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Year of Consecrated Life | Pope Francis
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"The call of Jesus pushes each of us never to stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person. We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see how much generosity everyone is capable. No one can be excluded from the mercy of God; everyone knows the way to access it and the Church is the house that welcomes all and refuses no one. Its doors remain wide open, so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, so much the greater must be the love that the Church expresses toward those who convert."
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Province awarded $65K grant for Archives
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NEW YORK - The Province learned this week that it has been awarded a grant of $65,000 from the Academy of American Franciscan History for the professional organization of our Prov  incial Archives.
The grant proposal was submitted by our recently formed Provincial Franciscan Library Committee. The committee is chaired by Andre Cirino, OFM and includes Friars Paul Rotondi, OFM, Richard Martignetti, OFM, and Michael Della Penna, OFM, and Siobhan O'Dwyer, OFS, who is also serving as librarian. Andre wrote the proposal for the grant.
The grant money will help us to hire a professional archivist to organize our archives, especially works related to our founder Panfilo da Magliano.
"We are especially happy that the grant is requested for the purpose of organizing material relevant to Panfilo Piertrobattista da Magliano, OFM," wrote Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, chairman of the Academy in his letter announcing the grant.
The Academy of American Franciscan History is a research institute dedicated to the encouragement of the study of the Franciscan Order in the Americas. It does this through the publication of books, documents, a scholarly journal, as well as sponsoring seminars, conferences, lectures and offering grants. You can learn more about them at their website: www.aafh.org
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Br. Philip Hira to become U.S. citizen
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TROY, NY - On March 27, 2015, Br. Philip Hira, OFM, will take his public oath and become a citizen of the United States. Br. Philip passed his exams for citizenship on February 26.
Br. Philip joined the Order in 1974 in Pakistan, and made his solemn profession on August 2, 1979. He worked in Hyderabad Diocese for 26 years serving as a pastoral worker for six years, then 10 years as Youth director for the diocese. He later became Director of the Justice and Peace Commission for the Diocese.
In March of 2006, after making a request from his Provincial Minister in Pakistan and our Province here Br. Philip came to the United States and began working as a Parish Assistant in St Peter's Church in Portland, Maine. In June, 2007, he made his move to St Anthony Church in Troy, New York where he has ministered since.
While in Troy, Br. Philip has completed one year as Resident Chaplain and one year as Senior Resident at Albany Medical Center. He also works as pastoral worker in the parish and hospital ministry and is studying at St Bernard School of Theology and Ministry to complete a Master's degree in Pastoral studies by July 2016.
"I enjoy my role in outreach programs to poor and homeless in the city.The eight years of involvement in the city and pastoral relationship with people at St Anthony's Church, played positive role in my decision to become citizen of America," Br. Philip said. "The condition of Christians in the Muslim countries compels me to become a US citizen so that I will be able to raise my voice for these oppressed people. As a Franciscan, it is my mission to reach out to the poor and marginalized in our world. I hope that by becoming a citizen of this great country; I will be to bring justice and peace to the oppressed people around the world."
Congratulations Br. Philip!
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| | Br. Philip Hira, OFM, blessing animals at St. Anthony Church, Troy, during last year's Feast of St. Francis |
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Friars with New Addresses
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The following friars are now at the addresses listed below:
Fr. Michael John Travaglione, OFM
1 Cargomaster Street
Fort Bragg, NC 28307
Br. Lawrence Stumpo, OFM Holy Name Friary Skilled Nursing Home 2 Morris Road Ringwood, NJ 07456
Fr. Francis de Sales Paolo, OFM St. Paul Friary 50 Somerset Street Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Fr. Daniel Morey, OFM Rusk Rehabilitation Center 240 E 38th Street New York, NY 10016
(Dan is currently undergoing rehab following surgery) |
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Franciscans Together in Mission for FMU 2015
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NEW YORK - Our Franciscan Missionary Union office has again announced the annual campaign, Franciscans Together in Mission for FMU 2015 (FTM4FMU 2015) from February 2 through December 8 of this year.
With its theme taken from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, "The Love of Christ impels us." (2 Cor. 5.14).
All are invited to support our Franciscan Missionary Union through prayers, compassionate offerings and donations. |
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Pope St. John XXIII: Secular Franciscan
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This article originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of The Troubadour, newsletter of the Our Lady of the Angels Region of Secular Franciscans.
By Fr. Andre Cirino, OFM
I once came across a book in Italian that I no longer have in my possession, and although I
cannot remember the exact name of the book, it concentrated exclusively on Pope John XXIII and his ties to the Franciscan Order.
When I had the opportunity to take a Franciscan Pilgrimage to Pope John XXIII's birth home, Sotto Il Monte near Bergamo in northern Italy, I translated sections of this little book that show Angelo Roncalli's love for and connection with the Franciscan family. As the one-year anniversary of his canonization draws near, (April 27), I thought it might be helpful for Franciscans to hear a bit more about the Franciscan dimension of this great pope and saint whose short papacy opened the path to aggiornamento-to update the church by convoking the Second Vatican Council.
Pope John seemed to be captivated by the Franciscan Order and charism, for he once exclaimed: "What a mystery! What a mystery this Franciscanism!" In what follows, I share some of his thoughts and memories about the Order's presence in the friary of Baccanello close to his home, about his contact with members of the Franciscan Order and his love for Franciscan saints and sanctuaries.
FRIARY AT BACCANELLO NEAR HIS HOME
A friar minor of the twentieth century by the name of Agostino Gemelli is credited with having said that people don't become Franciscans; they are born Franciscan. And this seems to be the
case for Angelo Roncalli, Pope John XXIII. His family lived nearby the friary at Baccanello. The Franciscan influence of this friary remained with him throughout his entire life.
Speaking to a group of Franciscans in 1961 he said: "The friars minor are the closest to my life,
because I also am a Franciscan for a long time! In my family home, when the window was opened in the morning, the first church I saw was yours (Baccanello), down there." Pope John explained the origin of his vocation as a Secular Franciscaną when he was still very young: "I would see the humble and modest friars who edified me very much passing nearby my house. They often invited me to the Franciscan friary of Baccanello to pray in solitude and recollection." He called them a family and compared them to a large tree.
While a young adolescent, he was received as a Secular Franciscan. The guardian of Baccanello said: "He (Roncalli) once reminded me that I am a poor cardinal before your protector; but also I enjoy the heartfelt sentiments of a humble and faithful Secular Franciscan."
Pope John XXIII recalled that when the bells of Baccanello invited the friars to choir to pray the
Divine Office of Sext and None towards the hour of 11:30, his good Mother came to the door of
the house and called: "Angelino, Angelino, come because it's time to light the fire to cook the polenta!"
Pope John told us that after a long journey through the world, "nothing was sweeter and more delicious to my soul than to return to the friary of Baccanello . . . especially for the feast of Il Perdono," The Pardon of St. Francis. He often preached on the feast of Il Perdono d'Assisi
at Baccanello.
He wrote to the guardian of the friary of Baccanello in 1956: "Fraternizing with the sons of St. Francis accompanies and sweetens my spirit for the whole year." During a visit as pope to Bellegra friary in the Franciscan province of Rome on 25 August 1959, he told the friars: "At one time I thought of following the humble friars of Baccanello, but then a stronger wind blew me onto another road. And on departure from Bellegra friary, he said: "Too bad that I must go! When I am here with my brothers, I do not think of time constrictions."
On 12 April 1959, Pope John canonized the first saint of his pontificate, a son of St. Francis of Assisi, a poor shepherd of the Pontine Marshes who innately knew the ways of a mystic, Charles of Sezze, friar minor and lay brother. After the canonization of St. Charles, the pope
thought of the friary at Baccanello and sent "the reliquary of St. Charles of Sezze, gift of Pope John XXIII, Secular Franciscan from Sotto Il Monte to the friary of Baccanello, most dear to him
from his childhood." Dated June 12, 1959.
CONTACT WITH MEMBERS OF THE FRANCISCAN ORDER
Every time that he would meet the sons of the Poverello of Assisi, he would call them, with extraordinary and amiable simplicity, fratelli, brothers. An entry in his Journal of a Soul, 30 January 1919 reads: "I have come here to visit Padre Agostino Gemelli of the friars minor, friar and medical doctor."
When he once addressed the Capuchins of Assisi, he said: "Beloved sons, I willingly give you this brief word: when I was fourteen years old, I was made a Secular Franciscan in the Seminary of Bergamo."
On 13 July 1958, to a group of Franciscans he said: "I am also a Secular Franciscan; so we are of the same spirit."
He did not forget the Poor Clares in Paris, Rome, or Venice. He would say that he loved St. Clare and her sisters very much. He described St. Clare as "on fire with love." When visiting a monastery where there was adoration day and night, he asked which sister did her adoration at two in the morning, and when they told him, he joyfully exclaimed to her: "I too will be in prayer with you." And he explained that he arose at that hour to pray and work because of the silence and peace.
On 16 April 1959, in the Cathedral of St. John Lateran in Rome, the general ministers of the Franciscan family, in commemoration of the 750th anniversary of the Rule of St. Francis, solemnly renewed their religious profession in the hands of John XXIII. It was then that the pontiff opened himself to them saying: "I am Joseph, your brother."
At the conclusion of an audience with a Franciscan bishop, the pope said: "Bishop, now give me the blessing of St. Francis because I am a Secular Franciscan." And after a personal audience with a friar, he invited him to his next audience telling the people: "Today I bring you two blessings, that of the Pope and that of St. Francis."
And at a papal audience with the general council of the Order of Friars Minor, he said: "I wanted to put the friars minor last on my audience list to be able to enjoy their presence a bit longer.
FRANCISCAN SAINTS AND HOLY PLACES
In a letter to his mother in September 1936, he wrote: On the way home I intend to visit holy LaVerna, the mountain of St. Francis." As Patriarch of Venice, he led a pilgrimage from Venice to Assisi on 4 October 1953 to offer to the people of Assisi the traditional gift of oil to light the votive lamp at the tomb of St. Francis.
Among his books in his library at Camaitino, there were many Franciscan works. "I have loved St. Francis and his sons from my childhood. I am a Secular Franciscan since age 14 when I received the sacred tonsure . . .St. Francis was the most intimate of my Saints."
On 6 March 1960 he said: "Let us take St. Francis, the great friend of the Lord, as our model. St. Francis replicated him in his spirit by carrying Christ." Pope John also wrote: "The pious and noble Roman woman, Jacoba of Settesoli, was considered one of the first Secular Franciscans who helped the growing Order with all the means at her disposal, especially with the poor and suffering."
Pope John spoke to people about St. Francis of Assisi and his followers: St Anthony, St. Bernardine, St. Bonaventure, St. Clare, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Francis Solano, St. Charles of Sezze, St. Francis Marie of Camporosso, the poet Jacopone da Todi, Thomas of Celano, and Luke Wadding.
He began one talk with the expression: "In the sayings of Brother Giles and in all Franciscan poetry..." Speaking about St. Bernardine, he noted: "St. Bernardine is now deceased for five centuries, since 1444. And for five centuries, my humble family has lived at Sotto Il Monte."
In his home at Camaitino, there was a painting of St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas, depicting the following: Thomas to Bonaventure: "Where have you found such powerful and rich thoughts to fill so many volumes?" Bonaventure showing Thomas a crucifix: "Here is my Teacher!" John frequently quoted the mystical works of St. Bonaventure, especially his meditations on the life of Christ, the Tree of Life.
On 20 May 1963 while on deathbed: John had read to him The Flame of Love, a work by a certain Friar Thomas (1631).
CONCLUSION
Bishop Righi who worked with Pope John in Istanbul said of him: "Bishop Roncalli, from the beginning, never had nor wished to have money in his pocket. He lived nine years in Istanbul without having transport for his personal use. He used the tram or taxi."
I close with Bishop Righi's comment above because of the overtones it has to our present Pope Francis who seems to be unwittingly evoking images and memories of Pope John XXIII. Angelo Roncalli came from poverty and obviously lived with a sense of the evangelical counsel of poverty, both economically and spiritually.
May Secular Franciscan Pope John, and his love for Saints Francis and Clare and the Franciscan way of life, set us afire as we Franciscans continue to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ!
Note: Pope John XXIII referred to himself as a Tertiary or Tertiary Franciscan. I used the more recognizable name today because Tertiary may carry overtones to what today we call the Third Order Regular.
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IC Franciscan Library to host Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, poetry reading
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NEW YORK - The newly established Immaculate Conception Province Franciscan Library in New York City is excited to announce that it will host renowned Franciscan writer, Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, for an afternoon of poetry reading on Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m.
Fr. Murray is a Franciscan Priest and Poet. He holds a Ph.D. in English
 and has taught English and A merican Literature, composition, and creative writing. His latest books are Francis and Jesus (2013), and Enter Assisi: An Invitation to Franciscan Spirituality (January, 2015). His most recent books of poetry are Something Like Jasmine (2012), Of Francis and Clare (2013), and Autumn Train (2015). Fr. Murray resides in inner-city Cincinnati, Ohio, and spends two months of the year in Rome and Assisi, Italy, as a staff member of "Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs."
Father Murray has read his poetry at various venues in America, Italy, and England, including in William Wordsworth's church in the English Lake District.
His reading will consist of reading and commenting on selected poems from his published work. The commentary will include the context in which the individual poems were written, the poet's understanding of poetry and its function in society, elements of the craft and art of poetry, and the poets who have influenced his own writing.
He will read from several of his books of poetry, including Of Francis and Clare, a collection of poems about St. Francis and his parents, Pietro Bernardone and Lady Pica, about St. Clare, and about Assisi.
See Fr. Murray Bodo's website: www.murraybodo.com
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2015
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Immaculate Conception Province Franciscan Library
125 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10012
All are welcome. If you hope to attend, we ask that you RSVP to internos@icprovince.org so that we will have a sense of numbers.
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JOB POSTING: US Digital Media Director
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The U.S. Provincial Ministers are hiring a full-time U.S. Director of Digital Media to manage the digital communications profile for the Franciscans nationwide. A full description of the position is below. Interested candidates can send a cover letter and a resume in for consideration.
US NATIONAL DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
Job description:
The National Digital Media Director is the full-time coordinator and animator of the American (US) Sub-Conference's Internet, digital, and social media presence.
The Director's primary duties are:
- to maintain the institutional digital media presence, especially the common web site;
- to promote a wide range of topics and interests relevant to the US Franciscan experience;
- to gather content relevant to target audiences and prepare it for distribution in a contemporary and evolving format;
- to assure that graphics and layout for institutional digital media remain contemporary;
The Director's other duties are:
- to serve on appropriate standing, advisory and ad hoc committees as required;
- to work with the U.S. Digital Media Committee (appointed by the U.S. Provincial Ministers) to help shape and focus the message within the editorial policy and direction set by the U.S. Provincial Ministers;
- to collaborate with writers and communicators from each province, who will submit original material and recommend outside material for reposting;
- to perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Franciscan. The Digital Media Director, ideally, is someone:
- who is familiar with and embraces the Franciscan charism
- is exposed to the work and ministry of the friars
- is well respected by the friars of the Provinces of the United States.
Skills:
The Director is someone who:
- has good communication skills demonstrated interpersonally, in writing, and in speaking;
- has above average working knowledge of computers, smart phones, and tablets;
- has demonstrated competence and ease using internet communication, which can be evidenced by current use of social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, etc.
- is familiar with basic themes in a broad range of topics impacting Franciscan life in the US, such as Church issues, justice and peace, current events, etc.
- is familiar with on-line and app-based publications of interest to a Franciscan perspective;
- is available to adjust strategies and develop communications and posts upon short notice when necessary;
- is able to collaborate with partners from remote locations.
Please send a cover letter and resume to Thomas Washburn, OFM (exec@escofm.org).
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NEXT "COME & SEE" WEEKEND: MARCH 20-22, BROOKLYN
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The Vocation Office will host the next "Come & See" Discernment Retreat Weekend on March 20-22 at Our Lady Of Peace Friary. Please help promote the event by announcing it in your places of ministry and inviting young men to attend.
Thanks,
Alvin
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Prayer for the General Chapter
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ROME - General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, in convening the General Chapter of the Order, has asked friars throughout the world to join in prayer for the success of the General Chapter.
The General Chapter is set to take place May 10 - June 7 of this year at the Domus Pacis Retreat House in Assisi. It has been given the theme "Brothers and Minors in our Time."
Below is a prayer that we are asked to use daily:
Most High and Glorious God,
you have called us to follow the footprints
of Your Beloved Son
as Lesser Brothers of Your servant Francis.
Send Your Spirit to enlighten our hearts
as we prepare for the
General Chapter of Pentecost
at St Mary of the Porziuncola.
Renew in us the joy of the Gospel,
that we may proclaim in our time
Your mercy and goodness towards all.
May the Lady of the Angels,
the Virgin made Church,
accompany us as we follow her Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
as we make our way to You,
who live and rule in perfect Trinity
and simple Unity,
and are glorified,
God almighty,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Click the link below for more prayers, including intercessions to be used during Morning and Evening Prayer.
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Dates for the Provincial Chapter 2016
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NEW YORK - The Provincial Council and Provincial Minister Primo Piscitello, OFM, have set the dates and location for next year's Provincial Chapter.
The Chapter will take place from May 16-20, 2016 at the Immaculata Retreat House in Willimantic, Connecticut.
http://www.immaculataretreat.org/
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