Supporters gather to celebrate and learn about SFC’s Franciscan mission!
On Tuesday, Franciscan ministries across the Franciscan Friars Province of St. Barbara, which covers California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington, in addition to, ministries in Russia, Mexico, and the Holy Land participated in our first-annual Legacy Day.
The purpose of Legacy Day is to set aside time each year where the entire staff of each ministry:
- Stops to intentionally recall our Franciscan heritage and our responsibility for carrying the legacy forward for the benefit of society.
- Engages in a shared experience with all ministries and supporters within the Province to build community within and across ministries to help all understand we are part of a greater whole.
- Focuses on developing a deeper understanding of a single aspect of our tradition.
During the event, we engaged in a conversations about what makes us a Franciscan ministry. Important aspects such as treating guests as brothers and sisters, welcoming all with openness and compassion, humility, and focusing on the good were repeatedly brought up in the conversation.
Though St. Francis Center is a Franciscan ministry, we cannot forget that who we are at SFC and how we serve our guests today are traditions we carry on because of our founders. You can read more about Fr. Hugh Noonan, Helen Payne, and Juanita Vaughn at the link here.
There are twelve characteristics of a Franciscan Ministry, and this year our focus was on Care for Creation. Care for creation is not optional; it is essential. The interconnectedness of all creation was recognized by St. Francis long ago, and so this understanding influences large and small decisions. Efforts are made to conserve water, recycle waste, use green cleaning products, even grow produce for use in the ministries.
Every day we try to honor Care for Creation during our programs at SFC. Composting, reducing food and plastic waste, and teaching supporters are ways we implement this at SFC. In line with our theme for the Legacy Day, Care for Creation, we participated in a Hope Street beautification project at St. Francis Center! Our staff, volunteers, supporters, and guests all came together to help clean up Hope Street.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in making our 1st-Annual Legacy Day a success!
