ROME (12-03-2022) - Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, presented a reflection at the traditional Vatican ceremony of the lighting of the Christmas tree and presentation of the creche. The ceremony was held in Paul VI audience hall. The large tree and creche made of wood are displayed in the center of St. Peter's Square for the public's viewing throughout the Christmas season. Sister Raffaella spoke about St. Francis of Assisi's love of the feast of Christmas, as he called it the "Feast of all feasts." The entire reflection is below. The ceremony of the Inauguration of the Nativity scene and the lighting of the tree can be viewed on the Vatican YouTube channel. Sister Raffaella's reflection:

Sister Anne Therese Yuen pronounces vows of chastity, poverty and obedience in the presence of Mother Miriam Seiferman, Sister Maria Sena and Sister Renee Marek. Brother Leo Maneri, FBE assists with the microphone. MERIDEN, CT (11-24-2022) - Sister Anne Therese Yuen professed first vows in a ceremony during Mass on Thanksgiving Day. Mother Miriam Seiferman, FSE, Mother General, received Sister's vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, affirming her readiness to enter the joys and challenges of vowed life in community. Mother Barbara Johnson, FSE, Vicar General, bestowed the medal of nails in the form of a cross upon Sister Anne Therese and clothed her with the traditional cincture with three knots representing the vows. Sister Maria Sena, FSE, and Sister Renee Marek, FSE were the witnesses. The Reverend Lawrence Symolon of the Archdiocese of Hartford, celebrant of the Mass, blessed the newly professed Sister in the name of the Church and signed the official documents as the Church representative. Click on photos to enlarge and see captions.

From left, Mother Barbara Johnson, FSE, Vicar General; Karin Siobhan Pasquale, Mother Miriam Seiferman, FSE, Mother General; and Mother Shaun Vergauwen, FSE, Mother Co-foundress. MERIDEN, CT (11-11-2022) - The Franciscan Motherhouse Community of Sisters, Brothers and Apprentices witnessed Mrs. Karin Pasquale of Watertown, Connecticut, make a life commitment to Apprenticeship at the Chapel of St. John on the evening of November 11, 2022. Karin's husband, Chris, and their children were present for the ceremony. Franciscan Apprenticeship is a life dedication of lay Catholics to live Franciscan spirituality in relationship with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. Franciscan Apprentices witness to Franciscan values in the secular world as they live out the teachings of the Catholic Church in their prayer, family life and professional life. They extend the mission of the Franciscan Sisters as lay men and women. Karin's dedication as a wife, mother and teacher of a growing family is her primary focus, now enhanced by her embrace of Franciscan spirituality. She has a faithful devotion to the Blessed Virgin and strives to imitate Mary's maternal care in her daily life as mother. Karin's commitment fittingly took place on Veterans Day which is also the memorial of St. Martin of Tours, a soldier in his younger years. Karin, also a soldier and veteran, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served as an officer in the U.S. Army. During the commitment ceremony, the new Apprentice receives an additional name expressive of her mission. In light of her Irish heritage, her womanly spirit of fortitude and drive as a leader, Karin's Apprentice name is Siobhan, which is Irish for Joan in honor of [...]

MERIDEN/CHESHIRE, CT (10-09-2022) - The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in collaboration with the Cheshire Police Department hosted a neighborhood social hour and prayer vigil at the Franciscan Life Center campus on the National Faith & Blue Weekend. Faith & Blue is a national organization dedicated to facilitating positive relationships among law enforcement professionals and local residents, businesses and community groups through the connections of faith-based organizations. Sister Barbara Johnson, FSE, Executive Director of Franciscan Life Center worked with Chief of Police Neil Dryfe, Sergeant Tracy Gonzalez and Officer Alex Wells to plan the event. The participants visited on the patio of the Chapel of St. John while enjoying beverages and chocolate chip cookies made by the Sisters. The group then moved to the chapel for the prayer service. Sister Barbara welcomed everyone and extended the Community's gratitude to the Cheshire Police Department for their faithful service. She introduced Chief Dryfe who spoke of the importance of the Faith & Blue initiative and his appreciation of the local community for their support. The service included patriotic hymns, Scripture readings and prayers of intercession. The Sisters sang the Blessing of St. Francis for all present and in particular for the police force. All sang God Bless America to conclude the prayer hour. Click on photos to enlarge.

BRIDAL VEIL, OR (09-28-2022) - The Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample, Archbishop of Portland, anointed the new altar at the St. Michael Chapel of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Bridal Veil on September 18, 2022. The sacred ritual of anointing sets aside the structure for one purpose, the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The anointed item is no longer a piece of furniture but a sacred table to be reverenced and respected. The ceremony of anointing included the Archbishop's pouring of chrism on the altar and rubbing it over the entire surface of the altar top. He then set a brazier on the altar for burning incense. As the incense rose up, the Archbishop used a censer to incense the altar from all sides. The altar cloths were then placed on the altar by Mother Miriam Seiferman and Sister Mary Margaret Delaski, followed by the candles, and sacred items for the Mass. The Franciscan Sisters of Bridal Veil were honored by the presence of Mother Miriam Seiferman, FSE, Mother General, for the occasion. Those who had been a part of the process of the altar's creation - from the cutting of the cherry trees near the house, to the milling, air drying, kiln drying, and sanding of the wood, to designing and final fabrication - were in attendance. The wood for the altar came from the Sisters' land. In 2018, the roots of five cherry trees were endangering a retaining wall and needed to be cut down. The cherry wood became the source for the altar as well as for other furnishings of the chapel. After a period of time of being somewhat abandoned [...]

MERIDEN, CT (08-23-2022) - Swiss Guard Lt. Urs Breitenmoser, himself a basketball player, was enthused when he met the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist at the Vatican and found out that their motherhouse is in Connecticut USA, the "Home of the Huskies." He is an ardent follower of UConn Coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies team. Mother Shaun Vergauwen, Mother General at the time, and a good friend of the coach, shared Urs' interest with the coach, so on her next visit to Rome, she met with Urs and presented him a UConn jersey as a gift from Coach Calhoun. The Swiss Guard, in turn, sent a jersey of the Swiss Guards Basketball team back for Coach Calhoun. Urs faithfully followed the Huskies and watched as many games as he could through the seasons. This summer, Urs' hope of one day meeting the famous Connecticut coach, was fulfilled - again, through the friendship of Mother Shaun. "Jim was very happy to drive back to West Hartford from his vacation in Rhode Island early one day to meet Urs," Mother Shaun shared. They spent about an hour together, joined by Mother Shaun, Mother Miriam Seiferman and Sister Judith Zoebelein. The coach toured the group through the sports facilities and his office at the University of St. Joseph, West Hartford, where he is the men's head basketball coach. Mother Shaun and Urs holding their signed basketballs from Coach Jim Calhoun. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist welcomed Urs, his wife Roseangela and daughters Sara and Matina to the motherhouse to meet the Community and to share an All-American dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs. "Our time together was very [...]

ROME (07-13-2022) - Pope Francis announced today his appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE to the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, along with Sister Yvonne Reungoat, F.M.A., former Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and Dr. Maria Lia Zervino, President of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations. Sister Raffaella serves as the Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, appointed by Pope Francis on November 4, 2021. These three appointees are the first women to be named to the Dicastery of Bishops who assist the Holy Father in selecting bishops. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Community prayerfully supports Sister Raffaella in this new mission to serve the Church at the request of the Holy Father. Sister Raffaella is a member of the FSE Rome Center.

ROME (06-30-2022) - Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE and Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE were invited experts at the tenth international colloquium of the International Association of Catholic Bioethics in Rome June 26-29, 2022. The Sisters' topic was "a Christian understanding of ecology and health: overcoming oversights and incorporating new insights." Their approach was to bring the medical model of One Health, the ecological model of Social-Ecological Systems theory, and Catholic social teaching into conversation in order to envision new bioethical frameworks for responding to global pandemics and other health crises. The IACB's stated goal for the gathering was "to discuss developing a Christian understanding of creation and integral ecology and an ethical framework to guide clinical care and public health." Topics included health effects of climate change as a global public health issue, reducing ecological harm of health care, "one health" approaches to health promotion, and health and sustainable food production, distribution and consumption. The list of invited experts included John Berkman (theologian), Henk ten Have (physician and bioethicist), Santiago Henao Villegas (vet, public health scientist, bioethicist), Christine Jamieson (theologian), Fr Joshtrom Kureethadam SDB (philosopher), Sr Rafaella Petrini FSE (political scientist), Cristina Richie (bioethicist), Tony Snow (Canadian indigenous knowledge keeper, theologian), Sr Damien Marie Savino FSE (environmental engineer), and Fr Gerald Whelan SJ (theologian). Sister Raffaella Petrini (far right) and Sister Damien Marie Savino (second from right) spend time with their Sisters in Rome, from left, Sister Grace Marie Horan and Sister Gabriella Pettirossi.

LOWELL, MICHIGAN – The cover story of the April 2022 edition of the Grand Rapids Diocese “Faith” magazine featured Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE. Titled “For the love of creation, Sister Damien Marie shares her passion for theology and ecology,” the article presents Sister Damien Marie in her role as a scientist who integrates the Catholic Church’s teaching on the environment with science. She guides persons in respect for creation and in respect for one another. She participates in the recently-published Vatican-based web platform, Laudato Si’ Action Platform, where individuals and groups around the world share projects, insights and reflections on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato si’, On Care for Our Common Home. Sister Damien Marie is the Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College, Grand Rapids. Click here to read the article in “Faith” magazine. Click to read “Faith” magazine.

MERIDEN, CT (05-31-2022) - The motherhouse community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist welcomed His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle for a visit from May 29 to May 31. Cardinal Tagle is the Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and the former Archbishop of Manila. The Sisters, Brothers and Franciscan Apprentices, both local and around the world, appreciated Cardinal Tagle's inspiring two-hour presentation and discussion on "Evangelization and Synodality" which was live-streamed from the Chapel of St. John. Mother Miriam Seiferman, FSE, Mother General, extended the Community's gratitude to Cardinal Tagle for his presence and asked Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE to introduce him. Sister Raffaella, now the Secretary General of the Governance of Vatican City State, had worked closely as an Official with Cardinal Tagle at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Cardinal Tagle offered Masses for the Community during his visit and joined the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers for prayer and meals. Needless to say, the Sisters from the Philippines were delighted to meet "their" Cardinal. Click on photos to enlarge and see captions.