Franciscan Life in Mound Bayou

November 13, 2014

In the first months of living at a new mission site, Franciscan Sister Mary Beth Kornely shares about life in Mound Bayou, MS.

Life continues to unfold for Sisters Monica Mary De Quardo, Judanne Stratman and Mary Beth Kornely. We are beginning to settle into what we are doing, recognizing more people that cross our paths and settling into some kind of comfortable routine, even if every day is different.

The month of October has been the month for lots of parish Spaghetti Dinners and Chili Suppers. There are many Italians in this area of Mississippi. Parishes are raising money to pay for their insurance dues to the diocese and they use this means as one way to meet that obligation. We already know we will be getting a “Taste of Italy” (a Lasagna Dinner) in November, along with a Turkey Feast on November 9. It has been a wonderful opportunity to meet a variety of friendly people in the small parishes throughout the area.

Franciscan Sisters highlight October eventsOur days are filled with various activities. Sr. Monica Mary is getting an excellent handle on overseeing the ten programs in the center and writing lots of letters. Sr. Judanne is working with Ms. Tiffany, hired as an instructor in the GED program. They are gearing up on the 2014 GED regulations that are now in effect. Lesson plans and ideas are getting in place for the start by pre-testing in November and beginning classes in January. Sr. Mary Beth takes care of writing out all the checks for the center. Going through and cleaning out office files have provided opportunities for her to learn about the history of the center along with a wealth of information on how it functions. Her walks throughout town bring lots of visibility to our presence here and an opportunity to meet residents of the area.

We are fortunate to have a wonderful staff to work for the center. It has been a pleasure to get to know them better over the days. With October’s focus on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, everyone joined together to wear pink on the day of our monthly staff meeting, as well as other days throughout the month. Going to work each day is a pleasure and blessing with this group.

Everyone is working hard for the annual “Harvest Festival” to be held on Saturday, November 1. The staff assures us that it will all come together.

Submitted by Sister Mary Beth Kornely

 

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