Sisters of St. Francis Campus Programs and Events for
March – April 2024
Saturday, March 23 (2:00pm) Family Fun with STEM Series: Banding Birds at Springville Marsh and Kelleys Island with Tom Bartlett of Tiffin at Elizabeth Schaefer Auditorium, 190 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Tom, a Master Bird Bander, is one of the most accomplished bird banders in Ohio, and is known especially for his decades of banding operations of migrating birds at Springville Marsh in Seneca County, and at Kelleys Island in Western Lake Erie. His work has provided invaluable data to researchers studying the lives of many of the birds of Eastern North America. He is also known for his ability to humorously convey his love of birds through stories of his many experiences. This is a family oriented program and includes STEM related experiences offered by the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center. Appropriate for children 8 and up and must be accompanied by an adult. Donations are welcome.
Aluminum Can Recycling Supports Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
Celebrate Earth Day by recycling your aluminum cans! Drop off your bagged cans between Monday, April 1 and Friday, April 19. Bags of cans can be dropped off in the gravel parking lot in front of St. Francis Convent (200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin)
Wednesday, April 3 – Annual Day of Giving Supports St. Francis Spirituality Center…An Oasis of Healing, Reconciliation and Renewal
How do I make a donation? Donate by phone at 419-447-0435. Mail check to SFSC, 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin, Ohio 44883. On your phone text RETREATS to 44321 and click on the link. Donate online at www.franciscanretreats.org. Thank you in advance for supporting SFSC!
Mondays, April 15, May 6, May 20 & June 10 (6-8:00pm) Remembering Your Story: Writing your spiritual autobiography in your wisdom years offered in person or via zoom by St. Francis Spirituality Center, 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Register by April 1 at 419-443-1485 or peace@franciscanretreats.org. Cost $45. NOTE: Participants will need to purchase the book Remembering Your Story: Creating Your Own Spiritual Autobiography, revised edition, by Richard L. Morgan.
In this four-part (two hours each) retreat series, we will rely heavily on the book Remembering Your Story: Creating Your Own Spiritual Autobiography, revised edition, by Richard L. Morgan. Morgan offers practical suggestions for creating a life story that goes far beyond a simple resume or chronology of one’s life. We will dig deeper and study and reflect on his seven foundational principles, including “Every life is a unique, invaluable story,” and “Faith stories are the legacy we leave.”
Sessions will include time for prayer, teaching, and listening to and telling our stories, with the hope that participants will receive good resources to begin to create their own spiritual autobiography while expanding on Morgan’s last principle: “Stories create meaning at any age.”
Although the primary audience for this program/retreat includes those in their “wisdom years,” it is certainly open to anyone that wants to create a legacy of personal stories to leave our loved ones.
Program Leader: Kathy Berken lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has a master’s degree in theology and a graduate certificate in spiritual direction. A member of the ministerial preaching team at the Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, MN, she has a private spiritual direction practice, offers retreats and days of reflection and prayer, and writes a monthly column on spirituality for an Iowa Catholic newspaper. Kathy believes that spirituality includes everything about our life, and that God the Sacred Mystery is everywhere in everything.
Kathy’s other life experiences include the following: house coordinator for the L’Arche community in Iowa; author of a memoir about that experience, Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark; staff reporter and marketing manager for a Catholic newspaper; and math teacher. She has two grown children and four grandchildren. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Kathy enjoys learning anything about most everything, riding her bike in the woods, and spending time with family and friends.
Saturday, April 13 (2:00-3:30pm) Family Fun with STEM Series: “What happens to the material we recycle?” at Elizabeth Schaefer Auditorium, 190 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Presenters: Saundra Crocker – Education and Community Relations Assistant at Rumpke Waste and Recycling and Jon Long, Seneca Co. Education Specialist for the Ottawa, Sandusky Seneca Solid Waste District.
Saundra will offer a 40-min presentation on how Rumpke handles the recyclables it collects from us at its Columbus facility. Jon will give a short discussion on recycling issues within our county.
This is a family oriented program and includes STEM related experiences offered by the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center. Appropriate for children 8 and up and must be accompanied by an adult. Donations are welcome.
Community Garden Plots are available to rent at the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center on the St. Francis Campus in Tiffin.
Rent 20’x30’ plots ($125), 20’x15’ plots ($90) or mini plots 10’x15’ ($60). This includes use from May – October (weather permitting). Plot fees will be waived for those who qualify for financial assistance. Visit www.felctiffin.org for guidelines or to download an application. Call Sr. Shirley at 419.448.7485 for questions or email sshafranek@felctiffin.org.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) available at the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center/Seeds of Hope Farm at 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Share Option #1 – one person/20 weeks. End of May through Sept. $190 (includes 3-5 different vegetables each week with smaller portions)
Share Option #2 – two people/20 weeks. End of May through Sept. $250 (includes 4-6 different vegetables each week with larger portions)
The produce needs to be picked up weekly at our farm on Thursday afternoons.
Benefit to Farmers:
∙ Receive payment early in the season which helps farmer’ cash flow
∙ Get to know the people who will eat his/her food
∙ Introduce customers to new vegetables and ways to prepare them
Benefit to CSA Shareholders:
- Receive weekly share of quality, fresh farm products
- Support local farmers using sustainable growing methods – no harmful chemicals
- Receive a variety of vegetables and herbs, including many “staples” such as carrots, lettuce, peppers, onions, etc. – whatever is ready that week
- Experience new vegetables and receive recipes and tips on cooking them
- Visit the farm where your food is grown
The Seeds of Hope Farm is a part of FELC. Through active education and training of individuals with developmental disabilities, the Seeds of Hope Agricultural Program will provide real-world job skills, centered on an understanding and appreciation of organic farming, the farm market, and interaction with creation and humanity. For questions or if interested, contact Sr. Shirley at 567-230-0050.
Tuesdays (6:00-7:00pm) – Yoga Classes at St. Francis Spirituality Center (Lower Level), 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Limited: 10 participants. Beginners are welcome. Suggested Donation of $7/ session. Call Sr. Paulette Schroeder at 567-230-0220 to register.
Fresh Eggs for Sale at the Seeds of Hope Farm, 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin, located on the St. Francis Campus. Cost: $3.50/dz. All sales benefit the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center.
Several community organizations are partnering together to host the Tiffin Honor Games on Thursday, April 18, 2024, to recognize, honor, and pay tribute to those who have served or are currently serving. The games are to recognize community service organizations including the Tiffin AMVETS Post 48, Tiffin Post 169 American Legion, and VFW Post 2858. In addition, they are also recognizing local service departments – Tiffin Police and Tiffin Fire/Rescue Division while bringing the Tiffin community together.
Formerly known as the Strike Out Cancer Benefit Games, Tiffin Honor Games is a partnership between schools, youth programs, community protectors, and service veterans, to honor those who served, and continue to serve, while raising money for area organizations that impact the greater Tiffin Area. The 2024 games will raise funds for Tiffin Salvation Army, FISH, and the Tiffin Community Non-Food Pantry.
Sisters of St. Francis Campus Programs and Events for
April-May 2024
Aluminum Can Recycling Supports Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
Celebrate Earth Day by recycling your aluminum cans! Drop off your bagged cans until Friday, April 19. Bags of cans can be dropped off in the gravel parking lot in front of St. Francis Convent (200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin)
Saturday, April 27 (8:00-10:00am) Annual Plant Sale at the Seeds of Hope Farm, 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
You’ll find a wide variety of chemical – free flowers, as well as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, herbs and more!
With a large variety of flower and veggies at just $2.00/4-pack, we have everything you need to get your gardens off to a great start.
There will be microgreens and hydroponic lettuce, greenhouse tomatoes, and farm fresh eggs for sale, as well.
Thursday, May 9 (7:00-8:15pm) “Laudato Si’ & Intergral Ecology as a Way of Seeing” at Holy Family Chapel, located inside St. Francis Convent, 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Presenter: Vincent Miller is the Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton. He is the author of Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture and editor of The Theological and Ecological Vision of Laudato Si’: Everything is Connected. Recently he has authored a series of essays in Commonweal Magazine on integral ecology in an old growth forest and attending to loss in the same forest after a catastrophic wildfire, and on Pope Francis’ notion of hope and the ecological crisis.
Co-Sponsored by St. Francis Spirituality Center and Franciscan earth Literacy Center. Call 419-443-1485 to RSVP. Donations welcome.
Saturday, May 11 (2:00-4:00pm) Family Fun with STEM Series: “Let’s test a sample of water from a pond or stream near your house” at Franciscan Earth Literacy Center, 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Heidelberg’s NCWQR is internationally known for its over 50 years of analyzing water quality in NW Ohio and neighboring areas. For this program, families are asked to bring a sample of water from a nearby pond or stream to FELC. Under Field Manager Jake’s direction, each family will use simple procedures (using kits provided by the Lab) to determine some of the basic chemical properties of their sample.
The Lab’s Director, Dr. Johnson, will then put the results into a larger context by sharing some of what NCWQR researchers have learned about area water quality.
Presented by: Dr. Laura Johnson, Director and Jake Boehler, Field Manager, of Heidelberg University’s National Center for Water Quality Research.
This is a family oriented program and includes STEM related experiences offered by the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center. Appropriate for children 8 and up and must be accompanied by an adult. Donations are welcome.
Community Garden Plots are available to rent at the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center on the St. Francis Campus in Tiffin.
Rent 20’x30’ plots ($125), 20’x15’ plots ($90) or mini plots 10’x15’ ($60). This includes use from May – October (weather permitting). Plot fees will be waived for those who qualify for financial assistance. Visit www.felctiffin.org for guidelines or to download an application. Call Sr. Shirley at 419.448.7485 for questions or email sshafranek@felctiffin.org.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) available at the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center/Seeds of Hope Farm at 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Share Option #1 – one person/20 weeks. End of May through Sept. $190 (includes 3-5 different vegetables each week with smaller portions)
Share Option #2 – two people/20 weeks. End of May through Sept. $250 (includes 4-6 different vegetables each week with larger portions)
The produce needs to be picked up weekly at our farm on Thursday afternoons.
Benefit to Farmers:
∙ Receive payment early in the season which helps farmer’ cash flow
∙ Get to know the people who will eat his/her food
∙ Introduce customers to new vegetables and ways to prepare them
Benefit to CSA Shareholders:
- Receive weekly share of quality, fresh farm products
- Support local farmers using sustainable growing methods – no harmful chemicals
- Receive a variety of vegetables and herbs, including many “staples” such as carrots, lettuce, peppers, onions, etc. – whatever is ready that week
- Experience new vegetables and receive recipes and tips on cooking them
- Visit the farm where your food is grown
The Seeds of Hope Farm is a part of FELC. Through active education and training of individuals with developmental disabilities, the Seeds of Hope Agricultural Program will provide real-world job skills, centered on an understanding and appreciation of organic farming, the farm market, and interaction with creation and humanity. For questions or if interested, contact Sr. Shirley at 567-230-0050.
Fresh Eggs for Sale at the Seeds of Hope Farm, 194 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin, located on the St. Francis Campus. Cost: $3.50/dz. All sales benefit the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center.
Tuesdays (6:00-7:00pm) – Yoga Classes at St. Francis Spirituality Center (Lower Level), 200 St. Francis Ave., Tiffin.
Limited: 10 participants. Beginners are welcome. Suggested Donation of $7/ session. Call Sr. Paulette Schroeder at 567-230-0220 to register.
Heidelberg fraternity bringing back Animal Jam
TIFFIN – The Excelsior Men’s Society, one of Heidelberg University’s fraternities, is getting ready to host its annual Animal Jam, featuring animals from the Columbus Zoo and Back to the Wild Wildlife Rescue.
Animal Jam will take place on Sunday, April 21, in Seiberling Gymnasium. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with a presentation from Back to the Wild at 1:30 and the Columbus Zoo at 2 p.m.
This family-friendly event will feature activities for children, including bounce houses, face painting and coloring. Excelsior members also will hold a raffle for a Nintendo Switch, with all proceeds benefitting Back to the Wild, a rehabilitation center and sanctuary for animals in Castalia, Ohio.
Admission to Animal Jam is $3 per person. Each ticket sold will be entered into the raffle. Shirts and concessions will be available for purchase.
Admission is $5 per person at the door. Animal Jam T-shirts will be available for $12 each.
Sisters In Shelter Decade of Freedom Celebration and Fundraiser
Celebrate the Life of Sr. Mary Kuhlman
TIFFIN, OHIO – February 16, 2024: Join community and business leaders commemorating the life of Sr Mary Kuhlman with the Sisters in Shelter Decade of Freedom Celebration, 5:30-7:30 pm Thursday April 25, 2024, at the Elizabeth Schaefer Auditorium, 190 St Francis Ave, Tiffin.
The night will include live music by No Eileen, keynote presentation by nationally renowned speaker and survivor, Elesondra Deromano, Executive Director of S.T.A.R.S, dedication to Sr Mary Kuhlman, silent auction, and a brief meeting.
Your support at this event will directly contribute to critical support services provided for survivors which include shelter, counseling, legal aid, and vocational training; and to expand awareness campaigns by educating community members to recognize the signs of human trafficking and how to report it.
Tickets for the Decade of Freedom Fundraiser are available now at http://tinyurl.com/4kyupj95. There is a cash bar & heavy hors d’oeuvres. Business attire is appropriate. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of something truly impactful. Together we can make a difference.
Sisters in Shelter, which began in 2005, is a non-profit organization that supports survivors and illuminate the atrocities of human trafficking through community education and advocacy. Sisters in Shelter provides critical first needs for women survivors of human trafficking: emergency safe housing, medical care, safety planning, and legal advocacy. To donate directly to Sisters in Shelter, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit sistersinshelter.com or visit Facebook: Sisters in Shelter.
You must be logged in to post a comment.