Eudist Sister Featured On EWTN

Dear Supporters of the Eudist Servants,

Thank you for your continued partnership.

In October we celebrated Mother Antonia’s legacy which marked the 9th Anniversary of her passing. Her establishment of the religious order, Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour, continues to honor her commitment to serving those people who are in dire need of help. Not only has Mother Antonia and her legacy served so many of the poor, it has also provided a much-needed religious order for those who have much life experience to share with others. Cable TV station, Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), provides Catholic-themed programming and recently chose to feature one of our Eudist Servants, Sister Mary Francis.

The full EWTN interview with Sister Mary Francis is on YouTube (https://youtu.be/6fN9NMVpmOM?t=67) and runs about 28 minutes with the channel’s introduction and wrap up:

For those pressed for time, a summary follows.

Sincerely,

Eudist Servants & Associate Volunteers
www.eudistservants.org (https://eudistservants.org/)

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Born Patricia Ann Power, Sister Mary Francis, a name she took when she became a Eudist Servant, is from an Irish Catholic family who attended Mass regularly. She is the third of 11 children and helped raise her brothers and sisters. Her father was an Air Force pilot and the family relocated frequently in the U.S. and around the world. Mary Francis married at 19 years old and raised 3 sons. Both she and her husband joined the Air Force soon after getting married. Mary Francis held several professional positions in her career in both the Air Force and as a civil servant. She was a working mother who held positions as an accountant and federal manager in a variety of fields including international affairs working for the Pentagon. Throughout her early life Mary dealt with physical suffering as she persevered in her career with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Mary and her husband divorced after 23 years of marriage.

Following her divorce, Mary describes her faith practices as lazy and that she had become a negative person. She was an empty nester and felt alone and that she needed God. Her friend encouraged her to explore a relationship with Jesus. After studying the Bible, she recognized how her Catholic faith and the Sacraments were steeped in scripture. Mary went back to church regularly as it became her priority. She says she felt inner peace and it really helped her chronic pain. She felt the beginning of a calling from God and retired as a federal manager. Mary welcomed Jesus into her heart with all her being.

When she dedicated her life to Jesus, Mary felt a still, small voice in her heart and experienced Psalm 46:10 “Be Still and Know that I am God.” In her calling she felt the Lord telling her 4 things: to become a nun, write a book, quit watching so much TV, and that every day you are not serving the suffering, you make them wait on you. She consulted a priest who told her these things were normal when God calls. It often happens with Scripture, through others, and with inspired thoughts from God through the Holy Spirit.

At age 55, Mary looked for a religious order that would accept her. There were no takers due to her age and health concerns. A friend told her to speak with Sister Lillian in Texas about an order founded by Mother Antonia called the Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour. The order was founded for those wanting to serve later in life and it was a perfect fit. Each Eudist Servant spends a year in the Tijuana Penitentiary system serving men and women through prayer and providing basic necessities like toilet paper, tooth brushes and bibles. Thereafter, the Eudist Servants work wherever they are called throughout the US and in Mexico ministering to the poor, incarcerated and their families, the human trafficked and much more. They are known as Ministers of Mercy to those they serve. Mary says that more than anything, God has put the Eudist Servants in places to listen to people.

Following her year in Tijuana, Sister Mary Frances returned to her home in Georgia and continues to serve the poorest of the poor and those who have lost their faith. She was asked to join the State Board of Directors for St. Vincent de Paul as Spiritual Advisor. She visits those incarcerated and lets them know that God recognizes every individual as His Divine creation, that God does not measure sin. God gives all of us His mercy and grace and His forgiveness is waiting for us. All we have to do is accept it.

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