Our January 2nd meeting will be held at the Holy Family Shelter

Our January 2nd meeting will be held at the Holy Family Shelter located at 907 N. Holmes, 46222. We will celebrate our Epiphany party at this meeting. Please bring a special snack to share and, if possible, be especially generous in your donations to the shelter. In addition to diapers or baby wipes, they could use store brand cereals for breakfast. Someone from the shelter will be present to speak to us and give a tour of the facility.

A Christmas Prayer

A Christmas Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the songs of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning
make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven,
for Jesus' sake.
Amen.

Kathleen White, SFO, the regional formation director, sent this to me. I am happy to share this prayer with you.

Getting Ready for 2011

On the national SFO web site there is a great welcome letter from Tom Bello, SFO, the National Minister of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). I have added a link to his letter to the right side navigation of this blog. His letter provides a great overview of the SFO in the United States. If you are interested in learning more about the SFO, then I encourage you to read his letter and explore the national fraternity's web site.

I also have updated the list of 2011 meeting dates for the People of Peace fraternity, the local Indianapolis SFO fraternity that I am a member of. The meeting dates are on right side, too. All are welcome! Contact me at rwgolobish@gmail.com if you would like more information about the fraternity.

Twitter and the SFO

Recently, I have been pretty active on Twitter. I like the short message bursts with links to blogs and web sites. Over the next six months, as an experiment, I will be using Twitter, HootSuite, and SlideShare to promote this blog and the SFO. I am hoping to reach a somewhat younger, technologically savvy group of Catholics interested in Franciscan spirituality.

By the way, I also tweet and blog about other topics: for example, marketing communications, recreational cycling, martial arts, beginning Python programming, high speed rail, and things happening at Marian University in Indianapolis, especially plans for Indiana's new medical school.  You can find me on Twitter at @bobgolobish and on my blog on marketing communications: bobgolobish.com.

Looking Ahead to November and December.

On November 7, we will have our annual retreat as part of our regular Sunday meeting. We will begin with fellowship at 12:00 with a short business meeting followed by the retreat. It is expected to be finished by 4:00pm. We will meet in St. Francis Hall for the meeting  and retreat. The retreat will presented by Fr. Leopold Keffler, OFMConv. from Marian University. His topic is”Care of Creation in the Spirit of Francis & Clare."

On December 5, we will have our fraternal visit from Our Lady of Indiana region. One of the members of their council will be present to observe our meeting. This is done once every three years to see how our fraternity is functioning. Our presentation will be led by Kathy Mahler and will cover Article 24, “Journeying with Others” pg. 229-234. Please come prepared to join in the discussion.

Three New Secular Franciscans!

I am very happy to report that the world has three new Secular Franciscans and they are members of the People of Peace fraternity in Indianapolis, Indiana.

• Helen Burke, SFO
• Jack Hill, SFO
• Dave Whaley, SFO

All three made their profession during a brief ceremony that occurred during the Transitus of St. Francis on Sunday evening, October 3, which was celebrated in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel on the campus of Marian University. A reception was held afterwards. Lots of hugs and prayers of thanksgiving.

Another Secular Franciscan! Gary Ziegler

After Mass on Sunday, June 6, 2010 in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel at Marian University, Gary Ziegler made his profession and joined the People of Peace fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. It was a simple ceremony, highlighted by Gary's personal statement about why he decided to become a member of the order. About 20 Secular Franciscans were present. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the community room of the Ruth Lilly Student Center for our regular meeting and celebrated Gary's profession with cake and punch.

Summer Retreat 2010

Getting ready to throw down some cash ($75) and register for the summer retreat. See details below. (The registration deadline is Friday, June 4.) Fr. Lester Bach O.F.M. Cap. is leading the retreat. I have it on good authority that we may be able to pick up a copy of his new book for a very good price. I like his style. Simple. Friendly. Clear. You don't need a S.T.D. in systematic theology to read it. That's refreshing.

Triennial Regional Elections

Our Lady of Indiana, the regional fraternity, held it's triennial elective chapter on Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Presider: NAFRA Councilor Mary Bittner.

Friar Witness as delegated by CNSA: Fr. John Sullivan OFM

The Holy Spirit led the Regional Council to elect the following to serve you the the coming three years:

Minister - Frank Vargo

Vice Minister- Dave Dieringer

Secretary - Fred Kidwell

Treasurer - Sharon Roberts

Formation Director - Kathleen White

Councilors: Bill Fink, Bob Golobish, Elaine Stiner

"Let us begin, for up to now we have done nothing!" - Francis said that.

More Summer Retreat Details

Our Lady of Indiana Regional Fraternity

Summer Retreat

University of St. Francis

Fort Wayne, Indiana

June 18- 20, 2010

Retreat Master: Fr. Lester Bach, OFM Cap

Friday, June 18
Arrive 7:00 pm
Evening session: 8 pm
Evening prayer

Saturday, June 19
1st morning session: 9 am
2nd morning session: 11 am
Lunch - noon
Break - quite time
1st afternoon session: 2 pm
Mass: 5 pm
Dinner: 6 pm
Open forum and community prayer
Adoration: 9 pm to Midnight

Sunday, June 20
Final Session: 9 am

Cost per person with overnight accommodations (two nights): $75
Cost per person for day registration: $40
Deadline for registration: Friday, June 4
Registration Form

Please call Erin Gigli, SFO with questions
1-260-414-5597

A Good Book on Prayer

"Opening to God: A Guide to Prayer" by Thomas H. Green, S.J. was recommended to me by Fr. Frank Jasper OFM several years ago. It is a great little book. There are some nice reviews of the book on Amazon. I read the book several years ago and recently started reading it again.

Incredible Opportunity

The summer retreat with Fr. Lester Bach, OFM Cap is an incredible opportunity. I will keep everyone up to date on the details. This is really something you should take advantage of.

Mark Your Calendars for Secular Franciscan Retreat

Just got back from an Our Lady of Indiana regional SFO council meeting. Great news. A retreat for all Secular Franciscans is planned for June 18 - 20, 2010 at the University of St. Francis in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Lester Bach, OFM will be the presenter. He is the author of numerous books on Secular Franciscan formation. This is a great opportunity! Mark your calendars. More information will be forthcoming soon.

Guidelines for the Development of the Franciscan Person

Woo hoo! I found "Guidelines for the Development of the Franciscan Person" at this web site address:

http://docplayer.net/63419131-Guidelines-for-the-development-of-the-franciscan-person.html

There is an earlier hard copy edition, but this is better. Sister Diane Jamison, OSF, an Oldenburg Franciscan, worked on the update. So did Sister Mary Elizabeth Imler, OSF. Over the next few months, I will be reading and reflecting on "Guidelines for the Development of the Franciscan Person."

Of course, there are other approaches for developing a Franciscan person. My favorite is found in "Fully Mature with the Fullness of Christ" by Benet A. Fonck, OFM. He focuses on the opening lines of Francis' "The First Version of the Letter to the Faithful" and Mark 12:30-31, which you can find in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume 1, pg. 41. (FA:ED Vol. 1, pg. 41).

Eucharistic Presence and the Road to Emmaus

For Christmas, among other things, I received "A Eucharistic Vision and the Spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi" by Br. Mark of Whitstable, a Capuchin friar. It is a very interesting book.

I am now reflecting on the appearance of the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-35) and its implications for the early Church. The importance of this encounter between Christ and the apostles is recognized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it states "The Breaking of Bread, because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meal, when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread, above all at the Last Supper. It is by this action that his disciples will recognized him after his Resurrection...." (1329). Here as a footnote the Catechism references Luke 24:13-35.

The Eucharist is very important to Francis. He writes about it in Admonition 1, the first paragraph of his First Letter to the Faithful, his Testament, and several other places. Over the next few weeks, I am looking forward to exploring the Eucharistic vision of St. Francis more deeply.

The Regional Triennial Election Is Fast Approaching

The Regional Triennial Election is scheduled for April 10, 2010 at Kokomo Indiana.

All Secular Franciscans are eligible to nominate someone for the Regional Executive Council.

TIMELINE:

JAN 1 - Notice of Election published; Call for Nominations

FEB 10 - Nominations close

FEB 11 - Nominations Committee contacts nominees, they accept or decline nomination

MAR 11 - Deadline for nomination forms returned from nominees

MAR 12 - Resumes of nominees sent to voting members of the Elective Chapter

PROCEDURE:

For the office of Minister, Vice Minister, Secretary, Treasurer, Formation Director, and Councilor, email (preferred) OR snail mail the name, address, and email address to BOTH Kathleen White and Linda Grady.

(Nominations are sent to both committee members to avoid a nomination being lost. Committee members will continually cross reference nominations.)

Kathleen White, SFO kdwsfo@verizon.net 612 Front St - Logansport IN 46947

Linda Grady, SFO lgradysfo@sbcglobal.net 6001 Harvard Drive - Kokomo IN 46902

Nominations are confidential.