FRANCISCAN CROWN MINISTERS COLUMN. PAGE 3 Franciscan encounters. PAGE 4 Poor Clares from Roswell NM. Page 5 State of the Food Program

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1 S T F R A N C I S F R A T E R N I T Y N E W S L E T T E R FRANCISCAN CROWN V O L I I I S S U E 1 MINISTERS COLUMN J A N U A R Y Dear Franciscan Sisters and Brothers, Repair My Church today! Stir up new dreams, seek a fresh outlook! Brothers, let us begin, said Francis then and now: Let us begin, for until now we have done little or nothing! At the beginning of 2009 we must as a community come together to aspire to live our Baptismal vows fully and to dream the dream that will produce bountiful fruit. Your council has a dream for our community becoming active, interactive with each other and building up our Church. In this world today there are many who say it can t be done. We who do not live in the world and give up the worldly things must dream and dream big. Our goal must be how to achieve and that each one of us has a part to play. PAGE 3 Franciscan encounters PAGE 4 Poor Clares from Roswell NM. Page 5 State of the Food Program PAGE 7 From the Vatican This year we are celebrating the 800 th year of the Franciscan Order. We are so blessed to have been guided to the Gospel Life. By the example of the Seraph of Assisi we join together and by our lives witness to the Love of God. When we wear our Tau we put on the sign that the world sees. Fr. Vince once began a homily with is there enough evidence against you, that would convict you of being a Christian. Would friends, family or co-workers know by your actions that you live your life for Christ? I can affirm for each of you that the answer would be YES. I see in each of you a gift, talent and integral part of this community. All of you are doing wonderful things to make this a better world. The council s desire is to find avenues for our community to be visible in our Church. The challenge for this year is to make a small step together and become one voice. Happy New Year 2009 God Bless, Linda Raimundo

2 ST FRANCIS FRATERNITY SAINT MARY S BASILICA 231 N. 3RD STREET PHOENIX AZ PHONE tomdelta3@aol.com JANURARY PROFESSIONS ANN LEVECQUE JANUARY 23, 1955 Congratulations on 54 years of Profession Council members MINISTER Linda Raimundo VICE MINISTER Jeanne Walker SECRETARY Mary Stech TREASURER Lucille Juarez FORMATION DIRECTOR Bill Neu SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT Bro. Jeff Shackleton ofm HAPPY BIRTHDAYS JANURARY 18 FRATERNITY MEETING CLASSES FOR ORIENTATION: 12:30-1:30pm DIOCESAN CENTER CLASSES FOR CANDIDATES I AND II: 12:00-2:00pm DIOCESAN CENTER REGULAR MEETING: ST. MARY S BASILICA SOCIAL HALL 2:00-4:00 pm Social 2:00-2:30 Liturgy of the Hours Begin Meeting Ongoing Formation FRANCISCAN SAINTS & FEASTS JAN 21 St. Agnes BILL NEU JANURARY 8 MEL HILLMAN JANURARY 24 MARIA KOTOWSKI JANURARY 28 JAN 22 Day of Penance for Violations of Human Dignity JAN 24 St. Francis de Sales JAN 26 Ss. Timothy and Titus JAN 28 St. Thomas Aquinas FEB 2 The Presentation of the Lord Page 2

3 FROM YOUR COUNCIL Ongoing Formation: Bill suggested that in honor of the celebration of the 800 years of the Franciscan Order the Rule would be an appropriate topic. The Rule will be divided into sections and at each fraternal gathering the Rule will be presented and have at least 25 minutes for small group discussion. A retreat for all candidates will be held March 31 st at St. Catherine of Alexandria on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Br. Jeff Shakelton will give the retreat. It will be held from 10-3p.m. Christian Prayer: Br. Jeff suggested that we begin Christian Prayer standing and reciting the prayer of St. Francis on entering or leaving a church: We adore you, most Holy Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all your churches of the world, and we bless you, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. The sign of the Cross will be made at the beginning when reciting God come to my assistance, Canticle of Mary, and at the final blessing. The Antiphon is repeated after the Psalm prayer. At our January meeting we will touch on topics of budget, Profession and our 800 year celebration. We will spend time in small groups talking about our accomplishments and goals. The first Saturday of the month the council will begin interviewing those who are considering continuing their formation into Candidacy. Saturday February 7 is the first date we will begin interviewing. FRANCISCAN ENCOUNTERS Our beloved Kay Burke s funeral was well attended by her Franciscan brothers and sisters. She will be missed but has left us a spirit of giving, loving and commitment. Her love of formation guided so many of us may we share that with others as a memorial to her. Theresia Hindjes, Fran Schaefer, Leo Bohen and I went together to the funeral. We were able to enjoy each others company and had a nice visit. I took Fran home last and she shared how many of our children have strayed away from the faith. She recited a prayer that she says everyday for her children. I thought it was so lovely that I asked her to share it with us. She sent it to me. Prayer to be said before the Rosary Holy Mary, celestial Queen, with this Rosary I bind my children to your Immaculate Heart. Our Lady promised Fr. Gobbi that she would tend to Nancy Brady writes: Dear Franciscan Family, I invite you to participate with me as Secular Franciscans for Life at the 2009 Arizona s Annual March and Rally for Life. The event will be Thursday, January 22, 2009, and it is hosted by, ASU Students for Life. The march and rally will begin at 5:00 p.m. on the front lines of Planned Parenthood abortion facility (1250 E Apache Blvd Ste 108, Tempe, AZ 85281). Immediately following, there will a gathering at Arizona State University's Hayden Lawn with a pro-life concert at 6:15 p.m. followed by an evening rally at 7:00 p.m. I talked to Nancy recently and she is planning on making a sign that will show she is representing the Franciscan Order. She is soliciting the help of all fraternities in the Phoenix area. She can be contacted or , mlnbrady@earthlink.net. Angie McDonald shared with me, her and David s wonderful Christmas and New Years Masses at St. Catherine of Alexandria on the Gila River Indian Reservation. She and David carpooled with Margaret Estrada. Angie was so in awe of the wonderful experience. She especially enjoyed the New Years potluck. It sounded like a wonderful and spirit filled encounter. Peggy Toth has change residence her new address is N. 38 th Street Phoenix, AZ Her new phone number is Peggy is now 100 years young. She is well cared for and every week has a person who takes her for an outing. Peggy has a desire to take a trip to Sedona. We hope in the near future we can arrange for her to come to a meeting. Anna Zepezauer and I recently had a phone conversation. Anna has difficulty hearing in large crowds but on the phone we can converse very well. She is very well read and has wonderful insights. I just love our visits. This visit we talked on many topics but one that keeps going around in my mind is the one about love. Anna explained it so beautifully. This is a topic I am contemplating on. God Bless you Anna. Please submit articles about your encounters and activities. Submitted by Linda Raimundo Page 3

4 This card was received from the Poor Clares in Roswell New Mexico Our dear Brothers and sisters in St. Francis, We just received your package with your greetings, good wishes, beautiful homemade card, spiritual bouquet, and generous alms. May God reward you for this expression of love and spiritual unity in our Franciscan vocation! The sixtieth anniversary of our foundation was indeed a grace filled occasion of gratitude for God s blessings. Our Bishop, Ricardo Ramirez offered a Mass of thanksgiving in our chapel, and together we prayed for all those whose prayers and support have assisted us during our six decades in Roswell. Without you, our life of prayer and penance would not be possible! The gospels of Christmastide allow us to gaze upon the Holy Family in their sufferings and their joys, and this focus was intensified through yesterday s Feast of the Holy Family. Of course, we include all your families in our special prayers. One of our musical sisters honored the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with an organ concert. The novitiate sisters, experiencing the wonders of a monastic Christmas for the first time, also presented a lovely program of carols performed on organ and flute. At the manger bed of our newborn King, we entrust to Him all your prayer intentions and needs. May the beauty, simplicity, littleness, and love of the Babe of Bethlehem capture your heart, as it did our seraphic Father s. We ask our Emmanuel to fill your lives with joy, peace, and endless reasons for thanksgiving throughout the new year and into eternity. + Mother M. Anjela The little hills are clapping hands, The stars sing out! And in our dull hearts, joy awakens with a gladsome shout. Mfm Your Poor Clare Nuns of Roswell pray that The birth of Jesus may be the song in your heart This Christmas and throughout the coming year Mother Mary Anjela, P.C.C. (abbess) Page 4

5 STATE OF THE FOOD PROGRAM APOSTOLATE December 31, 2008 saw another successful and exciting food program apostolate year come to an end. This year we served a total of 60,345 sack meals to our brothers and sisters in need. We had a rollercoaster ride in the number of guests served each month from 6163 in July to 3951 in November. Our total served since July of 2005 is now 183,818. Due to increases in food costs and having to purchase our bread this year our per bag cost rose from.38 cents to.45 cents, for a total expenditure of $27, This is an increase in our expenses of $ for First of all we want to thank all our wonderful volunteers who make this apostolate so successful. We want to especially thank the new volunteers who have come to us this year and also those who have served so faithfully and have now had to leave us. A great big thank you needs to go to those who come at 6:30 in the morning braving the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter mornings to serve our brothers and sisters who are out in these elements 24 hours a day. We also want to thank our many wonderful benefactors who have made donations this year. Through their monetary and food donations we were once again able to be fully funded by private donations, and 100 percent of those funds went to our food and supply costs for the year. Our thanks now must go to the Friars and staff at St. Mary s Basilica for their support, especially in allowing the administrative costs to be absorbed by the parish and also the use of the church facilities. A special thank you to Brother Jeff Shakelton for his presence and interaction with our guests, two days a week. As a new year begins, in order to again be successful, we ask all of our Franciscan brothers and sisters to look into your hearts and pray to see if you are called to come together with our apostolate family to serve our brothers and sisters in need. We are truly a family and we have a lot of fun each morning. Please come and join the fun. With everyone s continued help and support, in the spirit of brother Francis, we will continue to help those in need in our own neighborhood. God bless you all Tom Raimundo sfo ST. FRANCIS FRATERNITY APOSTOLATE S ST MARY S BASILICA FOOD PROGRAM Monday Friday 6:30 to 8:00 am St Mary s Basilica Social hall Kitchen The Food Program has been serving daily. We have 7 members who faithfully serve on this apostolate. St. Clare s fraternity at each meeting comes together to stuff sacks and then delivers them to St. Mary s. If you are interested in serving the disadvantaged for this apostolate please contact Tom or Linda Raimundo God feeds everyone in this ministry with fellowship. ST. CATHERINS MASS AND HOLY HOUR Every Thursday Mass at 8:30 am Holy Hour following Take 51 st Avenue South, all the way to the Estrella Mountains. (You will pass through the town of Laveen.) Continue south on 51 st Ave, past Baseline road. Keep going past St. John s Indian School/Church, which is off Pecos Road. Approximately one mile farther south (still on 51 st Ave), you will see a white tower on your right. (This is a marker to let you know you re getting close!) Look for Santa Cruz road. Turn right on Santa Cruz, a paved road which deadends at St. Catherine s church. THURSDAY ADORATION AND HOLY HOUR Every Thursday 5:00pm to 7:00pm Adoration 5:00 to 6:00pm Holy Hour 6:00 to 7:00pm Page 5

6 FRANCISCAN PERSPECTIVE Option for the Poor The brothers should follow the example of St. Francis who was led by the Lord to go among the lepers. Each and every brother should show a preference for the marginalized, for the poor and the oppressed, for troubled and sick people and be happy to live among them and show compassion. (OFM General Constitutions, Art. 97) Peacemaking The brothers should live in this world as builders of justice and heralds and craftsmen of peace overcoming evil by doing good.the brothers should call all people again to peace, gentleness and kindness. (OFM General Constitutions, Art. 68) Care for Creation Following closely in St. Francis footsteps, the brothers should show a sense of reverence towards nature, which is today threatened on all sides. They thus restore nature in its entirety to its status of brother and sister, useful to all people for the glory of God the Creator. (OFM General Constitutions, Art. 71) Human Rights The brothers should work humbly and courageously that human dignity and the rights of all are respected and cultivated (OFM General Constitutions, Art. 96, 3) We as Secular Franciscans should strive to follow the First Orders example and motivation in the care of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation. We can do this by following the same directives given the First Order in the articles of their General Constitution listed above. St. Francis showed us that in order to follow Jesus and live the Gospel, we must care for the poor and marginalized, advocate for human rights, be peacemakers and respect and care for all of creation. St. Francis did not imitate Jesus, but rather followed in His footsteps. Lord teach us not to imitate St. Francis, but to follow in his footsteps following You. It is Your footsteps that they lead us to, and they are useful only when our feet rest in his footprints resting in Yours. Page 6

7 FROM THE VATICAN PROMOTING A NEW WORLD ORDER WORTHY OF THE HUMAN BEING VATICAN CITY, 1 JAN 2009 (VIS) - At noon today, shortly after celebrating Mass in the Vatican Basilica, Benedict XVI addressed the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus. The Pope wished a happy New Year to all present and to those who were following the Angelus on radio or television, assuring them that "with the Lord's grace - and only with it - can we have ever-new hope that the future will be better than the past". With the message for the World Day of Peace, the theme of which is "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" in 2009, he affirmed that his wish "is to dialogue anew with those responsible at national levels and in international organizations, offering the Catholic Church's contribution in promoting a new world order worthy of the human being". "At the beginning of the new year", he said, "my first objective is precisely to invite all leaders and ordinary citizens not to be disheartened in the face of difficulties or failures, and to renew their commitments". The Holy Father noted that "in the second part of 2008, an economic crisis of vast proportions arose. This crisis must be examined in detail as a serious symptom that requires intervention at its roots. It is not enough - as Jesus would say - to take a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Putting the poor in first place means decidedly moving toward the global solidarity that John Paul II pointed out as necessary, co-ordinating the potentialities of the market with those of civil society in constant respect of the law and tending always to the common good". "Jesus Christ", the Pope concluded, "did not organize campaigns against poverty but proclaimed the Gospel for a complete ransom from moral and material misery to the poor. The Church, with its unceasing labors of evangelization and human promotion, does the same. We call on the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to help all men and women walk together the Path of peace". THE HOLY FATHERS PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2009 General: That the family may become more and more a place of training in charity, personal growth and transmission of the faith. Mission: That the different Christian confessions, aware of the need for a new evangelisation in this period of profound transformations, may be committed to announcing the Good News and moving towards the full unity of all Christians in order to offer a more credible testimony of the Gospel. LET US ALSO PRAY FOR Please pray for all our members, living and deceased, as well as their families, but especially for; Pope Benedict XVI The Friars of the Santa Barbara Provence For all those living on the streets of Phoenix. For the Poor Clare Communities of Arizona and Roswell New Mexico. For all of our dispensed members For all our sick members, Rudy Juarez For all those who are incarcerated Page 7

8 We must deny ourselves and place our bodies under the yoke of servitude and holy obedience Second Version of the Letter to the Faithful Saint Francis of Assisi SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER St. Francis Fraternity 231 North 3rd Street Phoenix, Arizona 85004