Adventure is Out There

Recently, exchange programs and travel opportunities have been growing in popularity at universities across the county and I find my Facebook feed to be filled with breathtaking photos from my “world traveler” friends. With the desire to travel having always been in my heart as well, I knew that someday I to would find myself staring in awe of God’s masterpiece in foreign places around the world, however I never thought that the desires of my travels would be filled in the state of Wisconsin.

A state which to this South Dakota girl was pretty foreign considering I only knew Wisconsin to be a state to be filled with cheese loving, football fanatics who weren’t big fans of my hometown's team, the Minnesota Vikings. During these last few months though, I have found a love for this state as I all too often find myself breathless and in awe of the beauty that lays before my eyes. Remember, adventure is out there and God knows the desires of your heart, so lay everything before Him and allow him to woo you.

     -Anna Haiar

Kayaking at sunset with my fellow teammate Elizabeth Senkyr.

Enjoying the Sunset after a day of hiking with the team at Peninsula Sate Park in Door County.

Spent the day walking through shops and enjoying the vibrant colors of the changing trees.

Driving to mass on a rainy weekday morning.

Patron Saints

Each of us on the SPIRITUS team has been assigned a patron saint for the year. These saints were discerned for us by our leadership prior to even meeting (most of) us, and I for one can attest that my saint was Divinely inspired. St. Rita of Cascia was the patroness of the parish I had been attending in Dallas for the previous 3 years, and over that time her story was slowly but surely infiltrating my life. I first heard of St. Rita, however, when I saw a movie on her life on EWTN when I was about 12 years old and immobilized by a stomach bug for a week. The movie was nearly 3 hours long and had horrible Italian cinematography with subtitles that barely made sense, but what I remember most is being particularly awestruck by her devotion to Christ crucified and thus I began to consider her as one of my back-up patron saints. It wasn’t until I graduated college and moved to Dallas that my admiration of her began to turn into a devotion.

Of course, this was unknown the SPIRITUS leadership in charge of selecting my patron, and I can’t put into the words the amount of comfort I received in the middle of that first week on mission, surrounded by my missionary ‘brothers and sisters’ who at the time were still essentially strangers to me, when they told me my patron for the year was my beloved patron from Dallas.

A photo of a relic of St. Rita I was able to venerate at a local parish

Today, St. Rita is a sign of so many hopeful things for me. She is a reminder of where I came from and the strong Dallas community that helped launch me into missionary work. A mother who never stopped interceding for the conversion of her family, she is a mother to me as I know she continues to intercede for my daily conversion. A peacemaker who ended a long standing vendetta that consumed her entire town, she brings the peace of Jesus into my heart when I feel at war with myself, my fears and my desires. A spouse of Christ in her religious vocation, she is an inspiration of what it means to love Christ in all things and always seek His will. A recipient of the stigmata and a lover of Christ crucified, she constantly draws me out of myself and into the passion of Christ and of those around me.

I ask for your prayers for myself and my team.  Our lives have been insanely busy since the day we arrived, and even the little time we get ‘off’ is prudently used to strengthen our time as community. Below I have listed the names of my brothers and sisters on mission for me as well as their inspired patrons. Please pray for us often, as we are anticipated to give 160 retreats this year to over 5,000 students across the state of Wisconsin.

St. Faustina, pray for us. (Alexa)

St. Elizabeth of Hungry, pray for us. (Christen)

St. Rita of Cascia, pray for us. (Ashley)

St. Claire of Assisi, pray for us. (Annastasia)

St. John the Beloved, pray for us. (Gabriel)

St. Edith Stein/Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us. (Brianna)

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us. (Elizabeth)

St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us. (Brian)

Bl. Miguel Pro, pray for us. (Rene)

St. George, pray for us. (Zachery)

St. Ignatious of Loyola, pray for us. (Mike)

St. Lawrence, pray for us. (Peter)

St. Philomena, pray for us. (Gemma)

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us. (Anna)

St. Kateri Tekawitha, pray for us. (Mikayla)

St. Paul, patron saint of SPIRITUS, pray for us.

Mary, Mother of missionaries, pray for us.

Jesus, fully present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, consume us.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

-Ashley Lange

Grocery Shopping Bliss

     In the beginning of the year everyone on SPIRITUS is assigned a weekly task that they’re responsible for overseeing and taking care of. We call them our designated duties, also known as DD. Every week there is allocated DD time to accomplish the chores, and once they’re finished, we all continue to live in blissful coexistence together… :) well sort of. Life is peachy here at SPIRITUS. Birds sing, unicorns frolic, and each person's DD differs from another’s. My task at Mount Tabor Center (along with Anastasia's at Faustina House) is grocery shopping. It may sound dreadful for any ordinary person, but I love food/nutrition and I love shopping. It made sense.
     Anna and I are like a dynamite duo when it comes to spicing up the monotony of “picking up more eggs and some chunky peanut butter”. Yep, there’s never a dull moment when we’re pushing a grocery cart. It’s almost like we’re special agents, on a mission to feed our small army on a budget. We have an allotted amount of money every month, so half the battle is to get the necessities, then to appease the taste buds of our teammates so they can accomplish the mission! How to dive straight into the hearts of our team? One word: bagels. Everything that’s on the list is purchased in bulk. I’m entertained most frequently by seeing the questioning faces of people we stroll past, with our overflowing cart of $250 plus of food. Sometimes a curious soul will comment on my cart, wherein I reply, “yeah, big family” and continue on my merry little way. So if you see two young ladies scavenging the aisles of grocery stores in the Appleton or Neenah-Menasha area, feel free to say hello, comment on our abundance of goods, and direct us to the cream cheese. :)

      -Elizabeth Senkyr

More than Just Post Grad Service…

     I remember my freshmen year in college when I discovered my calling to work in the Church, and as a result I wanted to talk to my campus minister about the next steps I had to take to become a campus minister myself. As I talked to her she mentioned doing post grad service and told me about Catholic Volunteer Network where I later ended up finding SPIRITUS. As my senior year came around I felt nervous about coming to Wisconsin, was this place the place where I was called to be? Would I be happy or fulfilled here? As I came to SPIRITUS I found myself, as one of my other teammates says, "in a school of love." There were its challenges but also its joys and as a second year I can say with a sincere heart that this place has fulfilled me more than I could imagine. SPIRITUS has offered me a greater privilege in abandoning myself to Christ everyday and to not live a life of comfort in the sense of doing what I want but a life of greatness through the small actions of love everyday. When I first came to SPIRITUS I found it hard in some areas to adjust to a life that is not of this world but is living a supernatural calling (for this is not a life that most people my age would choose but is a life that is blessed by God). As a second year returner I have found my heart being purified slowly and becoming more of the best version of myself. For example, before SPIRITUS I thought I had pretty good morals but as my heart continues to be formed I find myself having a high definition of what it means to live a holy life. In SPIRITUS there is a greater calling of living of letting every action I do glorify God, whether it's in my sleeping, what I'm listening to and watching in today's media, and even how I talk to people in the fast food line (as we have handed out divine mercy cards before at a popular fast food chain called Culver's!). No matter where God is calling you though I just encourage you to Not Be Afraid for Christ wants to fulfill the deepest desires of your heart! Trust in his Divine Mercy in your life and you will not be let down! Come Holy Spirit! I will be praying for you!

     -Christen Sheffer

                                   (SPIRITUS Team 8 with Mother Mary Catherine)