Regional Minister’s April 2020 Message

 

 

Sisters and brothers in Francis and Clare,

What does it mean to be in Fraternity?

Our world and our Church have been shaken to its very core these past few months. With the onslaught of the coronavirus, and the new experience of a Lenten Season like never before, we have had to make changes in how we live and how we pray. Through all of this, I have come to appreciate my gift of faith as well as the gift of being in fraternity more and more. The song writer, Thomas Haynes Bayly, in his song, “Isle of Beauty”, (1939) uses the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. And so, it does, when you are not able to receive the Sacraments or attend monthly gatherings.  

As our lives return to normal and are able to attend monthly gatherings, I want to talk about what does it mean to be in fraternity. I read with interest the 2019 Annual Reports I received from each fraternity minister, many of the fraternity’s apostolate(s) were filled with a genuine Franciscan spirit. Although we are not a religious Order but a Secular Order, as such we are a living Franciscan community, therefore, an active fraternity life is essential for the growth of the Order.

Our SFO General Constitutions is the foundation of what it means to be in fraternity:

• In the fraternity, the brothers and sisters should promote mutual understanding and they should see to it that the atmosphere of their meetings is welcoming and that it reflects joy. They should encourage one another for the good. (Article 26.2)
• The fraternity of the SFO finds its origin in the inspiration of Saint Francis of Assisi to whom the Most High revealed the essential gospel quality of life in fraternal communion. (Article 28.1)
• The sense of co-responsibility of the members requires personal presence, witness, prayer, and active collaboration, in accordance with each one’s situation and possible obligations for the animation of the fraternity. (Article 30.2)
• Participation in the meetings of the local fraternity is indispensable presupposition for initiation into community prayer and into fraternity life. (Article 40.3)
• Profession does not only commit those professed to the fraternity, but also in the same way it commits the fraternity to be concerned with their human and religious well-being. (Article 42.4)
• Fidelity to their own charism, Franciscan and secular, and the witness of building fraternity sincerely and openly are their principal services to the Church, which is the community of love. They should be recognized in it by their “being”, from which their mission springs. (Article 100.3)

*  *  *

A Fraternity is only as strong and productive as the members who contribute to make it an active and vibrant community. Just as each one of us is on a Franciscan journey, so too, is each fraternity. A fraternity, to remain alive, needs the involvement of each of its members.

Below are suggestions I would like to offer to help your fraternity become an active community:

• create a spirit of belonging to each of its members, a true sense of community, as participation in fraternity life is essential for belonging to the Secular Franciscan Order
• communication between the council and the fraternity members is extremely important
• survey the needs and wants of the fraternity members periodically, for as times change so do the needs of the fraternity
• the council works for the good of the fraternity and the Order
• a good formation team is needed to ensure growth and vitality, especially for ongoing formation at monthly gatherings.
• during initial formation, encourage future professed to be servant leaders by holding an office at the local level and at the regional council level
• participate in other fraternities’ activities
• nurture the fraternity members’ Franciscan vocation, so they may continue seeking the desire to be spiritually fed
• a good way to strengthen a fraternity is to have an apostolate, this will help bring members together by being actively involved
• make use of the talents and special gifts each fraternity member brings with them
• excused members must not be forgotten, and should never be excluded from the fraternity because of their inability to attend gatherings; we should help them feel they are still connected to their fraternity. Remember one day we may also be unable to attend gatherings!

At our October 2019 National Chapter meeting in Corpus Christi Texas, our National Minister, Jan Parker, OFS stated:

“Our National Priority for the next three years is Fraternity. God has called

us to this fraternal gathering, a privileged place, where we must listen together to God and to each other, to do the business of the Order, sharing our needs, hopes and joy with each other. To build a fraternity and not just a prayer group, you must build relationships.”

We can also apply Jan’s statement within our own fraternity.

As we eventually recover from this coronavirus pandemic, let us pray for the virtue of Hope, that people will return to God and seek a deeper religious experience in living the Gospel life.

 

 

 

Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare,

I would like to touch on our Secular Franciscan vocation. Our vocation is a gift from God, a call to a certain way of life. Our Franciscan vocation is a part of God’s plan for us to seek a deeper, more meaningful spiritual life.

Remember when you entered candidacy and received your Tau Cross and how it made you feel. Think about how you felt at your profession when you said:

“Therefore, in my secular state, I promise to live all the days of my life the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Secular Franciscan Order by observing its Rule of life.” How has your life changed since the day of your profession?

These are moments to be shared with those outside our Franciscan communities. Who knows, this could be a wake-up call for someone who may be searching for a deeper inner spiritual life and may have a Franciscan vocation and not realize it.

Our Franciscan vocation is a precious gift, for as Matthew 22:14 tells us “many are called, but few are chosen.”

Sharing our Franciscan journey with others, to evangelize both verbally and by our actions is what will draw faith-filled Catholics to the Secular Franciscan Order. We live in a world of uncertainty, a Church that has become more challenging. Yes, these are hard times, but a time when saints are made.

This early writing of Saint Francis is an exhortation to the Brothers and Sisters of the Order of Penitents, lay people who desired to share in Francis’ Gospel vision:

The First Letter to the Faithful

All who love the Lord with their whole heart, their whole soul and mind, and with their strength, and love their neighbor as themselves, and who despise the tendency in their humanity to sin, receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and bring forth from within themselves the fruits worthy of true penance.

How happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them because “the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them,” and the Lord will make “His home and dwelling place with them.”

They are the children of the Heavenly Father whose work they do. They are the spouses, brothers, and mothers of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are his spouses when the faithful soul is united by the Holy Spirit with Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are brothers when we do the will of the Father who is in Heaven.

We are mothers when we bear Him in our hearts and bodies with divine love and with pure and sincere consciences, and we give birth to him through a holy life that should enlighten others because of our example.

Our General Constitutions tell us:

Article 45

1. The promotion of vocations to the Order is a duty of all the brothers and sisters and is a sign of the vitality of the fraternities themselves.

The brothers and sisters, convinced of the validity of the Franciscan way of life, should pray that God may give the grace of the Franciscan vocation to new members.

***

Let us pray for Franciscan vocations for all three Orders, that others may hear the call to seek a deeper more meaningful spiritual life.

Vocation Prayer:

Almighty and eternal God, in your unfailing care you provide your Church with witnesses of your love for us. We pray for those whom you call to a way of life to rebuild your Church, following the way of our holy seraphic father, St. Francis of Assisi. Inspire in them a generous response. Grant them courage and vision to answer the challenge of living the gospel life in fraternity. May their lives and service encourage people to respond to the presence of the Spirit. – Amen

 

Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare,

What is Franciscan Joy? In order to understand Franciscan Joy, we need to start at the very beginning of our Franciscan journey. Why did we become Franciscan? What were we searching for? What was to be our ultimate goal? All of us can come up with a handful of reasons for coming into the Order. Once professed, we are expected to put these reasons into practice and ultimately experience Franciscan Joy.

As human beings, we are all searching for happiness, and what does happiness bring? It brings joy. According to the Webster dictionary, “joy is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; to be glad; rejoice, to gladden.”

Does your Franciscan joy fit into any of the above definitions? If yes, how, if no, why? Each and every one of us experiences joy in a variety of ways and at different levels; it all depends on where we are on our Franciscan Journey.

As Franciscans, our joy comes from the Holy Spirit, who gives us peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and love. Our Franciscan commitment fosters growth in a very special way, to live the Gospel life, the source of our joy.

When you experience the Holy Spirit within you, you have joy and peace that others see and desire. St. John Paul II often told us, “Be not afraid.” Let us be not afraid to share this beautiful gift of joy with others, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.

Peace and joy are gifts from God, who is, and these gifts dwell within us. True joy is contagious. It needs to be set free so that it can be shared with others. Our Pauline Rule and our General Constitutions tell us to be messengers of Joy and Hope:

Rule 13 […] A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ.

Rule 19 Following the Gospel, Secular Franciscans therefore affirm their hope and their joy in living. They make a contribution to counter widespread distress and pessimism, preparing a better future. Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, they should strive to bring joy and hope to others.

Article 26 General Constitutions

1. Even in suffering, Francis experienced confidence and joy from:

— the experience of the fatherhood of God;

— the invincible faith of rising with Christ to eternal life;

— the experience of being able to meet and praise the Creator in the universal fraternity of all creatures.

2. In the fraternity, the brothers and sisters should promote mutual understanding and they should see to it that the atmosphere of their meetings is welcoming and that it reflects joy. They should encourage one another for the good.

* * *

At Greccio, our holy father St. Francis found joy in the reenactment of that most holy night in Bethlehem, just as we will experience joy during this Christmas Season as we celebrate the birth of God’s beloved Son.

Luke, Chapter 2:8-10 tells us:

⁸ In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night.

⁹ An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified,

¹⁰ but the angel said, “Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by all the people.”

***

I can only imagine Francis experiencing this great joy when he held the baby Jesus in his arms at Greccio, “a joy to be shared by the whole people.”

Joy is God within us. If we are filled with joy, the Holy Spirit can use us as His instrument to overcome the evil in our midst. In our joy we bring hope to the hopeless and comfort to those in need of comfort, for joy brings peace not only to us but to all we meet. Joy is the love we give to others. As Saint Augustine tells us, “we become what we receive.” He is talking about the Eucharist, but we can apply this to joy as well.

Wishing you and your family a most blessed Christmas Season.

August 2019 Regional Ministers Message

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare,

In June 2019 the Franciscan Conventuals ended their month-long General Chapter and met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. In his message to the Conventual Franciscans, Pope Francis invited them to live in a spirit of fraternity, littleness, and peace.

After reading the papal message, I realized that this message can also apply to the Secular Franciscan way of life.

I would like to summarize a few of our Holy Father’s comments from his message:

• Your Constitution guarantees the Order’s charism and its extension into the future.

• The Gospel is the Franciscans’ “rule and life” and the mission is to be a living Gospel.

• Fraternity is a central aspect of life for those who follow in the footsteps of St. Francis. “Fraternity is a gift to welcome with gratitude. It is a reality ever ‘on the path,” in construction, which requires each person’s contribution.”

• Littleness is a difficult path because it is opposed to worldly logic, which seeks success at any cost and desires to occupy the first place.

• Francis told Franciscans to be humble and to spend their lives in the service of others.

• Preach peace, in the spirit of the traditional Franciscan greeting: “Pax et bonum.”

Peace can be interpreted as reconciliation with ourselves, with God, with others, and with creatures.

Reconciliation consists in concentric circles that begin in the heart and extend out to embrace the whole universe. But in reality, it begins in the heart of God, the heart of Christ.

This type of peace is more than an absence of problems because it emanates from the presence of God within us.

• Living a life of fraternity, littleness, and peace requires continuous formation that promotes gradual conformation to Christ, in every sphere of life. It is a personalized formation of the heart, that changes our way of thinking, feeling, and acting; a formation that teaches fidelity.

As Secular Franciscans, how do we live our way of life both in our fraternities and outside of our fraternities?

Our Rule tells us:

22. [The local fraternity] becomes the basic unit of the whole Order and a visible sign of the Church, the community of love. This should be the privileged place for developing a sense of Church and the Franciscan vocation and for enlivening the apostolic life of its members.

Our General Constitution gives us guidelines as to what it means to be in fraternity. I have cited a few Articles for you to ponder:

Article 26

In the fraternity, the brothers and sisters should promote mutual understanding and they should see to it that the atmosphere of their meetings is welcoming and that it reflects joy. They should encourage one another for the good.

Article 30 

Sections 1. The brothers and sisters are co-responsible for the life of the fraternity to which they belong and for the SFO as the organic union of all fraternities throughout the world.

Section 2. The sense of co-responsibility of the members requires personal presence, witness, prayer, and active collaboration, in accordance with each one’s situation and possible obligations for the animation of the fraternity.

Article 40

Section 3. Participation in the meetings of the local fraternity is indispensable presupposition for initiation into community prayer and into fraternity life.

Article 42

Section 4. Profession does not only commit those professed to the fraternity, but also in the same way it commits the fraternity to be concerned with their human and religious well-being.

Article 53

Section 3. Insertion into a local fraternity and participation in fraternity life is essential for belonging to the SFO.

Section 4. The fraternity remembers with gratitude its brothers and sisters who have passed away and continues its communion with them by prayer and in the Eucharist.

Article 100

Section 2. The secular Franciscans should fulfill with dedication the duties with which they are occupied in their relations to the local Church. They should lend their help to activities of the apostolate as well as to the social activities existing in the diocese. In the spirit of service, they should make themselves present, as the fraternity of the SFO, within the life of the diocese. They should be ready to collaborate with other ecclesial groups and to participate in pastoral councils.

Section 3. Fidelity to their own charism, Franciscan and secular, and the witness of building fraternity sincerely and openly are their principal services to the Church, which is the community of love. They should be recognized in it by their “being”, from which their mission springs.

***

Sisters and brothers, as we continue on our Franciscan Spiritual journey let us keep in mind the importance of coming together in fraternity. The Secular Franciscan Order is not just an Order within itself, but plays an important role in the Church and thus helps make up the Church. Therefore, our Franciscan roots make us successors of St. Francis.

May 2019 Regional Ministers Message

Be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, surely those who do so will never be lost. – 2 Peter 1:10

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare,

As we come to the closing of the 40^th Anniversary Celebration of our Pauline Rule, I would like to reflect on the Third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary, “The Proclamation of the Kingdom,” and how our Rule plays an important part in living out the gospel life. A large portion of our Rule invites us to proclaim the Kingdom of God to others daily.

Below are a few examples of our Rule for you to meditate on, to help keep us grounded as we live out each day, keeping in mind “The Proclamation of the Kingdom”:

Rule 6. They have been made living members of the Church by being buried and raised with Christ in baptism; they have been united more intimately with the Church by profession. Therefore, they should go forth as witnesses and instruments of her mission among all people, proclaiming Christ by their life and words.

Rule 8. As Jesus was the true worshiper of the Father, so let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.

Let them participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist. Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ.

Rule 10. …Let them also follow the poor and crucified Christ, witness to Him even in difficulties and persecutions.

Rule 11. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel, they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s children.

Rule 12. Witnessing to the good yet to come….

Rule 13. As the Father sees in every person the features of his Son, the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, so the Secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ.

A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ.

Rule 14. Secular Franciscans, together with all people of good will, are called to build a more fraternal and evangelical world so that the kingdom of God may be brought about more effectively….

Rule 15. Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives….

Rule 16. Let them esteem work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption, and service of the human community.

Rule 17. In their family they should cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace, fidelity, and respect for life, striving to make of it a sign of a world already renewed in Christ.

Rule 18. Moreover, they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the imprint of the Most High,” and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.

Rule 19. Mindful that they are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon.

Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, they should strive to bring joy and hope to others.

Sisters and brothers, just because the celebration of our Rule is coming to a close does not mean we stop proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Our visibility and our actions are a sign of hope, love and peace to others.

February 2019 Regional Ministers Message

Be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, surely those who do so will never be lost. – 2 Peter 1:10

Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare,

Our celebration of the birth of Christ has come and gone and another year has begun. At the celebration of the Epiphany, we heard the story of the Magi on their journey, bearing gifts, searching for the Christ child. The journey of the Magi recalls our Franciscan journey and the gifts we bear throughout the year.

As we continue to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of our Pauline Rule, the Rule is that gift that keeps on giving, our way of life is that gift. Our profession tells us, and the world, that we have made a commitment to live the gospel life and to share this beautiful gift with others by our words and actions.

Our Rule is our daily guidepost and I would like to bring your attention to Rule #4, #5 and #7:

#4. The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.

Christ, the gift of the Father’s love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly. Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel.

#5. Secular Franciscans, therefore, should seek to encounter the living and active person of Christ in their brothers and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in the Church, and in liturgical activity. The faith of St. Francis, who often said, “I see nothing bodily of the Most High Son of God in this world except His most holy body and blood,” should be the inspiration and pattern of their Eucharistic life.

#7. United by their vocation as “brothers and sisters of penance” and motivated by the dynamic power of the gospel, let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the gospel calls “conversion.” Human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily. On this road to renewal the sacrament of reconciliation is the privileged sign of the Father’s mercy and the source of grace.

Sisters and brothers, our world needs us now more than ever before. Our cities are crying out for peace, for justice, for love, but most of all for the loss of faith. We Franciscans can bring that peace, justice, love and faith to all those we meet daily. You may say, I live the gospel life. But do we live it daily? I am reminded of the reading from the book of Micah: 8 “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God”. I would like to leave you with these thoughts:

If you see someone looking sad and alone, give them a smile, or even better, strike up a conversation. 

If you see someone in need of help, give them a helping hand. 

When you receive something from someone, say thank you with a smile and even say “Bless you”. You never know whose life you may change or even make for a better day. 

Talk to others as if you were talking to Jesus. 

These small gestures can brighten a person’s day.

Our gospel way of life could not be any easier to live than this.

 

November 9, 2018, Regional Ministers Message