'Listening to Voices of Rochester and the Greater Community' was held at Assisi Heights Spirituality Center on Monday, March 7, 2011. Aubrey Helms of KTTC-TV captured the essence of the event for the 6 PM and 10 PM newscasts. This program was also featured on the front of the Southeast MN section of the Rochester Post-Bulletin on March 9, written by Christina Killion Valdez. Highlights follow:

Now, without a new tornado but with a desire to maintain a vital role in the community, the Rochester Franciscans asked local residents to share their ideas on what the biggest needs are and how the Sisters can help. The meeting, which drew 90 people, including Sisters and community members, to Assisi Heights Spirituality Center on Monday, was a first of its kind in Rochester.

'We want to know if there are any unmet needs that we may not be aware of or if there is a need that we can look at with a new vision, lens or energy,' said Sister Tierney Trueman, president of the Sisters of St. Francis.

What the Sisters heard from several of the people at the meeting is that they are needed as servants in many areas, including to the homeless, elderly and poor, but mostly as leaders with a strong voice.

Some people noted the need for the Sisters to speak out about where they stand on various social issues and to spread the news about the work of the Sisters and what's happening at Assisi Heights to the greater community.

'That's not a habit of the Sisters,' said Ronnie Oliveto, who praised their humility.

The comment drew laughs from the crowd since the sisters 'don't have habits.' Nonetheless, the need to make people aware of what the 250 Sisters and about 100 Cojourners are already doing in the areas of education, health care, ecology, fine arts, therapy, social responsibility, missions and spiritual guidance across the country and internationally was evident.

New York Times Interview:

The following Sisters are participating in a Mayo Clinic research study on wellness: Sisters Mary Margaret Dapporn, Michon Welsh, Mary Kathryn Esch, Jeanette Klein, Arnold Ritchey, Yvette Kaiser, Rafael Tilton, Johanna Orlett, Yvonne Elskamp, Una O'Meara, Dorothy Hansen, Joy Barth, Iria Miller, Zoa Braunwarth, Margaret Clare Style, Janel Crumb, Seton Slater, Margaret Boler and Martha Ann McGinnis. Also participating is Carol Weisz, Pastoral Minister. A small focus group was gathered on the evening of March 17, 2011, to meet with a reporter for the New York Times. The group included Ss. Mary Margaret Dapporn, Mary Kathryn Esch, Jeanette Klein, Joy Barth, Zoa Braunwarth, Margaret Clare Style, and Carol Weisz, as well as the physician and two staff from the Mayo Clinic. We'll let you know when the article is featured!

Perfect Timing? As I was sitting at my desk prior to attending the International Women's Day event, I turned on the KAAL-TV news, just in time to see S. Ruth Snyder interviewed in Austin about the census and the impact of the Hispanic population!

Observance of World Water Day: Ss. Janel Crumb, Joy Barth and Zoa Braunwarth (and their display) were featured in a news story about World Water Day on KAAL-TV (ABC 6) on Tuesday, March 22, 2011. This exhibit was also mentioned in the Answer Man column in the Rochester Post-Bulletin on same day. S. Zoa's letter to the editor, 'Our abundance of water is no reason to waste it,' was printed in the Rochester Post-Bulletin on the previous week.

'Saint Marys Chapel offers a place of peace, healing' was an article featured in the Rochester Post-Bulletin on Saturday, March 19, 2011. Sister Lauren Weinandt, the Sisters of Saint Francis and the late S. Joseph Dempsey, were mentioned in this article. The author, Harley Flathers, referenced first meeting S. Lauren in the early 1960s when she was a volunteer at the Hiawatha Valley Chapter of the National Paraplegia Foundation, of which he was a member. She shared stories of the chapel, which piqued his interest.

'Profile 2011 Mower County,' an annual supplement to the Austin Daily Herald, recognized Sister Lorraine Loecher and Fr. Joe Fogal, pastor of the parishes of St. Augustine and St. Edward in Austin, MN. Published in February, 2011, the article on Sister Lorraine was titled 'Serving God by Serving Others.' It shared S. Lorraine's life journey, noting that she's certain she chose the right path.

'Bishop Quinn's pastoral visit to Colombia,' was the feature story in the February/March 2011 issue of The Courier, newspaper of the Diocese of Winona. A photo accompanied the article of Sister Valerie Usher, Bishop Quinn, and CASFA students.

VISION 2012: Watch for the following article, accompanied by photos, to be printed in a future issue of Vision magazine, highlighting products of various Congregations. This is our submission:

The Sisters of Saint Francis, Rochester, Minnesota, express their creativity in many ways. We have several artists, prolific writers, poets and even an iconographer. To keep our gift shop filled with items, a few Sisters, in particular, have been busy bees - literally! One of the most requested items in our Gift Shop is organic honey, produced under the direction of our beekeeper, Sister Alice Thraen. In addition, other products are made with the beeswax, to include organic lip balm and candles. The colorful, unique greeting cards designed by Sister Therese Jilk are big sellers. Her sayings are unique, thoughtful, and hit just the right note when trying to express a special feeling. These cards often accompany other items found in our shop, including playful stuffed horses, chickens, dolls and yes, even a hippo! Sister Lillian Silvers (over 90 years young, no less!) is a wonderful seamstress...and puts in many additional hours stuffing her cute creations. We would be remiss if we didn't mention our resident weaver, Sister Cecilia Rolling, who works magic with the warp and weft of her loom. This is just a small sampling of the talent that is found in our midst...gifts of creativity that become part of our Franciscan charism and mission.

Special Handling: Sister Helen Rohlik was featured in the December 2010 Issue of Mayo Volunteer News, receiving 'special handling' and assistance to get down the stairs from the Greenhouse, after the Siebens Building elevators broke down!

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2/20/11 - ABC 6 /KAAL-TV airs 'Healing Hands: The Sisters of Saint Francis and Mayo Clinic,' based upon the books written by Sister Ellen Whelan.

1/31/11 - The Ambassador from Luxembourg, Jean-Paul Senninger and his wife, Louise Ackerblom, visit Assisi Heights along with a group representing the Honorary Consul of Luxembourg in Minnesota  and the Luxembourg American Cultural Center, located in Belgium, Wisconsin. (Our foundress, Mother Alfred Moes, was from Remich, Luxembourg.  Mother Alfred is featured in one of the permanent exhibits at the Luxembourg American Cultural Center. Many of the Sisters have ancestors from Luxembourg.)  An article was featured in the Rochester Post-Bulletin: http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1443376&query=ambassador.  A short interview with the Ambassador was also featured on KTTC-TV News.

1/27/11 and 1/31/11 - Two articles were featured in the Rochester Post-Bulletin covering the program orchestrated by Sister Kathy Warren: 'Historic encounter is impetus for interfaith event' and 'Event highlights religious similarities.'

1/14/11 - Sisters Charlotte Dusbabeck and Mary Lou Connelly were presented with the Mayo Excellence Award for Community Caring for their exemplary service in feeding the hungry.

1/18/11 - The Austin Post-Bulletin featured an article 'Event Pays Tribute to King' (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration) and announced that Sister Ruth Snyder received the 2010 Human Rights Award in Austin, Minnesota.

1/12/11 - Bells Ring for Haiti was covered by ABC 6 News, as Sisters gathered in prayer in Lourdes Chapel to commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.

1/11/11 - The Umbrian Christmas Events received a full-page spread with several photos as 'The Main Event' feature in the Life section of the Rochester Post-Bulletin.

1/2011 - Sister Nena Larocco, teacher at St. Bartholomew School, receives the Manifesting the Kingdom Award from Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washingon, D.C.

1/2011 - An article about Assisi Heights and the Spirituality Center is featured in Experience Rochester, the annual travel planner magazine produced by the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau, and delivered to all hotel rooms in the city.

12/2010 - Sister Cecily Schroepfer's ministry was highlighted in an article published in The Harvest, Montana's Diocesan newspaper serving Great Falls-Billings.

11/16/10 - 'Spirit of St. Francis to illuminate auditorium' was the title of an article on the front page of the Rochester Post-Bulletin, sub-titled 'Sisters donate stained-glass windows to future Lourdes High School.' Sister Ramona Miller was quoted in the article about the unique windows that graced the walls of the former Tau Center on the campus of the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota.

11/14/10 - Sister Edith Zamboni was among several local poets recognized by the Owatonna Public Library for having poems published in SELCO's (Southeastern Library Cooperating) book: Poetic Strokes.

11/2010 - Sister Rafael Tilton received the 3rd place award in Category 13 of the League of Minnesota Poets Annual poetry contest.

10/16/10 - Several Sisters volunteer for Citizenship Day in Rochester to assist residents with the long process of becoming official U.S. citizens.

10/10/10 - Sister Dawn Nothwehr celebrated her rise to the rank of Full Professorship at the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, Illinois.

10/9/10 - Sister Gladys Meindl receives the College of Saint Teresa Citation Award at Saint Marys of the Angels Chapel in Winona, Minnesota. Sister Gladys Meindl, OSF ('65) was honored for her involvement in education for 53 years before retiring as principal at St. Michael's School in Morgan, Minnesota.

10/3/10 - Two local TV stations (KAAL and KTTC) and the Rochester Post-Bulletin covered our Blessing of the Animals event.  Click on this video link from the Post-Bulletin:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=472391

9/21/10 - The International Day of Peace was covered by KAAL-TV. To view the video link, go to: http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S1755070.shtml?cat=10217

9/2010 - Colegio Anexo San Francisco de Asis (CASFA), a school founded by the Rochester Franciscans in Bogotá, Colombia, celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an expansion and open house celebrations.