How to Pray "The Office of the Passion" by St. Francis of Assisi

Merry Christmas!

"The Office of the Passion" is a devotional office written by St. Francis of Assisi. (Note: It was not intended to replace the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the official prayer of the church.) I found a straightforward guide on how to pray the office in "Studying the Life of Francis of Assisi: A Beginner's Workbook" by William R. Hugo, OFM Cap. The various parts of the office are in "Francis and Clare: The Complete Works" (Armstrong and Brady), but without Hugo's guide, I never would have figured out how to put them all together. And, I would have overlooked a real treasure. From time to time, especially during the Christmas Season, I like to pray the office.

Referencing pages and text found in "Francis and Clare: The Complete Works," you would pray the office in this order.

• The Prayer Inspired by the Our Father, p. 104
  
• The Praises to be Said at All the Hours, p. 101
  
• Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary, p. 82
  
• Psalm (see table below)
  
• Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary, p. 82
  
• Closing prayer: Let us bless the Lord…., p. 83

Alternatively, here are the pages and text found in "Francis of Assisi: Early Document, Vol. I, The Saint" (Armstrong, Hellmann, and Short).

• The Prayer Inspired by the Our Father, p. 158
  
• The Praises to be Said at All the Hours, p. 161
  
• Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary, p. 141
  
• Psalm (see table below)
  
• Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary, p. 141
  
• Closing prayer: Let us bless the Lord…., p. 141

In "Francis and Clare: The Complete Works" you will find the psalms composed by St. Francis on pages 81 to 98. In "Francis of Assisi: Early Document, Vol. I, The Saint" you will find his psalms on pages 140 to 157. The times are from St. Francis' era.

Psalms composed by St. Francis	Part I: Triduum and Weekdays During the Year	Part II: Easter Season	Part III: Sundays and Principal Feasts	Part IV: Advent	Part V: Christmas Season
Compline (bedtime)	1	8	8	13	15
Matins (midnight)	2	9	9	14	15
Prime (sunrise)	3	3	3	3	15
Terce (9:00 a.m.)	4	9	10	10	15
Sext (noon)	5	9	11	11	15
None (3:00 p.m.)	6	9	12	12	15
Vespers (sunset)	7	7	7	7	15

December 2008 Newsletter from Joe Stetzel, Minister, People of Peace Fraternity

Merry Christmas!

Epiphany Celebration
Our January 4 meeting will be a celebration of the Epiphany. There will be a representative of Holy Family Shelter to update us on their mission to serve homeless families. The members present at the December meeting approved a gift of $100 from the fraternity. Please be generous in bringing diapers, bath towels, washcloths & other items for the shelter. We will sing songs and have a special skit for all. Bring a special snack for all to enjoy.

Anniversary of SFO
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.

February 1 Meeting
Clare Bain and Don Markovitch are going to present our formation on Centering Prayer. The ongoing formation for that month is on prayer. We will meet in St. Francis hall for this meeting only in order to use the quiet of St. Francis Chapel.

Demographic Survey
The National Fraternity is conducting a demographic survey of its members. See Joe Stetzel at the next meeting to get a copy of the survey. Those who cannot regularly attend will be mailed a survey. Thank you for your cooperation.

Holy Family Shelter
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, SFO at rwgolobish@marian.edu or work 955- 6775 to help with this ministry.

Novena of Intercession
During the third week of January and third week of July all fraternity members from Our Lady of Indiana region are being asked to pray a novena for the suffering people both home and abroad, especially those in Orissa, India. Copies of the novena will be available at the January meeting and those who cannot attend will receive a copy by mail.

Potential new members
Helen Burke, Jack Hill, and John Shelton, all from Marian College have begun inquiry into becoming SFO’s. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin formation.

Blue Plastic Container
We cannot locate the blue container that is used for supplies for our monthly meetings. If anyone has it call or e-mail Joe Stetzel. Thanks!

Time to Gather!

A reminder that there will be a fraternity meeting Sunday December 7th. Our topic will be "Turning Our Minds and Hearts Daily to God" pg. 65-72 from our formation book: To Set Themselves Free. Our presenter will be Mary Stickelmaier. Mary is a new SFO. Come prepared to join in the discussion of this topic.

15,811 Professed Members in the SFO

I just got my copy of the TAU-USA in the mail. It contains the "State of the Order - October 2008," prepared by Patrick Mendes, SFO, our national minister. He reports that there are 15,811 professed members in the SFO in the United States. (Frankly, I thought there were more of us.) Happily, we saw an increase over last year, which was 15,293 professed members.

Hmm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007 there were 310,621,159 people in the United States. Approximately 75% are over 18 years of age.

If the SFO is relevant in our contemporary world, and after reflecting on our rule I am convinced that it is, then our numbers should grow. However, we must reach out to others and share our Franciscan spirituality with others, particularly young families.

Getting Ready for Advent: St. Francis and The Crib

Christmas is rapidly approaching. Christmas was a special time for St. Francis. To learn more, check out St. Francis and The Crib. Share this wonderful story with others.

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 5^th meeting. Lou Ellen Markovitch will present Article 6 at the November 2^nd 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 5^th 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 800^th 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.

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.

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).
  

October Events for People of Peace SFO Fraternity

Transitus
The Transitus commemorating the death of St. Francis will be held on Friday, October 3rd at 7:00 p.m. at Marian College in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel. There will be several candidates making their profession to the Secular Franciscan Order at that time. A reception will follow and everyone should bring something to share at this celebration.

Feast of St. Francis
As a result of obtaining special permission from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the Feast of St. Francis will be celebrated on Sunday, October 5 at 11:00 a.m. on the campus of Marian College in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel. It should be a wonderful celebration.

October Fraternity Meeting
A reminder that the next meeting of the People of Peace Fraternity will be Sunday, October 5th at 12:00 noon in the community room of the Ruth Lilly Student Center. Lou Ellen Markovitch, SFO will lead us in our discussion of Article 5 "Encountering the Person of Jesus" pg 43-52 in the "To Set Themselves Free" book. Our minister, Joe Stetzel, hopes to see all of you at something this weekend.

August/September 2008 Newsletter from Joe Stetzel, Minister, People of Peace Fraternity

Ongoing Formation
Thanks to the five volunteers who agreed to present formation topics through the rest of this year and the first meeting of 2009. Mel and/or Kay are going to lead us at the September 7th meeting. It will be Article 4, “Living the Gospel” pg 33-42. Please read those pages and join in on the discussion after the presentation.

People of Peace Scholarship
Bob Golobish, Sister Norma Rocklage, and Joe Stetzel met on July 30th to review the scholarship applications. Marian College students Jonathan Kiesler and Matthew Salsman were selected and have been invited to attend our September 7th meeting where they will be recognized.

Fraternity Retreat
Fraternity retreat was held on July 12th with 7 members from the People of Peace and five members from Blessed Sacrament enjoyed Sister Norma Rocklage’s presentation. Her gifted rendition of Saint Clare’s cousin was humorous and taught us many things about Clare’s life. It was a good reflective day for those present. Thank you Sister for sharing your gifts with us.

Unity Day
Bob Golobish, Sheila Gilbert, and Joe and Jan Stetzel attended Unity Day in Kokomo on August 7th. This is a gathering of all the fraternities in the North Central part of Indiana. We were treated to a wonderful presentation by Sister Agnes, OSF on Elizabeth of Hungary who is the patron of the Secular Franciscan Order. Besides meeting members from other fraternities we were able to participate in the remembrance of the deceased members in each fraternity. Dick Seger’s name was read during this ceremony. It was mentioned that all the deceased members will be further honored at the national meeting to be held later this year.

SFO Professions
Five candidates will be professed in October. More details to follow.

Holy Family Shelter
The shelter has an ongoing need for paper goods and size 5 or 6 diapers. 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, SFO at rwgolobish@marian.edu or work 955-6775 to help with this ministry.

Mel and Kay Loidolt, SFOs
Congratulations to Mel and Kay on celebrating their 50th wedding

Opportunity to hear Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM on Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31 in South Bend, IN

At the regional SFO meeting, I learned that Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM will be giving a talk on Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame, The title of his talk is "A New Consciousness for Peacemaking." It is free and open to the public.

There also is a day long workshop on Friday: "Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality" workshop with Father Richard Rohr, OFM. There is a charge for the workshop. It is not free. It will be held at Kern Road Mennonite Church.

To learn more visit the CPNV web site.

Unity Day - Our Lady of Indiana Regional SFO Meeting

Just got back from a very good Our Lady of Indiana regional SFO meeting in Kokomo, Indiana. Ninety (90) people attended from across the region attended Unity Day. It is always good to spend time with other Franciscans. There were lots of good conversations. Lots of smiles. The food was good too. Lots of brownies and cookies. In addition to me, Joe Stetzel, Jan Stetzel, and Sheila Gilbert from the People of Peace fraternity also attended Unity Day.

Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF to speak at Marian College on November 7 and 8

Noted Franciscan theologian and writer, Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF will speak at Marian College in Indianapolis, Indiana on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8. I have read a few of her books and I am really looking forward to her visit. This should be a great two days! Mark your calendars and plan to attend.

She will give a talk at noon on Friday on Franciscans and Science. At 3:00 p.m. she will give a talk on the Franciscan View of Creation. The talks will be in Allison Mansion on the campus of Marian College in Indianapolis, Indiana. On Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to noon she will lead a workshop on Care for Creation. The workshop will be held in the chapel at the college. The talks and workshop are free and open to the public.

Sr. Ilia Delio is a Franciscan sister who resides in Washington, DC. She holds a doctorate in Pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and a doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University. She has written extensively in the area of Franciscan theology, with a particular emphasis on the theology of Bonaventure. She lectures nationally and internationally in Franciscan theology/spirituality with a particular focus on integrating Franciscan theology and contemporary questions. As Director of the Franciscan Center at the Union, she organizes the Franciscan lecture series and the annual Franciscan symposium. She is a member of the Commission for the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition that is sponsored by the English Speaking Conference of Friars Minor.

"Be All that You Can Be"

For years "Be all that you can be" was used by the U.S. Army as a recruiting slogan. The recruiting ad challenged people to consider becoming the person he or she has the potential to be. Today, "Be all that you can be" would be an appropriate conversion slogan for God. We are challenged to become the full person we are capable of being by rejecting what prevents us from loving God to the fullest. Franciscan Father Benet Fonck, OFM has sketched out a simple, straightforward way to do this that is based in part on Francis' First Letter to the Faithful.

In his manual for the formation of lay Franciscans, Fr. Fonck outlines his approach “Penance is primarily a positive experience: choosing spiritual health (whole soul), mental health (whole mind), emotional health (whole heart), physical health (whole strength), and social health (loving neighbor as self) as the way of returning the love God has bestowed upon us. It is setting oneself on a five-point program of daily living which fulfills God’s plan for a healthy, productive, stimulating, creative love-life with God. It is a conscious, concerted effort to work toward well-being of the spirit, mind, feelings, body, and social interactions in order to be open to intimacy with God. It is a decision to embrace specific attitudes and concrete behavior to make one’s human/divine life more fulfilling in the complete range of its expressions from the transcendent union with the God to outreach with others with healthy self-love, to the development of one’s mind and intellect, to the use of emotions, to careful attention to the physical dimension of living. It is the commitment to experience everything we do from the sublime to the mundane as part of an over-arching continuum of striving for holiness.” (Fully Mature with the Fullness of Christ, Fr. Benet Fonck, OFM, Candidacy #2, page 08-5)

"Lord, what do you want me to do?"

In the 12^th century, at the beginning of his conversion experience Francis of Assisi asks: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” L3C 6 That is a big question. Fortunately, a good and generous God provides the answer.

In the Old Testament we read “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. (emphasis added) Deuteronomy 6:4-8

In the New Testament we read “Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” (emphasis added) Mark 12:29:31.

Having discovered the answer, 1,200 years later to lay men and women throughout the world, St. Francis of Assisi preached “All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength (cf. Mark 12:30) and love their neighbor as themselves (cf. Mt 22:39) and hate their bodies with their vices and sins, and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and produce worth fruits of penance: Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them….” (emphasis added) Francis of Assisi, First Letter to the Faithful, 1:1

Today, in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church Catholics are reminded that “The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition. He Himself stands as the author and consumator of this holiness of life: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect".(216)(2*) Indeed He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength(217) and that they might love each other as Christ loves them.(218) ….” (emphasis added) Lumen Gentium 40 (Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Solemnly Promulgated by his Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964)

Francis and Clare for Families - Blog Created

I met a few of my Franciscan brothers and sisters for lunch the other day. One of our group had just returned from a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy. We talked about that experience. Two of us had a side conversation about Sr. Ilia Delio's new book on evolution, which I intend to read. Two are candidates and will make their profession soon. I am hoping they choose October 4, the Feast of St. Francis. We talked about how SFO fraternities could be more family oriented. There were a few stories of how things used to be. We talked about blogging. One person suggested that a separate blog called Francis and Clare for Families be created. I thought that was an excellent idea. So, I created it and moved some of the postings that used to be here to that blog.

DVD on Franciscan Theology Available

Since returning from a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy in October 2003, I have been blessed to hear several speakers talk about Franciscanism. For example, I have had the privilege of hearing Fr. Kenan Osborne OFM, a well-known Franciscan theologian, speak on two occasions.

Recently, Marian College in Indianapolis, Indiana made a DVD available of a talk he gave at the college in March 2007. There is no charge for the DVD and it is well worth having. Click on this link to order you copy: Franciscan Theology and Philosophy: Its Contemporary Value.

The DVD is a great introduction to Franciscanism. Fr. Osborne traces the history of the Thomistic and Franciscan traditions. He also discusses several contemporary issues facing the Church and how the Franciscan tradition might serve the Church as it addresses these issues.

Following the Gospel in the Spirit of St. Francis

Sometimes I think to be a very good Secular Franciscan all I have to do is go to mass on Sunday, say I like St. Francis, have a statue of him in my backyard, and love nature.

Thirteenth century Franciscans like Brother Thomas of Celano, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus were very well-educated. They even took courses in logic. Imagine that! After reading the SFO Rule, I am pretty sure they would say that I need to do more. They would agree with this reasoning.

If Bob is a very good Secular Franciscan, then Bob is trying to live his life in accord with, i.e., follow, the Gospels and is familiar with the writings St. Francis, St. Clare, and other early Franciscans. Bob is trying to follow the Gospels. However, Bob is not familiar with the writings of St. Francis, St. Clare, and other early Franciscans. Unfortunately, Bob is not a very good Secular Franciscan. (He might be a good Catholic, however.)

As stated above, if Bob is a very good Secular Franciscan, then Bob is trying to follow the Gospels and is familiar with the writings St. Francis, St. Clare, and other early Franciscans. However, Bob is not trying to live his life in accord with the Gospels. Actually, he doesn't know much about them at all. He seldom reads them. Still, Bob is familiar with the writings of St. Francis, St. Clare, and other early Franciscans. Unfortunately, Bob is not a very good Secular Franciscan.

To be a very good Secular Franciscan you have to do both, i.e., read and try to live the Gospels and be familiar with the writing of the early Franciscans. Then you can live the Gospels in a Franciscan way.

People of Peace SFO Fraternity

Greetings! I created this blog for a couple reasons. First to provide information about the People of Peace SFO fraternity to those who are looking for a lay Franciscan group to belong to in the Indianapolis area. On the sidebar I will post information regarding the fraternity, e.g., meeting times, elections, activities, etc. Second, I became a professed Secular Franciscan in October 2006 and from time to time I will reflect on what it means to me.