The answer is ‘yes’. During this month of Francis, Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mary Beth Kornely updates us on the St. Francis of Assisi OFS (Order of Franciscan Secular) Group in Greenwood, MS in which Sister Annette Kurey is currently the Formation Director and Spiritual Assistant.
Several members of the newly forming OFS (Order of Franciscan Secular) Group at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Greenwood took their next step in growing into a full fraternity of members. Recently members were accepted into candidacy and Inquiry.
Pat Houghton, Regional Minister and Sandy Williams, Minister of the Sponsoring Fraternity, traveled to Greenwood to interview candidates prior to the ceremony and then lead the service that accepted each individual into their next phase of formation.
Those received into Inquiry (which is like our Postulancy) were Betty Mae Jackson, Ali Andersen, Grace Minyard, Cathy Edwards and Marvin Edwards.
Those received into Candidacy (which is like our novitiate) were Kathryn Fisher, Glara Martin, Edith Spells, Georgette Griffin, Debby Myers, Karen Albright and Peardie Lindsey. The habit of the OFS order is the Tau cross which Ms. Pat presented to them. They will remain in this phase of formation for 18 months before becoming professed members.
Each of these groups meet once a month outside of their regular monthly meetings to discuss assigned readings and to have time to pray together and be with each other.
Long time professed members, Jane Sample from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lexington, a mission parish of St. Francis and Dora Hollie from St. Francis have remained faithful members of the original fraternity at St. Francis which formed in the 1960’s. It has been a true blessing to have this group be revived.
Sister Annette Kurey has been officially appointed their Formation Director and Spiritual Assistant. Because the group is being Newly Formed after many years of being inactive, the St. Marianne Cope Fraternity from Gautier, Mississippi is sponsoring and supporting the group until they have at least five professed members, at which time the group bill become an official Fraternity. Much time and work has gone into all the minute details that are required to form a group, which is recognized on a local, regional and national and international level.
