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• A Potter’s Heart • Kids and Creation • A Light in Kentucky Fall 2009 A Publication of the Sisters of St. Francis and Their Ministries

Fall 2009 Magazine

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Page 1: Fall 2009 Magazine

• A Potter’s Heart

• Kids and Creation

• A Light in Kentucky

Fall 2009

A Publication of the Sisters of St. Francis and Their Ministries

Page 2: Fall 2009 Magazine

The Mission Advancement Office has an email address: [email protected]. May we have your email address?

We want to be kind to the environment by using less paper whenever possible. Emails help us to do so. Please respond with your email address to [email protected].

We would love to include you on our list to keep you informed of news from the St. Francis Community.

HELP US STAY IN TOUCH

On the Cover: Sr. Jane Frances Omlor offers pottery classes and retreats on the St. Francis Community campus. Her hands have been forming clay into beauty for 26 years.

From the Community Minister

Greetings

Dear Family and Friends,“We, Tiffin Franciscans, in the spirit of Francis and Clare, are drawn ever more deeply into union with God through contemplation-action.” Thus begins the Directional Statement of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio.

What is contemplation-action? You will not find this term in the dictionary because it’s a term we coined for our own purposes. We wanted to make it clear that God comes first in our lives, and that all of our actions flow from prayer. First we pray, and then we act. We want our lives to be an extension of God’s goodness and love, flowing through us to others. This cannot happen except through time spent in prayer and contemplation.

Prayer deepens our sense of the presence of God in our everyday lives. It helps us to see the face of God in those we meet along the way. Whether we are engaging in casual conversation with residents who live on our St. Francis Community campus, walking with those who are facing the last days of their journey to heaven, hosting those who come for retreats at our St. Francis Spirituality Center, offering spiritual direction to those seeking to deepen their own prayer lives, helping others to learn how to care for God’s creation, or assisting those in need, we want our encounters to be a mutual recognition of the loving God who dwells within us. You will read about some of these encounters in this issue.

As we engage in prayer each day, we remember in a special way the intentions of all of you who have expressed a need for our prayers and all who have partnered with us in our ministries by giving of your time, talent or resources. We invite you to pray with us in the words of Francis of Assisi who, inspired by the Our Father, taught us to pray:

Holy be Your Name.

May knowledge of You become clearer in us

that we may know

the breadth of Your blessings,

the length of Your promises,

the height of Your majesty,

the depth of Your judgments.(Francis of Assisi, Volume 1, p. 158)

It is in this prayerful spirit that we present this issue.

Holding you in prayer,

Sister Jacquelyn DoepkerCommunity Minister

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Page 3: Fall 2009 Magazine

“Pottery is a very contemplative activity,” says Sr. Jane Frances Omlor. “It focuses one, centers one. As one centers the clay, one centers oneself.”

Sr. Jane Frances talks about the process of creating pottery as if talking about a beloved friend. She’s poetic – and peaceful. “When I do pottery, I’m alone. I start with a lump of clay and within 3 or 4 minutes, I’ve made something beautiful. It’s transformative.”

Wanting to share that transformative process, Sr. Jane Frances offers several weekend pottery retreats each year

on the wheel and learn handbuilding techniques: pinch, coil and slab.

“They get into it. It’s quiet. There’s not a lot of chattering. By about 4 p.m., most have made about four or five pieces. Sometimes they even do sculptures,” Sr. Jane Frances says. They then retire to their rooms to write about what the day meant to them

and then share these reflections after supper.

A woman with breast cancer used to show up to work with the clay in Sr. Jane Frances’ studio. “She made little birds and gave them to family, friends and nurses who had supported her. She told me a number of times that coming to the pottery studio was very healing for her. She attributes her healing to that process. And it’s funny, because while we were working in the

studio, we hardly talked. I tell people that if you’re doing the process mindfully, it’s bound to have an effect on you spiritually.”

Sr. Jane Frances invites the retreatants back to glaze their pots. At a later date, she sets up an exhibit of the pots so family and friends of the retreatants may see what their loved ones made.

“And the Lord God formed the man out of the clay of the ground”Genesis 2:7

Being mindful during the process reaps spiritual rewards, Sr. Jane Frances says.

Each potter creates about five pots and a few sculptures.

Sr. Jane Frances also offers two 10-week pottery classes a year and a Saturday class for children. Her own pottery is available at SpiritSpace Gallery and Gift Shop on the St. Francis Community campus.

After the retreat, potters come back to glaze their pots and to show them off to family and friends.

through the Spirituality Center. Participants arrive Friday evening and leave on Sunday.

The retreats begin with reflection and prayer. “We talk about pottery, we do centering prayer and we watch a video by DeWitt Jones called Everyday Creativity,” Sr. Jane Frances says. “Then we have a reflection, talk about the process of making pottery and how it relates to everyday life.”

Retreatants make a small pot that first evening. On Saturday, they make pots

3Making pottery,finding God

For more information on the pottery classes and retreats, email Sr. Jane Frances at [email protected]. You may visit Sr. Jane Frances’ Earth n’ Sisters web page by visiting tiffinfranciscans.org.

“ Pottery is a verycontemplative activity.As one centers the clay,

one centers oneself.”

Page 4: Fall 2009 Magazine

Sr. Marge Eilerman moves from contemplation to action every day as a pastoral associate for Holy Family Parish in Booneville, Kentucky, which resides in Owsley County, one of the poorest counties in the country.

“A lot of our work is outreach with families, finding volunteers to do things like home repair, preaching the Gospel,” Sr. Marge says. “Our mission is to be present to people, to have a presence here.”

Sr. Marge says she receives requests for assistance often, “probably daily. It might be for food, for gas to get to a doctor’s appointment, for help with an electric bill and occasionally for water.” In fact, on this day, Sr. Marge says “someone requested assistance to get a heater.”

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Sr. Marge celebrates the big and small moments with the people she lives among. With her is Nicholas, who was baptized last April.

A shining light in Booneville, KentuckyLast year, Sr. Marge received a grant to help the working poor, Sr. Marge says. “We concentrated on helping those with minimum wage jobs. We helped them get food and household items.”

Also last year, St. Bridget Parish in Dublin, Ohio, gave Sr. Marge money to help purchase Amish heaters for the people. “We asked each family to pay a small amount. With gas prices going up, it’s been very difficult for them.”

Not long ago, a young family asked Sr. Marge for help. “She was working and pregnant, and he was temporarily disabled. Their electric bill was too high for them. So I gave them a larger amount than usual. He assured me that when he could work again, he would pay it back.”

A couple of months ago, that young man drove up and “gave me $150 to repay that loan,” Sr. Marge says. “I was so touched, I immediately gave him the $100 back. He

“ I love the people here.I love the peacefulness.

I love being ableto see the faithplanted here.”

broke down and sobbed, saying, ‘You have no idea what that means to us.’”

The story doesn’t end there. “When I wrote to the woman who had sent me money to help people here and told her the family had used it to pay their electric bill and that they had paid it back, she sent me another check just for that family. She said she remembered what it was like to be a young married couple.”

Preaching the Gospel in a more formal setting is another way to reach out, Sr. Marge says. There are 14 families registered at Holy Family Parish, but Sr. Marge says the children’s Bible School in the summer is open to those of other faiths as well. “Jesus comes to people wherever they are. However we can share that light, that’s what we do.”

Sr. Marge has been in Owsley County for about 23 years and wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love the people here. I love the peacefulness. I love being able to see the faith planted here.”

If you’d like to learn more about the sisters’ work in Kentucky, you may contact Sr. Sara Aldridge at 419.447.0435 or [email protected].

Page 5: Fall 2009 Magazine

The Sisters of St. Francis are canonical members of their community. But there is another group of people living out the Tiffin Franciscan charism, supporting the sisters’ work and answering God’s call while not taking vows.

The associate program started in 1973. Today, there are 64 associates from six states and Mexico who are living the Franciscan charism in their own communities.

“The Tiffin Franciscans associate program goes beyond, ‘Come, pray with us,’” says Kay Shrewsbery, co-director with Sue Nowak and Sr. Roberta Doneth, of the program.

live simply. We try to be open to what God wants of us. We view the vows a little differently from the way the sisters view them. If I were a vowed member of the Tiffin Franciscans, I could not use my resources the way I want to use them. I couldn’t give money to charitable organizations, for example, because I wouldn’t have it to give.”

Kay points out the difference between Secular Franciscans and the Sisters of St. Francis associates. “It’s more than just a desire to live the Franciscan charism. The attraction is to the charism of the Sisters of St. Francis: peace, justice, care for the earth and God’s creation.”

The associates feel called to various ministries: teaching, working with the poor or with peace and justice issues. Many are drawn to the simplicity of the lifestyle, others to the care of creation.

“Francis was foolish. He took risks. So do the sisters, and that inspires us,” Sue says. “The sisters are committed individuals. We are drawn to a life of service and to the issues the sisters support.”

Though associates must be Christian, they do not have to be Catholic. “We have married couples, men, women, single people, college students, factory workers, teachers – people from all over and from all walks of life,” Sue says.

Kay says her relationship with the sisters through the associates program has been

Charism - A charism is a gift freely given by God to a person or community, for the good and service of others in

bringing about the Kingdom of God. Religious communities

seek to live the charism which is received through their founders as God’s gift to the Church.

Genevieve Wilson and Mary Jo Murray celebrated their 25th anniversary as associates Oct. 4 at St. Francis Convent. Sisters and fellow associates were there to share the joy.

A call to theFranciscan life,with a twist

A peaceful heart, a prayerful spirit

Associates gather at the Lucas County Jail to visit prisoners.

very nurturing. “Going to Tiffin is like going home. There’s a shared spirituality, a shared value system and commitment to service to the poor and marginalized that sometimes you find in a parish and sometimes not.”

Those interested in learning more about the Sisters of St. Francis Associate Program may contact Sue Nowak at 419.841.3090 or [email protected].

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Indeed, there are three levels of involvement. At Level 1, associates become prayer partners. Perhaps they have limited time or feel they are just too far away to be more involved. At Level 2, associates become active in the ministries with the sisters, working together on projects. At Level 3, associates live in community with the sisters because they are involved in the same ministry and live in the same town.

Both Kay and Sue are at Level 2 as are most of the associates, Sue says. “Even though we don’t take vows, we do try to

Page 6: Fall 2009 Magazine

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Sr. Bea Koerper and her friend Henry Gibson live – and laugh! – in St. Francis Home.

Long ago Father Bihn, Elizabeth Schaefer and her two daughters, her father, and an orphan son, that first family who made their home here on the St. Francis campus, planted a seed. Today I eat the fruit of the tree that is 140 years old. I live in St. Francis Home. I love St. Francis Home. Both of my parents lived and died here.

I love living in a mix of people. The variety of folks living here with their different life experiences enables me to think much larger than my own world. It also prevents me from self-pity due to my own diminishment.

The center that makes everything one for me is the chapel. Currently two residents are Franciscan friars who offer us the golden op-portunity to have Eucharist daily and to en-joy the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.

I am a Sister of St. Francis and I am missioned by our congregation as a “contemplative and spiritual guide.” The Home provides me with the perfect setting to respond to that call. Having a private room allows me to close the door and to bask in the silence and to be wrapped in God. I can do spiritual direction and direct retreats one-to-one in my room.

My life is full and meaningful today, but Sister Death, as St. Francis names her, is no stranger or foreign enemy in this building. She comes regularly to visit and leaves here with a resident wrapped in her cloak. I feel like a traveler waiting to board the train into eternity. That sense keeps an air of expectancy alive in me. I know that I am on my way to the great wedding feast.

Caring and kind staff members are ever present, seeking to meet our needs. Cleaning, laundry, food service, activities and nursing care are lovingly provided. Doctors, lab technicians, physical and occupational therapists, maintenance workers and librarians are all available to serve us.

Before coming here I lived in a hermitage in rural Kentucky for more than 10 years. That home provided great happiness to me. I needed to return to the motherhouse because of poor physical health. I sense the big hands of God were orchestrating that move for me. Now I am a permanent resident of St. Francis Home.

Like many folks I was never drawn to the idea of spending my last days in a nursing home. But I have found a family here. St. Francis Home, in my own words, is my home.

St. Francis Home is my homeBy Sr. Bea Koerper

with my own vocation and commitment. So, what married people go through, I can understand.”

Today, Sr. Bea serves as spiritual director for some of the sisters and to others who hear of her from those who’ve sought her guidance. She lives at St. Francis Home, which she compares to a sort of tarmac where she’s “waiting to get on the plane.” With a twinkle in her eye, Sr. Bea says, “We are on our way to the wedding feast, but the road goes over Calvary. If you don’t have your Calvary, there ain’t no wedding feast.”

You’ll read more about Sr. Bea’s ministry and the work she did in Ken-tucky in later issues. For now, we hope you enjoy the following arti-cle she wrote about her experience as a resident of St. Francis Home.

Meet Sr. Bea KoerperSister Bea Koerper has been a Tiffin Franciscan for 57 years and is not shy about celebrating the fact that she “was the first member of the community from St. Mary Parish,” in Tiffin.

Sr. Bea has a B.A. in social studies from Mary Manse College and an M.A. in theological studies from Fordham University in New York. Indeed, she received a scholarship from the Diocese of Toledo to study at Fordham because the bishop wanted people to update parishioners on the teachings of Vatican II.

When she received her master’s degree, Sr. Bea taught religious education for the Lima Deanery, which she says, “set me on a

different direction in my life.” Up until that time, she had taught elementary school.

The new path took her into spiritual direction and retreat ministry. “I liked adult education. I

have the ability to listen – and, for a lot of life, I’ve been there and done that. In terms of the human struggle, I get it. I’ve struggled

“ I have found a family here.St. Francis Home…

is my home.”

Page 7: Fall 2009 Magazine

St. Francis Home:Taking heart in hard timesBob Hauzie’s a pretty affable guy. These days, though, he’s concerned because of the increase in the franchise fee on each bed in St. Francis Home. That franchise fee increase took effect July 1, 2009.

Bob’s concerned because, as President and CEO of St. Francis Senior Ministries, he’s the overseer of the financial situation, the one who makes sure there’s enough money to take care of the – as of this writing – 135 residents now living in St. Francis Home.

Indeed, it is the St. Francis Home philosophy to not turn anyone away and to care for all of the residents until their deaths.

Bob is a man of faith. And, he’s also expected to be a good steward. When Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and the State Legislature decided to increase the per bed per day fee from $6.25 to $11.95, they made Bob’s job a whole lot harder.

“Our current cost, how much it costs us each day to take care of one resident, is $184.70. Medicaid, which comes from the State, reimburses us $170.65 for our residents on Medicaid. That means we are losing $14.05 a day on each of those residents,” Bob says.

There are 113 residents at St. Francis Home who are on Medicaid. So, the loss per day comes out to $1,587.65. That’s a loss of $579,000 each year.

It’s not surprising then, that Bob’s worried.

But Bob is also hopeful. Indeed, he’s emphatic when talking about his staff’s commitment to reducing costs without reducing the quality of care they give to their residents.

“We’ve reduced our non-direct care staff positions, we’ve re-opened contracts with vendors to negotiate our costs. Our staff is committed to cutting down on waste in terms of paper usage and supplies. We’re also looking at more cost effective ways we can heat our building,” Bob says. “We’d like to be able to heat our water through solar panels and to use wind turbines to generate electricity.”

The St. Francis Home building was constructed in 1960 and consists of four floors, including a basement. Back then, builders weren’t necessarily concerned about energy efficiency. So, there is talk of new construction, though Bob’s not sure where the capital will come from.

While these discussions take place, Bob and his staff remain committed to the residents in St. Francis Home.

“We have a wonderful staff. They really, really care about the residents we serve. Through their efforts, we’ve been able to survive and to cut costs without reducing quality of care.”

St. Francis Senior Ministries held its Family Day Sept. 27 and its Pet Parade Oct. 3. Families and friends of residents shared in the fun. With other members of St. Francis Community, residents also enjoyed a Fall hayride.

“We have a wonderful staff. Through their efforts, we’ve been able to survive and to cut costs

without reducing quality of care.”Bob Hauzie

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Page 8: Fall 2009 Magazine

Having fun is important, too!

than it is about the science of water. “We’ll never have more or less. But we can make it unusable,” Mike says.

The FELC offers workshops in weather, farming, air, wildlife, wetlands and skills. Farming is a “big piece,” Mike says, which includes “soil science and understanding where food comes from.” During this program, the students tour Seeds of Hope Farm and gather eggs or pick produce. In the skills class, students learn about orienteering, using math skills they learned in the classroom.

“Our educational program is not limited to the environment. It has a human element to it. There’s teamwork involved in what we do. We get kids to work together to accomplish a task. They learn to listen.”

To learn more about the FELC’s educational programs, call Mike Conner at 419.448.7485, email him at [email protected] or visit earthliteracy.org/programs.

Teaching children to care about the world is a big, big project. But we must teach them to “understand the world at a deeper level and realize that we all live downstream, so they can take the next step in caring about God’s creation. Caring about humans is the first step toward caring about the Earth.”

That’s Mike Conner talking. He’s the director of the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center (FELC) whose mission, in part, is to provide educational programs to about 2,000 students each year.

Students tour Seeds of Hope Farm and sometimes even help with harvesting.

From The Canticle of the Sunby Francis of Assisi

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Learning how to work together forms a foundation for all

other learning at the Center.

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Caring for each other,caring for the Earth

Learning where food comes from is a big part of the program.

Mike realizes the challenges involved with transforming a child’s understanding of the world when that child is at the FELC for just two hours at a time. “My goal is to have kids understand the concepts we’re teaching. Until they understand the

systems we all relate to, they won’t get passionate about creation.”

Teaching children that the water we have is all we’ll ever have, for example, is more about introducing a concept

Page 9: Fall 2009 Magazine

It’s a catchy title: Francis and Ecology: Getting Francis Out of the Birdbath. Sisters Rita Wienken and Virginia Welsh presented their program at the Toledo Club Oct. 1 to folks from around the northwest Ohio area because they “want people to understand that Francis was a vernacular theologian,” Sr. Rita says, which simply means Francis believed all creation is sacred and wanted to foster a relationship among all creation.

Sr. Rita’s voice pitches north a bit when she talks about this subject. Clearly, she’s passionate about the Earth. “We must treat the soil as being alive, because it is alive. We can’t have food without soil. We can’t eat without soil.”

Sr. Rita speaks from experience. As the manager of Seeds of Hope Farm, a program of the FELC, she is intimately aware of the Earth’s vulnerability and of our responsibility toward it.

During the presentation Sr. Virginia, who serves as pastoral leader for St. Martin de Porres Parish and director of the Padua Center, illustrated how Francis respected all creation, exemplified by his Canticle of the Sun, for example. Then, Sr. Rita asked people to think of what we can do to develop that relationship. “Once you have a relationship with something, it’s harder to abuse it. And we can’t abuse the Earth.”

During her segment of the presentation, Sr. Rita also talked about the sacredness of food. She then introduced the concept of community supported agriculture as practiced by Seeds of Hope Farm on the St. Francis Community campus.

Seeds of Hope Farm practices community supported agriculture, which provides fresh, chemical-free produce all season. For more information, contact Sr. Rita Wienken at 419.934.5144 or [email protected].

Sisters Rita Wienken, left, and Virginia Welsh presented their program on the sacredness of creation at the Toledo Club Oct. 1.

Cultivating a relationship with the Earth

Summer Harvest Gourmet Gala:A chance to enjoy food, wine, friends

The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center and Seeds of Hope Farm hosted the 2nd annual Summer Harvest Gourmet Gala on August 8 on the St. Francis campus. The event drew close to 200 guests and featured the talents of 10 regional chefs and showcased Ohio wines from three wineries.

The Gala is the Center’s largest fund raiser and lets guests taste gourmet fare featuring locally grown, chemicalfree produce from the Farm and meet the chefs who prepared the dishes.

Participating chefs and vintners: Michael Bulkowski from Revolver Restaurant in Findlay, Gary Rossilli from Rossilli’s Restaurant in Findlay, Alisa McPheron from Main Street Bistro in Lima, Glenn Teets from Tiffin University in Tiffin, Keith Mosser representing Ralph’s Joy of Living in Tiffin, Angel Moreno from Moreno’s Casual Dining in Carey, Tom and Linda Lambert from Bella Cuisine in Fremont, Jim Rhegness from Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Jimmie Jones from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Mike McClellan from Tiffin, D & D Smith Winery in Norwalk, Firelands Winery in Sandusky and Stoney Ridge Winery in Bryan.

Major sponsors were Alvada Construction and Heidelberg University. The event raised more than $9,000. Proceeds benefit environmental education programs at the FELC and the Farm.

Next year’s Gala is set for Saturday, August 14, 2010.

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Page 10: Fall 2009 Magazine

Students from St. Ursula Academy in Toledo made a Kairos retreat in September. They stayed and prayed at the Spirituality Center on the St. Francis Community campus. This is an annual event for SUA students and involved team building activities as well as time for prayer and reflection.Kairos: A call to action

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Spirituality Center welcomes retreat and prayer groups

The annual Spirituality Center barbecue took place September 13 on the St. Francis Community campus. Attendees enjoyed a cash raffle, a silent auction and a small raffle of lovely gifts donated by area merchants. The proceeds benefit programs and retreats at the Center.

The Sisters of St. Francis sponsor the Spirituality Center, an ecumenical retreat and renewal center. The facility is open all year and offers a peaceful setting for prayer, reflection and contemplation.

The facility has 31 guest rooms, four conference rooms, a full kitchen and dining room, a gift shop and plenty of areas in which to meditate.

For more information, call 419.443.1485, email [email protected] or visit www.stfrancisspiritualitycenter.org.

Spirituality Center volunteers Joe Moore and John Aiello

Page 11: Fall 2009 Magazine

Sr. Sara Aldridge stepped into the director of Mission Advancement position May 1, 2009.

She sees her role as that of “continuing to find ways to keep supporting our ministries through partnering with individuals, groups and organizations and sharing the good news of all that happens within our ministries.”

The Mission Advancement Office was formed in 2006 as a result of the General Chapter of the Sisters of St. Francis, which takes place every 4 years. “We recognized a need to invite others to be a part of carrying out our mission,” Sr. Sara says. The office opened in January 2007.

“It’s very exciting to be able to share our story of the St. Francis Community and each of our entities with people close to the Tiffin area and across the country whose hearts resound with what our mission is about,” Sr. Sara says.

Sr. Sara had been working in eastern Kentucky for 23 years. “Because of all the ways I experienced the generosity of our benefactors who made the mission possible, it gave me the belief that we have a story worth sharing and an awareness of how many good people there are who want to be a part of all the good that is happening.”

Sr. Sara Aldridge

Meet Sr. Sara Aldridge,Director of Mission Advancement

Consider becoming a monthly donorThe St. Francis Community is grateful for every gift, regardless of amount or frequency. We especially appreciate our monthly donors who make it possible to continue our work of serving others while reducing the cost of fund raising.

If you’re interested in becoming a monthly donor, please contact the Mission Advancement Office. We’ll ask for your credit card number and set up a recurring gift schedule. Then each month, a gift to whichever ministry you chose will be automatically charged to your credit card. There’s no need to do anything more. Please know that your faithful support to the ministries of the St. Francis Community is a blessing beyond measure.

For more information, contact Merre Phillips at 419.447.0435 or at [email protected].

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A handy way to save taxes while givingHere’s some good news for individuals age 70½ and older with individual retirement accounts (IRAs): Thanks to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, you can still make outright gifts of up to $100,000 from your IRA funds without having to pay income taxes on the money – but only until the end of the year.

During this limited window of time, you can easily see what a difference your gift makes.

You can contribute funds this way if:

• You are 70½ or older

• Your gift total is $100,000 or less

• You complete your gift on or before December 31, 2009

• You transfer funds directly from an IRA or Rollover IRA

• You transfer the gifts outright to one or more qualified charitable organizations

Be sure to contact tax professionals and your IRA custodian soon if you are considering a gift under this new law. *Pension Protection Act of 2006 PF 109-280

Page 12: Fall 2009 Magazine

Mission Advancement Office 200 St. Francis Avenue Tiffin, OH 44883

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

P A I DTIFFIN, OH

PERMIT NO. 126

The St. Francis Community Magazine is published by the

Mission Advancement Office for the St. Francis Community.

Correspondence may be sent to: Mission Advancement Office

200 St. Francis Ave. Tiffin, OH 44883

Email: [email protected]

Or visit us on the web: www.sfctiffin.org

“W hile you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.”

– St. Francis of Assisi

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”

– St. Francis of Assisi

The Sisters of St. Francis meet each morning in St. Francis Convent Chapel to pray for donors and donors’ intentions and, indeed, “anyone who sends us prayer requests,” says Sr. Sara Aldridge. If you would like the sisters to pray for your intentions, you may contact Sr. Sara at 419.447.0435 (ext. 175) and at [email protected].