Blessed Solanus Casey

Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!

Barney came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, and after he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator, and a prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee—where he found the studies difficult. He left there, and in 1896, joined the Capuchins in Detroit, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous.

On July 24, 1904, Solanus was ordained, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to be weak, he was not given permission to hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction “brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have been realized in any other way.”

During his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers, New York, the people there recognized Solanus as a fine speaker. James Derum, his biographer writes, “For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons, he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos, as the Capuchins termed them.” His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners.

Father Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.

Father Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. “Blessed be God in all his designs” was one of his favorite expressions.

The many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today.

In failing health, Solanus was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, in 1946, where he lived for ten years until needing to be hospitalized in Detroit. Father Solanus died on July 31, 1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit.

At the funeral Mass, the provincial Father Gerald said: “His was a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not physically hungry, he hungered with people like you. He had a divine love for people. He loved people for what he could do for them—and for God, through them.”

In 1960, a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967, the guild had 5,000 members—many of them grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their trials. Solanus Casey was declared Venerable in 1995, and beatified on November 18, 2017.

- From Franciscan Media

(FYI - Blessed Solanus Casey is my Franciscan Patron Saint.)

 

Pax et bonum

The Silver Chair

In recent days, two different people mentioned The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. - one person declaring his esteem for the book had increased. 

I'd read the book years ago - along with the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia. But while I had reread some of the books multiple times - especially The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and The Magicians Nephew, which were on summer reading lists for my students - I had not read The Silver Chair since I read it the winter of 1974/75.

I had seen the BBC television production with Tom Baker of Dr. Who fame as Puddleglum (above). The recent mentions of the book brought back fond memories of his performance. (As for the production, well, terrible special effects!)

So having finished a more complex book (Archbishop Charles Chaput's excellent Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living) I decided to give it a reread.

There were many delightful elements - and I enjoyed the allusions to or outright mentions of other books and characters in the series. It was clearly a children's book, but that's fine by me.

Glad I reread it. 

Pax et bonum

Stations of the Cross Procession for the End of Human Trafficking

July 30 we held a Stations of the Cross Procession praying for the end of human trafficking. 

The Procsssion began at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

We stopped 14 times to pray and witness.

In preparation for the Procession, we heard a presentation from members of Angels of Mercy, who work to educate about human trafficking, and to help the vulnerable - especially girls and women - to avoid getting caught up in trafficking, or to escape it. 

More than 200,000 runaways each year are sex trafficked. New York state is one of the leading destinations in the U.S. for trafficking.

Pax et bonum

The Bible on Foul Language

Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving. - Ephesians 5:4

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. - Ephesians 4:29

But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. - Colossians 3:8

Do not accustom your mouth to lewd vulgarity,
for it involves sinful speech. - Sirach 23:13

Pax et bonum

Chesterton Conference Clerihew Entries

Every year (except those pesky covid ones) The Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton holds a national conference. This year right now it is taking place in Milwaukee.

I am not there.

While I have attended the Rochester regional conference every year, I have never attended a national one. I hate travel and staying in a place other than home. I'm not comfortable around a lot of people I don't know very well. I'm quirky that way.

At the conference, they have a clerihew contest. In the contest, they have first, second, third places, and honorable mentions in three categories: Before Chesterton, During Chesterton, and After Chesterton. There's also a poem picked out as the "worst" and another picked as the "best." In keeping with the nature of clerihews and the personality of Chesterton, it's all done in good humor.

I've submitted by e-mail in the past. I did so this year:

Before Chesterton

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

sat in her parlor frowning.

Robert had bought her something labeled "Serra da Estrela cheese,"

that clearly wasn't Portuguese.

The replacement Apostle Matthias

was chosen by lot, not by bias.

Alas, except for his selection.

he's eluded all other historical detection.

 

--- During Chesterton

Hilaire Belloc

walked off the end of a dock,

but being in the middle of a debate,

he failed to recognize his fate.

Lord Peter Wimsey

was never deterred by evidence flimsy,

but his confidence suffered years of strain

when faced with the mystery of Harriet Vane.

--- After Chesterton

Alfred Hitchcock

developed a bad case of writer's block

despite his use of a bran muffin

as the MacGuffin.

As an actor, Tom Baker

was more of a character than a heart-breaker.

But I think his Doctor is worthy of a clerihew,

even though at mention of his name some folks just say, “Who?"

In the kitchen, Julia Child

was amusing but never wild.

To fill that void

we had to rely on Dan Aykroyd.

Megan Rapinoe

picked up a banjo.

As she played a tune on it,

she sang, "That #$@&*! is full of %@!#*" 

I don't know if I will win, or, if I do, when I will find out. They usually print the winning entries in an issue of Gilbert in the fall. 

Pax et bonum

Guitar Man

Pax et bonum

Klem Watercrest The Lighthouse Keeper

I stopped by our local Christian bookstore to see if they had some particular items; alas, they did not. But I still wandered around the store and looked at the bookcase featuring local authors.

A series of books by Jay Diedreck about a coastal Maine community caught my eye. The fact that he had written several books in the series seemed promising. Wanting to support a local business and a local author, I bought the first book in the series, Klem Watercrest The Lighthouse Keeper. 

Heck, the name of the main character alone was a selling point!

As I read, it quickly became clear that I had been right about supposing it is a self-published book. The writing is sometimes awkward. The dialogue sometimes stilted or "cute." There were several instances in which the wrong word was used, evading spellcheck (For example at one point a woman putting on gloves was "downing" them, when clearly the author meant "donning.") The ending seemed too abrupt.

I checked the publisher. Yes, a Christian vanity press.

Despite all that, I liked the book!

The characters were likable. Some of the vignettes were charming. The underlying message was, as you'd expect from a Christian publisher, positive. 

Certainly it's not great literature, but it was worth reading. Indeed, my local library has the other books in the series, and I will consider reading another one at some point.      

Pax et bonum

Saint Bridget of Sweden - Secular Franciscan

From age 7 on, Saint Bridget pf Sweden had visions of Christ crucified. Her visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity rather than spiritual favors.

She lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king Magnus II. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.

Bridget constantly strove to exert her good influence over Magnus; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an Order known as the Bridgetines.

In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to her work against Church abuses.

A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999, Bridget, Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were named co-patronesses of Europe.

- From Franciscan Media 

Pax et bonum

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

At first glance, perhaps the most remarkable quality of Lawrence of Brindisi is his outstanding gift of languages. In addition to a thorough knowledge of his native Italian, he had complete reading and speaking ability in Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French.

Lawrence was born on July 22, 1559, and died exactly 60 years later on his birthday in 1619. His parents William and Elizabeth Russo gave him the name of Julius Caesar, Caesare in Italian. After the early death of his parents, he was educated by his uncle at the College of St. Mark in Venice.

When he was just 16, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order in Venice and received the name of Lawrence. He completed his studies of philosophy and theology at the University of Padua and was ordained a priest at 23.

With his facility for languages Lawrence was able to study the Bible in its original texts. At the request of Pope Clement VIII, he spent much time preaching to the Jews in Italy. So excellent was his knowledge of Hebrew, the rabbis felt sure he was a Jew who had become a Christian.

Lawrence’s sensitivity to the needs of people—a character trait perhaps unexpected in such a talented scholar—began to surface. He was elected major superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany at the age of 31. He had the combination of brilliance, human compassion, and administrative skill needed to carry out his duties. In rapid succession he was promoted by his fellow Capuchins and was elected minister general of the Capuchins in 1602. In this position he was responsible for great growth and geographical expansion of the Order.

Lawrence was appointed papal emissary and peacemaker, a job which took him to a number of foreign countries. An effort to achieve peace in his native kingdom of Naples took him on a journey to Lisbon to visit the king of Spain. Serious illness in Lisbon took his life in 1619.

In 1956, the Capuchins completed a 15-volume edition of Lawrence's writings. Eleven of these 15 contain his sermons, each of which relies chiefly on scriptural quotations to illustrate his teaching.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

Playlist

As I mentioned in a previous post, I began playing guitar in high school, inspired by my love of music. I learned some covers, and even wrote original songs.

I first played in public my senior year of high school, performing as part of a group for a "talent" show. My main talent was I could play four chords reasonably competently, and carry a tune.

I played mostly for myself for a couple of years, but when I returned to actively practicing my faith I began playing in church groups for Masses. Then I started playing out occasionally for coffee houses in college, and after college for more coffee houses, festivals, benefits, and even the county fair. I was never more than a competent amateur, and preferred playing as part of a group when I could,  but I had fun. I continued to play with church groups, and when I did storytelling for children added some songs to my performances.

I continue to play for my Fraternity, and I play for fun. My wife keeps pushing me to play out at some open mics, but my natural shyness holds me back form playing on my own.  But if I do play out, here's my repertoire from which to draw a playlist:

Maggie (original)

Hey Hey Hey (original)

Looking Out for Number One (original)

Proclaim to the Nations (original)

The Voice of the Lord (original)

3 a.m. (original)

We Shall Overcome (traditional version, and version with original lyrics)

Sinner Man - learned from Peter, Paul, and Mary, but I do it my own way

I'll Fly Away 

Ain't No Grave 

Prayer of Saint Francis

Open the Eyes of My Heart

There's a Place in the World for a Gambler - Dan Fogelberg

Walking Down the Line - Bob Dylan

Baby Let Me Follow You Down - based Dylan's version

Blowing in the Wind - Dylan

I Shall Be Released - Dylan 

How Can I Keep from Singing

Old Time Religion - the Pete Seeger parody version

Get Up and Go - Seeger

Lonesome Valley - Woody Guthrie version, with some added elements

Deportee - Woody Guthrie

Drunken Sailor 

I'm Going Down the Road Feeling Bad

Lonely People - Dan and Catherine Peek (America)

Bottle of Wine - Tom Paxton

Morning Has Broken

Hello May Lou

Freight Train

Midnight Special

Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - Rolf Harris

You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller

Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver

Helpless - Neil Young

Never Ending Song of Love - Delaney and Bonnie

The Swimming Song - Louden Wainwright

Kids Songs - 

Abiyoyo

Put Your Finger in the Air

On Top of Spaghetti

If you asked me to play tomorrow night, I'd probably do this set - 

Hey Hey Hey (original)

Sinner Man - learned from Peter, Paul, and Mary, but I do it my own way

Open the Eyes of My Heart

There's a Place in the World for a Gambler - Dan Fogelberg

Walking Down the Line - Bob Dylan

Helpless - Neil Young

Never Ending Song of Love - Delaney and Bonnie

Bottle of Wine - Tom Paxton

Old Time Religion - the Pete Seeger parody version

Get Up and Go - Seeger

Lonesome Valley - Woody Guthrie version, with some added elements

Pax et bonum

1972

In the summer of 1972 I was between my Junior and Senior years of high school. Three of us borrowed a car that summer, and planned to drive cross country. When I announced plans to do this, my parents were not happy - but being rebellious, I went anyway.  Around July 20, my two friends and I were on Mt. Hood when a snowstorm hit. We took off our jackets, sat on them, and "sledded" down to the end of the snow line.

Ah, memories.

Back home, 1972 was a year for music for me. I went to my first concert - Alice Cooper - and I was building a decent collection of albums. I had bought a nice stereo system with large speakers, and I spent hours in my room blasting music. I also got a guitar, and began playing covers and original songs.

Among the albums I listened to repeatedly were many released in 1972:

Neil Young – Harvest
America - America

Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick
Alice Cooper – School’s Out
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
Lou Reed – Transformer
Pete Townshend – Who Came First

I also endlessly played some from earlier years, including many of the Beatles' albums, Dylan albums, all the Simon and Garfunkel albums plus:

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

The Who - Who’s Next and Tommy
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu

Rolf Harris - Sun Arise 

I owned many other albums, but did not listen to them as regularly. One particular song I did listen to later in the year was Elton John's "Crocodile Rock," which was sort of an unofficial song for the high school bowling team I was on.

Oddly enough, one band that I liked, but didn't own any of their albums, was Creedence Clearwater Revival.  I don't know why. I later remedied that.

When I went to college I became caught up in unhealthy activities, dropped out for a year, and rediscovered my faith.

I returned to college, but stopped listening to many of the groups I used to play incessantly, recognizing that their messages were not spiritually healthy for me (or anyone else, for that matter). Indeed, I even threw a number of albums into a dumpster, including all my Bowie albums, Lou Reed's album, and the one Rolling Stones album I owned.

I discovered new music, and developed an interest in folk music. Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie became favorites. I began to enjoy Bluegrass and old time Country, especially Johnny Cash. I listened to Christian music. I added Peter, Paul, and Mary to my playlist; ironically, I later sang with them as part of the chorus during a late '80's Christmas show at the Eastman Theater. The only "Rock" music I listened to regularly was that of Bruce Springsteen, Creedence, and U2.

I now pretty much listen exclusively to folk and Bluegrass and Celtic music: The Dady Brothers, Sarah Jarosz, John Michael Talbot, The Chieftains, Old Blind Dogs, Dougie MacLean, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Rhiannon Giddens, The Hillbilly Thomists, The Innocence Mission, The Petersons, and more, and occasionally Seals & Crofts and America. Right now, I have Alan Jackson's Precious Memories in my car's cd player and I listen to him as I drive around. And in my own playing I tend toward folk and old gospel tunes.

I simply outgrew most rock. The music doesn't move me, and the messages in too many songs don't fit in with being a Christian. And when I see old rockers performing still, frankly, they seem to be embarrassing themselves.

I'm just not the same unwise, susceptible teen I was in 1972.

Pax et bonum

Saint Francis Solano

Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. Perhaps it was his popularity as a student that enabled Francis in his teens to stop two duelists. He entered the Friars Minor in 1570, and after ordination enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an epidemic drew so much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be sent to the African missions. Instead he was sent to South America in 1589.

While working in what is now Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, Francis quickly learned the local languages and was well received by the indigenous peoples. His visits to the sick often included playing a song on his violin.

Around 1601, he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish colonists to their baptismal integrity. Francis also worked to defend the indigenous peoples from oppression. He died in Lima in 1610 and was canonized in 1726. His liturgical feast is celebrated on July 14.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

Buck Moon

Pax et bonum

Sine Qua Nun by Monica Quill (Ralph M. McInerny)

After the hefty biography of Theodore Roosevelt's early life, (The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris) I decided to go with some lighter fare. 

I had a copy of Sine Qua Nun by Monica Quill gathering dust in a pile of books I'd collected intending to read them at some point, so I gave it a go.

"Monica Quill" is a pen name of Ralph M. McInerny, who was better known as a mystery writer for the Father Dowling mysteries that he published under his own name, and that became the basis of a television series. As Quill, he wrote a series of mysteries with a nun detective, Sister Mary Teresa Dempsey. I had read a couple other books in the series, and had enjoyed them, though I prefer the Father Dowling books. I view the Sister Mary Teresa mysteries as "second tier mysteries" - not great, but still decent reads. (For reference, I consider the mysteries of writers like Tony Hillerman, Ellis Peters, and Agatha Christie as "first tier.")

Sine Qua Nun is typical "Quill".  A decent story, though sometimes a little implausible and dated (1980's). And McInerny, who was a conservative philosophy/theology professor (his full-time job), gets in all sorts of digs at post-Vatican II Church issues and changes. (Sister Dempsey dresses is a pre-Vatican II habit, for example.)  So while mystery fans might enjoy the "Nun" mysteries, these might appeal more to conservative Catholics. Indeed, I found it in the discard pile at my local library used book sale, and when I checked the library's catalog I found few of the Sister Mary Teresa mysteries still on the shelves.

Still, it was worth reading, especially as something light.

Pax et bonum.

Saint John Jones and Saint John Wall

Saint John Jones and Saint John Wall were two friars who were martyred in England in the 16th and 17th centuries for refusing to deny their faith.

John Jones was Welsh. He was ordained a diocesan priest and was twice imprisoned for administering the sacraments before leaving England in 1590. He joined the Franciscans at the age of 60 and returned to England three years later while Queen Elizabeth I was at the height of her power. John ministered to Catholics in the English countryside until his imprisonment in 1596. He was condemned to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. John was executed on July 12, 1598.

John Wall was born in England but was educated at the English College of Douai, Belgium. Ordained in Rome in 1648, he entered the Franciscans in Douai several years later. In 1656 he returned to work secretly in England.

In 1678, Titus Oates worked many English people into a frenzy over an alleged papal plot to murder the king and restore Catholicism in that country. In that year Catholics were legally excluded from Parliament, a law which was not repealed until 1829. John Wall was arrested and imprisoned in 1678, and was executed the following year.

John Jones and John Wall were canonized in 1970.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris

I just finished The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. I'd been inspired to read it after viewing a television program about TR, who ranks as one of my favorite Presidents (Washington, Lincoln, TR, FDR, and Eisenhower are my top five.)

The book covers TR's life up until he suddenly becomes President after the assassination of McKinley. At 741 pages, it is incredibly detailed and insightful, but is readable. I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize.

I often find after reading objective biographies of "heroes" that they end up lower in my esteem. That was not the case here, though, to be honest, I was aware of some of Roosevelt's flaws before I read it.

I always admired Roosevelt's social justice and reform policies when it came to big business, worker rights, food safety, and the environmental. His policies in those areas made him a great President. I was always uncomfortable with his his imperialism and militarism, and his blood-thirsty hunting obsession. I also got the impression I would not get along with him personally - I don't deal well with hyper-aggressive Type A personalities.

This excellent book just supported and fleshed out what I had already known.

After reading this I also saw some ways in which TR was like Trump!

One thing I think I see as common to TR and myself is that we both are willing to stick to our convictions, even if it puts us at risk.   

This biography is actually part of a trilogy that Morris wrote about Roosevelt. I'll read the second one at some point.

Pax et bonum

Saint Gregory Grassi and Companions

Christian missionaries have often gotten caught in the crossfire of wars against their own countries. When the governments of Britain, Germany, Russia, and France forced substantial territorial concessions from the Chinese in 1898, anti-foreign sentiment grew very strong among many Chinese people.

Gregory Grassi was born in Italy in 1823, ordained in 1856, and sent to China five years later. Gregory was later ordained bishop of North Shanxi. With 14 other European missionaries and 14 Chinese religious, he was martyred during the short but bloody Boxer Uprising of 1900.

Twenty-six of these martyrs were arrested on the orders of Yu Hsien, the governor of Shanxi province. They were hacked to death on July 9, 1900. Five of them were Friars Minor; seven were Franciscan Missionaries of Mary—the first martyrs of their congregation. Seven were Chinese seminarians and Secular Franciscans; four martyrs were Chinese laymen and Secular Franciscans. The other three Chinese laymen killed in Shanxi simply worked for the Franciscans and were rounded up with all the others. Three Italian Franciscans were martyred that same week in the province of Hunan. All these martyrs were beatified in 1946, and were among the 120 martyrs canonized in 2000.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions

Not much is known of the early life of Emmanuel Ruiz (1804-60), but details of his heroic death in defense of the faith have come down to us.

Born of humble parents in Santander, Spain, he became a Franciscan priest and served as a missionary in Damascus. This was at a time when anti-Christian riots shook Syria and thousands lost their lives in just a short time.

Among these were Emmanuel, superior of the Franciscan convent, seven other friars, and three laymen. When a menacing crowd came looking for the men, they refused to renounce their faith and become Muslims. The men were subjected to horrible tortures before their martyrdom.

Emmanuel, his brother Franciscans and the three Maronite laymen were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality.

Thus fortunately prepared, Elizabeth was able to meet the challenge when at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.

Denis, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors. Elizabeth long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, Elizabeth set out and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.

Pax et bonum

Saint Junipero Serra

In 1776, when the American Revolution was beginning in the east, another part of the future United States was being born in California. That year a gray-robed Franciscan founded Mission San Juan Capistrano, now famous for its annually returning swallows. San Juan was the seventh of nine missions established under the direction of this indomitable Spaniard.

Born on Spain’s island of Mallorca, Serra entered the Franciscan Order taking the name of Saint Francis’ childlike companion, Brother Juniper. Until he was 35, he spent most of his time in the classroom—first as a student of theology and then as a professor. He also became famous for his preaching. Suddenly he gave it all up and followed the yearning that had begun years before when he heard about the missionary work of Saint Francis Solano in South America. Junipero’s desire was to convert native peoples in the New World.

Arriving by ship at Vera Cruz, Mexico, he and a companion walked the 250 miles to Mexico City. On the way Junipero’s left leg became infected by an insect bite and would remain a cross—sometimes life-threatening—for the rest of his life. For 18 years, he worked in central Mexico and in the Baja Peninsula. He became president of the missions there.

Enter politics: the threat of a Russian invasion south from Alaska. Charles III of Spain ordered an expedition to beat Russia to the territory. So the last two conquistadors—one military, one spiritual—began their quest. José de Galvez persuaded Junipero to set out with him for present-day Monterey, California. The first mission founded after the 900-mile journey north was San Diego in 1769. That year a shortage of food almost canceled the expedition. Vowing to stay with the local people, Junipero and another friar began a novena in preparation for St. Joseph’s day, March 19, the scheduled day of departure. On that day, the relief ship arrived.

Other missions followed: Monterey/Carmel (1770); San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771); San Luís Obispo (1772); San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776); Santa Clara (1777); San Buenaventura (1782). Twelve more were founded after Serra’s death.

Junipero made the long trip to Mexico City to settle great differences with the military commander. He arrived at the point of death. The outcome was substantially what Junipero sought: the famous “Regulation” protecting the Indians and the missions. It was the basis for the first significant legislation in California, a “Bill of Rights” for Native Americans.

Because the Native Americans were living a nonhuman life from the Spanish point of view, the friars were made their legal guardians. The Native Americans were kept at the mission after baptism lest they be corrupted in their former haunts—a move that has brought cries of “injustice” from some moderns.

Junipero’s missionary life was a long battle with cold and hunger, with unsympathetic military commanders and even with danger of death from non-Christian native peoples. Through it all his unquenchable zeal was fed by prayer each night, often from midnight till dawn. He baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed 5,000. His travels would have circled the globe. He brought the Native Americans not only the gift of faith but also a decent standard of living. He won their love, as witnessed especially by their grief at his death. He is buried at Mission San Carlo Borromeo, Carmel, and was beatified in 1988. Pope Francis canonized him in Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2015.

Pax et bonum

Franciscans and Just War

In a recent interview (carried in Vatican News July 1), Pope Francis said in response to a question,

“I believe it is time to rethink the concept of a ‘just war.’ A war may be just, there is the right to defend oneself. But we need to rethink the way that concept is used nowadays. I have said that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are immoral. Resolving conflicts through war is saying no to verbal reasoning, to being constructive. Verbal reasoning is very important. Now I am referring to our daily behavior. When you are talking to some people, they interrupt you before you have finished. We don’t know how to listen to one another. We don’t let people finish what they are saying. We must listen. Receive what they have to say. We declare war in advance, that is, we stop dialoguing. War is essentially a lack of dialogue.”

The “just war theory” is one that has been debated since articulated by St. Augustine and later explicated by St. Thomas Aquinas.

The theory (and some of its implications) is stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
- there must be serious prospects of success;
- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.

The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.

2313 Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.

Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes, as are the orders that command such actions. Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out. Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin. One is morally bound to resist orders that command genocide.

2314 "Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation." A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.

Over the years, theologians have debated whether particular conflicts met the criteria. Some conflicts that were deemed just initially were later called into question due to tactics used, the targeting of civilians, shifting aims of the conflict, and more. And there is often confusion due to the fact that in wars both sides often claim their conflict is just. We see that in the current war in Ukraine.

St. Francis himself provided a model of how to conduct “dialogue.” In 1219 during the Fifth Crusade, he crossed the lines to preach the Gospel to the Sultan of Egypt, Malik al-Kamil, who had himself repeatedly made offers of peace to the Crusaders, all of which were rejected. He even offered to return Jerusalem and rebuild its walls, and to return the True Cross, but these offers were also rejected. So he was open to receiving St. Francis. They spoke for several days, and though Francis’s efforts did not bring peace, they did result in Franciscans being allowed to have free access to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and led to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land that continues to this day.

Later, when St. Francis created the Secular Franciscan Order, he included in the first Rule a statement about Secular Franciscans and war.

In the Rule of 1221, Article 16 states, “They are not to take up lethal weapons, or bear them about, against anybody.”

This prohibition on taking up arms led to conflicts with local authorities, who were resentful of the loss of soldiers. There are some historians who suggest this helped to lead to a weakening of feudalism in Italy – and to provide some limits to the frequent local wars.

We see a more recent example in the case of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, OFS, who, though an Austrian, was conscripted into the German Army during World War II. While he did undergo military training, he refused to take the “Hitler oath,” and, after learning about some of the immoral things the Nazi’s were doing, declared himself a conscientious objector when called to active duty. Despite pressure to conform, he refused to relent. He was executed in 1943, a martyr for the faith.

The Holy Father is right in saying that some wars may be just, so we need to keep that possibility open, but given the nature of war today, it is perhaps time to reevaluate the just war theory and how it is applied. And given the models of St, Francis and Blessed Franz, and our own vocation as Secular Franciscans, we need prayerfully to examine our own understanding of the concept.

After all, we follow St. Francis in greeting others with “Pax et bonum” – “Peace and goodwill.”

Pax et bonum