Women of St. Francis
Contact: Mary Georgopolos, President
Dear Ladies,
The Women of St. Francis Board wanted to let you know that they are making plans for meetings and events for our upcoming year. Due to the current Coronavirus issue, we have been unable to have regular meetings and events for the past couple of months. Our first event for the WOSF 2020 - 2021 is the celebration of St. Clare Day on Tuesday, August 11. St. Clare of Assisi is the Patron Saint for the Women of St. Francis. More details about how we will celebrate this year will be forthcoming closer to the date.
We are proud to announce that the WOSF was able to give ten $1,000 scholarship to students at St. Francis Catholic School for the upcoming school year. This money was provided from a combination of money earned from tickets purchased for our Soup for Scholarships Dinner held in February 2020, sales of The Women of St. Francis and Friends Soups, Salads, & Breads Cookbook, and part of the money earned from our WOSF Fashion Show and Luncheon held in December 2019. It was decided to help more students this year, due to current circumstances. Anyone wanting to purchase a cookbook for yourself or friends and family, please contact Mary Sullivan by email at [email protected] or by phone at 651-303-2087.
The WOSF has also set aside additional money from our fundraising profits toward the St. Clare Prayer Garden, which is currently in the planning process. The International Committee's Project for the past year was the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur's African Mission. They will be receiving a check for $1,000 that was made possible with donations from members to our "Change a Life" jar at meetings and some additional fundraising monies.
Anyone not getting emails from the Parish about Mass Schedules and other pertinent information should contact the Parish Office at 843-681-6350 to check that they have current and correct information for you. As always, please remember to pray for our members and everyone that is struggling with issues from the Coronavirus.
Thank you,
Audrey McGovern, WOSF Corresponding Secretary
843-415-6651, [email protected]
Scheduled Meetings:
Welcome Coffee for Feast of St. Clare
Please join us for a celebration of St. Clare, our Patroness, on August 11th at the 8:30 Mass where we will perform the Installation of Officers for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
After Mass, we will gather at the future site of the St. Clare Prayer Garden for the groundbreaking ceremony and A Welcome Coffee will follow in the courtyard between the
Family Center and the School. All ladies of the parish are welcome to come and find out about the Women of St. Francis and all we do in the parish, the community and the world.
We hope to see you then.
Mission Statement: This women’s group was formed in 2004 to promote the spirit of unity among the members of the group and the parish as a whole and to foster the spiritual, cultural, educational, social and service oriented life of the parish.
Current Activities: Rosary Makers make rosaries for the First Communicants, RCIA Candidates, sick & homebound parishioners, and Chaplets for the Confirmandi. Blanket Makers make blankets for homeless children, who are being helped by Family Promise. Spiritual events include Annual Advent Day of Reflection, Retreat for the women of the parish, and “Mary’s Way of the Cross” – Lenten Stations of the Cross. We participate in the Parish Ministries Fair, host Fellowship Sunday in September, and co-sponsor the Notre Dame Hesburgh Lecture. Members distribute pillows to patients and hold parties for the residents at the Life Care Center. The Women of St. Francis are active in the Beaufort Deanery and South Carolina Council of Catholic Women, which includes choosing a member for our Catholic Women of the Year. Fundraising through our Annual Fashion Show & Luncheon and Soup for Scholarship Dinner provides money to support the Church, Community, and school as well as international charities.
South Carolina Council of Catholic Women Annual Convention
Congratulations to The Women of St. Francis who were recognized
By the South Carolina Council of Catholic Women for outstanding
Work in several fields for the 2019 calendar year.
- The International Committee was awarded the Father Pentis Multicultural Outreach Award for donating a cargo ship containerload of diapers of all sizes to the Mustard Seed Ministry in Jamaica. Gregory Ramkissoon, founder of the Mustard Seed ministry, has visited our parish in the past and provides loving and lifelong care for the disabled and mentally challenged children and adults as well as teen mothers and those suffering from AIDS. A traveling statue of the Blessed Mother was presented at the convention to Mary Georgopulos, President, who thanked Jo Timperman, our International Chair, for her suggestion and implementation of this project that was aptly called Dollars for Diapers.
- The State President’s Service Award was granted to our Fashion Show Committee headed by Rosa Miriello and Sandy Merritt, for the outstanding event that brought in over $20,000 that will be distributed to various nonprofits in the area. Thank you both for the incredible job you did in
Coordinating such a successful event.
- The State President’s Spirituality award was granted to our Spirituality Commission for the July 4th Patriotic Rosary, our participation in the Coast-to-Coast Rosary in October, and efforts to contact legislators on pro-life issues as well as our participation in the Rally for Life in January.
- Our Historians, Lois Bubnell and Patty Bullen, were awarded the Outstanding Scrapbook Award. These wonderful ladies documented all of the activities of the Women of St. Francis over the course of 2019 in a colorful array of photos and décor in a well organized scrapbook. Several other parishes thanked us for our efforts and said they got great ideas from viewing it at the convention.
Congratulations to all of our members who do such an outstanding job of serving our parish and community! If anyone would like to join this wonderful group of women, we welcome you at any time of year to come to our meetings and learn more about our ministry. Contact Mary Georgopulos at (843) 715-8255 if interested.
First Saturdays
Beginning on Saturday, January 4th, after the 8 a.m. Mass, the Women of St. Francis will be sponsoring First Saturday Devotions to Our Blessed Mother. They will be praying the Fatima Prayers as well as reciting the Rosary. They will be offering these prayers for religious liberty in our country and around the world and for the personal intentions of the participants. The rosary at 7:30 a.m. on First Saturdays will be deferred to be included in this new devotion.
2018 Advent Retreat Deacon Vernon Dobelmann, Director of Religious Education at St. Francis, led a wonderful Advent Retreat on Saturday, December 15th with 40 ++ parishioners and friends attending. Thank you to the Women of St. Francis for hosting this event.
Rosary Makers: The Rosary Makers are comprised of a small group of ladies affiliated with the Women of St. Francis. They make Rosaries for the First Communicants and the RCIA Candidates each year. Also, they make Chaplets for the Confirmandi. More recently, they have begun making rosaries for sick and homebound parishioners. We also make and sell specialty rosaries and these proceeds help pay for the supplies needed to make the rosaries that are given away. The Rosary Makers meet in the Sacristy behind the Main Altar in the Church on the 1st and 3rd Thursday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Anyone interested in additional information about our group can call Audrey McGovern at 843-682-8280.
"Cell Phone for Soldiers"
The Women of St. Francis is collecting Cell Phone for Soldiers. All donated cell phones are either:
- Repurposed - Repaired, wiped of data and given to the vets and active military members or sold
- Recycled - If too old or broken, are recycled down to parts and sold for remaining value
- Proceeds - Provide international calling cards and domestic wireless minutes for vets and active military members. Proceeds also provide emergency financial assistance to veterans.
When Donating:
- Remove -your SIM card (instructions in the Narthex) and then see your type of phone below
- IPhone - Click on "Settings", "General", "Reset", and "Erase all content & Settings"
- Anroid - Click on "Settings, Type "Reset" in Search Bar, Click "Factory Data Reset"
- Flip Phone - Remove back of the phone; remove batteries; check model number. Online, go to manufacturing (Samsung, etc.) type in the model number and follow the instructions.
If all else fails, your providers (AT & T, Sprint, etc.) will help you terminate your data.
Please place your phone and chargers in the box in the church's narthex or bring them to a Women of St. Francis' General Meeting. Any questions, please contact Kathy Struna (843)682-4045. Thank you for your support of our military!
Current Volunteer Opportunities: We promote volunteerism amongst our members and have been a resource for other ministries and non-profit organizations locally.