This prayer by St. Francis can be found at the end of "A Letter to the Entire Order." It is one of my favorites because it underscores the importance of God's grace and the work of the Holy Spirit in St. Francis' life.
Prayer (from "A Letter to the Entire Order)
Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
give us miserable ones
the grace to do for You alone
what we know you want us to do
and always to desire what pleases You.
Inwardly cleansed,
interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow
in the footprints of Your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
and, by Your grace alone,
may we make our way to You,
Most High,
Who live and rule
in perfect Trinity and simple Unity,
and are glorified
God almighty,
forever and ever.
Amen.
St. Francis of Assisi
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Why Secular Franciscans Living in Indiana Should Participate in the Upcoming S.A.L.T. Conference
As a member of the Secular Franciscan Order, you may be asking yourself:
“Why should I participate in the S.A.L.T. program?”
“What is it all about?”
You should come to:
- spend time with your sisters and brothers in Christ and Francis examining your vocation as Secular Franciscans.
- begin challenging yourself to live your vocation more fully both in fraternity and as an individual.
- relive a few memories and face the present realities.
- challenge yourself to better set priorities and to make choices more consistent with our Rule.
- join your spiritual ancestors as they leave their captivity and venture into the promised land.
- spend time in prayer, reflection, sharing, and fraternity and to lend support as each of us face the challenges that lie ahead.
See the earlier post to learn how to register!
Still Time to Register for Upcoming S.A.L.T. Conference
Our Lady of Indiana Regional Fraternity
SPIRIT AND LIFE TEAM CONFERENCE
(S.A.L.T.)
Location: University of St. Francis, Fort Wayne, IN
Date: Friday, July 15, 2011 to Sunday, July 17, 2011
Arrival/Registration: Friday, July 15 @ 7:00 p.m.
Departure: Sunday, July 17 – around noon
***DUE TO THE FOCUS OF THIS FORMATION EXPERIENCE MEMBERS SHOULD ATTEND ALL SESSIONS***
Name__________________________
Address_______________________
City ________________________ Zip ____________
Phone _______________
Cell _________________
Fraternity: ______________________________
Email address: ______________________________
Do you have special dietary needs? ___________________________________
______________________________
Do you have mobility difficulties (e.g. do you need elevator, etc?) ____________
________________
Please include payment with registration form
Full conference – no overnight: $30.00 ____________
(Includes Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning conferences and 4 meals)
With overnight accommodations (two nights): $60.00 ____________
(Please bring towels - Microwave and refrigerators will be available
for food prep and storage if desired.)
Shared conference meals provided will be Saturday breakfast,
lunch, dinner and Sunday breakfast.
Coffee and juice provided Saturday and Sunday morning at conference site.
Any questions contact Frank Vargo 574-304-4362 or bfjvargo2@comcast.net
Return completed registration by JULY 1, 2011 to: Sharon Roberts
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO “OUR LADY OF INDIANA REGION”
Suggestion: To avoid printing a lot of unnecessary information, copy the above text and paste it into your favorite word processor.
Then print it out.
Suggestion: To avoid printing a lot of unnecessary information, copy the above text and paste it into your favorite word processor.
Then print it out.
__._,_.___
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Most Popular Writings of St. Francis of Assisi
I was re-reading the Introduction to my all time, hands down, favorite book: Francis and Clare: The Complete Works. According to Father John Vaugh, OFM, a former Minister General of the entire Order of Friars Minor who wrote the Introduction, the most popular writing of St. Francis are:
I bet you will find these four documents interesting. They have fascinated historians, scholars, and just regular folks for 800 years.
My list is a little different. I like the others, but here are my favorites:
I like logic. Three of the early Franciscan intellectuals, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus were all scholastically trained, so they probably were quite adept at logic. Here is a bit of logical reasoning. If Bob, who is a Secular Franciscan, really wants to be a good Secular Franciscan then he needs to be very familiar with the Gospels and the writings of the early Franciscans. Bob is not very familiar with the Gospels and the writing of the early Franciscans. Therefore, Bob does not really want to be a good Secular Franciscan. (Uh oh!)
Here is a little more logic. If Bob, who is a Secular Franciscan, is very familiar with the Gospels and the writing of the early Franciscan then he can be a good Secular Franciscan. Bob is very familiar with the Gospels and the writings of the early Franciscans. Therefore, he can be a good Secular Franciscan. (Whew, what a relief!)
The last word: READ!
I bet you will find these four documents interesting. They have fascinated historians, scholars, and just regular folks for 800 years.
My list is a little different. I like the others, but here are my favorites:
- First Version of the Letter to the Faithful
- Admonitions
- Office of the Passion
- The Prayer Inspired by the Our Father
I like logic. Three of the early Franciscan intellectuals, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus were all scholastically trained, so they probably were quite adept at logic. Here is a bit of logical reasoning. If Bob, who is a Secular Franciscan, really wants to be a good Secular Franciscan then he needs to be very familiar with the Gospels and the writings of the early Franciscans. Bob is not very familiar with the Gospels and the writing of the early Franciscans. Therefore, Bob does not really want to be a good Secular Franciscan. (Uh oh!)
Here is a little more logic. If Bob, who is a Secular Franciscan, is very familiar with the Gospels and the writing of the early Franciscan then he can be a good Secular Franciscan. Bob is very familiar with the Gospels and the writings of the early Franciscans. Therefore, he can be a good Secular Franciscan. (Whew, what a relief!)
The last word: READ!
New Leadership for the People of Peace Fraternity
On June 5, 2011, the People of Peace fraternity elected new leadership that will serve for three years. Here are the results of the election:
- Minister: Gary Ziegler, SFO
- Vice Minister: Mary Stickelmaier, SFO
- Secretary: Helen Burke, SFO
- Treasurer: Jack Hill, SFO
- Formation Director: Bob Golobish, SFO
- Councilor: Clare Bain, SFO
- Councilor: Mary Jane Blankenship, SFO
The election was held in the community room of the Ruth Lilly Student Center at Marian University. Twenty-three members were present. Jan Stezel, SFO and Mary Stickelmaier, SFO served as tellers and Jim Walsh, SFO served as the secretary. Kathleen White, SFO from the Our Lady of Indiana Regional Fraternity was the presider. After their election, the new leadership stood before the fraternity and recited The Apostle's Creed.
Three cheers for Joe Stetzel, SFO the outgoing minister and the others for their service to the fraternity.
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