elsayed Ashour
Judaism
Torah (miniature) and Ram's horn
Rabbi Brian Michelson
Buddhism
Pema Chrondon, an American Buddhist Nun, made her presentation Interview Style on Video.
No pictures are available
Sister Marie Gayda offers choice of a packet of flower or vegetable seeds
to Sister Phyllis Duncan
Each participant was also given a fresh daisy cutting.
Participants selecting one of three available tree cuttings for future planting
Front Center: Sisters Rosemary Stets, Sandra Lyons, and Maria Bartos
Sister M. Cecilia Bondy (CIC)
Sister Phyllis Duncan (CIC) doing the “Thank you and Good-bye”
EARTH DAY 2024
Theme: Planet vs. Plastic
Call “to advocate for widespread awareness on the health risk of plastics, rapidly phase out all single use plastics,
urgently push for a strong UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, and demand an end to fast fashion.”
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
23. TUESDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Aracy Luiza Molin
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update – Family Member
Vocational Meeting
Diocese of Roraima - Amazon Brazil
Seated, center: Yasmim Victória dos Santos Oliveira (Novice)
Standing, back, 3rd from right: Sister Lusete Morelli
Standing, front, left: Sister Yasmim. Seated at table: front, left: Sister Lusete.
Seated at table, front right, closest to camera: Sister Maria Socorro Alves.
Behind Sister Maria Socorro: Sister Rita de Cássia Lima Barbosa
Pondering and listening to the soft voice of Jesus and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In a meditative moment
The group – Standing, front row, far left: Sister Lusete.
Standing, second from right: Sister Maria Socorro
Dominican Republic
Mission 2024
A diverse group of volunteers from Michigan committed their time to serving our school and addressing the needs of both students and the local community. Their efforts included the provision of resources for the infirm, refurbishment of the school infrastructure, and engagement in various communal activities within the Los Tres Brazos neighborhood.
Prayers are requested for the departed souls of our Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for the comfort and consolation of their families:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
24. WEDNESDAY – St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Retreat Update - St. Joseph Villa, Reading, PA
Dates: Sunday, June 9 to Friday, June 14, 2024. Retreat Master: Fr. Kevin Mc Donald, CSsR from San Alfonso Retreat House (Long Branch, NJ). Anyone wishing to attend from outside the Villa, please contact Sister Josandra Ciucci at 610.777.5556 for further information.
New Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC) Residents at St. Joseph Villa, Reading, PA
St. Joseph Villa welcomed four new MSC Sisters on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Names and room numbers are as follows:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
25. THURSDAY – St. Mark, Evangelist
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sisters Mark Ann Florkiewicz and Tereza das Dôres Lima
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update – Death of Family Member
Community Update – Sisters reaching out to Sisters
Care for the Earth Initiative – Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky (and other sources)
The Lexington Diocese's commitment to net-zero carbon emissions is one of the boldest responses to climate change to date from the U.S. Catholic Church — and it comes from coal country. Read more: https://www.ncronline.org/node/269966
Several other Catholic institutions have made net-zero emissions commitments to varying degrees. The Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, has committed to carbon neutrality within its chancery building and all associated operations, and the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis has begun a parish-focused net-zero program. In addition, numerous Catholic universities, hospital systems and congregations of women religious have laid out net-zero plans. The Holy See in December 2020 pledged it will reach net-zero emissions within the Vatican city-state by 2050, which serves as its national commitment under the Paris Agreement.
Prayers are requested for the departed souls of our Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for the comfort and consolation of their families:
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
26. FRIDAY - Administrative Professionals Day
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sisters Ann Marie Coll and Marilisa Helena da Silva
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update – Family Member
Happy Administrative Professionals Day to Sister Roberta Ann Leskey (Congregational Secretary) and Sister Acelia Maria Sterz (Immaculate Conception Province Secretary) and to all who assist them in the work of the Congregation and the Province.
BFS Retreat – McGlinn Conference & Spirituality Center-Reading, PA
Date: July 7-13, 2024
Theme: “Come to the Mountains: An Invitation to Encounter God”
Presenter: Fr. Johnpaul Cafiero, OFM who is a Franciscan Priest of the New USA Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Born and raised in the New York Metro area. Oldest of an Italian./ Polish Catholic family. Former police officer who has worked as a counselor and chaplain at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago. Father Johnpaul holds a B.A. in Psychology/Philosophy, M.A. in Counseling Psychology, Master of Divinity in Liturgy/Scripture, Doctor of Ministry in Psychology/Theology. He is a member of the International Association of Counselors & Therapists, certified member of the National Organization of Victims Assistance, member of the International Association of Police Chaplains, and is currently chaplain for the Illinois State police.
Cost: $500.00 [Includes meals and air-conditioned accommodations].
Deadline: June 25, 2024
For more information: (484) 334-6807 or e-mail mcglinncc@bfranciscan.org
Arbor Day 2024 is all about ensuring our earth and the trees upon it are all happy, healthy, and growing to be as strong as they possibly can be!
Have you thanked trees for purifying the air (photosynthesis) and for all the products made from them (houses, furniture, paper, ….), for providing heat when used as fuel? If not, take a moment to do it now.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
27. SATURDAY
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sister Maria Cristina Melo
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
28. SUNDAY – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
29. MONDAY – St. Catherine of Siena
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Today we offer our prayers and good works for our dear Sister(s) who celebrate feast days/birthdays today
Sisters Karen Anne Wieleba and Shaun Kathleen Wilson
Mass will be offered for your special intentions.
Community Update – Family Member
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
30. TUESDAY – St. Pius V
Prayers are requested for the needs of our congregation.
Prayers are requested for the following sick and needy Sisters, Family, Associates, Friends, and Benefactors and for those who companion them during this time:
GOODBYE, APRIL!
WELCOME, MAY!
