School Sisters of St. Francis
The Little Portion Online
December 2012

- Sr. Mary Jude Makes Final Vows -

Saturday, Dec. 7th
Congratulations!!!

Sr. Mary Jude
Sr. Mary Jude Schwind

A joyous occasion for the School Sisters included the presence of the Superior General from Austria - Sister M. Herlinde Eberhard, who accepted Sister's vows on behalf of the Congregation.  Other Sisters from Austria and Argentina also came o celebrate. Sr. Mary Jude's Vocation Story (brief version) follows:

 

Click Here for Photos!

 

Born Cecilia Schwind in Borger, Texas, Sister Mary Jude had the great blessing of being raised in a strong Catholic family. Faith was number one in their home, and it was nourished through Sunday Mass, Holy Days of Obligation, daily Mass during the summer (sometimes reluctantly!), and monthly confession and family prayer. Leonard and Roberta Schwind had a devotion to Our Lady and the rosary, which they passed on to their children.

 

"I am pretty sure my sisters and I were praying a Hail Mary when Roger Staubach made his famous pass against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975", Sister laughed. In this rich and fertile soil of Catholicism, a religious vocation began. Sister Mary Jude attended St. John's Catholic School and confided to one of the religious Sisters her idea of being a nun when she grew up. The Sister told her to pray and not to rush it. Through middle school, high school, and into her first years of junior college, the thought of religious life would come and go but not much attention was given to it.

 

In the summer of 1993, Sister Mary Jude had the great grace of attending World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II in Denver, Colorado. "That event opened my eyes . . . [Read more]

 

 
 
P.S. Check our blog to keep up with the School Sisters!

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St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Sr. Mary Katherine and Sr. Mary Pia
Celebrate with a Pilgrimage  
Kateri Tekakwitha canonized Oct. 21, 2012
 
Sr. Mary Katherine and Sr. Mary Pia enjoyed the trip of a lifetime!  The canonization of your patron saint only comes once and is not ususally experienced during our lives.  Such was the case with Sr. Mary Katherine's patron - now St. Kateri.  The Sisters journeyed to Fonda, New York for the solemn festivities and then were off to Barto, Pennsylvania to see the national shrine of St. Padre Pio.
 
Dreams do come true.
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- The Year of Faith -
Oct. 11, 2012 - Nov. 24, 2013
 Proclaimed by Our Holy Father
 
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI

Year of Faith Logo
btw, Pope Benedict XVI has begun "Tweeting".
A "tweet" is an instant message to anyone who signs up for them. His first tweet said, "We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful." 
How awesome that he can contact his faithful in an
instant and revolutionary way!  God bless him!
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School Sisters of St. Francis
119 Franciscan Way
P.O. Box 906
Panhandle, Texas 79068
806-537-3182

Harvest of Blessings Benefit Gala 2012
 
What a wonderful event this year's "Harvest of Blessings" Benefit Gala proved to be!  Thanks to all of our friends, relatives, and benefactors who volunteered and gave of their time and talents, it was a success.  We hope to schedule next year's Gala the weekend before Thanksgiving again, so tentatively mark your calendars!

The community enjoyed spending time with many wonderful people in gratitude for God's blessings, the generosity of so many friends, and the blessings of May He continue to guide us in spreading His Kingdom in the world.
  
A Table at the Gala

A Table for Family and Friends.

  
  
Just a Bite Table
"Just-a-Bite" Dessert Table
 


Receive Love - Be Love
Come & See Retreat
 
A wonderful retreat to learn more about God's unconditional Trinitarian Love for you!
  Another Graced "Come and See" Retreat 
We learned more about God's unconditional love for each one of us and how God is calling us to share in His Trinitarian Love and to love our neighbor. 
If you or someone you know would like to visit
our Community, check this page out and contact us!     
 
Click Here for Next Retreat info.!
  
Click Here to read about last year's retreat..
  


New Postulant - December 8
 
Postulant Ariel with Sr. M. Herlinde and Sr. Mary Michael
Pray for Ariel, our new Postulant!
(Read her Vocation Story in the Newsletter below.)


Click on Image below to view our
Fall Snail-Mail Newsletter
(important information not found in enews)
 
Fall Newsletter   

Blessed Advent to you!!!
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