the catholic community of st. francis of assisi
Ministering To All
The St. Francis Preschool will begin its 34th year of service to the parents of St. Francis of Assisi parish in September, 34 years of providing foundational education in the faith. It all started with our first Franciscan Friar Pastor. “When Fr. David McBriar was the pastor at St. Francis,” says current Director Heidi Hobler, “he asked Nancy Bourke to lead a new ministry of the church, a St. Francis preschool.” This effort was the first foray into education for the parish, followed nine years later by the founding of The Franciscan School. “It is my understanding,” says Heidi, “that he envisioned it not only as a way to serve children but also as a way to connect families to the church.”
Volunteer Spotlight: Pam James
Pam James can weave, and not just a great story! Pam has been in Weaver’s Guilds, each with over 200 members, in three different states, Colorado, Texas, and North Carolina, and has been an avid weaver and mixed media artist for a long time. Every two years, there is a convention where she says, “Every well-known weaver attends and is probably teaching a class.” This past year, the convention was in Wichita, Kansas, where she entered a piece in the Mixed Media category and won 3rd Place!
How does this correlate to her work at St. Francis? She weaves her love of art with her leadership of the ‘Care for Creation’ ministry at St. Francis. “I’ve always been a bit of an ‘eco-freak,’” says Pam,” I grew up with the idea that you mustn’t waste. My sister-in-law is kind enough to call me resourceful, but I’m just cheap! I’ve always asked myself, ‘Why would I throw that away? I can use that.’” She exclusively uses ‘recycled yarn’ in weaving, embracing the ‘reuse’ principle of Care for Creation.
Ministry Spotlight: CORRAL Riding Academy
Almost everyone loves horses, and teenage girls even more so. That’s where CORRAL Riding Academy, an equine therapy-focused nonprofit, comes into play for adolescent girls in high-risk situations. CORRAL offers a long-term, holistic program of equine therapy and education for individuals referred by their school counselor, a therapist, the court system, or those who self-refer after becoming aware of the program; there are various pathways to access the program. At St. Francis, Donna Schwede leads a ministry that supports CORRAL’s efforts in the broader community. “So the focus,” says Donna, “because CORRAL is a separate organization, is to support CORRAL through work days at each of their farms.” She clarifies, “There are efforts that CORRAL does, and there are opportunities to volunteer with CORRAL that are not what we set up through the church. So if you want to volunteer as a driver or a tutor or to provide food, you do that directly through CORRAL.”
