Sister Michelle L'Allier on Franciscan Spirituality and Living A Life of Adventure

Sister Michelle L’Allier is a Franciscan Sister from Minnesota, and I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to know her through leading retreats at San Damiano Retreat here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sister Michelle and I got to know each other over the course of several years, when she was the adviser for the retreat team I led. She’s a person that I feel so very lucky to know; she’s deeply spiritual and also approachable, meeting each person she encounters where they are. I’m really excited to have her on as the last guest of Season 4.

 

One of the things that I love about our discussion is that we dive into the question of “how do I be myself?” It’s a question that embodies the inspiration, intention, and action that have been the focus of this season. For Sister Michelle, the question of being herself led to the Franciscan faith, and an understanding of love, and what divine love means. For myself, I think that being myself means saying yes to Joy, listening to it, looking for it, and living by it.

In this episode, Sister Michelle L’Allier and I talk about:

• Growing up in Minnesota
• Finding love
• The story of St Francis and Clare of Assisi
• Loving all parts of yourself
• How we can begin to break down walls and dismantle things like human trafficking
• Working through trauma is important for everyone, and how to do it
• How you can learn to talk about emotions even if it wasn’t something you did growing up
• How people bundle a wider range of emotions under a single word, and why that doesn’t serve them
• The gifts of joy and compassion and how they are needed by every person
• How to jumpstart your joy: letting go of the addiction that fuels perfectionism, finding connection and love, and living a life of adventure.

Resources
The Wisdom Jesus:Transforming Heart and Mind -- A New Perspective on Christ and His Message by Cynthia Bourgeault on Amazon
Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Saint Francis by Richard Rohr
John Duns Scotus on Wikipedia
A Franciscan Moral Vision on Amazon
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford on Amazon
Catholic Means Universal: Integrating Spirituality and Religion by David Richo