FMSL Centenary 5th June 2011

On 5th June 2011, the FMSL celebrated 100 years since we were established as an independant diocesan Congregation in 1911. To mark the occasion, we had Mass in St. Joseph's Convent chapel. The principal celebrant was Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton Diocese. Mass was followed by celebratory lunch and talks regarding our history.

A group of students travelled from Canterbury to participate in a Nigerian song and dance for the Offertory Procession.

William Anderson came with the Sisters from Canterbury. He very much enjoyed the day and meeting again all the Sisters whom he knew when they were based in Canterbury.

Sr. Clare sang the Psalm.

In his homily, Bishop Kieran Conry spoke about the witness value of religious life for today. He picked out the key dimensions of prayer, community and service from our centenary banners.

Sisters, students and staff from Canterbury led the Offertory Procession with a Nigerian song and dance, joined also by Angie from the SFO Littlehampton. Attracta played the drum.

After Mass, Sr. Anastasia, Mother General, thanked everyone who had helped prepare for the day and joined the celebration.

The photo of Mother Mary Patrick Brennan, our foundress was arranged on the sanctuary.

This tree, illustrating the growth of our Congregation over 100 years, was made by Attracta and Sr. Innocentia. It has our Foundress, Mother M. Patrick at the roots and also William with Maximus on the Canterbury branch! There were many other displays of photos illustrating our history.

Celebratory cakes were made for the occasion

New portable centenary banners, which Sisters in initial formation helped to design and prepare, were produced for us by Tony and Kevin of the Homelink charity.

Kevin gave a talk after the lunch about how he had put the final design together. Several people who, as children, had been cared for and educated by our Sisters returned to celebrate the day with us.

From Peru: First Sunday in Lent

13th March 2011: First Sunday in Lent. This Sunday Sr Clara planned to go to the First Communion of her godson Solim from the Therapy Centre.

Solim at the Therapy Centre. Solim is seated on the right. This was on the birthday of one of the other boys. The sister in a habit is a Peruvian sister, Secundina, who belongs to a Mexican order. She helps in the Therapy Centre.

The table the children are sitting round was one of five donated by Sr Clara from her Golden Jubilee funds. She entered discussions with a local carpenter and had the tables custom made.

The Centre was set up by Michael Murphy a retired Irish engineer. He has just moved to new premises to expand. This is a picture of Michael, Clara, Brigid and Ada the Peruvian administrator outside the Centre in the crucial last days before the opening ceremony of the new centre

Sr Ann decided to take me to visit a lay community, Foyer de Charité Santa Rosa, in the mountains at Ñaña outside Lima, for Mass and a day of recollection. To get to the Foyer we needed to take two buses, one into Lima and then another to the mountains. We were very fortunate to get seats on the bus into Lima, so I was able to read Ann's booklet about Marta Robin, the French woman (born 1902 & died 1981) who inspired and founded the movement Foyers de Charité. Martha spent over fifty years confined to her bed and in dreadful pain.

Marta Robin

On our arrival in Ñaña we immediately felt the benefit of the cleaner mountain air as we stopped at a roadside shop to have a snack of bread-sticks and a yoghurt drink.

Sr Ann told me about the times she had been here on retreat in the past, sometimes with Sr Angela and at other times with Señora Domingo from our parish. In a sense we were making a memorial pilgrimage for Angela. We took a motor-taxi to the Foyer and once inside I saw my first Peruvian llamas grazing in their lovely green chacra (farm or smallholding).

llamas grazing

We went to pray quietly in the chapel until Mass, but a little humming bird distracted us. It was beating against the wall of glass behind the altar ,struggling to get out, yet unable to see the glass. Sr Ann managed to rescue the bird. When it rested she cupped it in her hands and took it to an open window at the back of the chapel. She put her hands out of the window and released the bird, but it lay still on her palms and we were afraid that it had died, maybe from fright. Then, thanks be to God, it suddenly came alive and flew away.

The statue of Our Lady and the Child Jesus in front of the Chapel

Picture of view from the Chapel

We joined the Mass of a group called Bodas de Cana (Wedding Feast of Cana) who were having a day retreat under the direction of the French priest who guides the Foyer.. The members of this group are couples who seek to emphasize the value and importance of the sacrament of Christian marriage. They went up to communion as a couple and even up to the ambo to read as a couple. After the Mass people were going up for blessings given by the priest and another man and woman. As they received their blessings many people fell down backwards and lay on the carpets spread in front of the altar. (There were people ready to catch them, so no-one was hurt.) I had not seen this before. Sr Ann said it was a charismatic phenomenon and the people were considered as resting in the spirit, or as some say, “slain in the spirit”. Ann asked if I would like to go for a blessing and I thought that I would. I went up to the woman and she asked me my name. I said, “Rosa” quite loudly and then the person put her hands on my head and began to pray. I felt the pressure of her hands and I found myself slipping down away. It was not like falling and I did not fall, but I realized I was lying on the ground and quite still. After a little I thought I would like to get up, but it seemed to me that I would not be able to move. Then I began to move and someone else helped me and she gave me a lovely smile and supported my arm and helped me to walk back towards my seat. The best way I can describe what happened is that it was like being suspended. After Mass Ann asked if I felt ready for more prayer as there is a beautiful way of the cross that zig-zags up the mountain behind the chapel. We agreed that it would be good to make the way following our own pattern. We prayed for the people of Japan and again for the recently dead especially Sr Angela.

Sr Ann in contemplation on the way of the Cross

By this time the afternoon was well on. I wanted to go on foot back down to the village as it is a lovely walk.

Sr. Rose on the Way of the Cross

Sunset from the bus window on the way to Puente Piedro.

by Sr. Rose of Lima

Pilgrimage to Santa Rosa de Quives, 6 March 2011

Santa Rosa de Quives is a village in the mountains outside Lima. It houses the national shrine to Santa Rosa, the first canonized saint of the Americas. Rosa died at the young age of thirty-one and seven of those years – nearly a quarter – were spent in Quives where her father was sent to administer a mine for precious stones.
View of valley from Quives

Rosa's house is a small solidly-built stone house consisting of basically two rooms with a small part sectioned off at the back of one room as Rosa's prayer cell.










Rosa's house












The shrine decked with garlands from brides married in the chapel where Rosa was confirmed

The stone she used to recline on when praying

Quives can be extremely hot and is renowned for its mosquitoes, therefore, despite my eagerness to be present at Sunday Mass in the chapel where Rosa was confirmed by the second Archbishop of Lima in 1596, I felt the need to brace myself for a day of mixed trials and blessings.

There is as yet only one small road to Quives. To reach this road, it is necessary to go into the vast, sprawling suburb of Comus, an extremely poor district of Lima which is littered with piles of rubbish and is very barren and dusty. Once out of Comus, we began the long painfully slow ascent to Quives. We had allowed about four hours for the journey, but the road was so full of potholes and its surface so bumpy, that Sr Clara was obliged to drive with great caution and we began to wonder if we would arrive in time for midday Mass. In the event we made excellent time, arriving at eleven.

The mountain road, despite its shortcomings as a highway, leads through gorgeous picturesque scenes. The valley below is watered by the River Chilloñ and is quite lush.

View from Quives looking down into the valley below

The shrine occupies a large area and is enclosed by an iron pallisade put in place by Vincentian Fathers. In addition to Rosa's house and the chapel, there is a large retreat house. Sr Clara brought a group of forty young people in the past for a retreat here and said it was excellent. On the day of our visit, sadly, we were all sorry to see how neglected and poorly maintained the site is, probably because there is now no group of religious living there.

Srs Anne, Rose and Clara outside the Chapel where Rosa was confirmed.

Chica de Jora stall just outside the sanctuary - a refreshing local drink made from maize and wheat

Flowers in the village

A goat on her knees in the grounds of the sanctuary - perhaps in prayer?

The Priest who said Mass for us blessing someone's new car after the Mass

Sr Anne kindly treated us for lunch in one of the semi-open-air restaurants that serve pilgrims and visitors. I was privileged to try a Pachamanca, a Peruvian speciality prepared by burying the meats in the earth to cook on hot stones. The meats were served with potatoes cooked in their skins, corn on the cob, broad beans and finely sliced onions garnished with lemon-juice. It was a great feast. We were advised to share one between us, but even so there was so much left over that we had enough for Monday's lunch!

Brigid, Sr Clara and Sr Anne at lunch

I had anticipated a day of both great blessings and challenges. This turned out to be so, but not in the way I had thought. I expected extreme heat, but we were blessed with lovely coolish, breezy air. It was not at all hot or uncomfortable. I had expected to be plagued with mosquitoes even if we used repellent, but apart from one little bite at the beginning of the journey (Brigid), and one on arrival (Clara), we were remarkably free from insect trouble. Finally, the joy of praying in the very place where Santa Rosa lived her formative years and took the name of Rosa at confirmation outweighed any small inconveniences.

Sr Rose sitting on the wall outside the sanctuary with the view from Quives behind

by Sr. Rose of Lima

Franciscan Retreat at Manchester University

On 11th-13th February, the FAV Team (Franciscan Animators for Vocations) were invited to give a Franciscan Retreat for the Catholic Chaplaincy of the University of Manchester. This was co-ordinated by Sr. Oneng. The team included Srs. Clare Bernadette FMSL, Teresa FMSJ,  Oneng FMDM, Br. Paul OFM Cap and Br. Antony OFM.

They were kindly hosted by Rev. Ian Kelly and the Cathsoc and accommodated by the neighbouring OFM Conventual and FMSJ communities.

The theme of the weekend was 'First Things First'. This retreat included opportunities for Mass, Adoration, Confession, workshops, discussion, prayer and reflection. Br. Paul introduced this theme with his opening Mass and workshop on Friday evening. This dealt with the challenge of putting God first in one's life – in practice as well as in desire. In his workshop, Br. Paul explained how St. Francis put God first. Through meditation, he entered into the mystery of Christ by a threefold path, focusing on the Incarnation, the Passion and the Eucharist.
During Mass on Saturday morning, Br. Antony led us to reflect, through the Gospel story of Martha and Mary, on how our busyness can cause us to miss Christ present to us in the present moment. He also led us to question whether God is always our inner motivation for serving others.

Later in the morning, Sr. Oneng's workshop delved into the profound conversion which St. Francis underwent when he decided to kiss a person he would have normally avoided at all costs – a person suffering from leprosy. Oneng explained how, after seeing Christ in the leper, Francis' outlook was gradually changed so that he began to see Christ in all his fellow creatures. We were then challenged to befriend the 'lepers' in our own lives.
In between workshops and scheduled prayers, there was time for Franciscans and students to relax and converse together.

In the afternoon, Sr. Clare led a workshop about the relevance of St. Francis' spirituality expressed in his Canticle of Sir Brother Sun, to ecological issues facing today's world.

The group discussions considered the potential of a spiritual practice of poverty and outlook of humility in our efforts to live in harmony with the rest of creation.

In the evening, there was an open forum with students in which each member of the FAV team shared the story of their own vocation and the team answered questions from the retreatants. This session was resumed and completed on Sunday morning after Mass.


During the Holy Hours, Sr. Teresa helped us to get in touch with God through the prayers of St. Francis.

In the Mass of Sunday morning, Br. Paul highlighted the necessity of God's grace, not just our good works, to help us become the saints we are all called to be.
With some members of the Team including Srs. Oneng and Clare having to depart on their homeward journeys, there were some farewells and photos before lunch.

The retreat concluded that afternoon and evening with a workshop on Franciscan saints and an evening Mass.
FAV Team members commented that they enjoyed the weekend and appreciated the friendly welcome, enthusiastic participation and constructive feedback of the students and chaplaincy. They also enjoyed the Franciscan teamwork of the event. Thanks and God bless to all who enabled and prayed for the success of this retreat.

Report from FMSL Mission, Santa Rosa, Lima, Peru

Sr. Rose at the Botanical Garden

I went with Bridgit to visit the local school in Santa Rosa where she has established a Jardín Botánico [Botanical Garden] to teach the children the importance of taking care of the environment and to deepen their awareness of the interdependence of all plant/bird/animal/insect life forms.


Bridgit, the environmentalist who set up the project and is teaching the children in Santa Rosa school.

The project started in 2007 with the back-breaking task of clearing the site which was nothing but rubble, stones and junk.

At first the project was held up by difficulties with poor soil quality. Later, a forestry engineer, Javier, became involved. With his help the children were able to grow more vigorous plants. Javier taught them the way to dig a metre square pit for each new tree or bush and then to fill it with rotting organic matter. This would break down to provide food for the growing plants. On top of this organic matter the children placed the soil that had been dug out, minus the large rocks. If a layer of good top-soil could be acquired it would be an added bonus, but if not, no problem.
The garden was planned to include various plants that would provide both colour, perfume and homes for insects and birds.

During my visit, Bridgit, picked five different plants to review with the children:
1. Madre selvas [honeysuckle]. This has a profumo muy rico [very rich perfume] and so it scents the garden and is delightful. It is a plant que trepa [that climbs] so it could be trained to cover parts and make an arbour.
2. Jazmín [jasmine].This also is a climber with a lovely smell.
3. Bougainvillea. This plants has brilliant colour. It can be red, white, pink, purplish or orange. In this garden it is rosado [pink].
4. Palo Verde [Green Post]. This plant actually seeded itself in the garden. It grows so easily everywhere as to be almost a weed! Nevertheless it has a lovely green tronco [trunk] which gives it its name. It also has pretty yellow flowers.
5. The last plant we looked at was the Moye Costeño. It has been planted to make a little avenida [avenue].It is in bud at the moment and it flowers will become red berries that birds feed on.
6.
Bridget is also teaching the children about Hydroponic Gardens. The word comes from two Greek words meaning water and grow. It is a system of gardening which can be operated in small spaces with no soil. Seeds are supported in sand from the river that has been washed and bleached. The seed germinates and when it has three leaves it is transplanted into pure water. The stem is put through a little hole in s tyro-foam which then floats on the water. The final stage is to transplant this in little plastic cups that sit in the water. I saw the children cut hole in the sides of the plastic containing lettuce seedlings in order to insert small drainage pipes into the sand.

Finally the children set up a simpler hydroponic garden for maize. They lined boxes with black plastic and stapled them firmly. Then they put a couple of inches of water in the boxes and sprinkled them with seeds. They will take these home, cover them with newspaper and make sure the seeds do not dry out.

I thought these activities were highly enjoyable for the children. Bridgit went out of her way to impress on the children that learning is not just from books in classes, but can have an important practical dimension. Doing this kind of project could be the beginning of a good career studying horticulture and they might become a Forestry Engineer like Javier. Since these children were doing summer school recuperación because of poor grades in science/maths, the hope was that they would be encouraged to take more interest in their studies.
It was good to see the children learning about the importance of plants and the concept of urban forest as “the lungs of the city”.

by Sr. Rose of Lima