Section:
companioins
We companions in Klamath Falls, Oregon, are a “rag-tag band,” an anawim, a little remnant. We usually meet the second Saturday of each month from 9:15 to 10:45 at the home of a parishioner, Carol Wilson. Our meetings are the in-person gathering of between two and ten women and the in-prayer gathering of another 15 or 20 women.
Our meeting format consists of the following:
- Praying the Franciscan rosary, for all the intentions each brings, our companions and sisters
- Gathering in the living room for faith-sharing/discussion: What has God been about in your life this month?; topic of the day
- Closing prayer
- And, of course, there’s always coffee and snacks!
We have “adopted” Sr. Julie Mulvihill and Nyumbani. We pray for her/them regularly and send a donation once a year. I forward one of her updates each time I send a group e-mail (or snail-mail for those not on email) reminder of our upcoming meeting.
Twice a year any members of the group who are able gather to review the social justice grant applications that Sr. Theresa Lamkin and Cathy Nugent are responsible for. I then add those deliberations to our discussion when Theresa and Cathy and I confer. It has been a wonderful experience for our companions, as we rarely have the opportunity to touch those other parts of the world. It also gives us a tangible experience of being part of something bigger than ourselves—our sisters in action.
Over the years we have used the following for study/reflection/sharing:
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Francis, the Journey and the Dream
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A Retreat with Francis and Clare
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Leonardo DeFilippis’s St. Francis, Troubadour of God’s Peace
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Sr. Anne Amati’s The Cosmos: Pattern for Our Gospel Living
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Sr. Clare Andrew D’Auria’s Jesus Christ, the Poetry of God
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Franciscan Spirituality and the Interior Life
We haven’t been as complete in our study as I would wish, but with sporadic attendance, it is hard…. I probably need to be more “stable” and just keep moving forward but.… We will try again with this year’s program. Often, too, we will side-track for a seasonal topic (Advent, Lent, Immaculate Conception, St. Francis or St. Clare, depending on the timing of our meeting.
For this year we have decided to explore the Northwest Earth Institute’s “Voluntary Simplicity” and we plan to participate in Sr. Mary Jo Chaves and Sr. Celeste Clavel presentation on Franciscan Theology sometime in the spring. I saw the title as one of the Spiritual Center’s workshops and decided it could be a good direction for us. We have just begun.
At least a couple from our group have attended several regional gatherings in Spokane and Tacoma but distance and work schedules have made it difficult. Now that I am retired, I hope to be able to be more active in getting participation.
Sr. Marie Monica Borden is our “prayer partner” and is part of our email list. Sr. Patty Novak and Sr. Emma Holdener come to Klamath on random occasions and we hope someday to coordinate a gathering of our group with one of their visits. Otherwise, it seems quite impossible for any closer physical relationship, as the closest sisters are 5-1/2 to 6 hours away on a good day. However, traveling over a mountain pass is quite unpredictable from November to at least March or April. We all know the influence of the sisters at one time or another in our lives as well as their influence in this community during the years of Sacred Heart Academy. We hope, even if only by our prayer, to extend that presence. There were days of yesteryear when Sr. Raphael and Sr. Brendan used to walk downtown praying their rosary and sprinkling certain “establishments” with holy water as they passed (and it is reported that certain “devil worshiping groups” fled). Our methods might be different but we trust/believe that the spirit of Francis and Clare as lived by the Sisters of St. Francis and shared by their companions has a place in our community. That’s our goal: to continue to be that presence.
- Mary Beard
