Seeds of Hope Felician Leadership Experience Reflections

Each summer the Felician Sisters sponsor a leadership experience for teenage girls, called Seeds of Hope. Young women from each of the Felician-sponsored high schools are invited to attend the program, which is based in Holly Michigan. Participants are take part in a week of prayer, service, and activity designed to help strengthen their individual relationships with God and to help them grow as Christian leaders.

Five young women from OLSH attended in June 2018: Chapel Fauser ’20, Grace Gartley ’21, Sydney Komoroski ’21, Allison Popp ’21, and Marissa Trocchio ’20. The girls who attend the experience were asked to take a project home with them to share with their classmates and school community, and to serve others. This year the attendees learned how to make sleeping mats for the homeless out of “plarn” – plastic grocery bags woven into yarn. The OLSH contingent brought back their new skill and now lead the Heartstrings activity, which meets during activity period, during which time members create mats that will be sent to Felician ministries and outreach centers across North America. Sr. M. Francine Horos ’68 serves on the coordinating team for the Seeds of Hope program and helps the attendees from OLSH to implement their project in school. “We wanted something that could unite the girls all over North America; a project everyone could do,” she explained. With all of the young women taking the same project back to their respective schools, they could have a bigger impact with their project, and receive support from across the country. “We’ve sent bags to Texas,” Sr. Francine noted, “and we’ll send completed mats to ministries in California and Haiti.” The girls who attended enjoyed their experience and were excited to work with other classmates on the mats.

Marissa Trocchio

SEEDS OF HOPE REFLECTION:

When I first heard about Seeds of Hope, in the assembly with Sister Mary Beth and Sister Desiré my freshman year, I didn’t think twice about going. In the months after that, I debated about going and suddenly, only a few weeks before, had an urge to go. And so on June 18th, I drove down with my friend, Chapel, who was also attending. We were scared and nervous, because we had no idea what to expect. Now, I am so thankful I went and truly believe my spiritual life has been changed in the best way after Seeds of Hope.

Each day we had a specific schedule, which always started at around 8am, and ended at 9pm. The day consisted of morning prayer, talks and activities, night Mass and prayer, and of course, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was also always time in the schedule for down time, in case you wanted to take a walk, or take a nap. My favorite talk had to be with one Sister who came and talked about her life before becoming a Sister. It was very emotional, but inspiring and I liked hearing about it. One day of the week, we had a service day where you served at a local clothing store, garden, or soup kitchen in Detroit. I was put at the clothing store, and for a few hours I organized clothes while people shopped. Then we all went to a soup kitchen

and ate there. This day made me realize how grateful I am to have all I have in life, and how I should start dedicating more time to help people who have nothing. My favorite activity was a prayer service held on one of the last nights, followed by confession. The prayer service was about “pouring your problems out to God,” which made it a very emotional time. After everything I had felt like a weight had been lifted off of me. Not everything was serious there, we had a cookout one night, volleyball tournaments, and times when they would let us put on music and dance around, which was fun!

Overall, I am so grateful I went to Seeds of Hope. I feel like I was so spiritually changed while I was there. I also met a lot of girls there that I developed friendships with, and still keep in touch with. The Sisters were not only inspiring, but also were so funny and fun to be around. I recommend going to any girl that was like me, debating on even trying to go. I am so thankful for my time at Seeds of Hope, and it will be an experience I’ll remember forever.

Chapel Fauser

SEEDS OF HOPE REFLECTION

Over the summer, I participated in the Felician Sister's Seeds of Hope summer camp in Holly, Michigan. The counselors and Sisters were caring and welcoming and it was a great experience to meet girls from all over the country. I knew from the moment I arrived that I would leave a changed person. Throughout the camp, we listened to guest speakers who talked about the importance of leadership and living in our faith. The talks were interesting and informative and steered me not only into learning more about my faith on this retreat, but also learning more about myself.

My favorite part of the retreat was when we traveled to Detroit, Michigan to perform service to those in need. We went to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen to talk to the homeless people who were there for food. It was very compelling to

hear the people’s stories about how they became homeless and how they lived their day to day lives. We encouraged them with our words and by letting them know that God is everywhere and is looking down on them. Serving in this was was an eye opening experience for me and it made me realize how blessed and fortunate that I am. It also made me want to continue to serve in that way on a more regular basis with the hope that one day I can help to raise some awareness and support for those in need in my community.

The Seeds of Hope mission trip definitely transformed me in many ways: I made new friends and formed strong bonds; I grew deeper in my faith and in my relationship with God; and I gained a renewed sense of passion, peace, and respect for the Felician Core Values, all things that will continue to grow and last a lifetime.