MINISTER S MESSAGE. ST. JOSEPH CUPERTINO FRATERNITY 2017 Theme for the Year: Living Our Spirit-Filled Rule CHRISTMAS PARTY December 17, 2017

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1 ST. JOSEPH CUPERTINO FRATERNITY 2017 Theme for the Year: Living Our Spirit-Filled Rule CHRISTMAS PARTY December 17, 2017 Laudato Si (Praise be to you On Care For Our Common Home), Paragraph 40 - Oceans not only contain the bulk of our planet s water supply, but also most of the immense variety of living creatures, many of them still unknown to us and threatened for various reasons. What is more, marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world s population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend on them. ~ Pope Francis MINISTER S MESSAGE Come join our Christmas Party with plenty of Hors D oeuvres, potluck dishes, Wine, cheese and other goodies. Dear Sisters and Brothers in Francis and Clare, At our December 17 th gathering. we will celebrate Christmas as a community starting at 1PM. Please bring hors d oeuvres or your favorite covered dish or dessert, your council members will provide the beverages. This will truly be an old fashion potluck Christmas luncheon. Please mark all bowls and utensils with your name & make sure you take the containers and utensils home with you, as well as whatever is not eaten. We will end our gathering with early evening prayer at 3PM, please bring your Liturgy of the Hours. Upcoming Spiritual Assistant Training Course The Region is accepting applications for the upcoming Secular Franciscan Spiritual Assistants Course. If you believe the Lord is calling you to serve as a Spiritual Assistant for our Order, please contact Br. Kip Ledger at: friarkip@gmail.com Below please find more information on the Spiritual Assistants Program: Trainers for the Spiritual Assistant s Course are: Kip Ledger, OFM Cap friarkip@gmail.com Fr. Vincent Cushing OFM vinccush@aol.com Anne Mulqueen, OFS anne_mulqueen@mac.com 1. January begins Course for Spiritual Assistant with a Day of Reflection 2. January 20 interviews conducted 3. March 10 first Class 4. Meeting Place to be determined Our Fraternity Council Minister Bob Longo, OFS V. Minister Ed Burgee, OFS Formation Geri Flynn, OFS Secretary Treasurer Councilor Councilor France Staudenmann OFS Michael Radcliffe OFS Lita Maisel OFS Mary Karth OFS Spiritual Assistant Br. Lawrence LaFlame, OFM. Conv Evening Prayer Third Sunday of Advent Page 1

2 The Course Outline note some changes from previous course: Please Pray For Connie Baker, OFS Marlene Feaga, OFS Mary Ferrara, OFS Marie Lindung, OFS Jim Manning, OFS Georgianna Papazian, OFS Jim Tebo, OFS OUR DECEASED BROTHERS AND SISTERS Deacon Tom Bello, OFS Frances Bastress, SFO Joe Bezila, SFO Jerry Cichowicz, SFO Shirley Costello, OFS Joe Cykoski, SFO Stella Cykoski, SFO Claire Lee Davison, SFO Adela Duff, SFO Donna Duncan, SFO Charles Ferrara, SFO Dolores Fritz, OFS Marilyn Gilson, SFO Richard Hall, SFO Joy Kubricky, OFS Frances Langbehn, SFO Bob Lewis, SFO Jean Manning, OFS Yvonne Proch, SFO Nancy Seaton, SFO Don Sweitzer, OFS Betty Taylor, SFO Bud Tenley, SFO Regina Yeager, SFO Dorothy Zalewski, SFO 1. Two-year course Combination correspondence and quarterly group meetings with a retreat once a year 2. Group gatherings: Br. Kip presents Franciscan spirituality, Father Vincent will present theological reflections, and Anne will handle basic information from our Orders guiding documents. 3. Training is primarily for Secular Franciscans, but open to friars and sisters 4. Most important point: Spiritual assistance is a response to the call of the Holy Spirit 5. It is a service rendered to a fraternity. (See General Constitutions Article 89.4(b)) it is not a position of superiority, but one of service. II Mandate from CIOFS in Regard to Training Secular Franciscans as Spiritual Assistants - Citing GC 89.4(b) and SA Statutes Art. 15.4(b) 1. First chosen as Spiritual Assistant is a Franciscan friar then a Franciscan religious brother or sister then b. diocesan clerics or other persons, specially prepared for such service, who are members of the Secular Franciscan Order; 2. The major superiors retain the responsibility to appoint the secular spiritual assistance at all levels of fraternity 3. Secular Franciscans must be professed a minimum of five years 4. Secular Franciscan Spiritual Assistant cannot belong to the same fraternity he/she provides assistance 5. The Spiritual Assistant must be suitable and well-prepared 6. Secular Franciscan Spiritual Assistant must be faithful to the Catholic faith--the Franciscan Charism and live in conformity with the Rule, General Constitutions and all Statutes 7. Secular Franciscans must possess a solid Franciscan formation, good working knowledge of Scripture, Franciscan sources, OFS Rule, General Constitutions and Church documents 8. And it is understood they will not vote on financial matters or in elections We have a tremendous shortage of Spiritual Assistants in the United States, several fraternities in the St. Margaret of Cortona Region have not had the privilege of a Spiritual Assistant for years. Please think and pray and listen to your heart to see if the Holy Spirit is calling you. ~ Your Fraternity Council January 21 st The Franciscan Tradition of Extraction of Saints Page 2

3 November 2017 Beginning Balance: $ Income Total $ 1, Expenses: Shrine of St. Anthony Picnic Brother Lawrence Franciscan Friars Fr. Michael Heine November Mass Web Fee Total $ Ending Balance: $ Thank You for your monthly contributions Contributions are tax deductible December Birthdays Denise Donaldson, OFS 12/10 Joan Bundy, OFS 12/15 Edward Burgee, OFS 12/17 Diane Witherspoon, OFS 12/18 John Handiboe, OFS 12/18 Mark McPherson, OFS 12/23 Remembering Your Profession Laurel Swencki, OFS 12/14/08 Marie Lindung, OFS 12/16/09 James Soltysiak, OFS 12/16/09 Our Franciscan Center Apostolate Don t forget to bring your donated items to this month s gathering, please pick from below. Remember your monthly donation(s) are tax deductible. Hand sanitizer Toothbrushes Shampoo & Conditioner Deodorant Feminine hygiene products The Franciscan Family Apostolate By Denise Donaldson Soap Toothpaste Washcloths Disposable razors The Holy Spirit enflames our gifts and points them in a certain direction for God s purposes. Opening to that call is what living the Gospel life prepares us to do. As it did for St. Francis, the Gospel directs us to listen for and respond to God s call to rebuild his Church. Love is the command of the Gospel and the tool we use in that work. This is not only a call to service, but a call to place yourself in the forge, allowing the work to change you as much as your hands change it. I have been blessed to respond to two very specific calls: to care for the mentally ill and to nurture my family. The first of these is a vocation for me working in a psychiatric hospital. And so a great portion of my time is spent treating, supporting, advocating and protecting people who suffer with mental illness. But I would like to focus on the second as my main apostolate my family. Our Rule of Life tells us Secular Franciscans should consider their own family to be the first place in which to live their Christian commitment and Franciscan vocation. (Rule 17) The family system is a church within the church, and so the efforts put forth to build that family-church serves to eventually evangelize the world. In family life the need for daily conversion is crystal clear! Whether that conversion comes in the form of how I discipline (literally to make a disciple of ) my boys, how my husband and I respect one another, how much quality time and attention I spend with the older generation, or even how we handle the laundry together - these are all opportunities for Love. This is a place where Franciscan vision and reality meet, we might even say clash. (The Franciscan Journey, Lester Bach, OFM.) In the family forge if we all submit to transform, then we all get a little bit closer to creating a world that God would want for us. Teaching our children through words, prayer and actions to respond to life s challenges with God at our side is an important part of this ministry. An apostolate is where we stop asking WHY we do what we do and we focus on HOW we are going to do it. How are we going to love one another today? How are we going to bring God into this family issue? How are we going to Page 3

4 bring all our needs and challenges and ideas and talents into focus for God s glory today? How am I going to see this child, this spouse, this moment as Jesus? Living in the HOW is where the family apostolate offers so many opportunities for grace. One small example is this: in our family, my husband and I have previously annulled marriages and children from those marriages. Praying with our children for their other parents has been a very important tool in this apostolate. And the fruits of this labor are seen so clearly: my 9-year-old son recently came to me and said he was sad for his friend whose parents just recently separated. So he invited him to come to our home and to attend Mass with us the boy had never been to church before. He told his friend, I did not know any other kids with divorced parents so the thing that helped me the most when my Dad was gone was getting close to God and talking to my Mom and Step-Dad about what God wants for me. After Mass his friend thanked us and said he would like to come back and bring his mom and his sister. It s not a perfect forge, though. If we have learned nothing from Peter, Matthew, Paul and the others, being an Apostle is a messy thing! There are cracks in the walls like the fact that the children are prohibited from attending church or even praying when they are visiting their father. Or the fact that we can still argue about chores or get frustrated with too many demands on our time and energy. Or my own failures to spend time in daily prayer because I tired myself out with the business of family life and work.though I content myself to be praying through the work itself. But it s not the perfection of the work that is necessary in a meaningful apostolate. We have to leave room for God to shine His grace into the work as well. When I think of this I am reminded of the Japanese art of Kintsukuroi in which broken pottery is not discarded or fixed with invisible joins or even mourned. The jar is joined together with wide gold seams, drastically highlighting the mistakes, allowing the beauty of the errors to enhance the piece and endowing it with history, meaning, uniqueness and Spirit. That is how God s grace fills the cracks of our fumbling hands as we keep reaching out to rebuild his church. In joining my imperfect work with God, it is instantly rendered beautiful, strong and whole. General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order December 8, 2000 Article 10 The Form of Life "Christ, poor and crucified", victor over death and risen, the greatest manifestation of the love of God for humanity, is the "book" in which the brothers and sisters, in imitation of Francis, learn the purpose and the way of living, loving, and suffering. They discover in Him the value of contradictions for the sake of justice and the meaning of the difficulties and the crosses of daily life. With Him they can accept the will of the Father even under the most difficult circumstances and live the Franciscan spirit of peace, rejecting every doctrine contrary to human dignity. OUR GATHERINGS All should make every effort to attend our gathering every month. If you are unable to attend due to illness, work or family obligations, contact a council member (see page 1 for telephone numbers). If you are a candidate or are professed and miss a gathering, please send your check for the Common Fund to: Michael Radcliffe, OFS 7911 Westpark Drive, Apt 2709 Tysons Corner, VA Editor: Bob Longo, OFS blongosfo@gmail.com Fraternity Website: Page 4

5 Our Christmas Family Wish List The children need Winter Clothing, as they have only warm weather clothing. Please see below an alphabetical breakdown by last name to help us to purchase a Christmas gift for our needy Christmas family: A - I Elian (boy, just turned 5 years old): Size 5T Shoe size Pants, Shirts, Sweaters, socks, winter shoes Winter pajamas, winter slippers, Winter coat with hood, snow boots, winter hat, winter scarf, winter gloves/mittens Educational Toys and Learning Resources (Grades 1-2) Art supplies: crayons, colored pencils, paints, brushes, art paper, play dough, etc. J - Q Gabriela (girl, 6 months old) Size 12 months Winter Top/Tunic and Leggings Sets, Body Suit and Pants Sets, Indoor Winter Hoodies and Cardigan Sweaters Winter coverall (1-piece) pajamas, Winter socks and slippers Soft Winter Jacket with Hood, winter hat, winter mittens Footed snowsuit with hood Development and Soft Sensory Toys (Age 9 months - 12 months) Soft Activity Gyms R - Z Yedaris (Young Mommy) Gift cards from Target, Kohl s, etc. for winter clothing Extras: Catholic Religious Objects/Sacramentals Please let Karan Bevers, OFS, know as to what gift you will be purchasing so we do not have several snowsuits etc. Karan can be reached at: or at: Karanbev@gmail.com Thank You for your Franciscan generosity. Page 5