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Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 18th, 2014 
[The following is the text of a talk given by Kathleen Agosto, our regional JPIC Coordinator, at the SKD Region’s annual gathering on November 15, 2014]
Listen to the prayer of Francis on the CD The Geste of the Great King.
A plaintive prayer of a man in dire straits. Whereas initially, I was enamored of the Francis in Brother Sun, Sister Moon, with Donavon singing in the background as Francis romps through a field of flowers, later I came to love Mickey Rourke’s movie “Francesco” with multiple scenes of Francis cold and shivering in the rain, Francis hiding in a cave. The movie with the cave and Francis out in all the elements feels more accurate and seems to resonate with my own Secular Franciscan journey.
Two summers ago, I attended a Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Conference on your behalf and for our Region. The theme of that convocation was “Be the Bridge. Accept all people as a gift of God”. Today I want to link the two ideas of the cave and reconciliation and how that relates to us today as followers of Francis. » Click to continue reading “Be the Bridge” »
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 11th, 2014 The Handbook for JPIC Animators, developed by the National JPIC Commission, is now available on the site. A link to the document has been added to the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) section of the menu on the right. Here’s a sample:
As Secular Franciscans, we commit ourselves to live the Gospel according to Franciscan spirituality in our secular state. We are called to make our own contribution, inspired by the person and message of our Seraphic Father Francis, towards a world in which the dignity of the human person, shared responsibility, and peace and love may be living realities.
. . . .
Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is simply the Rule of the Secular Franciscan in action. Our Rule is based on the Gospels; JPIC is a lso based on the Gospels. It bubbles up from the Gospels. It is lived out from the Gospels. JPIC is not just something we do, it is who we are, as followers of Jesus in the way of Saint Francis of Assisi. It is an attitude that influences what we do and how we minister, with God, with ourselves, with other people and with creation.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 9th, 2014 A link to the national JPIC website, which our sister and National JPIC Animatrix, Carolyn Townes OFS, put together, has been added to the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) section of the menu on the right.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 7th, 2014 In the name of Christ. Amen.
We are pleased to announce that the members of the newly-elected Council of San Damiano Fraternityare:
- Teresa Carisio, OFS Minister
- Deacon Tommy Watts, OFS, Vice-Minister
- Justin Carisio, OFS, Formation Director
- Edyth Kurzweil, OFS, Secretary
- Pat Drake, OFS, Treasurer
Please be sure to keep them in your prayers.
 Deacon Tommy Watts, OFS; Justin Carisio, OFS; Teresa Carisio, OFS; Pat Drake, OFS; Edyth Kurzwell, OFS; and Sr. Elise Betz, OSF
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 7th, 2014 Peace to each of your hearts!
Through the kindness of our International Councillor, Mary Stronach, OFS, we have learned the results of the Chapter of Elections for our International Fraternity held in Assisi:
Our new General Minister is Tibor Kauser, OFS, from Hungary.
Our new Vice General Minister is Maria Consuelo De Nunez (Chelito), OFS, from Venezuela.
The remaining Councillors are:
- Ana Fruk, OFS, from Croatia
- Ana Maria Raffo Laos, OFS, from Peru
- Attilio Galimberti, OFS, from Italy
- Michel Janian, OFS, from Lebanon
- Diana Silva Noemi, OFS, from Argentina
- Jenny Harrington, OFS, from South Africa
- Augustine Young Hak Yoon, OFS, from Korea
Please hold them in prayer as they begin their term of service to each of us.
Blessings,
mattie
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 3rd, 2014 The Order’s General Chapter is now taking place through Saturday, November 8th.
The General Minister of the OFS (Secular Franciscan Order), Encarnita del Pozo, has officially opened the XIVth General Chapter of the OFS (its sixth elective Chapter), taking place in Assisi, Italy, until November 8.
The 85 voting members of the Chapter will discuss these coming days important aspects of the life of the Secular Franciscan Order and take decisions about its future. They will also elect the new leadership team of the OFS for the next six years.
You can follow the news on the CIOFS website here.
There is also a Twitter account set up where news is also being posted: @GeneralChapterOFS
Please be sure to keep our international brothers and sisters in your prayers during this important gathering.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 1st, 2014 It is November 1st and I have to set the clocks back tonight so as not to be late for Sunday Mass tomorrow. The cold is here now and, on one hand, I reckon that it is five months til spring. Not too bad. Five out of Twelve months of good weather. Not so bad because today I will make a pot of soup and get some good bread. Last night was Halloween. Nicole dressed the two dogs up as Tigger and Eyore from Winnie the Pooh. There are bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter hidden (from me) in the Fridge to nibble on. Tonight after we do some chores, we will turn on the fireplace, maybe watch a movie. Grandma America will call from Florida to make sure that we are all right. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas and Easter. We will all be together. We are not fighting. We like each other and get along. We love each other. We are a family.
But across the street, it is different. Joey will call his father in Florida tonight. Then he will call his Mom for the weekly phone call. Over the holidays, he will go to the casinos. He will get wasted on Christmas Eve since he has the next day off. » Click to continue reading “JPIC News — November 2014” »
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 1st, 2014 MOST HIGH, GLORIOUS GOOD GOD
GIVE LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS OF MY HEART
GIVE ME
RIGHT FAITH
CERTAIN HOPE
PROFOUND HUMILITY AND
PERFECT CHARITY.
GIVE ME
INSIGHT and WISDOM
SO I MIGHT ALWAYS DISCERN YOUR HOLY AND TRUE WILL.
My dear sisters and brothers in Sts. Francis,
May God give to each of you peace of mind, heart, soul and spirit!
Of all of the prayers attributed to our Holy Father St. Francis, the one quoted above may be the most perfect of all because it provides us with a blueprint for a perfect life. This prayer is a prayer for TRANSFORMATION. Unfortunately, in its various translations, the request for profound humility has been omitted.
As Secular Franciscans, we have been all about FORMATION through the texts we have used and the manuals we have written. Good as these resources are, if we are not about transformation, then all of the texts and all of the manuals are useless to us.
Let us be about the business of renewing our hearts and healing broken relationships. Let us live our faith in certain hope and accept in profound humility that we are each embraced by a loving God and are called to embrace him back. Let us pray for that perfect charity which will help us, with the insight and wisdom received from our Glorious Good God, to discern his holy and true will and be faithful servants of God and one another.
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
Our Annual Regional Gathering will be held on November 15th at St. Anthony’s Parish Hall in Trenton, NJ. We are very much looking forward to gathering with the Ministers and Formation Directors of our Region … and anyone else who would like to join us. All are MOST WELCOME!
Please don’t forget to consult the upcoming events section of our website, where dates of interest to your Fraternities are noted.
Know that we hold you in prayer and beg you to do likewise for us. If you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share for the good of our Region, please let me, or any other member of our Council know. We are here to serve you!
Blessings, every good, and much love,
mattie♥
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 1st, 2014 Dear Sisters and Brothers,
PEACE and good to you! I am on the mend and am grateful to each of you for your prayers and good wishes. Thanks so much.
I’d like to focus this month on St. Elizabeth of Hungary who, in her short life, manifested great love for the poor and suffering and has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of our Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). She was the daughter of the King of Hungary. Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism in place of luxury.
She was married to Louis of Thuringia at the age of 14. She had a great love for her husband and bore three children. A Franciscan friar became her spiritual director and this led Elizabeth to a life of prayer, sacrifice and service to the poor and sick. She also wanted to become poor and wore simple clothing. Daily she would bring bread to the poorest in the land, who would come to her gate. » Click to continue reading “Thoughts From Your Regional Formation Director – November, 2014” »
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 1st, 2014 Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing,
To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, … Sister Moon and the stars, …Brother Wind, …
Sister Water, … Brother Fire, … our Sister Mother Earth, …
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, …
Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility. Amen.
(Canticle of the Creatures [abbreviated] by Saint Francis of Assisi)
Following are excerpts taken from The Admonitions; Daily reflections are taken from Days of Reflection of Pope Saint John XXIII, OFS
1
Our Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me … He who sees me sees also the Father (John 13: 6-9). … Because God is a spirit he can be seen only in spirit; it is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing (John 6: 64). – It is more profitable for our souls to place ourselves in the presence of God … and to entrust ourselves to his grace.
2
It is really the Spirit of God who dwells in his faithful who receive the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord. Anyone who does not have the Spirit and presumes to receive him eats and drinks judgement to himself (1 Corinthians 11:29). – We are all bound to examine the past, reflect upon the failures ever to be found, and seek a remedy… » Click to continue reading “Fr. Francis’ Reflections – November, 2014” »
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