ST. CLARE of ASSISI FRATERNITY

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1 The ST. CLARE of ASSISI FRATERNITY West Stockbridge, MA SALLY KUSEK, OFS MINISTER Box 335 Chester, MA Michael Guertin, OFS SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT INQUIRIES may be addressed to the Minister at The Fraternity meets for Teaching, Fellowship, Prayer and Formation on the 2nd Wednesday every month St. Patrick s Parish Center 30 Albany Road W. Stockbridge, MA The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and center of his life with God and people. The Rule, Chapter 2, 4 We dedicate this publication and the Apostolate which brings it to you monthly to the memory of the deceased members of the St. Clare of Assisi Fraternity. EF ORDO FRANCISCANUS SAECULARIS SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER VENERABLE FR. SOLANUS CASEY REGION Vol. 2, No. 12 Deo Gratias! January 2014 The COUNCIL meets at 12:00 PM The FRATERNITY meets at 1:00 PM TEACHING: Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 19 REFRESHMENTS: Leader: Nancy Janet vv Mary vv Gilberte vv Sally vv Fred JANUARY SCHEDULE MEETING DAY/DATE: Wednesday, January 8 LITURGY of the HOURS: Janice INSIGHTS: The Rule The Franciscan family, as one among many spiritual families raised up by the Holy Spirit in the Church, unites all members of the people of God laity, religious, and priests who recognize that they are called to follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. In various ways and forms but in life-giving union with each other, they intend to make present the charism of their common Seraphic Father in the life and mission of the Church. WELCOME to the ST. CLARE FRATERNITY The Rule of the OFS, Ch. 1, 1 The robe you wear is white as spotless snow; your face is radiant like the sun. Little Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Monday, Evening Prayer, Antiphon 3. The Tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, Basilica San Francesco, Assisi, Italy PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS AS WE DISCERN OUR COLLECTIVE VOCATION TO REACH OUT TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP WITH THE MESSAGE OF THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER, DRAWING UPON OUR RESOURCES AND TALENTS, EVER KEEPING WITH THE RULE OF THE ORDER, DEVELOPING AND CONDUCTING APOSTOLATES BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A FRATERNITY, IN AN EFFORT TO RECOGNIZE AND ENCOURAGE VOCATIONS TO SECULAR FRANCISCANISM. The Portiuncula, St. Mary of the Angels, Assisi, Italy THE CENTER OF FRANCISCANISM RESTORED BY ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI Venerable Solanus Casey, Pray for Us! This expanded issue of our monthly fraternal newsletter is distributed as an expression of the St. Clare Fraternity s Information Initiative, an ongoing and ever-evolving apostolate to help discover true vocations to Secular Franciscanism. Who are the Secular Franciscans? See page 4.

2 To everything there is a season... Eccles. 3: 1a St. Francis renounces his worldly possessions JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES PROFESSED ANNA FOLDEAKI 1/27/1980 REV. MR. GEORGE KEATOR 1/6/1976 JOAN MARTIN 1/2/58 BIRTHDAYS JANET CANTARELLA 1/20 THERESA MURPHY 1/16 IN MEMORIAM MARY GALISA 1/31/1991 Pray the Franciscan Family Chaplet FEASTS of the GENERAL ROMAN CALENDAR For JANUARY 2 STS. BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN, BISHOPS AND DOCTORS 4. ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON 5. ST. JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN 6 EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD (SUNDAY AFTER) 7. ST. RAYMOND OF PEÑAFORT, PRIEST 8. THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD 13. POPE ST. HILARY 16. POPE ST. MARCELLUS I 17. ST. ANTHONY OF EGYPT, ABBOT 19. ST. HENRY OF UPPSALA, BISHOP 20. POPE ST. FABIAN, MARTYR ST. SEBASTIAN, MARTYR 21. ST. AGNES, VIRGIN AND MARTYR 22. ST. VINCENT OF DIGNE, BISHOP 24. ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP 25. THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL 26. ST. TIMOTHY, BISHOP AND MARTYR ST. TITUS, BISHOP 28. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, DOCTOR 31 ST. JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST FRATERNITY NEWS DECEMBER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS The Fraternity and the Order are blessed and pleased to welcome Claire Leydet and Corinne Mays, who made their preliminary vows at a ceremony during our December meeting under the direction of Fraternity Spiritual Assistant Mike Guertin and Minister Sally Kusek. We embrace Claire and Corinne as novice sister Franciscans and we pledge our support and prayers as they continue in formation, anticipating final profession. Fellowship followed the ceremony with contributions to the table by all. Thanks to Janet we viewed A Call to Holiness, with Fr. Jozo Zovko, OFM, narrating first-hand the story of the Marian visitations to Medugorje. As parish priest at the time of the first visitations, he tells the emotional story of his journey from skepticism to conviction as the community came together with a miraculous expression of faith. FOLLOW-UP: Media As mentioned in July of last year, we are pooling our resources to generate a list of publications that we hold in common and that we can share. A reminder: Submissions are still being accepted. The list should be ready by Spring. Please remember that submissions for the newsletter are always welcome, including original work (art, creative writing [e.g., poems], reflections, etc.]. In addition, a new project is in the works, inspired by Mike Guertin. Older existing versions of publications circulating around the Franciscan community are being updated and given a new face. The most recently completed project is Prayers of St. Francis: Commentaries and Texts patterned after Francis Prayers by Fr. David Kocka, OFM Conv. A paper on the Portiuncula Indulgence is in the works. All of the new work is submitted to Mike and the Council for approval prior to release. The approved publications will be available in pdf format by request. There is no charge. REMINDER: Monthly Offering Please remember your monthly offering of $8.00. As always, it is a suggested good will offering only as you are able. Your contributions are used primarily to support two long-standing apostolates in addition to spiritual formation and guidance. None of the funds at this time are used for media. St. Clare receives the blessing of Our Seraphic Father, founding the Poor Clares, Palm Sunday, 3/20/1212

3 Pray with Saint Francis The Prayer from a Letter to the Entire Order 1 Commentary by Fr. Noel Muscat, OFM f all the letters of Saint Francis the Letter to the Entire Order is perhaps the most O liturgical in its orientation. I implore all of you brothers to show all possible reverence and honor to the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, he writes in this work and then proceeds to encourage the friars to manifest devotion and respect for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. Ubertino da Casale, in his Arbor vitae crucifixæ Iesu Christi (1305), indicates that the Letter was written at the end of the days of the Seraphic Father. The promulgation of the papal bull Quia populares tumultus on December 3, 1224, which granted the friars permission to celebrate the Eucharist in their churches and oratories, may well have occasioned this encouragement of Saint Francis. Nonetheless, the themes of this work reflect many of the concerns of the Testament, which was written as the saint was dying. The prayer that concludes this Letter is an excellent example of the marvelous balance the Poverello achieved in his spiritual life. Some manuscripts place it before the Letter; Luke Wadding places it separately. But this edition, following the tradition of the Assisi MS. 338, concludes that the prayer is an appropriate ending to the Letter since it is a summary of its content. St. Francis receives the Sacred Stigmata 1 Fr. Muscat s commentary is at The text of the prayer is from St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, Habig, Marion A., ed., Brown, Raphael, et. al., trans., St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2008, p Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us in our misery that we may do for your sake alone what we know you want us to do, and always want what pleases you; so that, cleansed and enlightened interiorly and fired with the ardor of the Holy Spirit, we may be able to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and so make our way to you, Most High, by your grace alone, you who live and reign in perfect Trinity and simple Unity, and are glorified, God allpowerful, for ever and ever. Amen. AFRICAN A First! FRICAN OFS / YOUY OUFRA CONGRESS The African OFS and YOUFRA of the east and central regions (French-speaking countries) met in Kigali, Rwanda, from 6 July to 13 July The objective was to reflect on the essential elements which define the identity of the Franciscan (OFS/ YouFra/Spiritual Assistant) in African culture to improve communication (locally, regionally, nationally and internationally) and to find solutions to the language problem facing Franciscans in Africa. Seven countries were represented: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Chad, Togo, Madagascar, Central Africa Republic and Mauritius. Said Michat Legrand-Raout of YouFra Mauritius: Each and every delegate has gone to his country to share with the other Franciscans what he/she has received... This congress has enlarged our vision of the Franciscan family across the world and shown us that we are not alone. St. Francis calms the wolf of Gubbio Many thanks to Father C.J. Waitekus, Rev. Mr. John Zick and the parishioners of St. Patrick s Parish in West Stockbridge for their hospitality. Be assured of a remembrance in our prayers.

4 COLORING CORNER St. Clare of Assisi FRANCISCAN PERSPECTIVES ST. MAXIMILLIAM KOLBE: The Grip of Serious Sin Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many, many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you. Whenever you feel guilty, offer all of your guilt to the Immaculate, without analyzing it or examining it, as something that belongs to her... My beloved, may every fall, even if it is serious and habitual sin, always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection. In fact, the only reason the Immaculate permits us to fall is to cure us from our selfconceit, from our pride, to make us humble and thus make us docile to the divine graces. The devil, instead, tries to inject in us discouragement and internal depression in those circumstances, which is, in fact, nothing else than our pride surfacing again. If we knew the depth of our poverty, we would not be at all surprised by our falls, but rather astonished, and we would thank God, after sinning, for not allowing us to fall even deeper and still more frequently. It was a very emotional and moving moment when Cardinal Bergoglio accepted his election and announced that his name would be Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. He said very explicitly that he was taking the name after St. Francis of Assisi.... Without having discussed it with the Holy Father, I think that there are some themes from the life of St. Francis that he is trying to communicate by choosing this name. One of the themes of Francis life is the call to rebuild the Church, which is a call to reform, and to deepen our conversion to the Lord. Another theme would be Francis theme of universal brotherhood; of making a world where we are brothers and sisters to each other. St. Francis, of course, saw himself as a brother to all of creation and to everyone. St. Francis also had a special love for the poor, who are a sacrament of the crucified Christ. The Holy Father, in his ministry as archbishop, has been so dedicated to the poorest of the poor. I think we will see a continuation of that in his pontificate. FRANCESCO I Seán Cardinal O Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston, in his Foreword to Pope Francis: The Pope from the End of the Earth by Thomas J. Craughwell, St. Benedict Press, LLC, Charlotte, NC, Author Tom Craughwell was a high school classmate of Fred Conforti, MD, OFS, of the St. Clare Fraternity in W. Stockbridge, MA (Don Bosco College Preparatory High School, Ramsey, NJ). The feast of St. John Bosco, founder of The Salesian Order, is January 31st; please remember the Salesians in your prayers. WHO ARE THE SECULAR FRANCISCANS? Secular Franciscans are professed members of a religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in about 1221 A.D. Many of the major Catholic religious orders have a secular arm: Dominicans, Jesuits, Carmelites, Benedictines. Secular Franciscans are especially committed to imitating, in everyday life, the Christ of the Gospels in the manner described by St. Francis in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. The initial obligation, therefore, in considering life as a Secular Franciscan is that of contemplating complete acceptance of the specific way of life demonstrated by St. Francis. The call to Secular Franciscanism is a vocation. Secular Franciscans meet in fraternity on a regular basis and, while elements of activity include bible study and prayer, we are neither a bible study group nor a devotional group, nor are we a splinter ministry. We are members of a true religious order. A vocation to Secular Franciscanism evolves over a nearly three-year period of formal spiritual formation leading to final profession, a permanent, life-long commitment to conversion, a daily process of spiritual advancement which is dynamic and Christ-centered. We certainly welcome inquiries by those who are seriously inclined to explore a vocation as a Secular Franciscan. Visit nafra -sfo.org for more information or, to make a personal contact in the local fraternity of St. Clare of Assisi in West Stockbridge, MA, write to us at fpcon@verizon.net. MA residency is not required. Notes on the Images Cover Page: St. Francis of Assisi (1181/ ), fresco in the Lower Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi, Italy, by Cimabue (c ) St. Clare of Assisi ( ), fresco in the Lower Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi, Italy, by Simone Martini (c ) Venerable Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap. ( ), by Timothy Bodendistel; cover portrait of Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey, by Michael Crosby, OFM Cap., St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2009 Pages 2 and 3: Stained glass windows depicting the life of St. Francis, from St. Francis Church, Lee, MA (closed 2003)

5 . The Icon Cross of San Damiano In Francis time there was a ruined 9th century chapel in Assisi dedicated to San Damiano. It contained a Romanesque style cross, painted around 1100 AD, which was about 6 10 high by 4 3 wide and painted on coarse cloth which was glued to a walnut cross. One day in September 1205, Francis was moved to enter this church in order to pray. The Legend of the Three Companions tells us that as he knelt before this image of the crucified Savior,... he began to pray most devoutly. A tender, compassionate voice then spoke to him: Francis, do you not see that my house is falling into ruin? Go, and repair it for me. * After this vision and the words spoken to him by Christ from the Cross, he began to understand his vocation and he determined to conform himself to the passion of Christ. The icon Cross of San Damiano holds a special place in our Franciscan heritage. Attached to San Damiano was the first monastery of the Poor Ladies (later the Poor Clares); St. Francis had predicted that an order of sisters, following the Rule of Holy Poverty, would dwell there. They became, under the leadership of St. Clare of Assisi, the Second Order of St. Francis. When the Poor Ladies moved in 1257 to a monastery which became part of the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare) in Assisi, they took the original San Damiano Cross with them. Today the original is in the San Giorgio Chapel of the Basilica of St. Clare where the Poor Clares guard it with great solicitude; a copy hangs in the chapel of San Damiano (see the images below). There is some disagreement among scholars about the provenance of the original; a few believe it found its way to Assisi from Serbia. However, though Byzantine in style, it was probably executed in Italy. Not written in the manner of a true icon, it is nonetheless referred to as an icon Cross because of the figures depicted with the crucified Christ, which tell the story of Calvary. The next few pages are devoted to examining this special Cross and the stories it tells. * Legend of the Three Companions, Ch. 5, 13, para. 2; from St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, Habig, Marion A., ed., Brown, Raphael, et. al., trans., St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2008, p The original Cross as it hangs in the San Giorgio Chapel in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi A copy hangs over the altar in the original position in the San Damiano Chapel, Assisi

6 Christ, the full stature image in the center, is crucified but serene. His eyes are open and His limbs are extended in an embrace: He almost appears to be supporting the Cross. Above His head is a Latin inscription : Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. At His hands on the arms of the Cross are angels gesturing as if in discussion about this marvelous event. Beneath His feet are faded representations of the patrons of Umbria: St. John the Evangelist, St. Michael, St. Rufino, St. John the Baptist, and Saints Peter and Paul.

7 Five major witnesses to the Crucifixion, the largest figures in the image next to Jesus, are depicted alongside His Sacred body; their names are written beneath their images. The Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist are to the right of Jesus; Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and the centurion (Mt. 8: 5-13) appear on the left. The centurion does not bear a halo, as do the other four saints. Three more diminutive figures share the scene with the five major witnesses. Two are named. The one on the right side of Jesus, next to the Virgin Mary, is Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus side with a lance; blood drip ping from the right elbow of Jesus falls straight down onto the upturned face of Longinus. On the left, next to the centurion, is Stephaton, who offered Jesus the sponge soaked in vinegar and gall; he holds the staff and sponge in the same way that Longinus holds his lance. The last figure is a mere face peering, as it were, over the left shoulder of the centurion. Very close inspection reveals the tops of three heads behind him; this represents the centurion s son, healed by Jesus, and his family (... he and his whole household came to believe [John 4: 53b]).

8 right hand of God the Father (1A) Christ with Cross as a golden scepter fowl,? peacock or rooster indistinct animal, possibly a cat Next to the left calf of Jesus is the figure of a fowl, variously thought to be either a rooster, representing the sign of the denial of Jesus by Peter, or a peacock, a common symbol of immortality in Early Christian art. Another small indistinct animal, possibly a cat, appears along the side of the shaft. Above the main image of the Crucified (1A) is Jesus emerging from the tomb triumphant, in regal garments, holding the Cross as a golden scepter. Ten angels greet Him. At the very top of the image the right hand of God the Father extends two fingers in a gesture of benediction, blessing His Son s willing sacrifice for the salvation of mankind.

9 The St. Clare of Assisi Fraternity The Secular Franciscan Order Venerable Fr. Solanus Casey Region West Stockbridge, MA USA 2013 For vocational use only.