Year of Consecrated Life ~ Sister Francine

Greetings,

As we continue in this Year of Consecrated Life, we will be hearing from our sisters.  They’ve been invited to share about our Benedictine life.  Sister Francine tells the importance of art and beauty in celebrating her Benedictine Call to Consecrated Life…

Art has been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember.  Part of my art beginnings came from my grandfather who told me stories as he drew the characters.  He was a carpenter and he used his carpenter pencil to draw stories for his young granddaughter.  Another part of my art came from growing  up as a farm girl and  knowing that God’s hand was at the center of our work:  the bounty and the beauty.

I learned about the connection between art and the Benedictine life from Sister Leonarda.  She taught calligraphy at Mount Marty College when I was a student.  Prayer always began our class.  She had a firm conviction that all good works begin with prayer.  I took advanced classes from her in calligraphy and watercolor and that feeling of thanking God for our talents and asking blessing on the work was again present.

My own calligraphy, weaving, and other forms of creativity have become an important part of my prayer life.  Prayer cards, greeting cards, calligraphy pieces, watercolor pieces and rugs all have origins in my prayer. Saint Benedict asks us to pray always and all ways.  I live here at Sacred Heart Monastery surrounded by beautiful works of art.  I live with many talented and creative women who affirm each other and challenge each other as we live this Benedictine life.  It is a life I have chosen.  For our final profession Sister Erin and I created a sentence that I believe speaks of our journey:  “From our roots, this our journey seeking God.” That journey encompasses being a “Benedictine Flavored with Creativity.”

Blessings to you,

Return to “One Heart and One Soul”