By Sister Jane Sorenson

St. Francis of Assisi Church is one of many churches in the heart of New York City. The Franciscan Friars serve in various capacities–parish priests, managers of bread lines for the poor, confessors for the many people who stop in from work during the day. This church is called a “service” church because Mass is offered throughout the day for people living or working in Manhattan.

Every year, in preparation for the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, there is a novena of nine Tuesdays. On these days, Masses are celebrated continuously in the upper church and in the lower church. These Masses are very well attended. When I lived in the Poor Clare monastery in the Bronx, we were invited to be present on one of those Tuesdays, to beg for donations. Five of us would start out for Manhattan at about 5 a.m. When we arrived at 31st Street, we took up our positions near the doors of the church, with our baskets in hand. My position was between the upper and lower church.

As people came and went, I greeted them quietly. I watched as they expressed their faith in such varied ways–quieting down as they entered the church, liberally blessing themselves with holy water, reverently touching the feet of the statue of St. Francis. Many would place money in my little basket as they passed by. I would thank them and promise that I would pray for them.

This experience of receiving donations was particularly humbling for me. I recognized in these people a great faith in God and in my intercession to God for them. They were from many levels of society, from business people to laborers to the poor who roamed the streets. I recognized in each of them something that held them all in common. They needed God and they counted on my prayer for them. I felt that I took all of them home with me at the end of that day.

Just as I recognized a need for God in the people I met when I stood in their midst as a beggar at St. Francis of Assisi Church, I know of your faith and of the many needs you have. Do you know that I am praying for you, that I have brought you into my monastery, to hold your needs before the Lord?

Now I stand before you, unable to meet each of you in your parish churches, but feeling quite humbled as I ask for your help to cancel our debt and support of our way of life. As the weak economy has affected so many people, we too have not been able to keep up our payments for the construction of our monastery.

With your help, this mission of ours, to stand before God on your behalf, can continue and grow. Our mission (yours and ours) is joined together, for we are all beggars for God’s gifts.


The Poor Clares of Montana is a monastic community in Great Falls.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 6, June 18, 2010.