Stories

Every summer, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Odanah, Wisconsin, celebrate the coming harvest of Manoomin, or wild rice.

My Franciscan roots have instilled in me the importance of valuing relationships with all of creation. These relationships are dear to me and have allowed me to experience God’s presence on numerous occasions. As I grow older, I have come to cherish these encounters even more. Ministering at WAFER allows me to cultivate meaningful and life-giving relationships through ecological programs that value all creation.

FSPA celebrates 175th anniversary with a pilgrimage.

Angie Jack, former FSPA partner in mission and donor, tells her FSPA giving story and the 'ripple effect.'

Sister Meg Earsley took the next step in religious life with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, renewing her vows on Aug. 2, Feast of the Portiuncula.

On Aug. 1, we gathered in Mary of the Angels Chapel to celebrate 146 years of perpetual adoration, our sacred tradition that started in 1878.

"Our aim was to educate our elected officials about the nexus of forced migration and trafficking and to put forward legislative solutions to help end this scourge."

For me, adoration is prayer tenfold, because it is held in a loving presence that stays with us. As a congregation with our partners we have taken adoration out of the chapel and into every aspect of our lives.

At the Coulee Region Immigration Summit, a room packed with people learned to rewrite the story about migrancy. People in migration are not merely “others” — foreigners on the run, escaping unimaginable humanitarian crisis, with no similarities to those in the audience — but people on the move who have traditions and families and histories — just like event attendees. People in migration are people with dignity.

We welcomed guests in Mary of the Angels Chapel to celebrate our 175th anniversary. We prayed together and enjoyed the company of all of our guests.

Establishing a prairie is an opportunity to connect people to one another and to the environment. The FSPA commitment to integrating community, nature, education and public health is exemplified by their care of 200 acres of farm and forest land on St. Joseph Ridge east of La Crosse, WI

How the season of the sugar bush — a forest stand of maple trees utilized for maple syrup making — has taught us to build community and to restore our connection to nature and to each other. This has been the best part about our work in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with FSPA sisters, affiliates and the Ho-Chunk youth