CHRISTmas tidings:
Nuns share the joy of Jesus' birth through original cards
Saturday, November 10, 2007
By Amy Jo Johnson
© 2007 THE BAY CITY TIMES. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission
of The Bay City Times.
You won't find a rosy-cheeked Santa Claus declaring "Merry Christmas" or a cute snowman wishing "Happy holidays" on cards made by the Sisters of St. Clare.
The contemplative order of Poor Clare Nuns instead is dedicated to keeping Christ in Christmas.
Together, four sisters – Dianne Doughty, Bernardone Reining, Laura Hammel and Laurene Burns – work to share the news of the Savior's holy birth.
© (2007)ALEXANDER COHN
TIMES Photo Used with permission
Commercialism, they say, will always be associated with the Christmas holiday but that shouldn't stop those who know the good news of the Lord's birth from sharing it among themselves and others.
Based in Saginaw Township, the women – members of the only Poor Clare community in Michigan – started out creating Christmas cards for their own use.
They've since turned the seasonal craft into a year-round project, selling six different Christmas designs and filling thousands of orders each year.
"People come to us because they want to send a message of hope and blessings for the new year," Hammel said.
The sisters come up with a subject, such as the Mother Mary, and a Scripture verse and then enlist the help of a calligrapher in Virginia to give each card a professional, polished look.
Coming up with just the right message for each card is a tough process, they say.
"We spend almost as much time writing the inside as we do the outside so it doesn't sound like everyone else's," Hammel said.
The cards carry messages such as, "O little town of Bethlehem, How sweet we see thee lie. May the stillness of this holy night bring peace to our world."
Hammel said the sisters collect the cards they receive each Christmas and spread them out on the table with the ones they've created to test how theirs measure up.
The sisters have created a mailing list and each fall send out brochures of their latest designs. As orders come in, they quickly process them, often sending out orders the very next day.
"(We do that) for as long as we have cards. The hope is to sell out the cards," Hammel said.
The cards are printed locally and the sisters do most everything associated with the card sales right out of their home. Christmas cards are ready for purchase the first of August.
While marketed throughout the 11-county Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, the cards are available to anyone who wants to purchase them. The cards come in two sizes: Some are 61⁄4 by 41⁄2, others are 51⁄2 by 41⁄4.
With each order, Doughty writes a hand-written thank you note.
Hammel said the sisters will always include the message of Jesus' birth in their Christmas tidings, but they do have a card or two for those looking to send a more generic message. For example, they currently offer a card that reads: "It came upon a midnight clear ... May the light illuminating our universe bring us peace and joy. Merry Christmas."
Proceeds raised from each $15 package of 20 cards is offsets the sisters' living expenses and mission of prayer for the world.
"We depend on God to provide for us through people," Doughty said.
An independent group, Hammel said money from the card sales pays for typical living expenses such as food, heat and health care.
"We have to sustain ourselves through our own efforts," she said.
The women say they enjoy spreading Christmas tidings.
"I like it when spirituality can be beautiful – it can uplift the soul and spirit at the same time," Hammel said.
For information and to place orders, call 797-0593 or go to www.rc.net/saginaw/srsclare, email: srsclare@saginaw.org and click the link for Christmas cards.