Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar: Mission and History of an Altar Society

Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar is a fascinating story of the history of the St. Francis Altar Society embedded within the tri-cultural nexus of Santa Fe New Mexico. For close to a hundred years the society responded to the call that the church established in 1610 required a formal Altar Society to care for the sanctuary needs yet also to address the personal sanctification of the members. Since its inception the society has served the altar of the church and extended its vision to the altar of the world through works of social justice which are more urgent than ever along with the care of the altar and the laundry. There is room for the holiness and fidelity of women to serve the church. Under the mantle of humility and the commitment to mission the women of the St. Francis Altar Society have persisted like the women at the foot of the cross. They have embraced the call to ministry and discipleship extended to all in the Gospels. Service to the altar extends into the world where the reality of the love of Christ intersects with everyday life. Skya Abbate is a doctor of Oriental medicine in New Mexico. She holds multiple masters degrees in sociology pastoral studies and bioethics and health policy. She has been the most longstanding president of the St. Francis Altar Society (fourteen years) and serves in many parish ministries. She is the author of seventeen books in areas that include medicine spirituality nonfiction and childrens books (which she also illustrated).