Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Franciscans from your brothers and sisters of the Fr. Solanus Casey Fraternity, Venice, Florida

Transcription

1 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 O R D O F R A N C I S C A N U S S A E C U L A R I S F A T H E R S O L A N U S C A S E Y F R A T E R N I T Y V E N I C E, F L O R I D A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Franciscans from your brothers and sisters of the Fr. Solanus Casey Fraternity, Venice, Florida 1

2 Fr. Solanus Fraternity December 2015 The 5 Crosses of St. Francis Part 3: The Cross of Habit By Father David Mary, F.F.M. 2

3 Fr. Solanus Fraternity December 2015 Father David Mary, F.F.M. 3

4 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 Franciscan Saints for the Month of December 1. Blessed Marie-Angele Astorch 16. Blessed Honorat de Biala 2. Blessed Raphael Chylinski 17. Blessed Francois Bell, Priest 3. St. Francis Xavier 18. Blessed Mary Francis Schervier 4. Blessed Francois Galves 19. Blessed Jean Discalceat 5. Blessed Peter of Siena 20. Blessed Antoine Galvao 6. Blessed Elisabeth la Bonne 21. St. Raphael Kalinowski 7. Blessed Louis Beltrame Quattrocchi 22. St. Francis Xavier Cabrini 8. Feast of the Immaculate Conception 23. Blessed Nicolas Factor 9. Blessed Delphine de Glandeves 24. Blessed Bentivolio of Bonio 10. Blessed Conrad of Offida 25. Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ 11. Blessed Hugolinus Magalotti 26. St. Albert Chmielowski 12. Discovery of the tomb of St. Francis Blessed Matthia Nazzarei 13. Blessed Pius Bartosik 28. Feast of the Holy Innocents 14. Blessed Barthole Buonpedini 29. Blessed Beato Gerardo Cagnoli 15. Mary Queen of the Seraphic Order 30. Blessed Margaret Colonna 31. St. Gaspard Buffalo Why Do We Pray to Saints Like all Christians, Catholics believe in life after death, but we also believe that our relationship with other Christians does not end with death. Catholic prayer to saints is a recognition of this communion. As Catholics, we believe that our life doesn't end at death but simply changes. Those who have lived good lives and died in the faith of Christ will, as the Bible tells us, share in His Resurrection. While we live together on earth as Christians, we are in communion, or unity, with one another. But that communion doesn t end when one of us dies. We believe that the saints, the Christians in heaven, remain in communion with those of us on earth. So, just as we might ask a friend or family member to pray for us, we can approach a saint with our prayers, too. The Difference Between Prayer and Worship Many non-catholic Christians believe that it is wrong to pray to the saints, claiming that our prayers should be directed to God alone. Some Catholics, responding to this criticism, have argued that we do not pray to the saints but with them. ` Both groups, however, are confusing prayer with worship. True worship (as opposed to veneration or honor) does indeed belong to God alone, and we should never worship man or any other creature as we worship God. But while worship may take the form of prayer, as in the Mass and other liturgies of the Church, not all prayer is worship. When we pray to the saints, we re simply asking them to help us, by praying to God on our behalf, or thanking them for having already done so. Source: Internet Article: About Religion & Spirituality 4

5 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 From our Minister Tom Shumate, OFS Profession News At the suggestion of Fr. Stern, TOR, we will have the Profession of Chris Riccardi on January 17th. Pastor Fr. Jack has given his permission to use the Santa Maria Chapel. The Mass will start at 2:00 pm, followed by refreshments and then a short meeting afterwards. Audrey will have a list asking everyone, that can, to bring something for the refreshments. You could call this dinner. This is a very important ceremony and everyone, that can, is expected to attend. Franciscans who are being persecuted in the Middle East Franciscans who have been persecuted or killed by ISIS factions in Northern Iraq and Syria For immigrants and refugees fleeing their homeland in Syria The girls who have been kidnapped in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Refugees fleeing their homeland in Iraq, Iran, Syria and other Mid-East Countries For a lasting peace between the people of Israel and the peoples of Palestine 5

6 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December Blessed Nicholas Factor Peiest, religious of the 1st Order Died 1583 The feast of SS. Peter and Paul in 1520 was the birthday of Nicholas. His parents were devout Christians of Valencia, Spain. As a child of five he already manifested signs of his future sanctity. He fasted three times a week and gave the food he did not touch to the poor. With cheerful words he comforted the sick, and on visiting the leper hospital, he would at times kiss the wounds of the afflicted persons. A Moorish maid in his home was so affected at the conduct of the holy child that she was attracted to the Catholic Faith, took instructions, and was baptized. As a young man he continued his labors of love and encouraged his companions and fellow students to do likewise. Meanwhile, his father was busy making plans for this son of his, who was so distinguished because of his brilliant talents and handsome appearance. Nicholas, however, saw in his father s projects great danger of being turned away from the path of God s commandments. Upon due consideration and advice, he resolved to enter the Order of St Francis and donned the holy habit in the convent in Valencia. After he had finished his novitiate and his studies, and had been ordained a priest, Nicholas asked to be sent to the foreign missions. The request was not granted by his superiors, but they did send him to preach and convert the Mohammedans, who were very numerous in Spain at that time. Rome The Rome media advises the Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized on Sunday September 5th, 2016, according to the Rome news agency, Agi. The canonization will take place during the Year of Mercy on the anniversary of Mother Teresa s death. The Vatican has not yet confirmed the news agencies report. Some further steps are needed before the canonization can become official. Vatican insider has learned that the miracle attributed to Mother Teresa s intercession, will be examined by cardinals and bishops from the Congregation of the Causes of Saints next month. Once the Congregation s bishops and cardinals have deliberated, the Prefect presents the decision to the Pope, who approves the miracle and announces the date of the canonization ceremony at the Consistory of cardinals 6

7 Father Solanus Casey December 2015 It s Christmas and I just want to say Thank You and that it s been a pleasure working with you this past year as Editor of the Fr. Solanus Casey Fraternity Newsletter. Thank you to all who have contributed to your newsletter. I hope you and your family have wonderful holidays and a very happy and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. Roger Reid, OFS Pope Plans Trip fro Rome to Mexico City Rome -Vatican Communications - Saturday, December 12th. Pope Francis confirmed that he will visit Mexico, Feb , This visit marks the Argentine Pope's fourth visit to Latin America. During his intense itinerary, the Pope will meet with youth, prisoners, hospital workers, sick children, poor neighborhoods and will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The pope and his entourage will return to Rome on Thursday, February 18th. Notes: Tau-USA I received the Winter 2015 issue of Tau-USA, today by mail and I have to say that I read and enjoyed its content. This publication of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order was a good read. It s news was balanced, focused and informative. Congratulations to the Tau-USA Editorial Staff for a job well done. Pope Traveling Again On Saturday, Pope Francis confirmed that he will visit Mexico, Feb ,. This visit marks the Argentine Pope's fourth visit to Latin America. During his intense itinerary, the Pope will meet with youth, prisoners, sick children, and will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City Five Franciscan Martyrs Region Web Site Go to and open the regions new web site You will be happy you did so. Fred Schaeffer, OFS is the Regional Webmaster and does a wonderful job. The web site is a source of information you will find useful and informative. 7

8 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 The Counselor s Corner By Fred Cavaiani I just returned from a two week trip to Italy. It was a visit to Venice, Florence, Padua, Siena, Assisi and Rome. The highlight was four days in Assisi. Assisi was a violent city in the 13th century until a man, Francis Bernadone, came along. He created an atmosphere of peace by his simple lifestyle. His total immersion in God allowed him to see and experience the Presence of God in everything and everyone. I was impressed by the beauty and peace of Assisi. Everyone seemed to exude a sense of peace. I talked with a man who had lived on the outskirts of this small medieval town all of his life. He stated that Assisi has always been a peaceful town. A few days later in Rome, a very busy ancient city, the Paris attacks by terrorists had happened. Security in Rome and in Vatican City were on high alert. With all the busyness of this large ancient city and now on high alert, I thought again of the peaceful atmosphere of Assisi. But I then realized that this peaceful town became this way by the presence of a very loving and peaceful man. Francis of Assisi lived in an age of violence and corruption. He treated everyone with respect and compassion so that to be in his presence was to experience the Presence of a Loving God. His peaceful and loving spirit created an atmosphere that allowed individuals to face their own internal demons without criticism. The violence at the time of Francis of Assisi and the conflicts between Muslims and Christians were very similar to the conflicts of today. This Francis of Assisi embraced conflicts with compassion toward others and the desire to hear another person s story. He was against crusades but for compassionate dialogue and understanding with those who thought differently. It is as if his city became absorbed in his peaceful presence and in his deeper surrender to a God of love and understanding. In this world of quantum physics, Francis sent out a peaceful presence to the whole world. It is as if this presence radiated into everyone and influenced them to treat one another with compassion, love, and understanding. I listened to a man who had visiting the Middle East a few years ago. He said that he experienced tension in the air as he visited some of the Christian sites. He stated that in Assisi he felt none of this tension but only a sense of peace. This two week journey to many different sacred places in Italy made me realize that the tension we experience today can only be overcome by a peaceful presence toward other people. I got tense for awhile when I was in Rome and saw on CNN that Isis considers Rome a new spot for their hatred. It was called the Conquest of Rome. Continued on page 9 8

9 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 Continued from page 8 Bringing Peace to the World By Fred Cavaiani Indifferent and hating people become immobilized when they are surrounded by a group of people who seek only peace. Hatred is overcome through love. Indifference is overcome with kind actions. When we start treating everything and everyone with love and respect we send out a peaceful energy into the world which can make things better. This two week pilgrim journey through Italy has reconfirmed for me that we all are searching for a Divine Love of Peace and Acceptance that will never end. Assisi had a powerful saint so many years ago. His legacy of peace remains and is powerfully present in this town. We will change the world by becoming a peaceful presence to everyone through our kindness and compassion. But this takes a determined effort to spend much time in quiet receptivity to the Presence of a God who always loves and at every moment is pouring this Love and Wisdom into us. It takes holy men and women to keep reminding us of this so we can begin to reflect on what is most important to us in life. Francis Bernadone of Assisi is one of those people who can have a great influence on us. I have seen the results of what happens to a town when one person starts a movement of total surrender to God and total giving to others in love and compassion. Bullets are only overcome through compassion and love. Enemies are overcome through simple acts of kindness and mercy. This sounds simple and idealistic. My two weeks Italy has convinced me more than ever that it works. Francis s Christmas at Greccio, Italy - Greccio is an old hill town and commune of the province of Rieti in the Italian region of Lazio, overhanging the Velino river on a spur of the Monti Sabini, a sub-range of the Apennines, about 10 miles by road northwest of Rieti. SOMEONE TO LOVE, SOMEONE TO CARE FOR. It was that thought which gripped his heart that Christmas. He had decided to celebrate the Birth of Jesus in a new way. Someone to love. That was Greccio; that Christmas. He prayed for all the lonely of the world that they would understand what God s enfleshment meant to them personally. God was like us now in everything but sin. And He let Himself be touched and handled by everyone who would come to Him. Someone to care for, someone to touch. That was Greccio; that was God become a man. Francis left Greccio that year with a new heart, for the brothers would keep alive the custom of celebrating Christmas in that fashion. And the people of Greccio would spread the word to the next village, and from there it would cover the whole world. Someday, perhaps, all people could look into the altar crèche at Christmas and know they had had someone special to love, someone divine to care for. And they would begin anew to love. 9

10 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 From The Franciscan Friars A Christmas Message As we celebrate Christmas 2015, let s remember THE ONE who values and loves us more than anyone else, for His birth must be at the center of our festivities. God knows us from the inside out. In the birth of Jesus Christ, God became one of us and one with us. God truly loves us and cares about us! In the second reading from 1 John it says "The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." This reminds me of something G. K. Chesterton once said: "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" It is an interesting question. After 2000 years the world still does not know the Christ. In one of her beautiful letters St. Clare taught us to: "Gaze upon Christ, Consider Christ, Contemplate Christ and Imitate Christ." For most of us we do not know Christ because we are still gazing upon Christ. We are worshiping Christ not picking up our cross and being Christ. Until we get to that day where we are all imitating Christ the world will never know him. We use the expression "the Body of Christ" when we receive the Eucharist; we are told this is the Body of Christ. The true expression should be "We are the Body of Christ." We are all the Eucharist. But we really don't believe that. We believe Christ as someone separate off in the distance. We really do not believe that Christ is all of creation. If we did, we would understand that when we hate, when we do not welcome the stranger, when we allow children to die from starvation, when we promote violence in any form, when we harm this beautiful creation by destroying the environment we are in effect destroying, harming, hating the "Body of Christ." As it says "What you do to the least of these you do onto me." Your Thoughts 1. If you were to try to make the beatitudes an agenda for life as St. Frances did, where would they take you? What kinds of activities would you engage in? 2. Now that you know many things about him, who is the man Francis is to you? 3. Pope Francis chose his name because he wants St. Francis to be a model for living a Christian life today. How can you apply the various themes of Francis life to your own life? Source: Book Looking to St. Francis by John Bohrer, 2014 World Among Us Press. 10

11 Father Solanus Casey Fraternity December 2015 Franciscan Churches Around the World St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV ( ) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in The funeral of the Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi occurred in this cathedral in Founded in 1137 following the Treaty of Mautern, the partially constructed Romanesque church was solemnly dedicated in 1147 In 1365, just six years after beginning the Gothic extension of the Albertine choir, Rudolf IV disregarded St. Stephen's status as a mere parish church and presumptuously established a chapter of canons befitting a large cathedral. This move was only the first step in fulfilling Vienna's long-held desire to obtain its own diocese; in 1469, Emperor Frederick III prevailed upon Pope Paul II to grant Vienna its own bishop, to be appointed by the emperor. The Diocese of Vienna was canonically established 18 January 1469, with St. Stephen's Cathedral as its mother church. In 1722 during the reign of Karl VI, Pope Innocent XIII elevated the see to an archbishopric (the jurisdiction or office of the archbishop). Source: Internet Worldwide Catholic Cathedrals and Churches 11

12 F a t h e r S o l a n u s C a s e y F r a t e r n i t y D e c e m b e r Council Members Minister Tom Shumate Vice Minister Agnes Carrasco Secretary Betty Williams Treasurer Roger Reid Formation Director Jane Fantini Council - At-Large John Gerney Marie Rasch Audrey Shumate Greeter Shirley Szarowicz Newsletter Editor Roger Reid (H) (C) (E) reid003@ verizon.net December 2nd Message to Mirjana Medjugorje - Our Lady's Message Dear children, I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation. Thank you. The Blessing of Saint Francis Whoever shall observe these things may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father, and may he be filled on earth with the blessings of His beloved Son, together with the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints. And, I, brother Francis, your worthless servant, as far as I am able, approve this most holy blessing. Amen. Saint Francis of Assisi Source: Franciscan Prayer Book, The Franciscan Friars N ov e m b e r P r o f e s s i o n A n n i v e r sa r i e s 12 N o n e N ov e m b e r B i r t h days M a x i n e G o o d i n D e c e m b e r 1 s t J e a n A u s t i n D e c e m b e r 1 6 t h Newsletter P l e a s e s e n d n e w s l e t t e r i n f o r m a t i o n t o : E - M a i l : r e i d 0 v e r i z o n. n e t

13 Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen 13

14 MEETING DATES AND HOSPITALITY ASSIGNMENTS Council Meeting Monday, December 7-9:15am Soy Building, Room 110 December 2015 Fraternity Meeting Hospitality Christmas Party Sunday, December 20 2:00pm All members are requested to bring food or beverage Soy Building, Room 107 Just pray for one Blessed, Venerable, Servant of God or Saint on his or her anniversary date. In this way because many Franciscan members may not know of them or never heard of them they will be remembered and perhaps they will pray over you. It s worth a try. Terry Willey is at "Bon Secours Place in St. Petersburg. Her cell phone # is: There is a slight possibility she may join us for our Christmas meeting. Because of some complications, there will no funeral services for Gorden Willey, (RIP) her husband, until Spring of As soon as I hear about the funeral or memorial plans, I will let you know. Peace & Love--Tom Shumate OFS. Minister 14