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FROM THE PROVINCIAL
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 NEW YORK - "Preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary, use words." "Make me an instrument of your peace." These are among the most famous "quotes" of St. Francis and you see them everywhere. Yet, we who know and love the Poor Man of Assisi know that while they certainly express his spirit, it is not likely they they were directly uttered by him.
In our internet age, even more quotables get attributed to our beloved saint without anyone researching if he ever said them. But, as we find ourselves this weekend upon yet another Solemnity of our Beloved Founder, I find myself going back to another, simpler quote of the Saint that we do know that he said: "The Lord gave me brothers."
We know that St. Francis wrote those words, among his last words, in his Testament. As he recorded the final things that he wanted the friars to know, as he recalled how it was that God has called him to this then-new way of life; a singular moment in that development was when God made it evident to him that he was not to do it alone. The Lord gave him brothers. Because, he needed them.
My brothers, as we celebrate this Feast, know that today, as every day, I make St. Francis' words my own - the Lord gave me brothers, too. He gave me each and every one of you to walk this journey of faith together. Like our beloved saint, I need each one of you too. Today, especially, I am grateful for your fraternity. I am grateful for your tireless and humble service to our brotherhood and to the people of God. I am grateful for your presence in my life; for our presence in one another's lives.
My simple prayer for our Province today is that we can all share that same gratitude for the gift of our brotherhood. That we can all pray that through the intercession of St. Francis, we may strengthened in our bonds together.
May the Lord give you peace. May He bless you and protect you. And may Almighty God bless our beloved Province and may St. Francis interceed for us.
Buona Festa! Happy Feast!
Fraternally,
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Gossip threatens the life of the Church | Pope Francis
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There are bombs in here, very dangerous bombs in here. Please, keep your eyes open, because in the darkness of so many wicked lives, the enemy has sown weeds.
A good guardian, like the Archangel, has the courage to get rid of demons and has the intelligence to be able to pick them out from the crowd. He can't be, excuse my terminology, an idiot; he has to be quick on the uptake and alert. I know your job is to be like sentinels, keeping watch and guarding entrances, doors and windows so no bombs get in. But, I want to tell you something a bit sad; there are bombs in here and it doesn't matter if it's a homemade bomb or an atomic bomb, every single one is dangerous and there are many. The worst bomb inside the Vatican is gossip, which threatens the life of the church and the life of the Vatican every day because it sows destruction and destroys the lives of others.
While there are many religious and laypeople in the Vatican who are sowing good seed, the devil is still getting his way by using others to sow weeds. I call on you to crack down on backstabbing and courageously call people out. Stop them in their tracks and say, "Please sir, please ma'am, please father, please sister, please your Excellency, please your Eminence, please Holy Father, don't gossip; that's not allowed here."
Whatever gripes or problems people have, they should take them directly to the people involved without also complaining to the world.
With your added vigilance and help, the final word written about our lives will be, "He was a good person. He sowed good seed," and not, "He was dreadful, he planted bombs of discord" -- that would be very sad.
- Pope Francis, speaking to Vatican City security personnel
celebrating their patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel
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FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS: Letter of the General Minister
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ROME - General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, has issued his annual letter to commemorate the Feast of Our Holy Father Saint Francis.
In it, he writes:
"Only 'following the teaching and the teaching and the footprints of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Rnb 1:1) renders us brothers and minors: there is no other way. The seraphic father, St. Francis, was pure Gospel transparency and lived the primacy of God and the primacy of a life with mind, heart and body turned essentially to the Gospel. For this reason he is considered the poor one of Assisi and brother to all. If we, today, want to be true brothers and authentic minors we are called to move from appearances to the pure and simple efficacy of Gospel transparency.
Along the path we have come to understand that we are a 'contemplative brotherhood in mission, in minority.' This quality of our charism contains a spirituality that is a 'sign of the Reign begun with its fruits of reconciliation; a spirituality that above all announces with the witness of a liberated life reconciled to the evangelical passion of love; a life donated in the example of Christ and the witness of living together' (G. Bini).
Dearest brothers, we take up with grateful and available hearts Pope Francis' call to the whole Church in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium: 'Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the ideal of fraternal love' (101). We also take up the message that in Assisi, the Pope desired to give us directly: 'Dear brothers, please care for minority.'
The Lord care for you, accompany you and give you the grace of always following in the footprints of His beloved Son and always desiring that which is pleasing to Him."
 | | Feast of S. Francis 2014 |
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Franciscans Together For Mission for FMU 2014
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By Fr. James Goode, OFM, FMU Moderator
NEW YORK - World Mission Sunday celebrated throughout the Catholic World on Sunday October19, 2014, is an opportunity for us as Friars to give thanks for our Franciscan vocation. As missionaries, we are "Witnessing the Joy of the Lord throughout the world"! The Franciscan Missionary Union theme for the missionary/ evangelization activities of the Province is "The Love of Christ impels us (l Corinthians 5:14). Our theme is inspired by our founder Saint Francis Assisi's complete joy of the Gospel.
The Franciscans Together For Mission for FMU (FTM4FMU) has made a tremendous impact on the way we as friars live out our missionary call. Through our collective efforts as Missionaries we are proud to say that we are "in mission together".
As "The love of Christ Impels us" our gratitude is extended to our Provincial, Fr. Primo P. Piscitello, OFM, Ms. Madeline Bonnici, and staff of the Franciscan Mission Associates, Missionaries in Central America, our Mission Team FTM4FMU, and our generous benefactors.
On this Mission Sunday 2014, let us join our Holy Father Pope Francis as we pray that "through the intercession of Mary, the model of humble and joyful evangelization, that the Church may become a welcoming home, a mother for all peoples and the source of rebirth for our world". 
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Province Retreat set for October 19-23
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WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY - The annual Province Retreat has been scheduled to take place October 19-23 at Mount Alvernia Retreat Center. The retreat will be a joint endeavor with the Capuchin Friars of St. Mary Province, also based in New York.
The theme of this year's retreat will be "Pope Francis and the New Evangelization: Implications for How We Evangelize as Franciscans." The retreat will be directed by Fr. Bill Cieslak, OFM Cap.
Fr. Bill lived with the friars of the St. Barbara Province for 25 years while teaching Sacramental Theology, Sacred Liturgy and courses in The Legacy of the Franciscan Theological Tradition and Intellectual Tradition at the Franciscan School of Theology at Berkeley, California. He is currently the Director of Preaching and Evangelization for the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph and lives in Chicago.
The retreat will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 19 and will conclude following lunch on Thursday, October 23. Friars interested in attending must register by contacting Fr. Roch Ciandella at (845) 297-5706 Ext. 112 by October 13.
Friars attending this retreat who are engaged in parochial and other external ministries and who are allowed a stipend for their annual retreat are kindly asked to donate that stipend to Mount Alvernia to help with the expenses related to the retreat.. |
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Interprovincial retreat opportunities
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There are two interprovincial retreat opportunities coming up in the months ahead.
The first retreat opportunity is the "Seasoned Friars Retreat: A Practical & Spiritual Approach Toward a Hopeful Future." It will take place November 3-7, 2014 at San Pedro Center in Winter Park, Florida. The presenters for this retreat are Fr Myles Sheehan, SJ, Provincial of the New England Province of Jesuits; and Br. Craig Wilking, OFM, a Franciscan Friar of Assumption Province, Franklin, WI.
The second will take place January 5-9, 2015 and is entitled "An Approach to Hope: The Gospels Through The Lens of Franciscan Scholarship". It will be directed by Sr Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ - a member of the Sisters of St Joseph. She has a Ph.D., Philosophy from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. She is currently ministering as Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology in Oceanside, CA. She is a renowned Franciscan scholar and lecturer whose focus is on the teachings of John Duns Scotus. This retreat will take place at
Holy Cross Retreat Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
You can download more information about each retreat below
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