Thursday, October 30, 2008

October/November 2008 Newsletter from Joe Stetzel, Minister, People of Peace Fraternity

Ongoing Formation
Thanks to Don Markovitch who presented Article 5 at the October 5th meeting. Lou Ellen Markovitch will present Article 6 at the November 2nd meeting, “Living as Members of the Church” pg 53-64. Please come prepared to join in the discussion that follows the presentation.

People of Peace Scholarship
Jonathan Kiesler, a Marian College student, was present at the October 5th meeting and was recognized as one of the scholarship recipients. Jonathan provided us some insight in his journey and hopes to start a Franciscan group for students at Marian College.

800th Anniversary of the Franciscan Movement
We will celebrate the 800th anniversary of Secular Franciscans in 2009. We hope to have a special celebration that might attract more young families to our fraternity. Ideas as to how this might be accomplished would be appreciated.

New Members
We welcome the following new professed members of our fraternity: Clare Bain, Don and Lou Ellen Markovtich, and Mary Stickelmaier. I hope all will support them in their journey and may their exuberance challenge us as we continue our Franciscan journey.

Holy Family Shelter
The shelter has an ongoing need for paper goods and size 5 or 6 diapers. They have also requested bath towels and wash cloths as they have none for those coming to the shelter. Please remember to pick up some of these needed items and bring them to our monthly meeting. Our fraternity is responsible for serving the lunch on the first Saturday of each month at 1:00PM. The residents are very grateful for receiving this simple meal. Contact Bob Golobish at rwgolobish@marian.edu or work 955-6775 to help with this ministry.

New Secretary
Thanks to Lou Ellen Markovitch for accepting the position of Secretary in replacement of Beth Kuczkowski. Joe and Beth recently moved to the Milwaukee area. We will miss them both.

Potential New Members
Dave Whaley and Gary Ziegler have begun inquiry into becoming SFOs. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin formation.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF will visit Marian College on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8

Reminder: Noted Franciscan author Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, Ph.D., will visit Marian College and give three presentations in early November.

On Friday, November 7, she will give two talks in Allison Mansion: "Science and Franciscans" at noon and "The Franciscan View of Creation" at 3 p.m.

On Saturday, November 8, she will present a three-hour workshop, "Care for Creation," from 9 a.m. to noon in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel in Marian Hall.

Sr. Ilia Delio is a Franciscan sister who resides in Washington, D.C. She holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a doctorate in historical theology from Fordham University. She lectures nationally and internationally on Franciscan spirituality, with a focus on integrating Franciscan theology and contemporary questions.

She recently co-authored a book entitled Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth. An article featuring her also recently appeared in the fall 2008 issue of the Magnet. The talks and workshops are open to the public at no charge. Registration is required. For more information, contact Don Markovitch, director of campus ministry, at 317.955.6131 or dmarkovitch@marian.edu.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Importance of Attending Monthly Meetings

Here are a few reasons why Secular Franciscans should attend monthly meetings. This month, four candidates made their profession. I got this short list from Don Markovitch, a brand new Secular Franciscan. Attending monthly fraternity meetings:
  • builds a Franciscan community;
  • provides an opportunity for faith sharing;
  • provides an opportunity to increase one's understanding of Franciscanism;
  • regularly reminds us of our profession;
  • reinforces our commitment to our profession;
  • reinforces the importance of bringing the Gospels to life and life to the Gospels;
  • (and I might add the food is pretty good, too).