Br. Paul O Donnell, fbp. Franciscan brothers of Peace. The Final Work of. Devoted to the Gospel of Life. Brother Michael, pray for us!

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1 Franciscan brothers of Peace Newsmagazine A.D Volume 29 / 2nd Edition Brother Michael, pray for us! The Final Work of Br. Paul O Donnell, fbp Devoted to the Gospel of Life

2 2 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine Brotherhood Update by Brother Pio King, fbp, Guardian Overall New FBP Leadership Elected I wish to announce to you in all humility that at our recent brotherhood General Chapter this past May, I was elected Guardian Overall of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, and that Br. James Voeller, fbp has been elected as my Vicar. Br. Conrad Richardson, fbp and Br. John Mary Kaspari, fbp have been requested to assume their new roles of House Guardian of Queen of Peace Friary and House Guardian / Novice Director of Saint Crispin Friary respectively. We request please your prayers as we embark on these roles of guidance and service to our community and to those to whom we minister. Investiture of Brother Paschal On June 13th, the Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, the brothers celebrated with great joy the entrance into Novitiate of Nicholas Listi. With a brief ceremony and Mass celebrated in Queen of Peace Chapel, Nicholas assumes the religious name of Br. Paschal. Please pray for him as he discerns this next stage of his religious vocation. Prayers for the Newly Ordained The Franciscan Brothers of Peace wish to express our sincere congratulations and prayers for the eight newly ordained priests to local ministry on May 30, In a special way we also send our prayers and congratulations upon his priestly ordination (to the Diocese of Kansas City St. Joseph) to Father Joshua Barlett, the brother of our Br. Juniper Barlett, fbp. And Ad Multos Annos to Bishop Fernand J. Cheri, OFM, friend of Br. Benedict Gerard Kelley, fbp who was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans. Please Pray for Vocations We request your prayers also please for Ricardo Pagba as he and the brothers discern his vocation as a Franciscan Brother of Peace. In loving tribute to our dear deceased Br. Paul O Donnell, we present to you this newsmagazine, fully compiled by Br. Paul with only slight modifications. He was in fact working on the layout of the enclosed photos and articles in honor of this Year of Consecrated Life on the evening of February 19, just hours before he fell asleep in the Lord. Thank you, Br. Paul, for living out your consecration so nobly. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him!

3 3 Brothers Attend National March for Life And Plan to Continue to March for Life All Year Round! Brother Paul, Brother Benedict Gerard and Brother Juniper traveled to the nation s capitol to represent the Franciscan Brothers of Peace at the annual National March for Life which was held on January 22, 2015, the 42nd anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion on demand in the United States. Through a dedicated financial grant given to travel to such pro-life events, the three Brothers were blessed to attend many pro-life gatherings occurring in the Washington D.C. area in the surrounding days of the National March for Life. Brother Paul appeared on stage during the March for Life Rally program with other pro-life leaders, demonstrating the wide diversity of organizations that make up the Right to Life movement in the United States. More than 500,000 pro-life activists participated in the 2015 national march with the majority of those in attendance under the age of thirty. One could not help but hear the young people s chant that swept throughout the streets of Washington D.C.: We are the Pro-Life Generation! At the Brother s main headquarters back in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the other members of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace prayed outside several local abortion clinics, attended the Ecumenical Prayer Service for Life and Rally for Life at the Minnesota State Capitol on January 22nd. The Franciscan Brothers of Peace have a special charism to promote and defend the Gospel of Life and plan to continue to march and speak out for our most vulnerable brothers and sisters in danger of being killed by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Brother Paul had the opportunity to be interviewed by several media outlets, and proclaimed that all pro-life Americans must speak out and march for all innocent human life about to be killed, not only by abortion but by euthanasia as well. Let us pray that one day soon our nation will stop the slaughter of our children and see them, as well as our weak, sick, handicapped, and elderly brothers and sisters as our greatest treasures teaching us the true meaning of love and life.

4 84 Franciscan Brothers of of Peace Newsmagazine Pope Francis Calls on Religious to Wa Pope Francis has declared that the year 2015 is to be a year dedicated to Consecrated Religious life in the Church, and the Holy Father has asked today s Religious men and women to be prophetic, capable of waking up the world, showing they are a special breed who have something to say to the world today. In response to Pope Francis call for Religious to wake up the world, the Franciscan Brothers of Peace have recommitted themselves to live fraternal love more zealously and to promote and defend the Gospel of Life. We recognize the inestimable value of each and every human life from conception until natural death. We will march with the people, pray with the people and strive to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, both in word and deed. The Holy Father has also urged those in consecrated life to spend time in real contact with the poor. As Franciscan Brothers of Peace we will continue to share our resources with the poor, operate our emergency food shelf and outreach apostolates to our brothers and sisters in need. However, more than any material service that we can provide we believe spending real time with them, listening to them, and praying with them is what people need the most. The unique and ancient calling to Religious Brotherhood in the Catholic Church is often sadly overlooked or forgotten as an option for men today, even by those who serve as vocational guides. Both the priesthood and Religious life are absolutely necessary for the life of the Church. Men with an authentic call to strive for the angelic life or life of perfection in religious community professing vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience should be encouraged to do so, and not simply be pressured to pursue studies for priesthood, which is a separate vocation altogether. Needless to say, we are extremely happy that Pope Francis has chosen to emphasize our vocation as Brothers in the Church in the modern era. Today is a new dawning in the Church, and we accept Pope Francis call to Wake Up the World and give witness to all that Jesus Christ and his gospel bring us hope, love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. To all who have prayed and supported our Brotherhood, we are truly grateful for you, praying from our hearts that God will bless you and grant you his peace all over our waking world. Pope Francis has asked those in consecrated life in the Church to live and behave in a truly different way, recognizing one s weakness and sins, but acting with generosity, detachment, sacrifice, forgetting oneself in order to take care of others. As Franciscan Brothers of Peace we strive to be Christ s love in action, living with and among the poor. We will continue to provide shelter for victims of torture, minister to refugees in our community and strive with our whole hearts to Wake Up the World so that all may come to know and love our Lord Jesus Christ. We shall be men of prayer, dedicated to the service of the Church following in the footsteps of our beloved founder, Brother Michael Gaworski,fbp and our Holy Father Saint Francis of Assisi. We freely embrace the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, spending our entire lives striving to love God and neighbor. During this year dedicated to consecrated life in the Church we would kindly ask your prayers for our community and particular Franciscan way of life that the Lord has called us to live in today s world. We also ask you to pray for vocations to our community.

5 5 ke Up the World! O God, throughout the ages you have called women and men to pursue lives of perfect charity through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. During this Year of Consecrated Life, we give you thanks for these courageous witnesses of Faith and models of inspiration. Their pursuit of holy lives teaches us to make a more perfect offering of ourselves to you. Continue to enrich your Church by calling forth sons and daughters who, having found the pearl of great price, treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

6 6 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine This band of brothers seeks to defend life, serve the poor Editor s Note: Prior to his sudden death on February 20th of this year, Br. Paul was preparing to include the following articles that obviously speak in the present tense about the Brothers life and ministries, and about a pro-life talk given by Brother Paul. Much has changed since then, but the message of each article endures. Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit November 19, 2014 A small group of men went to Mass regularly at Assumption in St. Paul back in the early 1980s. The 20-something guys, numbering less than half a dozen, were not trying to draw attention to themselves. But, they were being noticed by other regular Mass goers at the downtown St. Paul church. After a short time, they became known as the brothers. This, plus the leading of the Holy Spirit, got them to thinking about establishing something more formal. On Aug. 2, 1982, they did. They became the Franciscan Brothers of Peace. The founder was Brother Michael Gaworski, who died in 2003 after living in a near vegetative state after suffering from bacterial pneumonia in He was joined by four other men, including Brother Paul O Donnell, who has been part of the order since its founding and today serves as its leader. He is the only one of the original five still with the order. In the beginning, we really didn t set out to form a religious community, said Brother Paul, 54. Brother Michael had been in the seminary, I had been in the seminary. I was at St. John Vianney Seminary, then at St. Paul Seminary for a while. We wanted to do something a little bit more radical, live in community and have a solid prayer life, he said. We just wanted to take a year or two to discern where the Lord would move us. When we came together to pray and discern, we realized that what we had was something special. Brother Michael approached the vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Urban Wagner, who instantly was impressed and then went to Archbishop John Roach, who approved the founding of the order nine months later. At first, the five brothers who joined lived in a rented apartment. In 1989, they moved into the former convent of St. Columba, which they now own. Today, there are 12 brothers, nine of whom live in the 25,000-square-foot building, which also has offices and a year-round food shelf. Ministries One of the most important ministries of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace is pro-life work. Brother Michael and Brother Paul co-founded Pro-Life Action Ministries 28 years ago, and Brother Paul serves as president of the board and works closely with executive director Brian Gibson, whom he and Brother Michael hired. In fact, the pro-life passion among the brothers was so strong that they contemplated incorporating that into their name. They even came up with one Franciscan Brothers for Life. But, in the end, they decided to stick with the name that Father Wagner had suggested. In addition to their pro-life work, which includes attending prayer rallies like the annual Good Friday prayer service in front of Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, they put a lot of effort into caring for the poor by operating their food shelf. They have now entered their busiest time of the year, when they have special food drives for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We help about 650 families at Christmas and Thanksgiving, said Brother Paul. We also run a food shelf during the year where we help provide food to over 75,000 people a year. This is just in our little friary in the Midway [area of St. Paul]. We know that we can t ease all people s burdens. There s a lot of hardship out there, but we try to do something tangible to help families in need. Pulling together In addition to opening their doors to the poor who need food, they go out on the streets to minister to those who are suffering. They will walk the neighborhood to talk and pray with people they encounter. One of the men, Brother Joseph Katzmarek, was especially passionate about reaching out to the poor. He would go out looking for those who slept outdoors. Unfortunately, that led to a tragedy that rocked the brothers. On a misty November afternoon 13 years ago, he fell and severed his spinal cord. He is paralyzed from the waist down and has to minister as a paraplegic. He was visiting with some marginalized people under the bridges in Minneapolis, Brother Paul said. He would bring them blankets or sandwiches. He s always had a special ministry. Brother Joseph s father owned a produce place down in north Minneapolis and would always feed the homeless. So, Brother Joseph grew up with that, befriending these people. So, he was bringing them some food. It must have rained and he slipped and fell off an embankment and severed his spinal column. It was hard for him. He was one of our more able-bodied guys. He still continues his ministry, with the brothers help, to a lot of the poor, Hispanic, homeless population in West St. Paul. Fortunately, the brothers had God s grace, plus more than a decade of caring for Brother Michael to help them work through Brother Joseph s tragedy. Brother Paul will never forget the day when Brother Michael, his best friend, fell ill while the two of them were serving at a hospice facility for AIDS patients in1991. Responding to a request from Archbishop Roach, they had been serving at a home for men with AIDS called Samaritan House. In March of 1991, I was over at the house and we actually had three men who were all dying, Brother Paul said. Brother Michael came over to help me. About 4 in the morning, he went up to go to bed and I stayed up watching the guys. But, he didn t come down in the morning. And so, when I went up to find out because I wanted to get some sleep myself, I found him unconscious without a pulse or a heartbeat. I called the paramedics and tried to do CPR. He was clinically dead. He was gray in color. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. He was in a coma for a while in what they called a vegetative state.

7 7 He never came out of that state. He was able to communicate by blinking his eyes when brothers would point to letters of the alphabet. So, they knew his mind was functioning. But, he spent the next 12 1/2 years bedridden before dying on Aug. 28, Far from pulling the brothers apart, Brother Michael s death galvanized them and their ministries, which also includes caring for and housing victims of torture. It kind of pulled us together, Brother Paul said. He was a visionary type of person, and God used him to a certain point, but it was going to take others to carry [his vision] on. I m sure it was for his salvation and the good of our community that God allowed this to happen. Spiritual Rejuvenation Today, as he looks ahead, Brother Paul is filled with hope and joy. With two men Brothers Benedict Kelley and Juniper Barlett having made their first profession last month, he believes the Franciscan Brothers of Peace will continue their important ministry in the archdiocese. We have seven men who are lifetime professed. That s a good, solid number, Brother Paul said. And, the fact that our average age is well under 60 is another good thing. There are many religious communities where the youngest members are in their 70s. What has helped keep the brothers refreshed and rejuvenated is the construction of a spiritual center in northern Minnesota. The 22 acres, situated about 20 miles north of the North Shore of Lake Superior, give the brothers a place to get away from the hectic pace of urban ministry, plus connect with the spirituality of the saint whose name they have taken. This is a busy place, Brother Paul said of the friary where most of their ministry takes place. You need to balance that with prayer and solitude and being able to get away. Schiavo Network Chair Talks about Euthanasia at Holy Family Life Banquet By Amanda Hudson, News Editor February 6, 2015 ROCKFORD Brother Paul O Donnell of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been at the forefront of the work to help assure life and dignity of those who have been injured. America has been sold a bill of goods, Brother Paul said flatly as he gave examples of the challenges that families face once a loved one is labeled a vegetable. Now chairman of the board of the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network, Brother Paul was the main caregiver for more than 12 years for the founder of his order, Brother Michael Gaworski. In 1991, my friend was first called a vegetable, Brother Paul said of what is also called a persistent vegetative state. Literally, we did have to fight for his life, he said, noting for example that medical professionals were perfectly comfortable not to treat him for a urinary tract infection at one point. News of the brothers care for their founder spread, and people from all over began contacting the brothers when they were faced with difficult choices and were being pushed by professionals and others who tried to dehumanize their ill or injured loved ones. Brother Paul noted a recent article in a British medical journal that said some 40 percent of people diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state are misdiagnosed. When we talked about the brain regenerating, we were laughed at, he said, adding that he was convinced that Brother Michael knew what was going on around him. He mentioned a book called Ghost Boy written by a young man in Africa who was in a vegetative state for 12 years. The author was fully aware of his surroundings for all but the first two years and eventually came back to full functioning. He also spoke of a 21-year-old man named Brendan whose mother had to fight for months for the care he needed after a car accident. He eventually came out of his vegetative state. While in rehabilitation, Brendan met Nicole who also had recovered from a coma. They fell in love, got married, and two weeks ago they told me they are having their second child, Brother Paul said, adding that Brendan was left with only a slight speech impediment from the accident. The Brothers of Peace became involved in the much-publicized case of Terri Schiavo, who, Brother Paul said, received communion every Saturday night and who responded when her mother entered the room. She was warehoused for 10 years, he said, noting that visiting Christmas carolers were always directed away from her room. Schiavo died in 2005 after 13.5 days of being deprived of food and water per a court order. What happened to Terri Schiavo was a perfect storm, Brother Paul said, adding that Everything her (biological) family wanted to do was in accord with Catholic teaching. Catholic teaching on this issue has been more clearly expressed in recent years. Brother Paul noted that in 2004 Pope St. John Paul II made clear that food and water is ordinary care, even if given by artificial means. The future saint also encouraged abandonment of the term vegetative state, Brother Paul said. Additional communications from the Vatican and the U.S. bishops have further clarified the issue. Brother Paul also shared his parents experiences with their advance orders to never again be put on a ventilator. After five open heart surgeries, his dad had had enough. But in the midst of another episode, he opted to be put on a ventilator and receive a recommended defibrillator. He went on to dance with his wife on their 50th anniversary and to see the birth of his grandchildren. After her four days on a ventilator, Brother Paul s mother also said, Never again, making her activist son promise to honor her wishes. Sometime later, he got a call from a doctor who explained that his mom would die within a couple of minutes if she was not put on a ventilator. Brother Paul stuck to his promise, until the doctor said, Your mother is indicating to me, she will go on a ventilator. You know, when they told me I had two minutes to live, I changed my mind, she told her son after the medical crisis had passed. We don t know how we ll feel during a crisis moment, her son told his Jan. 30 audience. What you think and how you ll feel at 20 is not the same as when you are 40 or 60 or 80. The ugly hand of euthanasia is at work in America, Brother Paul said, calling on his listeners to Bear the light of truth and hope and build a culture of life. Love and care is always the answer.

8 8 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine The Brothers Invite You to Attend Their Annual OLD-FASHIONED Barbeque! Saturday, August 15, :30 to 7:30 p.m. Queen of Peace Friary Everyone is Welcome! Rain or Shine! Fun for the whole family! Great food, live music and games! Tents and indoor seating available. It s Outta this World! For More Information Call (651) Queen of Peace Friary 1289 Lafond Avenue Saint Paul, MN Ruby s Beggin Box Franciscan Holy Hour Br. Paul with Ruby at 10 weeks. November We have a rapidly aging fleet of vehicles. Do you have a reliable used car or van with under 125,000 miles? Or a 15 passenger van for our KaRen Burmese immigrant ministry? If so, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the brothers! Non-perishable food for our emergency food shelf serving families in need is always welcome! Thank you and may God Bless you for your support! For more information please call Every First Friday at 7:00 p.m. Adoration + Franciscan Crown Rosary Chanted Compline + Benediction Refreshments and Fellowship follow.