from Sister Mary Michael, SsEW

While the summer has been busy enough to keep us from posting regularly, we didn’t want to pass over this reflection by Sister Mary Michael, after the death of Fr. Frank Sofie, a great friend of our community.

Fr. Frank Sofie was ordained on the 10^th anniversary of my own baptismal date, June 10. He was assigned to our parish and school, and one of the first things I remember he did was take a group of us fifth graders all around the church showing us the parts of the Mass, the vessels, what took place and when during the liturgy, and even quizzed us on the names of everything. We did pretty well as a group, until we stumbled over “the name for the chair that the priest sits in” during the readings. Father’s answer: “The priest’s chair.” He was pretty happy with that trick question, and decades later, I still smile whenever I see “the priest’s chair” in any church.

I’ve never forgotten what it was like to be taken around the church. Father Sofie loved the Mass and the Sacraments, and it instilled in me a love for liturgical practice and the sense of mystery surrounding what we do as Catholics. The sense of the mystery has never left me. As a middle-schooler, I wanted to become a sacristan when I grew up. I think religious Sister fulfilled that dream well, and much more so.

Father Sofie was a great friend of our foundress, Mother Mary Gabriel, and years later, it was a blessing to see him at Casa Maria. He gave retreats, attended Lay Dominican retreats, and even preached for us on Zoom during COVID, so that we could email our retreatants conferences filled with hope and the love of God. When Father Sofie shared with me that he had written a book on the Mass, Praying the Mass from the Pew, I immediately mentioned Casa Maria Publishing as a possibility to publish his book. It was a great privilege to participate in this project, and is a blessing to see it bear fruit and to see him continue to give others what he gave us fifth graders so many years ago.

When Father’s cancer returned for the last time, he made the arrangements for his funeral – including asking us Sister Servants to sing his funeral Mass. At the end of June, we traveled to Mobile to fulfill that request, not just as a thank you for so many gifts he’s given the Archdiocese of Mobile and the universal Church. We sang his Mass not just to say goodbye, but perhaps also as a spiritual greeting to hopefully our newest intercessor. We pray for his repose, his family, and in thanksgiving for the gift of his priesthood and his spiritual Fatherhood that he gave to everyone he met.

Follow the links below to see some of Fr. Sofie’s excellent conference recordings and written materials in our bookstore.

The National Eucharistic Congress was a wonderful opportunity to experience the mutual unity and support of the members of the Body of Christ, the Church.  Seeing so many religious Sisters, priests, bishops and laity, was deeply affirming to each of us in our particular vocation.   I personally met so many old friends – and made new and surprising ones – that what stands out to me is the community of believers gathered around Jesus.  I know that I owe my faith to so many who have walked with me in my pilgrimage of faith over the years. And I am excited to “hoe my row” and work in His Vineyard with His coworkers until our glorious entry into His kingdom – Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus, Come! -Mother Louise Marie

Jesus said, “…and I when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.”  The Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis celebrated the presence of Sacrifice of Christ on the altar at Mass, with opportunities to receive the fruit of this sacrifice: Communion with Our Lord, the source of holiness and food for the journey to heaven.  There was time for acts of thanksgiving by adoring His Real Presence and receiving his blessing. Then the final commendation was to give back what we had been given, to our local Churches, our homes, and within our hearts. -Sister Rita Marie

Pictured above: Evening Adoration; Public Procession with Benediction at the Civic Monument; Perpetual Adoration at the Church of St. John that was filled each day with prayer; the stadium held 60,000 souls worshipping together.

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I was so happy to be able to attend the Eucharist Congress, and to witness the faith and unity of priests, Sisters, and lay people. I was busy at our table, answering questions and sharing materials about our community, as well as attending smaller get-togethers. This experience of the Congress really uplifted me and strengthened my faith! -Sister Mary Philomena

It has been beautiful to see the local and national efforts to contribute to the Eucharistic Revival called for by our Bishops, and so needed in the Church! What trial can we not withstand, when our Lord is present among us?

We had the joy of participating in a few national pilgrimage events as the Juan Diego pilgrimage passed through Birmingham. A few representative Sisters will also be at the Congress next week – we look forward to seeing many of you there!

A few representative Sisters will also be at the Congress next week – we look forward to seeing many of you there!

From June 10 – 12, we had a wonderful opportunity to offer formation in Spanish for 40 retreatants using the catechetical program Come, Follow Me. The participants came from several parishes throughout our diocese and even from as far as Minnesota. Because most of the teachers are Spanish-speakers, we offered simultaneous translation for English speakers.

Fr. José Aurelio Jimenez (pictured below) traveled from San Sebastián, Spain to provide formation, experience, and the catechetical context of this beautiful program. Come, Follow Me developed from the lay community Notre Dame de Vie, which was begun by the French Carmelite Blessed Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus.

Emmanuelle Bonhomme (projected below) is one of the formators of Come, Follow Me and Zoomed in from France to share her experience.

It was a moving and fruitful retreat with many graces for us Sister Servants and the participants (some pictured below)!

You have accompanied us this Spring in our major work of drainage and erosion control at our pond. We are approaching the finish line, with only some irrigation, electrical, and fencing work remaining – as well as the installation of a gazebo near the pond. We took advantage of this moment to also beautify the entire pond area. Mother Mary Gabriel would frequently tell us, “God is a God of order.” The craftsmanship of the men who helped us with this work reflects the beauty and order of God.

Work at the Pond: January – April 2024

To reiterate, over the years we have struggled with erosion caused by the quantity and speed of storm water entering the pond.

Erosion caused by periodic flooding.

As we built the erosion wall with massive boulders, we took the opportunity to dredge a large quantity of silt, install new drainage pipes, and stabilize the road. We’d like to share with you some before and after photos, and then show you how well this solution handled a recent Alabama storm.

The Scope of This Project!

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Before and After Photos

Recently, we’ve had some monsoon-level rains. We want to share the videos of how well the new drainage functioned after that storm.

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Finishing Touches

Please join us in praying for the remaining details of irrigation, fencing, electrical, and future gazebo (rendering inserted below), and support us as you are able! The future gazebo began through the suggestion and an initial donation from one of our families. We are thrilled to be at the final stages of providing a place that reflects the beauty and order of God for retreatants and the Sisters.