Vol. 2 Issue 5 MAY 2012 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PROVINCE OF THE OFM Monthly Fraternity Gathering May 20, 2012 Important information from council Starting in May! Our gatherings will begin promptly at 1:30 PM instead of 2 PM, and will end at 4:30PM. The council decided on this change because we need a more time together for our gatherings and we must be out of the building by 4:30 PM because there is another group coming in. It is requested that everyone be there on time and ready to begin the gathering. Help at 1 PM would be greatly appreciated and is needed to set up for the gathering. Assistance in putting things back in place at the gathering is also needed. Can you help???? Please be sure to read this entire newsletter. It may be a bit lengthy, but is much information that needs to be shared with the members of the fraternity. Your council is working very hard for all the members of the fraternity. Pease come prepared to pray Mid-day Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours! The council has worked on a Franciscan Wake Service, and a form for members to fill out, expressing their wishes about services when Sister Death calls. Welcome During our April gathering it was our great pleasure to welcome Fr. Vit Fiala, OFM to our fraternity as our Spiritual Assistant Fr. Vit is an amazing speaker and a wonderful teacher. Our fraternity is truly blessed to have Fr. Vit work with us. He is a very busy person; he is at Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted in Youngstown, and works with two other fraternities. Please note, since Fr. Vit is now our Spiritual Assistant, our fraternity is now a part of the Immaculate Conception Province of the Order of Friars Minor out of Wisconsin. This is interesting, as the St. Frances Cabrini Fraternity was originally begun under the St. Stephen the King of Hungry Province of the OFM, which was later subsumed into the Immaculate Conception Province of the OFM. One might say that we have returned to our roots. Many of the older (long-term is a better word) of the St. Frances Cabrini Fraternity will remember one of our prior Spiritual Assistants, Fr. Nicholas Dingl, OFM, who was also from Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted Shrine.
PAGE 2 Fraternity Actives & Notes from Fraternity Council For April: Bill Marshall, OFS Ruth Older, OFS Debbie Ventosa, OFS Others are always welcome to join in this apostolate. Please check with Debbie for more information. Thank you to those who are able to be present at the abortion clinic(s), to let women know there are people who truly care about them and their unborn children, who want them to know there are other life-giving options. If you can t be present at the clinic(s), please pray for these women and their children., and for those who do Stand for Life. New Web Address There is a new address for the St. Frances Cabrini Fraternity website. www.stfrancescabriniofs.catholicweb.com If you go to the old address, which is the same as above except it is SFO rather than OFS, you will be re-directed to the new address. The new address uses the letters OFS after the fraternity name, as after our names, which stands for Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis (Latin). This change came from the International Fraternity so that throughout the world we all use the same initials for our Order. Eucharistic Adoration Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. Every day of the week at least one member of our fraternity is making a visit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. If you have an urgent prayer request, please contact the person who is visiting on that day. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pepe Ventosa, OFS Judy Hoyt, OFS Debbie Ventosa, OFS Bill Marshall, OFS Ruth Older, OFS Dorothy Takacs, OFS Joanne Angeletti, OFS Deacon Fred & Joyce Browne, OFS Bob Burtscher, OFS Dorothy Takacs, OFS Everyone is encouraged to participate in Eucharistic Adoration, whenever possible, in whichever church one chooses. If you cannot make a commitment to a particular time, please stop and make a visit when you have time, even if it is just 15 minutes. Jesus is always awaiting visitors.
VOL 2, ISSUE 5 Fraternity Activities PAGE 3 Little Portion Joanne is scheduled to prepare the Little Portion which will be delivered by Kenny. Thank you for your generosity to those less who are lessfortunate than us. Remember, small religious items may be place in the bag with the food. In cold weather hats and gloves are always a welcome addition. Socks can always be used. Bill Marshall and Ruth Older will provide the refreshments for the May gathering. We thank them for offering to do this for us. Hospitality for May If you would like to provide refreshments for one of our gatherings, please talk with Kenny. Help is always appreciated. Food Pantry Items gathered during the May gathering will be taken to Our Lady of Victory or the Visitation of Mary Parish by the Hurleys. Items received for Little Flower Parish at the March gathering included: 2 scarves & 2 pair of socks 2 mac & cheese 1 box oatmeal 1 box tea 2 large peanut butters 1 mustard 1 box crackers 2 chocolate puddings 2 toothpastes 1 laundry detergent 1 lg pkg. napkins 4 rolls paper towels 2 nail polish sets lip gloss Germ X towelettes Thank you for the donations. Eucharistic Fraternity will be holding a Day of Recollection on Saturday 9 June, and will also have a Rite of Admission. On Saturday 14 July 2012 the fraternity will have a Profession of three candidates. Both of the gatherings will begin with at 8:30 AM with the praying of the Crown Rosary and Mass at 9 AM. Please let Elizabeth know if you are planning on attending. Eucharistic Fraternity would like to know how many people will be present. The editor has not received a list of what the food pantries at Our Lady of Victory and/or or the Visitation of Mary need. Hence, the editor suggests canned foods (nothing in glass jar: fruits and vegetables, tuna fish, canned chicken, and easy to prepare meal packages, such as Hamburger Helper, pasta and sauces. Personal hygiene items, such as tooth paste, body soap possible items to include. Cleaning items for home and clothing (such as dish detergent, laundry soap) cannot be purchase with food stamps, and are usually accepted at food pantries.
PAGE 4 WELCOME, FR. VIT FIALA, OFM
PAGE 5 M AY IS MARY S MONTH My son, keep the commandments of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother. Proverbs 6:20 As we should all be very aware, our Father St. Francis had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, the mother of our Savior Jesus Christ. He entrusted his three Orders to the protection of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. In her, after Christ, he put his chief trust, making her his own patron and that of his brethren. It is written that when Francis saw the abandoned Portiuncula,...by reason of his ardent devotion that he had toward the Sovereign Lady of the world, he took up abode there, that he might diligently labor to repair it. (Leg. Mai II 8) In another area we read, Now Francis, the servant of God, abiding at the church of the Virgin Mother of God, with continuous sighing besought her that had conceived the Word full of grace and truth that she would deign to become his advocate. (Leg. Mai. IX 3). For St. Francis, the Blessed Virgin was his Mother, Advocate and Queen. May is Mary s month. During the month of May we celebrate Mother s Day, in honor of our earthly mothers. which is right and good. This is also a time to especially honor our Blessed Mother Mary. In years past many parishes held May Crownings, and some fraternities do the same today. We can crown our Blessed Mother in a different way: by following the teachings of her son Jesus, more closely, by prayer, and by caring in a special way for those who are less fortunate. These acts, filled with love, would be gifts most welcome by our Mother. St. Bonaventure wrote, He loved with an unspeakable affection the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, forasmuch as that she made the Lord of glory our brother, and that through here we have obtained mercy. For who can make the Lord our brother, if she not also be our mother? Like all mothers, she cares for each and everyone of us, but in a very special way. She said Yes to God s call, that the Savior of the world would come and live among us.
PAGE 6 Looking Forward May 24, 25 Annual Regional Council Meeting Jesuit Retreat House, Parma Please talk with Elizabeth or Joanne about this. Bill Marshall, OFS 4/7 July 14 Eucharistic Fraternity, Canton Profession at the 9 AM Mass We are invited to join this fraternity for this wonderful celebration. The rosary will be prayed at 8:30 AM. This will be at the Sancta Clara Monastery in Canton. Sept. 23, 23 Our Lady of Consolation Shrine Carey, OH Celebrating 100 years of the Franciscan Presence there. More information will be shared. Phyllis Tuscan is exploring the possibility of bus transportation to this special occasion. July 15, 2012 Blessed Giles Fraternity 50th Anniversary of Canonical Establishment This celebration will be held at: St. Anthony of Padua Church 6750 State Rd. Parma, OH More information will be shared as it is available Kenny Green, OFS Mary Lou Swartz, OFS Pepe Ventosa, OFS Rose Zaratzian, OFS Council Members Kenny Green, Minister 330-203-205 Pepe Ventosa, Vice-minister 330-497-8403 Bill Marshall, Treasurer 330-864-7463 Bob Burtscher, Councilor 330-628-2211 Debbie Ventosa, Formation 330-497-8403 Elizabeth Francis, Acting Sec. 330-297-5647 Editor 14years 14 years 14 years 14 years lizfrancisofs@yahoo.com Please feel free to contact a council member if you have questions or concerns.