by Melissa Borgmann-Kiemde, Visitation Companion
“Be who you are and be that well, to serve the Master Craftsman whose handiwork we are.” – St. Francis de Sales
One of our goals in the Visitation community is to extend the spirit and teaching of our co-founders, Saints Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal. Their way of living the Gospel inspires all of us in and through this spirituality referred to as “Salesian” - or of Francis de Sales. The Salesian charism is written about extensively and is something we work to make visible in our work and ministry — much of which we hope is reflected here in these web pages.
Visitation School, Mendota Heights, MN
Just recently, however, I was delightfully surprised when I gleaned another sweet, simple, and powerful way that Salesian Spirituality was being shared – not by a Visitation Sister in North Minneapolis; not in their daily relationship building activities in our inner city; not in these website pages and blog entries; but by a Visitation School STUDENT in weekly emails to her classmates. Oh, be still my heart! The mere notion of this brings me such joy.
It was Sr. Katherine who sent me the following e-note, describing how 2009 Vis Grad, Meghan Weneger, shared a “Salesian Thought” once a week during the school year with her peers at Visitation School in Mendota Heights, MN.
Sr. Katherine writes:
FYI, Melissa,We have been having 2009 Vis grads over for an evening of helping us [do] a variety of things. Last night they came and I was asking them to run off some Salesian quotes for [Blogger] Beth – who had asked for them, when one of them said, “Sister, On my computer I have hundreds of them. I put one out every day when I was a senior for the student body.” So here is Meghan Wenenger’s work for all of us to use freely.
Katherine
Does this inspire you? It got me! (Perhaps as someone who finds herself poised and praying often at the computer screen, and pouring over email.) The accessibility of Francis and Jane’s words, and applications for Salesian Spirituality are endless. Read on to see one example by this young woman as she shares Francis de Sales words with her fellow Vis friends during exam week.
From: Meghan
To: Visitation Students
Subject: Salesian ThoughtHi !
How are you? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I know there is a lot going on this week with AP Exams and end of the year activities. I thought this quote would remind u s how to take one thing at a time. The quote is:
While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things. – St. Francis de Sales
Have a great week!
Love,
Meghan
How might this spirituality play a part in your life? Let us know!
Live+Jesus!
As someone who loves to find inspirational, thought-for-the-day, websites I find this fantastic. What an encouragement for her classmates to get weekly wisdom.
In the early 90’s I befriended an elderly woman at the nursing home across the street from where I lived. I sent her weekly ‘thought’, via snail mail, and she treasured those thoughts very much. Trying to find just the ‘right’ thought to send her became part of my prayer time for her.
I wonder what this world would look like if more people took the time to send their friends/family/classmates, etc., a weekly thought, OR some VARIATION of a weekly thought?
(Perhaps bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc. whatever each person’s time schedule allows)?
Thanks Jody. Love your question! Yes! What would our world look like with such intentional reflection and reaching out? I can imagine you were changed, inspired, moved, in your intentional weekly (maybe daily?) search for the right words for your elderly friend and extending them to her on a regular basis; just as she in turn was inspired and moved by your faithful friendship. We should all be so lucky! We should all have such invitations to reflect and act!
Thanks!
[...] Meghan Wenger who we met recently on this blog, is also a legacy of the Sister’s gentle strength. Through her inspirational weekly Salesian quotes she shared with her classmates, she is a woman who lives out the Salesian charism and has woven it into her daily life. She takes the incredible gift of education that the Sisters so generously give to all they touch and proclaims its gifts. And so I share with you, another quote she shared with her classmates as a Senior on the cusp of graduation: Sent: Mon, 4 May 2009 6:26 pm Subject: Salesian Thought Hi ! How are you? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I know there is a lot going on this week with AP Exams and end of the year activities. I thought this quote would remind us how to take one thing at a time. The quote is: While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things. St. Francis de Sales Have a great week! Love, Meghan [...]
[...] Spirituality has been in shaping the person I am today. So, building on a format first used by Vis grad Meghan Wenger (’09), I sent out weekly emails to classmates and younger Visitation students with a Salesian quote [...]