Lives rooted in community - The Sisters of St. Francis

news and notes
The name of Sister Marion Kikukawa of Honolulu,
Hawaii, has been added to the Franciscan Award for
Service and Leadership at St. Anthony School in Long
Beach, Calif. The award is a tribute to the Sisters of
St. Francis of the Neumann Communities in Syracuse,
N.Y. who staffed the school for 25 years. Sister Marion
served as the school’s last principal in 1994 and is a
member of the St. Anthony High School Hall of Fame. Rene Puray, a
graduating senior proudly wore his medal at graduation this past June
as he was honored for his embodiment of the school’s motto,
“service above self.”
Sister Rose Ann Reichlin of Williamsville, N.Y.,
received a certificate of appreciation from the
Buffalo Public Schools. She received third place
in recognition of her valuable contribution to
Buffalo Public Schools-Adult Education Division
for the highest English as a Second Language
Literacy gain percentage for the 2010 – 2011
academic year.
10 FrAnciscAn spirit
An article entitled “And Saint Francis Laughed” written
by Sister Frances Ann Thom of Syracuse, N.Y. has been
published in the July/September 2011 issue of “The
Cord,” a quarterly Franciscan journal.
Sister Barbara Whelan of Williamsville,
N.Y. received first prize at the Erie
County Fair in August for her beautiful
deer and orchid photos. In addition,
her fireworks image won best of best
in the tri-color digitally enhanced category.
Due to the efforts of students, faculty and administrators at St. Francis
School in Honolulu, Hawaii, this year’s student enrollment of 496
students represents a 12 percent increase from the previous year.
A sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, the school serves
children and youth from preschool through grade 12.
St. Francis band students recently attended World Youth
Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain and performed contemporary
Christian and Hawaiian song and dance as part of the
festivities. They traveled to Portugal and Rome, Italy
where they participated in liturgies at the Vatican and at
St. Francis of Assisi Church.
p Sister Patricia Burkard shares Sister Caryn’s joy after professing her vows.
SiSter
Professes Vows
t
he St. Anthony Convent chapel in Syracuse,
N.Y. was alive with the Franciscan spirit
Saturday, August 12 as Sister Caryn Crook
professed her perpetual vows amidst a congregation
of her sisters in community, Franciscan Associates,
family and friends. Sister Caryn committed herself
more fully to God and the service of the church by
perpetually professing her vows of poverty, chastity
and obedience in the congregation of the Sisters of
St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.
A native of Fulton, N.Y., Sister Caryn serves as
Franciscan ecology coordinator at the Spirituality
and Nature Center at Alverna Heights in Fayetteville,
N.Y. She entered the congregation in 2005 from St.
Mary’s Parish in Cortland, N.Y. Sister Caryn earned a
bachelor’s degree in forestry biology from the State
University of New York College of Environmental
Science and Forestry in Syracuse and served as
wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
She discovered the Sisters of St. Francis while
working with Sister Louise Alff and the Renew
Program at St. Mary’s Parish in Cortland. “The more
contact I had with the sisters, the more I knew it was
for me,” explains Sister Caryn. Two years later, she
entered the congregation. “It has been a wonderful
journey and I look forward to living the rest of my
life with this congregation serving God, people and
all creation,” she says.