The University of Saint Francis’ Formation Day, held Wednesday, December 17, brought together all of the university’s employees for a full day of prayer, reflection, community-building, and celebration. The day included Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades, keynote speakers, and opportunities for f aculty and staff to reflect on how the university’s mission shapes their work and relationships. Sister Maria Gemma Salyer, a Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, is the university’s vice president for Catholic culture and student life and dean of students, and coordinated Formation Day. The university refreshed its mission statement last summer, “and this has really been a journey for our community to understand what it means and how to integrate it into different disciplines and areas across campus,” she told Today’s Catholic. The mission statement reads: “The University of Saint Francis offers formation of the whole person by providing an encounter with the heart and mind of Jesus Christ so that God, who is Love, may be loved. Through our Catholic identity, Franciscan charism, and liberal arts tradition, we prepare students for personal and professional lives of virtue, service, and joy.” “We are a Catholic university, and we are really leaning into what that means,” Sister Maria Gemma said. “What difference does that make for us? We are intrinsically different.” She added, “Our mission is about encountering the heart and mind of Jesus Christ – not just as an academic concept but as something foundational to how we live, how we teach, and how we interact with our students and one another.” The mission’s emphasis on virtue, service, and joy, she said, reflects long-standing Franciscan values. “We are trying to reclaim what it means to live a virtuous life and how that integrates into every discipline,” Sister Maria Gemma said. “Service has always been a hallmark of Saint Francis, and we’re continuing that tradition in very intentional ways.” Sister Maria Gemma said she was especially excited for faculty and staff to gather for the day. “Being a Franciscan university, presence matters. Francis was deeply incarnational,” she said. “Especially at Christmas, when we celebrate the Incarnation, it’s important for us to be together, in the flesh, reflecting on why community matters.” Sister M. Lissetta Gettinger, a Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, leads a visio divina reflection on the Blessed Mother in the later days of her pregnancy during Formation Day at the University of Saint Francis on Wednesday, December 17. The day included keynote speakers, a Christmas luncheon and karaoke, and Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades. Keynote speakers included John C. Cavadini, director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life and a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, who spoke on the Catholic intellectual tradition and the contemporary university; Franciscan Sister M. Lissetta Gettinger, who led a visio divina reflection on the Blessed Mother during the later stages of her pregnancy with the Christ Child; and Ed Hogan, who spoke on the Franciscan tradition. “Having the bishop with us is a sign that we are a Catholic university,” Sister Maria Gemma told Today’s Catholic. “He is the head of the Church in this region, and his presence is meaningful for our entire community. Even our employees who are not Catholic really appreciate engaging with him and recognize the importance of his role.” During the Mass, Bishop Rhoades framed Formation Day as a moment of spiritual pause amid the busyness of the season, describing it as “a kind of spiritual retreat” as the Church enters the final days of preparation for Christmas. Noting that December 17 marked the beginning of the Church’s eight days of immediate preparation for the Nativity, the bishop reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew, which recounts the genealogy of Jesus. The passage, he said, reminds the faithful that Christ entered human history “in a particular time and place,” as part of a real family and culture. Through that history, marked by both hope and suffering, God remained faithful to His promises, Bishop Rhoades said, calling employees to reflect on how God continues to work through their own lives and vocations. “As we approach Christmas and the end of the Jubilee Year of Hope, we do so with faith in Christ our Savior, our Hope,” the bishop said. “He is Emmanuel – God-with-us.” Bishop Rhoades encouraged employees to cling to hope amid life’s challenges, trusting that God remains present and active, bringing good even from difficulty. He invited the university community to welcome Christ anew at Christmas, nourished by the Eucharist and renewed in their commitment to live out the mission entrusted to them. The university continues its mission in the wider community through its graduates, Sister Maria Gemma said. “We consistently hear how differently they interact with people – how they serve, how they lead,” she said. “They take with them the care and personal attention they received here and try to offer that same care to others.” She added: “We are not here just to get students degrees or jobs. We are here to form the whole person so they can flourish. We can’t silo students into just brains in a classroom. Formation has to include intellect, body, and spirit together.” The post Saint Francis Hosts Formation Day for Faculty, Staff appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less