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JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY | Pope Francis
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Friars lead retreats for Holy Name Province
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BUTLER, NEW JERSEY - Friars Tom Washburn and Mike MacInnis this week completed the second of two provincial retreats for the friars of Holy Name Province at the invitation of Holy Name's Office of Ongoing Formation.
The theme of the retreat was Living Franciscan Mercy. The retreat unpacked this theme from the perspective of the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the thought and writings of Pope Francis, and from the perspective of our Franciscan sources and the thought and writings of St. Francis. For the retreat, Tom spoke on the perspective of Pope Francis and Mike from the perspective of our Franciscan tradition.
The first of the two retreats was offered at St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Florida from January 18-21; the second retreat took place this week at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey. About 35 friars attended each of the retreats.
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| | During the retreat this week, Tom and Mike had the chance to visit Br. Larry Stumpo at the friary in Ringwood, New Jersey. Br. Larry was very grateful for the visit and asked that all the friars know that he was thinking of them and praying for them. |
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| | Mike and Tom visiting with Br. Larry in Ringwood |
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Fr. Rick Martignetti participates in Formation Meeting in Rome
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ROME - From January 25-28, the Secretaries for Formation and Studies of the Conferences met in the General Curia.
Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFM, was present for the meeting representing the Secretaries of Formation of the English Speaking Conference.
The gathering started with the Eucharistic Celebration presided by General Minister Michael A. Perry. The meeting continued in the "Aula Duns Scoto" with the opening remarks of Fr. Cesare Vaiani, General Secretary for Formation and Studies, after which each participant gave their respective presentations.
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A Missionary Quiet Hour with God
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A Missionary Quiet Hour with God
Fr. Primo Piscitello, OFM, Minister Provincial
Fr. James E. Goode, OFM. Promoter of the Franciscan Missionary Union
Monday April 4, 2016
THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
A Missionary Quiet Hour with God
(An hour of your choice before noon.)
A quiet time for us as Missionaries and Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province to Reclaim our Franciscan Evangelization with the poor. Our Vocation of Joy
Opening Prayer: Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68 -79)
Closing Prayer: The Prayer of Saint Francis
Hail Holy Queen
Evangelize the poor: this is the mission of Jesus; this is also the mission of the Church and of all the baptized in the Church," the Pope said Jan. 24 to the crowds in Saint Peter's Square. "To be a Christian and to be a missionary is the same thing."
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February Fraternitas available online
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ROME - The February issue of Fraternitas, the newsletter of the Order, is available online. You can access it by clicking the image below:
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With "Laudato Si," Pope Francis asks us to take a step forward and act
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ROME - General Minister Michael Perry, OFM, speaks about the Pope's encyclical on the environment.
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Join us on the FRIAR app for LENT
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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. These are the spiritual pillars of Lent. As we begin another season of Lent on February 10, join us every day on the FRIAR app.
Each day we will post a special LENTEN GOOD DEED to help you make your 40 days more focused, more prayerful, more Franciscan as we make our way to Easter.
If you haven't downloaded the app yet, just search "friars" in the app store.
The FRIAR APP allows you to post prayers, as well as, join in the prayers of others and have friars across the country and others pray for them. The app also allows you to have a candle lit for your prayer, or someone else's prayer, in an actual Franciscan church.
The app is available in both the Apple App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android smart phones, and can be found by searching for "friars" or using a QR code (found on usfranciscans.org or below).
There is no cost to install the app or to submit or join in prayer requests. There is a small fee to cover the cost of lighting an actual candle.
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Registration for Interprovincial Gatherings
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Dear Brothers, May the Lord give you peace! Thank you to those who responded to the request last month to register for the Interprovincial Gatherings taking place nationally in the U.S. in June and July to discuss the next phase of the revitalization and reconfiguration process. We are still in need of 16 more friars to sign up to reach to hoped-for number of seven friars attending each of these gatherings. At each of these gatherings, seven (7) friars from each province (i.e., roughly 50 friars) will have the opportunity to discuss the four models devised by the Franciscan Interprovincial Team, and to recommend which model might best serve our Franciscan life and mission in the years ahead. These meetings will also provide the opportunity to get to know friars of the other provinces. The dates and locations of the four interprovincial gatherings are: - June 6-9, 2016 - San Damiano Retreat, Danville, CA
- June 13-16, 2016 - Siena College, Loudonville, NY
- June 20-23, 2016 - Franciscan Retreat, Albuquerque, NM
- July 18-21, 2016 - Cenacle Retreat House, Chicago IL - July 18-21, 2016
Each province needs four groups of seven friars from their province - one group for each of these four gatherings, with different friars in each group. We hope to have a good mix of friars who represent both the younger friars (i.e., newer to religious life) as well as those whose years of fraternity and ministry have instilled in them a wisdom that comes from lived experience.
Please respond to this email as soon as possible to let us know which of these four you might be willing to attend and represent our province. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Peace,
Thomas Washburn, OFM Secretary to the Provincial Minister |
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"Come and See" weekend set for April
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NEW YORK - There is one remaining "Come and See" discernment retreats for this year and the Vocation Team are asking each friar, parish or ministry site to promote them in their bulletins and other materials.
The final retreat for this year will take place April 15-17, 2016 at Immaculate Conception Friary in Boston. A sample bulletin announcement is below.
Vocation Preaching around the Province
A member of the Vocation Team would also like to come to your parish or place of ministry to preach about vocations. Please email vocations@icprovince.org to schedule their visit.
We are all Animators of Vocations
Finally, the Vocation Team recognizes that we are all called to be vocation animators. Please share with us the name and contact information of any young man in your parish or ministry or that you know who you think may have a vocation to our way of life. Again, p lease let us know at vocations@icprovince.org. |
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BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT
Please run the following announcement in your bulletin for the next several weeks:
"Come and See" Vocation Reatreat (April 15-17, 2016)
The Franciscan Vocation Office is holding a "Come and See" vocation discernment retreat for young men (ages 18-38) who are considering a calling to our Franciscan way of life. The retreat will take place April 15-17 at Immaculate Conception Friary in Boston. To register for the retreat contact the Vocation Office at vocations@icprovince.org or (800) 521-5442. |
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