Queen of the Angels Secular Franciscan Fraternity

Transcription

1 Queen of the Angels Secular Franciscan Fraternity Features Monsignor s Corner Address: 790 SW 40 Hiway, PMB 130, Blue Springs, MO Missouri Catholic Conference Speaker Calls All to Follow Francis and Rebuild the Church! QueenofAnglesfo@gmail.com FALL 2013 Inside this issue: MCC in Jeff City 1 50 Million Names 2 Holy Eucharist Christmas Party Consecration to the Mary Holy Land Pilgrimages Dona Gibbons, Dave and Virginia Forbes traveled to Jefferson City, MO to attend the Missouri Catholic Conference. The theme of this year s conference is Francis, Rebuild My Church! which draws inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi. The keynote speaker was Bishop Richard Pates, Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa. He chairs the US Bishops committee on International Justice and Peace. He has dealt extensively with how Catholics can work in solidarity with the poor and marginalized including immigrants and poverty in emerging nations. Bishop Richard Pates Des Moines, Iowa Missourians from all over the state attend the MCC in Jefferson City. Bishop Pates spoke on rebuilding the church under Pope Francis, calling the pontiff s elections an awakening time, one which generates hope and spurred by a renewed vision. The coming of Pope Francis on the world stage on March 13, 2013, stirred the embers of faith and generated excitement around the world, Bishop Pates said. He went onto say that Pope Francis has embraced mercy, peace and a renewed emphasis on the poor in the early days of his papacy, citing the pope s stance on Syria, urging peace and dialogue. There were 16 workshops at the event covering topics from Saving Catholic Schools, to hot spot policing, St. Francis and the Poor, Meet St. Francis of Assisi and more.

2 Page 2 Queen of Angels take a Pilgrimage to State Capitol With a conference entitled Francis, Rebuild My Church you know that there were going to be many Franciscans. Our brothers and sisters of the Holy Eucharist Fraternity were there One of the greatest contributions of Franciscans to the 21st century, is that we understand love as the deepest form of knowledge." Sister Ilia Delio, OFS Standing in the main floor of the Capitol building, Virginia and Dave Forbes along with Dona Gibbons attended the Missouri Catholic Conference in Jefferson City. Clarissa and Brad Grill were among those in Jeff City. This is an activity that makes the babies personal, not just a statistic. Go to www. 50millionnames.com sign up for free and begin naming babies. 50 Million Names is a grassroots campaign to collect names for the now-more-than 50,000,000 children aborted in our country. Naming these children helps heal the wounds of family members, abortionists, and of our nation. Honoring them acknowledges the reality of their short lives, and connects Namers to their prayer intentions for their mothers, fathers, siblings and family members, and for the abortionists and witnesses who are now intimately connected with these babies. Secular Franciscan, Mary Ackerly, was one of the founders of this project. Members of area fraternities; Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Elizabeth s, Holy Eucharist and Queen of the Angels were there to participate in this beautiful pro-life project. Queen of the Angels Secular Franciscan Fraternity 790 SW 40 Hiway PMB 130 Blue Springs, MO QueenofAngelsfo@gmail.com Phone: or Council Minister, Dona Gibbons, ofs Vice Minister, Kathy Johnson, ofs Secretary, Pat Durham, ofs Treasurer, Helen Boos, ofs Formation Master, Cathy Herndon, ofs Spiritual Assistant, Monsignor Ralph Kaiser, ofs

3 Page 3 Monsignor s Corner Monsignor Ralph Kaiser, OFS Pastor of the Church of the Santa Fe Spiritual Assistant Monsignor Ralph Kaiser, just returned from his third trip to the Holy Land. This time he went on a tour lead by Scott Hahn and the Friars of the Renewal in New York. He shared his experiences at the January gathering. Francis traveled to the Holy Land to convert the Muslims to Christianity. Though he was not successful in converting the Sultan, he made a profound impression on him. The Sultan granted Francis his favor and protection for the Franciscans. It is this reason that the Pope made the Franciscans custodians of all of the Holy Land shrines. (Thank you St. Francis!) Monsignor concelebrated Mass at many holy places; the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Mount Tabor, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and over the house of Peter among others. He said that at Cana, couples renewed their marriage vows. Priests who make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land are especially honored by the Franciscans and presented with a Holy Land stole. Monsignor showed us his new Crusader s Stole which has 5 crosses in memory of the 5 countries who participated in the Crusades; Spain, France, England, Italy and Germany. The Holy Land now has had a deep decline in the number of Christians, who total only 1% of the population. Monsignor recommends everyone to visit the Holy Land because it greatly deepens your faith...but be prepared for pick pockets, soldiers with gun and barren landscape. If you would like to see Monsignor s Holy Land Slides from his trip, he will show them at the Church of the Santa Fe in Buckner, Mo during Holy Week. Date to be announced later.

4 Page 4 Pope Francis Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Tell My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls. Secular Franciscans united with the KC-SJ Division of the World Apostolate of Fatima as they join Pope Francis Marian Day celebration at the Prayer Assembly on October 13 at 3:00 PM at Divine Mercy Park, 3800 N. Davidson Road, Kansas City, MO (.8 miles South of St. Pius X High School). The ceremony began with a procession of the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Father Jeffery Jambon, Administrator of St. Patrick Parish in St. Joseph. delivered a sermon, followed by the Rosary and Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Diocesan groups, families, and individuals were encouraged to participate in the prayers for the Holy Father s intentions of Peace and for God s mercy on the world. Pray the Rosary every day To obtain Peace in the world St. Faustina s Diary (1074 paragraph 4) The Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) is a branch of the worldwide Franciscan Family. We are single and married. We work, worship and play in community where we live. The OFS is a secular movement, established by St. Francis of Assisi more than 800 years ago. Our purpose is to bring the gospel to life where we live and where we work. We look for practical ways to embrace the gospel in our lives and try to help others to do likewise. In today s world we are plagued by time schedules, projects and activities that leave us tense and stressed. The SFO becomes our place of refuge and renewal where our brothers and sister in Francis support Interested in Becoming a Secular Franciscan? and inspire us. You too, can become a life -time member of our family if God is calling you. See contact information on back page.

5 Sharing Christmas with Our Sponsors, Holy Eucharist Page Since 2004 Holy Eucharist has invited area Franciscans to share the joy of fraternity and a good meal at Christmas time. It has always been a great time to pray, sing and share the beautiful stories of Francis and the first crèche. Dave Forbes, Queen of the Angels candidate, hold us a verse and joins in the fun. Elizabeth Dietrich hold up a sign to prompt all to sing a verse of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Sermon to the Birds From "The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi," My little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noe that you might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst, mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favored you with such bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise to God."

6 Volume 1, Issue 1 Page YEAR IN REVIEW January: Members attended the March for Life in Washington, DC, Pro-Life Rally in downtown KC Candle light vigil in Independence, MO Profession - Our Lady of Sorrows - Lawrence, KS Franciscan Saint for the Year - annual drawing February: Attended Holy Eucharist Profession of Candidates March: Council met at the Franciscan Prayer Center April: Prepared NAFRA fraternity poster May: Respect Life Sunday Rosary Rally, Blue Springs, MO June: Regional Retreat in Wichita, KS July: Monsignor Kaiser s Birthday Party - invited area fraternities August: Developed fraternity banner for NAFRA Meeting in KC, Gifts for NAFRA bag September: Missouri Catholic Conference Francis Rebuild My Church in Jefferson City, MO October: NAFRA Pot Luck Dinner and final NAFRA Social. Pope Francis Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Divine Mercy Park, NKC November: Regional Chapter of Elections in Wichita, KS Spaghetti dinner to support the Sisters of St. Francis Warehouse December: December 8 th Fraternity Patronal Feast - Immaculate Conception - Hour of Grace & Mercy Christmas Pot Luck with Holy Eucharist, sponsoring fraternity Upcoming Events May Visitation TBA June Annual Wichita Retreat September National Regional Visitation