Franciscan brothers of Peace Newsmagazine A.D. 2014 Volume 28 / 2nd Edition Brother Michael, pray for us! S. Ioannes PP. XXIII S. Ioannes Paulus PP. II Ora Pro Nobis Pope Francis Canonizes John Paul II and John XXIII Brothers travel to Rome for Canonizations in Saint Peter s Square Sunday, April 27, 2014 Devoted to the Gospel of Life
2 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine Brotherhood Update by Brother Paul, Guardian Overall Institute on Religious Life On April 25 27, 2014 Brother Pio, Brother James and Brother Bonaventure traveled to the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL for the annual gathering of the Institute on Religious Life. The Institute on Religious Life was celebrating their 40th anniversary with gratitude and hope. More than 350 religious women and men attend this event each year and we are very grateful to be affiliated with this wonderful organization. 2014 Nat l Right to Life Convention The Brothers will be presenting several workshops on some of the various life issues at the 2014 National Right to Life Convention which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 26 28, 2014. Depending on funds available some of the Brothers may be taking a road trip to attend the event. We will keep you posted. Catholic Karen Apostolate Our outreach apostolate to the Catholic Karen community has a very active summer planned filled with youth retreats, camps, and other various activities. Please keep this special apostolate in your prayers as it continues to grow. Announcing St. Crispin s Friary on St. Paul s East Side As mentioned in our newsmagazine in previous issues, our intention to found a new friary has now become a reality. We have rented a suitable home on the East Side of St. Paul and three brothers will be assigned there effective June 30, 2014. Please keep this new endeavor in your prayers. Brothers Newest Heavenly Patron Having had the privilege of meeting now Saint John Paul II on numerous occasions since our founding by Br. Michael Gaworski, fbp, the Brothers sent a small delegation to Rome for his canonization in April. Story on following pages Br. Michael met John Paul II in 1989. Donations Are Always Appreciated Thank you all so much for remembering to donate food items to our emergency food shelf which is always in great need during the summer months. Also, your charitable donations are also urgently needed during these warmer days as well. May God bless and reward you for your kind generosity! Mr. James King Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him O Lord Please pray for the repose of the soul of Brother Pio s father, James King, who died on March 19, 2014. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Other Apostolates All our apostolates are in full operation. We continue to house international victims of torture, operate an emergency food shelf, pray at various abortion clinics, visit the sick, and strive to be a visible presence of Christ s peace in our world today.
www.brothersofpeace.org 7 sanctuary and prayer. They also visited the mountain town of Greccio, the place where Saint Francis created the first Nativity crèche, now common in almost every church and home during the Christmas season. Just as Saint Francis did, the Brothers took a boat across Lake Trasimeno to Isola Maggiore, a little island rock with Franciscan history. Only seventeen people reside on this tiny island with many little churches. Legend has it when Saint Francis arrived at the beach, he knelt on a rock there and where his knees and elbows were they left an imprint. We found the rock and Brother Seraphim gave us a live demonstration (photo at right). It would be impossible for the Brothers to tell the full story of this wonderful pilgrimage to Assisi. However, the result has been one of spiritual renewal and a time of great grace. Each of the Brothers have also shared how inspiring it was to see and be at the place of our Franciscan roots and experience an ever more strong commitment to our vocation as Franciscan Brothers of Peace. In the words of Saint Francis, we wish you all Pace e Bene! Pax et Bonum! Peace and All Good!
6 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine A Pilgrimage to Assisi through which Christ spoke to Saint Francis, is also lovingly preserved by Saint Clare s sisters in a side chapel in her basilica. While at the Basilica of Saint Clare the Brothers were invited into the cloister area to visit with one of the Poor Clare nuns. This sister had been at the Poor Clare Monastery for 38 years and was originally from Canada. It was a delightful and insightful visit. The Brothers walked down the mountainside from the Basilica of Saint Clare to the small church and monastery of San Damiano and visited the place where the original home of the San Damiano crucifix was located, and where Saint Clare and her earliest sisters lived and where she eventually died. In honor of Brother Seraphim s lifetime profession as a Franciscan Brother of Peace on October 22, 2013, Brother Seraphim, Brother Conrad, and Brother Paul travelled to Rome for the canonizations of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II. While in Italy the Brothers made a pilgrimage to Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. The Brothers stayed in a convent guesthouse located directly in front of the Basilica of Saint Francis, and were able to pray and attend Holy Mass at the tomb of Saint Francis each day while in Assisi. The Brothers also made frequent visits to the Basilica of Saint Clare and also prayed at her tomb located in the crypt level of the Basilica. The original San Damiano crucifix, the icon Near Assisi the Brothers climbed to the caves of Mount Subasio where Saint Francis wrote the Rule for his order. They were also able to visit the large Church of Saint Mary of the Angels on the lower plain below the historic city built over the small, original chapel of the same name, also known as the Portiuncula. This was the place where Saint Francis and his earliest companions began their life together. Centuries later, a band of Spanish Franciscan missionaries built a small chapel on a plain in southern California, and named it after this very same chapel in Assisi which in Spanish is called Santa Maria De Los Angeles. Yes, one of America s best known cities came from such humble beginings! The Brothers took a day trip to Mount La- Verna, the place where Saint Francis received the Holy Stigmata, the very wounds of Christ in his own body. It is now a great place of
Brothers Travel to Rome for Canonizations of Ss. John XXIII & John Paul II Franciscan Brothers of Peace Have Special Devotion to St. John Paul II www.brothersofpeace.org 3 Trough the kindness of several benefactors and in thanksgiving for Brother Seraphim s lifetime profession last October 22, Brother Paul, Brother Conrad and Brother Seraphim were able to travel to Rome and attend the canonizations of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II. The two new saints in the Church were canonized by Pope Francis, with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI present, on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014, in Saint Peter s Square. The Franciscan Brothers of Peace have had a special devotion to Saint John Paul II since his passing from earth into eternal life on April 2, 2005. Since his death the Brothers have invoked Saint John Paul II s intercession daily in the chanting of compline (night prayer.) Saint John Paul II will be forever remembered in Church history as the great defender of life, promulgating and truly embracing the Gospel of Life. For us, the promotion of the Gospel of Life is a central charism. It defines what our Brotherhood is about. The Franciscan Brothers of Peace were blessed to have three private audiences with the new saint, John Paul II, during his papacy. At each audience the Brothers were given the opportunity to speak with the Pope face to face. Brother Michael Gaworski, fbp, our beloved late founder, met with the Holy Father at the Vatican in May of 1989 and presented him with our simple rule of life at that time. When Brother Michael became ill and suffered a severe brain injury in the spring of 1991, Brother Paul O Donnell, fbp, who was then elected Guardian of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, traveled to Rome with several of the Brothers. The Brothers, including Brother Dominic Michael Hart, fbp, met with John Paul II in June of 1991. The Holy Father prayed with the Brothers and for Brother Michael. In April of 2001, Brother Paul and Brother Conrad had the opportunity to meet with Pope John Paul II while attending a meeting in nearby Assisi. Words cannot express what I felt at those meetings with the Holy Father said Brother Paul. I remember every detail. I knew one day he would be canonized a saint. Now, to be here in Rome when he has been canonized a saint is one of the high points of my life. Brother Seraphim Wirth, fbp, has a much different story about the impact of Saint John Paul II than the other Brothers. He was born in 1978 in the first year of John Paul II s papacy. Although raised Catholic, as a young adult Brother Seraphim drifted away from the Church. He experienced a religious conversion and vocational calling while watching coverage of John Paul s death, his funeral and surrounding events. Brother Seraphim then became deeply influenced by the writings of Pope John Paul II and his wholehearted service to the Church. Then on October 22, 2013, the Feast of Blessed John Paul II, Brother Seraphim professed his final vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as a Franciscan Brother of Peace. When a Brother in our community professes lifetime vows he is permitted to go on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, the birthplace of the Franciscan Order. Brother Seraphim and Brother Paul independently decided that when the date for the then Blessed John Paul II s canonization was announced, that would be the time to make such a pilgrimage to Rome. Together they invited Brother Conrad to join them. Due to health reasons Brother Conrad had to participate in nearby churches holding prayer vigils for those to be canonized on Sunday and observe it on television at the convent where we were staying. Brother Paul and Brother Seraphim lined up on the Via Della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter s at 10:00 p.m. Saturday night, twelve hours before the canonization Mass was to begin, joined by hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims. Due to the crowds there was no place to sit, so with the exception of a few minutes, they stood for twelve hours pushed up against other pilgrims. Then the three hour canonizations Mass began, during which they stood for another three hours. They ultimately made it to the edge of Saint Peter s Square where they watched the liturgy take place on a giant jumbo tron screen. The two Brothers agreed to not separate on this journey which also meant not only standing but also no bathroom breaks, lest they be separated by
4 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine Reliquaries containing the Relics of Ss. John XXIII (left), and John Paul II (right). S. Ioannes Paulus PP. II Ora Pr Basilica and pray at the tombs of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II. The Brothers also attended the Holy Father s general public audience on April 30, 2014 at the Vatican. Of course they began standing in line at 6:30 a.m. for the 10:30 a.m. event! Pope Francis surprised everyone when he came out in his Pope Mobile at 10:05 and spent twenty minutes greeting the pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter s Square. Many people have speculated about the numbers of pilgrims who attended this historic event in the Church. Based on his experience of being in large crowds such as the annual March for Life held in the United States, Brother Paul stated, Crowd size was about one million. Brother Seraphim said, There were a whole lot of people there, a whole lot of people! Yes, people from all over the world came to celebrate the lives of these two new saints in the Church. The Brothers felt so very blessed to be able to attend this historic and faith filled event in the Church. In the words of Pope Francis in referring to the two new saints in the Church stated, May both them teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ and enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy. Amen. The Brothers met with H.E. Cardinal Raymond Burke. Continued the huge crowds. Brother Seraphim laughingly stated, I can t believe we did that! God gave us the grace and it was so worth it to be there! Brother Paul said that as the canonizations in Saint Peter s Square began he was moved to tears as Pope Francis came out and embraced Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Also, Brother Paul was deeply moved when the man who was a hero to him the champion for life, a Pope he had the privilege to meet was announced to the world as a saint. After the canonizations Mass and ceremony, several days later the Brothers again waited in very long lines to be able to enter Saint Peter s The tomb of St. John Paul II in St. Peter s Basilica.
S. Ioannes PP. XXIII o Nobis Pope Francis greets the faithful prior to the Mass. www.brothersofpeace.org 5 Homily of Pope Francis for the Canonizations Mass At the heart of this Sunday, which concludes the Octave of Easter and which Saint John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine Mercy, are the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus. He had already shown those wounds when he first appeared to the Apostles on the very evening of that day following the Sabbath, the day of the resurrection. But, as we have heard, Thomas was not there that evening, and when the others told him that they had seen the Lord, he replied that unless he himself saw and touched those wounds, he would not believe. A week later, Jesus appeared once more to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. Thomas was also present; Jesus turned to him and told him to touch his wounds. Whereupon that man, so straightforward and accustomed to testing everything personally, knelt before Jesus with the words: My Lord and my God! (Jn 20:28). The wounds of Jesus are a scandal, a stumbling block for faith, yet they are also the test of faith. That is why on the body of the risen Christ the wounds never pass away: they remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of God s love for us. They are essential for believing in God. Not for believing that God exists, but for believing that God is love, mercy and faithfulness. Saint Peter, quoting Isaiah, writes to Christians: by his wounds you have been healed (1 Pet 2:24, cf. Is 53:5). Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch his torn hands and his pierced side. They were not ashamed of the flesh of Christ, they were not scandalized by him, by his cross; they did not despise the flesh of their brother (cf. Is 58:7), because they saw Jesus in every person who suffers and struggles. These were two men of courage, filled with the parrhesia of the Holy Spirit, and they bore witness before the Church and the world to God s goodness and mercy. They were priests, and bishops and popes of the twentieth century. They lived through the tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful; faith was more powerful faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man and the Lord of history; the mercy of God, shown by those five wounds, was more powerful; and more powerful too was the closeness of Mary our Mother. In these two men, who looked upon the wounds of Christ and bore witness to his mercy, there dwelt a living hope and an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:3,8). The hope and the joy which the risen Christ bestows on his disciples, the hope and the joy which nothing and no one can take from them. The hope and joy of Easter, forged in the crucible of self denial, self emptying, utter identification with sinners, even to the point of disgust at the bitterness of that chalice. Such were the hope and the joy which these two holy popes had received as a gift from the risen Lord and which they in turn bestowed in abundance upon the People of God, meriting our eternal gratitude. This hope and this joy were palpable in the earliest community of believers, in Jerusalem, as we have heard in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 2:42-47). It was a community which lived the heart of the Gospel, love and mercy, in simplicity and fraternity. This is also the image of the Church which the Second Vatican Council set before us. John XXIII and John Paul II cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the Church in keeping with her pristine features, those features which the saints have given her throughout the centuries. Let us not forget that it is the saints who give direction and growth to the Church. In convening the Council, Saint John XXIII showed an exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be led and he was for the Church a pastor, a servant leader, guided by the Holy Spirit. This was his great service to the Church; for this reason I like to think of him as the the pope of openness to the Holy Spirit. In his own service to the People of God, Saint John Paul II was the pope of the family. He himself once said that he wanted to be remembered as the pope of the family. I am particularly happy to point this out as we are in the process of journeying with families towards the Synod on the family. It is surely a journey which, from his place in heaven, he guides and sustains. May these two new saints and shepherds of God s people intercede for the Church, so that during this two year journey toward the Synod she may be open to the Holy Spirit in pastoral service to the family. May both of them teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ and to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always hopes and always forgives, because it always loves.
8 Franciscan Brothers of Peace Newsmagazine www.brothersofpeace.org The Brothers Invite You to Attend Their Annual OLD-FASHIONED Barbeque! Saturday, August 23, 2014 N 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. N Queen of Peace Friary Everyone is Welcome! A free will offering is asked for the Brothers apostolates. Need More Information? Call (651) 646-8586 Rain or Shine! Fun for the whole family! Great food, live music and games! Tents and indoor seating available. Queen of Peace Friary N 1289 Lafond Avenue N Saint Paul, MN 55104 N (651) 646-8586 Ruby s Beggin Box Franciscan Holy Hour Do you have a used car in good condition? How about a couple of good used canoes? If so, please consider a tax deductible donation to the Brothers! Also, please remember our families in need by sending your donations of both perishable and non perishable food to the Brothers emergency food shelf at Queen of Peace Friary. Thank You and may God Bless You for your support! For more information, please call 651-646-8586. Every First Friday at 7:00 p.m. Adoration + Franciscan Crown Rosary Chanted Compline + Benediction Refreshments and Fellowship follow.