October 3rd and 4th are special days for Franciscans! St. Francis died on the night of October 3rd, 1226, so it is on that night that Franciscans around the world celebrate the Transitus, a special prayer service commemorating his last moments and passing. After a quiet, solemn night, his feast day on October 4th is…
Category: Life of Prayer
Summer at the Mission – Part 2: Retreats, Formation, and Travel
Summer is also traditionally the time when all members of our community make their private annual retreat. The Church asks all religious to take at least one week each year to make a personal retreat, and what a gift this time always is! Our current practice allows for all members to make personal private retreats…
Let your Eucharistic pilgrimage begin today!
Reflection by Sr. Alicia Torres A couple of Sundays ago, I had the chance to make my first official “at-home” Eucharistic pilgrimage. It was a torrentially rainy day in Chicago — as a matter of fact, if you had a basement, there was a high chance you experienced significant flooding. Despite the intense rain, however,…
Charlie, the Eucharist, and Our Forever Home
Reflection by Sr. Alicia Torres I love dogs. Not like I love my family, or like I love Jesus, but I really do have a strong affection for dogs. A few months ago, I came home from teaching and was welcomed by an unfamiliar, and rather unpleasant, smell in the convent. Entering our large dining…
“The Eucharist Invites us to Slow Down and be Loved” – Sr. Alicia on Ave Explores Podcast
Sr. Alicia was recently interviewed about her experience seeing and loving Jesus in the Eucharist and seeing and loving Him in the poor by Katie Prejean McGrady on the Ave Explores podcast from Ave Maria Press. Check out the clip below! You can find the full episode here or wherever you like to listen to…
From Sorrow to Joy: Franciscan Holy Week Traditions
The ups and downs of Holy week can be a roller coaster experience. From “Hosanna, hosanna” to “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” the liturgies are so rich with joy and hope, grief and anxieties. But in the end, joy and hope are victorious! While each year Holy Week looks slightly different for our community, there is…
Walking with the Lord
“We love because He first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:19 God is a good God, a God who is Love, and He is constantly pursuing each one of us. How do we hear His voice? How do we experience His Love? How do we relate to God? How do we respond to His Love?…
Pray for Peace in Iraq!
Peace! We join our Holy Father Pope Francis in an urgent plea for peace in Iraq. Many Catholics, Christians and other religious minorities are suffering brutal, inhumane persecution and death at the hands of Islamic extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS). The Bishops of the United States have asked that Sunday August 17 be set…