Houston Students Spend Spring Break at FSE Motherhouse

March 7, 2003. Meriden, Connecticut

A burst of energy hit the Meriden center as eleven students from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas spent their spring break volunteering at the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist motherhouse. Led by Sister Clare Hunter, Coordinator of Campus Ministry at UST, the students enthusiastically helped with several projects from March 1-7, including baking cookies for older persons and visiting them, doing manual labor in the freezing cold, and cooking and serving meals. They also planned a festive Mardi Gras dinner and entertainment for the community, as well as a Mexican-Costa Rican meal. During the week they spent time learning about the life of the Sisters and Brothers and also met families who work closely with the center's mission. Sisters shared with the students the history of the Franciscan community, the Franciscan approach to living Pope John Paul II's theology of the body, and discussed issues of concern to the students. On Thursday, the group traveled to New York City to visit and pray at St. Patrick's Cathedral and Ground Zero. After the final Mass, Mother Rosemae Pender, Mother General, and Mother Shaun Vergauwen, Vicar General, offered each member of the "Houston Eleven" their blessing.