Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity welcomed 3 women from WI and PA for a June 24-26, 2012 Vocation Discernment Retreat. This was the last of a series of special retreats highlighting St. Clare in a more significant way on the fringe of the 800th Anniversary year of her responding to her own call to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.
Important to this discernment retreat were large community prayer experiences, guided personal prayer opportunities and interactions with our Novices and Temporary Professed Sisters. Discernment retreats also provide wonderful moments to explain traditions dear to our own Community, and precious to the entire Franciscan Family.
The Franciscan Crown, a Franciscan rosary which dates to the early part of the 15th century was part of one of the day’s activities. Given the prayer was begun by a young novice who enjoyed gathering flowers to weave a crown of wild flowers for a favorite statue of Mary, the summer time was appropriate to explain this devotion.
The Franciscan Crown consists of 7 decades of Hail Mary’s, each preceded by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be. Those who pray the prayer remember the joys of Mary and how she responded to the grace of God in her life. These are those moments dear to the Mother of God’s heart: Annunciation; Visitation; Nativity, Adoration of the Magi; Finding in the Temple; Meeting of Mary and Her Son after the Resurrection, and Assumption and Coronation.
Our retreatants promise to comment on what part of the retreat they especially appreciated.
