OFS Saint Anthony of Padua Fraternity News Letter December 2018

Transcription

1 Please Pray for the Sick & Homebound Virginia Ames, Louis Axeman & wife, Kathleen & daughter, Dorothy Puhr, Sandy Baird, Rosemary Beheiter & her son Steve, Nancy Bitter, Dwight Cartier, Fr. Michael Crosby OFM, Virginia Delia, Jay Doolittle, Kenneth Engel, John Goedeker, Ginny Gregali & Family, Eileen Immken, Marie Harris, Catherine Jensen, Joetta Kern and her daughter Pam and her granddaughter Sabrina, Val and Michael and Tim Kovac, Dan and Jessica Kovac, Val s sisters, Carol & Pam, Val s daughter & son-in-law Mary & Chris, Val s brother-in-law Bob Ebner, Rita Laiben, Ray & Mary Meuer, Joanna Miles, Sandra Moushay, Candy O Connell, Dolores O Connell, Matt Reinsch, Bryan Rowbottom, Charlotte Schneider, Al Spies & family, John Springstead, Anthony Steiner, Buena Steiner, Elizabeth Steiner, Margaret Styblo, Sr. Charline Sullivan, Susan Taft, Donna Tillman, Jesse Todd, Stephen Vogel, Mary Wainscott, Sonia Watkins, Tom Wilson, Maureen and Tom Yahnke and Edna Yahnke, Roy Zanneker Let us pray to God for one another, for by carrying each other s burden of charity in this way, we will easily fulfill the law of Christ. ~ Clare of Assisi, Letter of St. Clare to Ermentrude of Bruges 1

2 Our December Meeting Our December Meeting will be on Sunday December 16, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. in the Saint Anthony of Padua Parish Hall. This is our annual Christmas Meeting. There will be no initial formation. We will meet at 1:00 p.m. Our Liturgy will be the Liturgy of the Crib. This year lunch will be a cold beef, turkey and ham and cheese tray for sandwiches and salad. Please bring a side or a dessert. After lunch we will have fun and reindeer games. Please remember you can bring family or friends. Minutes of the St. Anthony of Padua Fraternity Gathering - November 18, ). Welcome: Secular Franciscan guest Sharon has moved here from Texas. 2). Liturgy: Mass for deceased Fraternity members was held in the chapel from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Walburga Steiner, OFS, is this year s only deceased member. 3). Ongoing Formation: Various members described what they were grateful for. a). Admonitions 7 and 8, along with Love of God and Empathy, were discussed at each table. b). John Owens II gave his thoughts on Blessed Jane of Signa. 4). Cards for the home bound were passed around and signed. 5). We were reminded that we could donate for victims of the California fires if we wished to do so. 6). Audrey Sullivan, OFS, is the only member celebrating a Profession this month. 7). Members donated paper products for Our Neighbor s Basket going to Our Lady s Inn this month. 8). Our Christmas Party gathering, on December 16, will be simpler than it has been in the past. Betty, Val, and Ginny will organize things for it. 9). We should bring our extra 2019 calendars to the gathering. They will be given to the food pantry clients. 10). Mary s Moment, our Advent Morning of Reflection, will be Saturday, December 8, from 9 a.m. to noon in the St. Anthony of Padua Parish Hall. A sign-up sheet was provided. 2

3 11). Our Council meeting will be on the first Wednesday, December 5, at 1:00 p.m. 12). Dinner Together will be December 5 at 11:30 a.m. at Crusoe s. 13). There are flyers to Franciscans dealing with the California fires. 14). The Closing Prayer was followed by fellowship and snacks. New Address: Virginia Delia, OFS; Mary Queen and Mother, 7601 Watson Rd, St. Louis, MO Respectfully submitted by Louis Axeman OFS, Secretary Aid to OFS Victims of California Fires Often when we hear news of catastrophic events that happen far away, we hesitate to act because we do not know where to send a contribution. Recently we have heard of the devastating wild fires in California that have destroyed many homes and businesses and even whole towns. The fire hat destroyed the town of Paradise, California has impacted many of our OFS brothers and sisters from that area. The National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order has set up a fund to directly help Secular Franciscans affected by theses fires. The funds will be sent to region to distribute, in the form of gift cards, to those in need of assistance. Please make your check payable to NAFRA and send to: Fire Victims % Claudia Kauzlarich, OFS 2007 Maverick Trail Harrisonville, Mo And let us all pray for all the victims of the devastating fires in California. The Franciscan Connection Recently someone asked me where is Father Bob Sieg, OFM. It turns out he is back in Saint Louis working at the Franciscan Connection. The article below appeared in the November 29 th edition of Around the Province, a weekly newsletter of the Sacred Heart Province. The 3

4 Franciscan Connection is located at 2903 Cherokee Street, Saint. Louis, Mo There phone number is , Franciscan Connection Needs Your Help! The Franciscan Connection is open again for business here in Saint Louis, Mo. We would like our friars to know that we are still alive and also asking them if they may know of some resources to help us get re-established. The Franciscan Connection was begun in 1991 by friars Gratian Nosal and Tom Shaughnessy. They looked at ways to establish relationships with the poor and marginalized in Saint Louis. Over the next 27 years, the Franciscan Connection took many directions depending on the needs of the community and the talents and gifts of the friars. The most recent director was Larry Nickels, OFM, who suddenly met Sister Death in the spring of this year. We all know that our Province does not have friars in the bullpen to take over the needs, but our Provincial Administration placed high priority on continuing this ministry. Friars Paul Gallagher and Bob Sieg have been asked to revitalize the Connection. We are in the process of assessing the needs of the community and finding resources to help break the cycle of poverty. Larry Nickels did a great deal with utility assistance. As we start to get back on our feet, we have helped over 200 families with utility assistance who were facing a cut-off. More than just giving a hand-out, we worked personally with each person to explore ways to increase their income, decrease their expenses and place them in connection with other means of financial assistance. We have been able to do this primarily through a gift from our province, a gift from FMU and a gift from Saint Peter s Church in the Loop. Many time people (especially at Christmas) may ask you if there is anything the Franciscans need at this time of the year. Can you simply remember the Franciscan Connection as we continue the tradition of spreading the Gospel among the poor? December Birthdays Happy Birthday to all who have December Birthdays Charlotte Schneider Dec 1 Javier Orozco Dec 2 Virginia Delia Dec 15 Val Kovac Dec 15 Joetta Kern - Dec 23 December Anniversaries Only one Anniversary in December Congratulations John! John Springstead Dec 8 4

5 December Saints and Feasts Dec 3 St. Francis Xavier was Tertiary before joining Jesuits Dec 5 Blessed Pierre of Sienna Dec 6 Blessed Elizabeth la Bonne Dec 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec 9 Blessed Delphine de Glandeves Dec 11 Blessed Hugolin Magalotti Dec 12 - Finding the Body of Our Holy Father St. Francis Dec 14 Blessed Barthole Bounpedini Dec 18 - Blessed Mary Frances Schervier Dec 22 - Blessed Jacopone da Todi Dec 25 Nativity of Our Lord Dec 28 Feast of the Holy Innocents Franciscans mark 800 years of serving in the Holy Land Crux Staff, Oct 18, 2017 Cruxnow.com For 800 years, the Franciscan order has been present in the Holy Land, serving as ambassadors of the entire People of God, according to Pope Francis. The pope commended the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land for their willingness to accompany the steps of pilgrims from every part of the world through welcome and guidance, in a message released on Tuesday. The mission to the Holy Land was commissioned in 1217 by St. Francis of Assisi himself, and over 100 years later - in the Holy Land province of the Franciscans were officially declared the custodians of the holy shrines by Pope Clement VI. Our presence is an event not only for all Christians but also for all of mankind. Yes, our presence is for all of humanity, said Franciscan Father Michael Perry, the Minister General of the worldwide Franciscan order, who was in Jerusalem for the celebrations marking the anniversary. This was also the view of Francis of Assisi, who wanted to visit the Holy Land, reaching Damietta [a port in Egypt], in a situation where there was ongoing dehumanization. Even today, these dehumanizing movements still exist. The Custody s vision is to promote dialogue and harmony among people and to promote humanity s integral development, Perry said in an interview published on the Custody s website. 5

6 (Perry was referring to the Siege of Damietta, when Christian knights took the port during the Fifth Crusade, a prolonged operation which took over a year. Near the end of the siege, Francis crossed over the lines and tried to convert the Sultan Al-Kamil before the Muslim leader surrendered the city.) Even today, the Franciscan presence has meaning, because it is not only important in order to welcome pilgrims, but also to accompany all of humanity in this area that has experienced horrible expressions of violence. But our presence continues to remember the dignity of every person and we have the vocation of promoting peace among all human beings, Perry said. The Custody serves in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, parts of Egypt, Cyprus and the Greek island of Rhodes. It controls dozens of shrines, and shares ownership of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem with the Orthodox and Armenian Churches. The Franciscans also operate numerous parishes and schools in the Holy Land, and support the local Christian community, so they can stay in the land of Christ s birth. "I encourage you to persevere gladly in supporting these brothers of ours, especially the poorest and weakest; in the education of young people - who often risk losing hope in a context that is still without peace - in welcoming the elderly and the care for the sick, living out the works of mercy in a concrete way in daily life, the pope wrote. Assiduous in contemplation and in prayer, simple and poor, obedient to the bishop of Rome, you are engaged also in the present in living in the Holy Land next to brothers of different cultures, ethnicities and religions, sowing peace, fraternity and respect, the pontiff said, before renewing the mandate of Clement VI. You are ambassadors of the entire People of God, who with liberality you have always sustained, especially through the Collection for the Holy Land [taken up in Catholic churches every Good Friday], which contributes to ensuring that in the Land of Jesus, faith is made visible in work. 6