DECATUR — On nearly any given weekday, Sister Anna Phiri, a Hospital Sister of the Third Order of St. Francis, can be found helping others around St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur. Her mission in life is simply to bring Christ's healing presence to the world.
Over the past several years Sister Anna has become well-known as a spiritual workshop leader in Decatur, yet she has also directed retreats globally. She has already led a number of workshops and beginning Oct. 8, she will teach yet another six-week series at St. Mary's entitled "Prayer: Be Touched, Be Transformed." People come from Decatur and the small surrounding communities like Illiopolis, she says.
Sister Anna, who is 59, hasn't always been a Franciscan. A native of Zambia, in Africa, she entered religious life in 1971 with the Teresian Sisters. She professed final vows in 1982 and worked as a high school teacher. She then studied in Rome, receiving a diploma in religious studies from Regina Mundi theological school and then earning a master's degree in religious sciences from Gregorian University. She served for 10 years in her community's leadership in Malawi and then took a sabbatical.
During her 1999 sabbatical Sister Anna attended the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago for training as a spiritual director. "My roommate in Chicago happened to be a Franciscan sister," Sister Anna explains. Her roommate invited her to celebrate Thanksgiving in Springfield and Sister Anna accepted.
"I felt God was calling me to an international community. It was in the motherhouse chapel in Springfield that God let me know that this is where I belong." After transferring her membership to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis she lived in Springfield for several years but now resides in Decatur with two other sisters. She is a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Sister Anna always looks forward to teaching workshops and says that this upcoming workshop is important. "Prayer is a spiritual practice that we do and a relationship that transforms who we are," she says.
| Where to find Sister Sister Anna Phiri, OSF, will be teaching "Prayer: Be Touched, Be Transformed" beginning Monday Oct. 8 in the St. Mary's Hospital Assisi Room. Classes will be held Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29 and Nov. 5 and 12 from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. There will also be an optional period for questions until 7 p.m. To register or for more information about the series, contact (217) 464-2510 or e-mail . There is no charge for the class and people of all denominations are welcome. "It is not too late to register," says Sister Anna. "We have people who always register early but we expect more people to decide to come later." |
"I am not going to teach them how to pray, but I will help them. The goal of this series is to move from just saying prayers to being prayerful. I am promoting finding God in everything and spending some time each day, alone, praying in solitude." She says each week's session builds on the previous week's class.
"Anyone from any denomination is welcome to attend the workshops," Sister Anna explains. "We don't think about who belongs to which denomination — we are just one there together. During our last session we had 25 different churches represented and there were about 100 people who came."
In fact, one of Sister Anna's most remarkable teaching moments came earlier this spring when she was leading a session she called "Trusting your spiritual GPS." "I was teaching about Holy Week and afterwards a retired Baptist pastor came up to me and said, 'I have been a pastor for years and I have never heard anything so inspiring.'" She now gives one-day sessions at the Baptist church.
Teaching is just a small part of Sister Anna's current ministry. At St. Mary's she spends Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays visiting with patients and "supporting our employees, who I think really appreciate it." On Thursdays she serves with cancer patients who are having chemotherapy. On Wednesdays she volunteers at the Oasis Day Center for the homeless in Decatur. Of course, she also teaches weekly spirituality sessions once a week for several weeks each spring and fall.
No matter what, Sister Anna keeps her Franciscan spirituality in mind. "Our charism is bringing Christ's healing presence to others," Sister Anna concludes. "That is just what I am trying to do."