Guess who was a Secular Franciscan?

 

 

 

 

Michelangelo, of course!

 

Pax et bonum

Franciscan Spirituality

A general schema for Franciscan spirituality would look like this:

1. Franciscan spirituality is rooted in the general Judeo-Christian, Roman Catholic and Biblical traditions. It is rooted in the general Trinitarian theology of the Church.
2. It is Christo-centric focusing primarily on the Incarnate Jesus.
3. The humility and poverty of the Incarnation of Jesus is the pattern and model for Franciscan life (Imitation of Christ), theology (Primacy of Christ) and its approach to all creation.
4. This downward direction, movement, tendency is called Minority.
5. Minority is expressed in Poverty and Humility. Poverty is the external expression of Minority while Humility is the internal expression of it.
6. Along with Minority, Fraternity is essential to Franciscan life. Minority safeguards and effects Fraternity.
7. The third pillar of Franciscan life is Penance. Penance is on-going, continuous conversion.
8. The fruit of all this is the perfection of love with a particular Franciscan emphasis on peace and joy.

(From: The Franciscans of Canada)

Seventeen Essential Elements of Franciscan Spirituality (based on the Rule):

1…To live the gospel according to the spirit of St. Francis (Articles 1,4,5,14)
2…To be converted continually (Articles 2,4,5,7,9,12,16)
3…To live as sisters and brothers of all people and of all creation (Articles 13,18)
4…To live in communion with Christ Articles 1,4,5,14)
5…To follow the poor and crucified Christ (Article 10)
6…To share in the life and mission of the Church (Article 6)
7…To share in the love of the Father (Articles 4, 12)
8…To be instruments of peace (Article 19)
9…To have a life of prayer that is personal, communal & liturgical (Article 8)
10…To live in joy (Article 19:2)
11…To have a spirituality of a secular nature (Articles 3,6,8,11,13,14)
12…To be pilgrims on the way toward the Father (Article 11:2)
13…To participate in the apostolate of the laity (Articles 15,16,17,18,19,24)
14…To be at the service of the less fortunate (Articles 13,14,15)
15…To be loyal to the Church in an attitude of dialogue and collaboration with her ministers (Article 6:2)
16…To be open to the action of the Holy Spirit (Articles 1, 4:2)
17…To live in simplicity, humility and minority (Article 11:1)

(The two items above are from other sources - the first part from the Canadians, the second as reprinted in various blobs/webpages.)

Pax et bonum

Mysteries of What?

Sister
of Mercy is
puzzled by Mysteries
of Light until a Franciscan
explains.

Pax et bonum

Brother Wind ...

In his Canticle, St. Francis wrote:

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Yes, praise for Brother Wind, but sometimes he does make it hard.

We got hit with the second high wind storm in a week - this one with one gust that hit 81 mph. Trees, utility poles, and power lines came down, blocking roads and cutting power. Indeed, more than 130,000 in our immediate area lost power yesterday - many still don't have it. We went without power from around 3:30 yesterday afternoon until around 2 this morning, meaning the sump pump was out, and bailing was needed every hour and a half or so (tired arms and back this morning). Although the winds have died down, they are still strong enough to have officials worried about more trees and power lines coming down.

Meanwhile, temperatures are now dropping; by this weekend they are expected to be back in the 20s. Some poor folks without power will have to deal with that.

Many roads are still blocked, and a number of traffic lights a out. The stop signs just down the street from my house were knocked over. 

Schools are all closed (yay). That meant I could get to church. The church had no power, so the service was by candlelight (that was nice). But the church sign was torn away, and shingles were torn off the roof down to the wood. Some repairs will be needed to avoid water getting in.

A fellow teacher was there, and we wondered given the scale of the damage if there will even be school tomorrow.

Pease Lord, watch over all those who are hurting today because of Brother Wind.

Pax et bonum

Day of Recollection Features Sisters of Life

We held a mini-retreat day on Saturday for Secular Franciscans at St. Leo's in Hilton. Father Anthony Baetzold of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal led the retreat, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and conducting a Benediction Holy Hour. And David Valenzuela, who had been with the Friars, but has felt called to serve outside the order (while still working with it when he can), provided music.

But the highlight of the day was the presence of two Sisters of Life.

Sister Mary Loretta Graffeo (above)

and Sister Veronica Sullivan shared the history of the order and their ministry.

They were created in 1991 by Cardinal John O'Connor in New York. They take the three traditional vows that women religious take - Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience - but also take a fourth vow: To protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. As such, they work with women in crisis pregnancies and individuals affected by abortion, run retreats, evangelize and work with the Respect Life in New York.

Sister Veronica said the ministry with pregnant women is not intended to humiliate them, but rather "to restore their God-given dignity."

The order is growing, There are now more than 100 sisters, and many others in formation. The average age of the sisters is 34. Yes, average age. Many older congregations don't even have a single member that young. But the growth of the Sisters of Life is typical of congregations that embrace Church traditions - including the wearing of a habit.

They were delightful, and full of joy. Indeed, as Sister Mary said, "There is no Sister of Life without joy."

Pax et bonum