Adorers of the Blood of Christ

13Dec

Gifts of the Heart

By Juanita Mason-Fegley, an ASC Sojourner

According to legend, there was a young man roaming the desert who came across a spring of delicious, crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey, he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly, and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water,

01Nov

Ending Violence Starts with Us

By Sister Sara Dwyer, ASC

Our country has been shocked, perhaps even numbed, by the continued horrific violence inspired by a white supremacist/white nationalist ideology.

In just the last week:

Suspect Cesar Sayoc allegedly attempted to kill prominent Democrats, Trump critics and staff at CNN with targeted pipe bombs in the mail.
Two black Americans were gunned down in a grocery store in Kentucky after the alleged shooter initially tried to enter a black church minutes earlier.
A grisly shooting left 11 people dead at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

22Oct

Supreme Court Press Statement

Press Statement
United States Supreme Court
October 22, 2018, 9:30AM

In the Gospels, we hear the story of a lawyer who asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The lawyer responded, “ You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind. The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus then said,

18Oct

My Inspiration: What I Remember about Sister Bertha Fischer

By Monica Morrey Bayer

Recently I was saddened to receive the news of the death of Sister Bertha Fischer, known to her students at St. Pius X in Festus, Missouri, as Sister Mary Austin.

Though she figured in my life for only two years, her inspiration has lasted a lifetime. When she attended our St. Pius X High School Class of 1966 50th reunion, I hope we grads conveyed that we loved and respected her tremendously.

She was sweet and dear, and never had a discipline problem. She modeled for students like me a grace and dignity that we could emulate.

15Oct

A Letter to My Father, Jim Funk

By Sister Krystal Funk, ASC

We met when I was only 3, and I lost you this past July when I was only 35.

You were just 68 years old, a Baby Boomer and retired bank auditor, gone to all of us including your mother, who, at 96, remains the foundation of our family.

Though you were my stepdad, you were the only father I have known. Shortly after you married my mother, you adopted me without hesitation.

You loved me.

12Oct

Standing for Truth: Martyred Bishop Becomes a Saint

By Sister Kris Schrader, ASC

On Sunday, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Pope Paul VI will be canonized in ceremonies officiated by Pope Francis in Rome. Pope Paul VI had named Romero archbishop of San Salvador in 1977, during the Central American country’s bloody, civil war.

In El Salvador, the celebration has already begun with cultural activities, witness testimonies, youth-led processions and an all-night procession and vigil on Saturday ending in the central plaza of the capital, San Salvador. Giant TV screens will enable the thousands gathered to watch the ceremony in Rome.

08Oct

Seeds Far and Near

By Sister Regina Siegfried, ASC

My upstairs neighbor, a horticulturist at Missouri Botanical Garden, recently returned from a research trip to Kyrgyzstan where his team helped local scientists collect fruit and nut tree seeds for national seed banks including one in Kyrgyzstan.

He said some of the trees are among some of the oldest on the planet. Kyrgyzstan, located on part of the iconic Silk Road, is bordered by China to the east and Uzbekistan to the west, a location I can barely imagine. How exotic the trip, the research, the land, the terrain,

01Oct

Religious Symbols Removed By Transco/Williams

The Adorers of the Blood of Christ prayerfully and intentionally placed this cross and labyrinth in the path of a high-powered fossil fuel pipeline installed by Transco/Williams on our land in Lancaster County, PA. These symbols serve as tangible witness to our deeply held religious beliefs that “reverence the Earth as a sanctuary where all life is protected.” Today, knowing of our religious beliefs, and knowing that we are filing an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, Transco/Williams ordered their workers to remove these sacred symbols against our will and without our permission. We call on all people of faith to join us as we continue to boldly stand in resistance against the exploitation of our land for the monetary gain of Transco/Williams.

18Sep

Walking Together for the Planet

By Sister Sara Dwyer, ASC

For the second year in a row, Christians around the world are praying and acting on behalf of the planet to mark the Season of Creation, Sept. 1 to Oct. 4. The bookend days are the Day of Prayer for Creation and the feast of St. Francis. This year’s theme is “walking together.”

My community of Sisters, the U.S. Adorers, have been “walking together” in resistance and celebration for years, especially since the publication of our Land Ethic in 2005.

For several years now, we have been resisting the Atlantic Sunrise fracked gas pipeline being laid underneath our own farm property in Lancaster County,

12Sep

Farewell, Rudy

By Sister Barbara Jean Franklin, ASC

We learned last week that the talented St. Louis-area sculptor Rudolph “Rudy” Torrini died Wednesday, Sept. 5. He was 95 and died from complications of dementia.

Mr. Torrini, the son of an Italian immigrant mold maker and a silent movie pianist, was renowned for his public sculptures that grace the St. Louis area. His works include the likeness of a soccer player, a police officer, a boy and his dog, Italian immigrants, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II, and a 9-year-old child who was slain in the crossfire of a gunfight.

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