Franciscan Sister
Helps to Revive Catholic Education
in Chester,
Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania is a struggling
town
As the 21st
century dawned on Chester, Pennsylvania, the state of Catholic
education in that city was found to be in decline. St. Katharine
Drexel School was suffering financially; it was also the last
Catholic school in Chester. Something had to be done to prevent St.
Katharine Drexel from closing and denying the city's children a
first rate education. In 2005, Sr. Lynn Patrice Lavin, OSF - Sisters
of St. Francis, and Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, president of Neumann
College, decided to take action. Read further...
Friar Stays at
Home in Eritrea to Work for Justice
 Eritreans have to put up
with a lot of problems in life
Eritrea comes
up in the news from time to time and usually in the context of
violence and the poverty of her citizens. More than 30 years of war
with Ethiopia, droughts, locust swarms, kidnappings, and other human
rights abuses continue to challenge Eritrea and her people on a
daily basis. Located in East Africa across the Red Sea from Saudi
Arabia and Yemen, Eritrea has been a home to Franciscans from Italy
since 1836.
Lay Women from the
University of St. Francis
Work to Save Lives in Africa
Many
Africans do not have access to health care
It is natural for most of us
to avoid situations of pain, hunger and disease. We search for
comfortable, safe lives. Pictures of violence and starvation on
television unsettle us; often, we change channels when they appear.
St. Francis of Assisi was like this as a young man. During his
conversion, however, he began to serve the poor. Read
further...
Franciscan College in
Indiana Takes Steps
Towards Peace and Justice
Marian College in Indianapolis, Indiana fosters
a Franciscan way of life, which includes
working for peace and justice
Earlier this year,
Marian College, a Franciscan institution of higher learning in
Indianapolis, Indiana, celebrated Global Peace and Justice Day. As a
place of Franciscan spirituality, the event fit seamlessly with
Marian's values of equality, justice, and love for all. Read further...
Buffalo College
Student Gives Back
Buffalo, New York welcomes refugees from
all around the world
When Safina Fetterick became the
project manager for the Refugee Assistance Program at Hilbert
College in Hamburg, New York, a Franciscan institution of higher
learning near Buffalo, she did so because she wanted to serve
others. Safina is herself a student at Hilbert. She is studying
business administration and interning at Buffalo’s Rich Products
Corporation. Just a few years ago, however, Safina’s life was a
different story.
Franciscans Foster Tolerance
Through
Language Instruction in Siberia
Russian children in Siberia connected
with their Franciscan teachers from the USA
Siberia is a mythical place. It is associated with
endless spaces, the mercilessness of nature, as well as Tsarist and
Soviet exile. Be that as it may, these impressions do not completely
reflect Siberia and her people. Similarly, many beliefs held by
non-Americans about the United States turn out to be untrue. Read
further...
We welcome your feedback and
encourage you to send us stories about Franciscan action and where you
see the spirit of St. Francis at work in the world. You can email your comments
and stories to Peter Rajchert at peter@franciscans.org.
|