A mini-retreat on Mother Frances

This morning I did a mini-retreat on Mother Frances Streitel, using the DVD "Mother Frances Streitel: Foundress of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother". A significant part of this and future mini-retreats is educational, acquainting the participants with who Mother Frances is. We reflected on the very first segment of the DVD entitled "Family Life."  The participants were able to identify the similarities and differences between the childhood of Mother Frances and their own, the impact of the environment upon Mother Frances, the characteristics of her parents as reflected in the personality of Mother Frances.  It was obvious that the religious environment of her day impacted Mother Frances, for example, the traditional devotion to the pieta or Sorrowful Mother. For one participant Mary also had a central role in the spirituality of her family. That Amalia was developing a strong relationship with the Lord as a child was obvious. Already as a thirteen-year-old, Amalia wanted to belong to the Lord above all and even, at this young age, would do anything to commit herself to the Lord's will, as the creator of this DVD pointed out.  The group realized the significant role Amalia's mother played in her learning to live the Gospel life in that she taught her children to share their wealth with the poor. Some of the participants confirmed that their mother, too, played a major role in teaching them how to live the faith, becoming doers, not just hearers. Mother Frances, truly was a doer, an authentic disciple.