Bittersweet news 

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Labels: franciscan, ofs

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Memorials and Mario Kart 

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Labels: franciscan, games, prayer, random

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

A tour through the "Roman-Franciscan Christian Prayer". Whee! 

I originally wrote and shared the following on Google+ in 2012. However, I keep finding myself referring back to it to share with folks who have questions. Because I'm getting tired of repeatedly searching it out over there, I'm including it here for easier future reference. :-D

... Oh, yeah: The pics are all from our old digital camera, so man, they look extra-grainy and lame. What a difference a quality smartphone camera makes!
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Labels: franciscan, i love my brick, liturgy, ofs, prayer

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Heyyy, kids! Let's pray a typo! 

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Labels: franciscan, ofs, writing

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St. Maximilian Kolbe on humility 

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Labels: franciscan, quotes, saints

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Contemplative clowns 

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Labels: franciscan, ofs, silly

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The Secular Franciscan Vocation 

When folks learn I'm a Franciscan -- specifically, a Secular Franciscan -- the inevitable question I get is, "So, what do you do?" The thing to understand is that we Franciscans aren't about doing. We're about being, and everything that we do flows from that being.

A few years ago, during our 2011 General Chapter, Benedetto Lino, OFS did a superb job explaining our charism and vocation, so I figgered I'd share a few snippets here with all y'all (all emphases are the author's).  :-)  Do read the full thing!

"Without any doubt, our vocation is specific. Indeed, we are not Jesuits, Dominicans, Carmelites or Members of the Focolare Movement or of any other.

"... Our specific vocation is to be Franciscan and secular and, as such, it is directly dependent on Francis of Assisi and his vocation. His example and his life have attracted us. God used him to lead us to a specific form of life. So we must turn to and start from Francis if we are to understand our own specific vocation.

"... [Our vocation] is specific only because our call refers to an example, a model, a unique way of following Francis of Assisi. This is the true and the only specific element of our vocation that distinguishes us and unites us: to be total Christians, as Francis was.

"... Our specific vocation is, therefore: to be Christian, as Francis was.

"Our great and only specificity can be summed up in two words: as Francis."

~ Benedetto Lino, OFS, "A Specific Vocation for a Particular Mission" (PDF)

Labels: franciscan, ofs, vocations

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

"People too easily create chasms rather than sidewalks" 

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Labels: franciscan, ofs, reflections

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A Brief Overview of the Secular Franciscan Order 

I frequently get asked, "What's the Secular Franciscan Order all about?" (Runner-up: "What's that thing you're wearing?" ::pointing to my Tau pendant::) So, I thought I'd share with you my high-level overview of who we are and where we come from.

Someday, when I'm feeling extra-adventurous, I'll do a Franciscan Order family tree diagram ... because who doesn't love drawings that look like spaghetti? (Yeah, it's that involved. :-P ) ANYway ...

To answer the question, "What's the Secular Franciscan Order all about?", we've gotta first go back to St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226).

History

The First Order

In the 1200s was a dude named Francesco Bernardone (St. Francis of Assisi) who was trying to live the Gospel as faithfully as possible. This attracted a lot of positive attention, and several other dudes said, "Hey, Francesco! We really like what you're doin'. Can we join you?" This led to the creation of the Order of Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum), the First Order in the overall Franciscan Order.

Spaghetti Twist Alert: The First Order later split into three observances: The Order of Friars Minor, the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Ordo Fratrum Minorum Capuccinorum), and the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Ordo Fratrum Minorum Conventualium).

The Second Order

A little while later, a young noblewoman, Chiara Offreduccio (St. Clare of Assisi, 1194-1253) saw what was goin' on and wanted to join, too. With Francis' help, she eventually established what's today called the Poor Clares (Ordinem Sanctae Clarae) (then known as the Poor Ladies), the Second Order ... because it came second. :-P

Spaghetti Twist Alert the Seconde: Within the Second Order, there are many different communities and observances. One of the more well-known ones today is the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the community to which Mother Angelica of EWTN belongs.

The Third Order

A little while after that, in 1221, a married couple, Bl. Luchesio and Buonadonna of Poggibonzi (both died in 1260), also wanted to join the party. (Ain't no party like a Franciscan party!) So, they approached Francis and said, "Yo! We want in! But, we've got worldly responsibilities that we just can't ditch. Plus, as you can see, we're married and we'd really like to stay that way. Can you do anything for us?"

Francis, being a very creative fellow, came up with the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, the Third Order ... 'cause it came third. (See a pattern here?) Today, it's known as the Secular Franciscan Order (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis).

In case you're wondering what's the deal with the term "secular": Unlike religious brothers and sisters, those in secular orders (also known as third, tertiary, or lay orders) don't remove themselves from the world but stay in their own homes, families, and jobs -- that's where the term "secular" comes in. Faithful and practicing married or single Catholic men and women from all walks of life are able to join secular orders (as can diocesan priests and deacons).

For more information on third/secular orders, I compiled some info. explaining them, and some links to other third/secular orders.

Spaghetti Twist Alert the Thirde: Over time, Secular Franciscans began living together in communities, and eventually formed into religious orders. This became the Third Order Regular (Tertius Ordo Regularis).

... See what I mean by spaghetti, peoples?!

Who We Are/What We "Do"

For more general info. on our order -- which is a real order in the Church -- check out this welcome letter from the National Minister of the order in the U.S.

To go deeper, see this fabulous explanation of who we are and what we're all about: "A Specific Vocation for A Particular Mission" by Benedetto Lino, OFS (it's a PDF; sorry).

... And yes, we wear habits. Always have. :-)

Labels: franciscan, ofs, third order regular, third orders

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Can you fix my habit? 

Yesterday, I noticed that the jump ring on my habit* was looking a tiny bit stretched. While I could've attempted to use our needle-nose pliers to squish it more tightly closed, I didn't trust myself to manage it properly -- I had visions of either mashing it into a football shape, or losing control and somehow doinking myself in the face.

So I decided that the safest course of action would be for Husband Mike to do it, and asked him, "Can you fix my habit?"

... In retrospect, it sounds like I've got a problem with crack.

= = = =
* Yes! Secular Franciscans wear habits, and we always have. I explain it here.

 

Labels: franciscan, ofs, silly

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

The long road home 

I've been meaning for years to share my story of how I came back to the Catholic Church. It's a long, rather convoluted one, and putting it into a semblance of order has felt like combing through spaghetti ... one-handed ... with a toothpick.

But, here we go, beginning at ... The Beginning.

Indifference

Baptized and raised as a cultural Catholic: attended CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes, went to Sunday Mass, got all the sacraments because That's Just What You Do And Don't Ask Why. The faith wasn't discussed, explained, or lived at home.

Then things took a sharp detour through hell when I was about 9, when my childhood pretty much ended. It's enough to say that family life became, and stayed, Seriously F'd Up Wrong.

Timeline highlights:

• First Blip: Something -- the weird thing is that I can't remember what -- caused me to totally flip out in relation to CCD classes, and I became terrified of going back. I'm talking bawling, yelling, wanting-to-hide freaked out.
  
  When asked, I couldn't give my parents a coherent reason why. They didn't know what to do -- didn't want me to completely ditch classes, because if I didn't go to CCD, I wouldn't make my First Communion. But they also didn't want me to pass out from terror every Sunday. So, they arranged for me to attend CCD over the summer.
  
  A boy and I were the only ones in the class, taught by a kindly, grandmotherly woman. That I loved. And she gave us these wonderful prayer booklets that I've treasured to this day. Even through my Raging-Feminist-I-Hate-The-Evil-Bad-Patriarchal-Church days, I held onto it.

• Second Blip: After finding a bunch of Rosaries tucked away in the family China cabinet, I taught myself to pray the Rosary using my prayer booklet.

Defiance

When I was 12 or 13 and studying for Confirmation, my attitude turned difficult. I became increasingly annoyed at going to Mass every Sunday instead of sleeping in, especially since I never got a good answer as to why I should go; my mom would only reply, "Because!"

So, I gritted my teeth, memorized the sacraments, and marked time until I "made" the sacrament. After which, I flat-out refused to attend Mass anymore, insisting that I'd graduated.

Timeline highlight:

• Even though this period is marked mostly by angry defiance, bits of faith flashed in and out. Example: On a date with a guy that I wasn't into, when he asked me what I wanted to be in adulthood, I blurted out, "A nun!" Honestly, no clue where that came from.
  
  But it solved the problem of future dates with him.

Wandering

After Confirmation and deciding that the Church was just one lame option among many, I began attending a friend's Lutheran church. Now, you've got to understand this crucial thing: back then, I had a serious -- serious -- follower personality, and she was very much a "follow meeee!" person. She was also a self-proclaimed Jesus Freak.

So Imitator Me decided, "Well, OK, I'll be one, too!" Guess which one of us was relentlessly picked on for it? Hint: not her. (As if life wasn't painful enough, that was an additional excruciating element of my high school years.)

About a year later, another friend began attending an Assemblies of God church and invited me to join her, where I went for another year.

After which I slid into ...

Apathy

Off to college. Left my faith behind like so much childhood baggage. New, fresh start! I was finally free! (See: Crapulent childhood.) No more thinking about the faith ... until, that is, I met then-Friend Mike, who became Husband Mike.

Timeline highlight:

• Our freshman year, we were friends for awhile before actually dating. When he asked me to go to Sunday vigil Mass with him, I went. Because I was seriously hoping he'd become Boyfriend Mike. He wasn't super-into the faith then, but felt that, because he was Catholic, he should at least go to Mass every so often.

... Aaand then things very quickly zinged into ...

The Raging-Feminist-I-Hate-The-Evil-Bad-Patriarchal-Church Era (Also Known As "The College Years")

Coming from the family situation I did, I had a lot of anger, especially towards men in general. Not individual guys, who were OK. The idea of manhood. Plus, I was your typical, know-it-all college freshman. So when I one day read a magazine special dedicated entirely to feminism, I wholeheartedly latched on. Feminism had all the answers! Yes, I'm a feminist! Men sure have dorked up the world ... except for I-Hope-He'll-Be-Boyfriend-Mike. But the rest of the lot ...

I flung myself into every single Women's Studies-related class that I could take. Worked in the campus' Women's Studies Center as the student co-director. Mourned the inability to declare a double-major in Women's Studies as it was only available as a minor.

Savored the religion class in which we poured over liberation and feminist theology. Nurtured an active hatred towards the hideously out-of-date, repressive Catholic Church, source of all that was wrong through history. Declared myself an atheist just to tick off my mom.

And amazingly, I-Hope-He'll-Be-Boyfriend-Mike did become Boyfriend Mike just as this feminist whirlwind kicked in. Don't know how or why he managed to avoid being corrupted by my mindset and worldview, but he thankfully avoided it.

Honestly, if it wasn't for him, I probably would've joined a feminist commune where we ate granola, ran around naked, sang to trees, and bitched incessantly about those horrible men dorking up Life, The Universe, And Everything.


Timeline highlight:

• Faith still blipped in occasionally, at odd times: went on a retreat with a bunch of of Women's Studies minors and like-minded students at a place run by (highly heterodox) Dominican sisters. I wandered around their bookstore, idly looking at the titles, and felt the first stirrings of being called to something, though clueless as to what in hell that something could be.
  
  I was firmly set on staying with Boyfriend Mike, who I really hoped would turn into Fiancé Mike. So, my old blurt-outedness of "I want to be a nun!" wouldn't come to pass. But, what would?
  
  Eh ... stuff it.

Latent Hate, But Mostly Meh

After graduating college, my flaming feminist indignation simmered down. Husband Mike and I continued dating, and we didn't talk much about the faith so as to avoid arguments. After briefly pondering whether or not to investigate Unitarian-Universalism as it most aligned with my morally relativistic, feminist beliefs, I flopped into a "Well, God is probably there, but meh" attitude. Otherwise known as, "Hey, I'm supremely intellectually lazy!"

When Boyfriend Mike became Fiancé Mike, I figured if we were gonna have a wedding Mass -- because in my gut, it wouldn't have felt real any other way, and he also insisted -- I'd better resume attending Sunday Mass. (I also, strangely, had to have a papal blessing.) Didn't wanna be one of those shallow, only-here-for-the-wedding people.

Went to Mass throughout our engagement and early marriage. Even subscribed to a few Catholic-related email newsletters. And I still suffered from ongoing, mysterious, low-grade pangs of being called to something.

Then I read Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris. Which blew my mind, because she talked about her vocation as a Benedictine oblate. That was the first I'd ever heard of laity being able to associate with religious orders. Light bulb! Now the pangs had a bit of coherence, and I immediately investigated the Benedictines ... and quickly discovered that no, I wasn't called there.

At the time, I was completely unaware of other third/secular orders, so I dropped further investigation. The subject somehow came up with a former coworker who knew of the Secular Franciscan Order and who suggested I investigate it. But in my grumpy ignorance, I assumed they were the same as the Benedictines. And if the Benedictines weren't for me, then neither were the Franciscans, right?

After that, another slide into lazy apathy: I ignored the Catholic-related newsletters I'd subscribed to and stopped going to Mass. Husband Mike kept going because, again, it's what you do -- still nominal in faith, but stubborn. So I could never completely forget what I wasn't doing. Plus I drove past a parish on my way to and from work ... another reminder.

Two years of not-going-to-Mass passed. Then things got a bit scary.

Dances With Ledges

I'd been hanging out in a cat forum with a range of folks including pagans and wiccans and other whatnots. They were all friendly, warm, and funny, and I enjoyed chatting with them. It also piqued my interest: what do they actually believe? And why? To the library for investigation!

I announced my curiosity to Husband Mike. He wasn't thrilled. I started with Native American spirituality, which he uncomfortably let slide. When I said my next library trip would be for wiccan books, he completely flipped out.

Said in NO uncertain terms was I allowed to bring anything even remotely wiccan into our house. There may have been some swearing on his part. There was sulking on mine.


Seeing me dancing on the ledge drove him, out of sheer desperation, to start intensely praying for my conversion, which I learned about years later. That's the only thing that can explain what happened next.

Home

At this point, I was thinking, "Hey self, we don't need to go to Mass. We're doing just fine without it! High five!" I mention this to illustrate how completely I was not interested in the Church.

One day when driving home from work, as I passed That-Parish-Over-There, out of nowhere, it hit me that, for over two years, I'd been intentionally missing Mass. That I was being an ass. That the ledge-dancing was going to cause serious harm. That I was heading in a seriously, deeply wrong direction, and I had to make amends and change. Immediately.

I was keelhauled and gobsmacked and contrite and profoundly humbled.


All I could think was, "I have to go to Confession", over and over, for the rest of the way home. And where'd that thought come from? I'd completely forgotten about Confession since making my last one just before Confirmation all those years ago.

When I walked through the front door, Husband Mike was on the couch.

Me: ::flinging aside my backpack:: "I have to go to Confession!"

Husband Mike: ::jaw drop + wide eyes:: "Ummm ... what?"

Me: "Confession! I must go!"

I looked up Confession times at our parish, announced I was going that Saturday, and Husband Mike -- still dazed -- said he'd come along. He didn't plan on going in himself, but after I exited the confessional, he abruptly changed his mind and popped in, too. After also not having gone since his Confirmation.

I resumed attending Sunday Mass, and added in daily Mass as a small attempt to make up for my years of dumbassitude. Began praying the Rosary regularly, turning to my beloved blue booklet for assistance. Started making Rosaries.

Began going to Adoration out of humility. Tuned in to Relevant Radio to learn what the Church actually taught and why. Shut up, listened, and let go of my arrogance and presumption and anger.

The Franciscans

Also resumed paying attention to the Catholic-related newsletters I'd been ignoring. One day, one included a book review of The Sun & Moon Over Assisi: A Personal Encounter With Francis & Clare. I was fascinated by what I read there of St. Francis, and of the author's spiritual journey. Then I saw the bit about the author being a Secular Franciscan.

The lurking low-grade pangs coalesced and flattened me with the mother of all sucker punches. This time, I got the message. Franciscans weren't identical to Benedictines, and I needed to learn more about them, because that was where I was being led. Finally, in 2006, I made my Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.


The extra cool thing is that through it all, Husband Mike and I have grown -- and keep growing -- in the faith, together.

I still dork up on regular basis and struggle with ongoing, daily conversion. I'm pretty much the world's worst Franciscan.

But I keep trying.

And most importantly, I'm home.

Labels: benedictine, faith, family, franciscan, ofs, reflections

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 5 comments

A Franciscan Pet Blessing 

When a pal finally shared pics of his newly-adopted kitteh, I remembered the lil' pet blessing* that I came up with years ago, and figured I'd share it. :-)

+ Make sign of cross** on pet's forehead.

May the Lord bless you,
protect you,
and keep you
happy, healthy, and safe with us
for the rest of your life. Amen.

- - - - -
* Of course, there are a gajillion (technical term) Franciscan pet blessings out there, and most are better. Mine simply has the distinction of bein' short and therefore easier to remember.

** I like to dip my thumb in holy water and then trace the sign of the cross.

Labels: animals, cats, franciscan, prayer, st. francis

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Happy Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus 

Happy Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus! In honor of the day, I decided to create a royal-looking image of Jesus' name, since I love an excuse to play with fonts. :-)


About the Memorial

"The Holy Name of Jesus was invoked by the faithful from the very beginning of the Church. In the fourteenth century it began to be venerated with liturgical celebrations. Saint Bernardine of Siena and his disciples zealously promoted the veneration of this Name throughout Italy and Europe, and in the sixteenth century the Holy Name was introduced as a liturgical feast. In the year 1530 Pope Clement VII first permitted the Order of Friars Minor [Franciscans] to celebrate the Name of Jesus with its own proper Office."
~ From Proper Offices of Franciscan Saints and Blesseds in the Liturgy of the Hours

Meditation

"Jesus' us-centered orientation wasn't an afterthought; we are the reason Jesus came to earth, lived, taught, healed, suffered, died, and rose again. Perhaps this is why saints throughout the ages have found in the simple name of 'Jesus' one of their favorite and most fruitful prayers. Merely invoking our Lord, repeating his name over and over again, gives rest to our souls, because that's exactly what he came to do."
 ~ Fr. John Bartunek, Praising and Pondering (Luke 2:15-21)

Spiffy!

Check out the National Association of the Holy Name Society (Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus), which "promotes reverence for the Sacred Names of God and Jesus Christ, obedience and  loyalty to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and the personal sanctification and holiness of its members. Members are called to contribute to the evangelization mission of the Church and to make perpetual acts of reverence and love for our Lord and Savior." So lovely ... and it's associated with the Dominicans, which = doubleplus cool. :-)

Labels: domincan, franciscan, liturgy

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

My Top 10 Saints 

With All Saints Day coming up in a few weeks on 1 Nov. (and All Saints of the Franciscan Order on the 5th), I thought it'd be fun to share my absolute fave saints -- my Saintly Circle, in Google+ parlance, if you will -- and a little bit as to why I like them.
 

There are loads more saints that I love, like St. Anthony of Padua, St. Dominic, and St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort to name a few. But if I included all of them, you'd nod off and start drooling on your keyboard, and drool + keyboard = possible electrocution. So, in the interest of public safety, I present My Top 10 Saints.

1 & 2. Joseph and Mary

These two pretty much go without sayin', but ... I'm saying 'em anyway. :-) For Joseph, how can you not admire someone who answers to "Terror of Demons"? And Mary's the Mother of God. 'Nuff said.

3. St. Francis of Assisi

Bein' that I'm a Franciscan, this should also go without saying. One of the things I love best about Francis Bernardone was his wholehearted embrace of living the Gospel sine glossa, "without gloss". Sadly, in our time, he's become sissified into a Birkenstock-clad, Tree-huggin' Birdman. But in reality, Francis was as tough as nails and took a no-holds-barred approach to sin.

"See, you who are blind, deceived by your enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, for it is pleasant to the body to commit sin and it is bitter to make it serve God because all vices and sins come out and 'proceed from the heart of man' as the Lord says in the Gospel. And you have nothing in this world and in the next, and you thought you would possess the vanities of this world for a long time."[1]

That sound like a nambly-pambly "anything goes" guy? Didn't think so.

Learn more about St. Francis of Assisi.


4. St. Clare of Assisi

The other half of the Franciscan Wonder Twins. (Franciscan powers, activate! Form of ... a Tau!)

No, she's not a biological twin of Francis, but Clare Offreduccio is Francis' arse-kicking spiritual twin. Born of nobility, she was inspired by Francis' example of uncompromising Gospel living and left it all behind to do the same. She eventually came to found the Poor Clares, the Second Order in the overall Franciscan Order.

Even though she was of frail health, Clare twice saved San Damiano and her sisters from invaders: In 1240, she repelled hordes of Saracen mercenaries by holding aloft the Eucharist while praying for her sisters and the city of Assisi. She did it again in 1241 against the troops of Vitalis d'Aversa. Don't mess with Mama Clare.

Learn more about St. Clare.


5. St. Faustina

Named the "Apostle of Divine Mercy", Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska was graced with numerous visions of Christ Himself, in which He instructed her to make widely known the depths of His mercy to an aching and broken world. She heroically lived her life with childlike simplicity and trust in God, and faithfully obeyed God, her spiritual director, and superiors in all things.

Because of her obedience, we have the magnificent Divine Mercy devotions, such as the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Divine Mercy image, and more. Faustina said nothing new -- the Lord has always been a Lord of mercy -- she simply reminded us of God's unfathomable mercy and communicated deeper ways of contemplating it.

Learn more about St. Faustina.


6. St. Francis de Sales

Plain-spoken, direct, and full of compassion for the average schmoe striving for sanctity, St. Francis wrote -- among others -- An Introduction to the Devout Life, which I find enormously helpful and inspiring in its practical advice. With a complete collection of his writing/sayings spread in front of you, ya could close your eyes, randomly plop your finger down, and find a gem. Ev'ry time. For example:

"A spirit of mockery is one of the worst imperfections of the mind, and displeases God greatly, so that He has often punished it most severely. Nothing is more hurtful to charity, and still more to devotion, than contempt and derision of our neighbor, and such is inevitably found in mockery."[2]

Bam! (And ouch -- it's so easy to fall into mockery, isn't it?)

Learn more about St. Francis de Sales.


7. St. Ignatius of Loyola

I absolutely adore Ignatius' vivid imagination, and his advice on how to use our own imaginations while praying, as well as in everyday situations, like eating:

"While one is eating, let him imagine he sees Christ our Lord and His disciples at table, and consider how He eats and drinks, how He looks, how He speaks, and then strive to imitate Him. In this way, his mind will be occupied principally with our Lord, and less with the provision for the body. Thus he will come to greater harmony and order in the way he ought to conduct himself."[3]

I've found his Spiritual Exercises quite helpful, and I highly recommend making a Spiritual Exercises retreat.

Learn more about St. Ignatius.


8. St. Josemaría Escrivá

Every time I read anything of his, it's like being doinked upside the head by Moe of the Three Stooges. Not that I'm sayin' Josemaría is a stooge, just that he has a way of walloping ya back in line. Such as:

"Don't succumb to that disease of character whose symptoms are inconstancy in everything, thoughtlessness in action and speech scatter-brained ideas: superficiality, in short.

"Mark this well: unless you react in time -- not tomorrow: now! -- that superficiality which each day leads you to form those empty plans (plans 'so full of emptiness') will make of your life a dead and useless puppet."[4]

Learn more about St. Josemaría.


9. St. Maximilian Kolbe

Not only am I inspired by his firm devotion to Our Lady, but his heroic self-sacrifice never ceases to humble and amaze me:

"In 1941, the Nazis imprisoned Father Maximilian in the Auschwitz death camp. There he offered his life for another prisoner and was condemned to slow death in a starvation bunker. On August 14, 1941, his impatient captors ended his life with a fatal injection."[5]

Because of this, I think of him as "Iron Max" -- it truly takes a will of iron to offer up your own life for another ... just like Our Lord.

Learn more about St. Max Kolbe.


10. St. Padre Pio

There's so much to love about Padre Pio Forgione of Pietrelcina! His cheerful good humor! All the miracles attributed to his intercession! And oh, those zingers! My two faves are:

• "Bring me my weapon!" (When asking for his Rosary.)
• "Pray, hope, and don't worry." (I say this to myself on a regular basis.)

And when folks talk about being humble even in the face of false accusations, he's always invoked as a prime example of patient endurance.

Learn more about St. Padre Pio.


So, your turn! Who's in your Circle, and why?

- - - - -

1. "Concerning Those Who Do Not Do Penance", from "Prologue: Exhortation of St. Francis to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance" in the SFO Rule. The "Brothers and Sisters of Penance" is what the Secular Franciscan Order was originally named. So, this is an exhortation from St. Francis directly to all Secular Franciscans, in all ages. Booyah!
2. Part Third, Chapter 27: "Modesty in Conversation, and Becoming Reverence", from An Introduction to the Devout Life.
3. Third Week, No. 214, from Spiritual Exercises.
4. Chapter 1, No. 17, from The Way.
5. Marytown: St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr of Charity.

Labels: franciscan, joseph, mary, saints, st. francis

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Of hiccups and hellspawn projectors 

Pooped doesn't even come close to describe how I feel after today. My Secular Franciscan fraternity held a Day of Recollection for the first time since 2004, and it was the first time I took part in coordinating such an event. I'm told it was a great day. But even though the thing ended hours ago, I'm still a limp rag from the can o' whupass that Murphy's Law opened on me.

THE PLAN.

• 9:15 a.m.: Mass
• 9:45 a.m.: Coffee, doughnuts, and socializin' (Hey, we're Franciscans. What did you expect?)
• 10:15 a.m.: Start of the presentation in three sessions, broken up by breaks and lunch (noon), and ending with Vespers at 2:15 p.m.

THE REALITY.

Hiccup The First: One of our sisters -- let's call her Sister Sacristan -- is a parishioner and sacristan at the parish where we held the event. We don't normally hold our gatherings there, but were able to reserve the chapel and social hall thanks to her. In her role as sacristan, she was in charge of preparing the chapel for Mass. But, she was initially locked out of the sacristy.

Hiccup The Second: Yesterday, I remembered that hey, it'd be helpful if we had our nametags at the event, especially since we'd opened it up to other Secular Franciscans outside our fraternity. I called our fraternity's secretary and left a voicemail asking if he could bring 'em. When he arrived, I asked about the nametags. Oh, yeah, he'd seen that he had voicemail yesterday, but ... didn't listen to the messages. So, no nametags.

Hiccup The Third: In the promotional flyer that I designed 'n' distributed for this shindig, I goofed and mistyped the parish's street address. (!!) Nobody caught the typo, even after repeated rounds of proofreading. Thankfully, everyone managed to get there just fine, and even early, but still. Our spiritual assistant had a bit of a freak-out worrying over whether or not our speaker would find his way there. (He did. And he didn't even notice the typo.)

Hiccup The Fourth: While our speaker, an OFM Conv. friar priest, brought his own laptop and projector, he only brought one extension cord. He needed two. Oh, Sister Sacristan! Can you help us find another power cord? Thank God, she did.

Hiccup The Fifth: As we were setting up Father's A/V equipment and encountering technical problems (more on that in a sec) the following conversation ensued:

Father: "Well, hey, we might as well tell folks they can start eating breakfast while we're wrestling with this stuff."
Me: "Um, we can't eat now because we're having Mass in a few minutes."
Father: "Oh, we're having Mass? Who's saying Mass?"
Me: ::panicked:: "You are, Father."
Father: ::blank stare:: "Me?" ::lightbulb:: "Oh! Right! I forgot all about that! I didn't bring any vestments. Do they have vestments that I can use?" (Oh, Sister Sacristan!! Yes, they had tons of vestments and he looked smashing.)

We decided to leave off fiddling with the pokey equipment and prepare for Mass. At this point, my sense of time curled up into the fetal position and began sucking its thumb. So, I don't remember if we started Mass on time or not. I think we did. Don't quote me on that.

Hiccup The Sixth: After Mass, we resumed wrestling with Father's hellspawn A/V equipment while everyone else happily nommed doughnuts. No matter what we tried, we couldn't get the projector to display Father's presentation. We checked, rechecked, called another friar priest in Las Vegas who Father thought could help, and checked again the connections, the laptop display settings ... everything.

Finally, I and the only other tech-savvy person in the room (it wasn't Father) could only conclude that the projector, which dated back to the Pleistocene era, was just too old to work with Father's laptop. (He'd never tried to use the two together before.) This meant Father either had to: a) give his talk sans projected slides behind him (he did NOT like that option), or b) we had to magically conjure up another projector.

Oh, Sister Sacristan!! We know when we asked you before Mass if there was a projector here that we could use, you said the only one was locked up in the school. Is there ANYone here who could let us into the school?

Well, normally nobody associated with the school was there on Saturday, but she went to look in the parking lot on the off chance that ... Hey! There's the principal's car! Out she went.

After a few minutes, Sister Sacristan returned with the school principal, who was carrying ... a projector!!

We hurriedly connected it to the laptop, held our collective breath, and ... it worked! A cheer arose from our coffee-swilling brothers and sisters, and I bear-hugged the principal. (I'm praying tonight's Rosary for her -- and Sister Sacristan's -- intentions, I'll have ya know.)

At last, around 10:45 (30 minutes late), we Finally Began The $%^@! Presentation. Thanks to Father's condensing and fast-talking in spots -- and us ditching all breaks save lunch -- we managed to end at 2:15 as originally planned. Woohoo! So, all we had left was to pray Vespers ...

Hiccup De Grâce: Remember the flyer I mentioned earlier? In there, it clearly said, "Bring your copy of the Liturgy of the Hours". Our spiritual assistant got up to lead Vespers and asked, "So, did you all remember to bring your breviaries?"

Everyone: ::blink, blink:: "No, we didn't know we were supposed to bring our breviaries."
Me: (Thinking) Son of a ... ! We frickin' SPELLED THAT OUT IN THE DAMN FLYERS!!
Spiritual Assistant: "Well, we did say to bring your breviaries in the flyers, but no matter, we'll just pray something else."

So we prayed an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, after which Father blessed and dismissed us.

Amen.

- - - - -
Postscript: At The Very End, I thanked folks for bringing stuff for the potluck lunch, and reminded everyone to take home whatever they'd brought ... yeah, I think you can fill in the rest at this point. Anyone need a half-used case of bottled water?

Labels: franciscan, ofs, random

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Happy Feast of St. Francis! 

In honor o' the event, I present to you a Franciscan Family Portrait, in doodle form! (Click for larger image.)

Labels: doodles, franciscan, silly, st. francis

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Screamin' toward Sister Death 

A few weeks ago, I posted the following on Google Plus:

During my Secular Franciscan fraternity gathering [the other] night, our spiritual assistant was discussing Article 19 of our Holy Rule, which ends: "Since they are immersed in the resurrection of Christ, which gives true meaning to Sister Death, let them serenely tend toward the ultimate encounter with the Father." However, I misheard him and did a double-take when I thought he said, "... let them screamingly tend ..." :-P

That mishearing has, of course, permanently lodged itself in my noggin', and now whenever I think of Article 19, I'm unable to shake this image (click for larger):



For any Secular Franciscans who may've stumbled across this: You're welcome. :-P

Labels: doodles, franciscan, ofs, silly

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 3 comments

St. Anthony Chaplet: Make it, pray it! 

One of my Secular Franciscan sisters has a devotion to St. Anthony, and so I decided to make chaplet for her. I actually didn't know if such a chaplet existed beforehand, but figured I'd do a search and lo! It does indeed! Thank you, Interwebs! So I figured I'd share back with the Interwebs. Here's a picture of the chaplet I recently knotted up, along with information on how to pray it.

Make It!



I made this with solid brown twine, and finished it with a spiffy St. Anthony medal. As for the amount of twine used, it was about 3/4ths needed for a standard 5-decade Rosary (19-1/2 to 20 feet), which works out to about 15 feet.

Pray It!

At the start of each set of beads, announce and meditate on the following petitions. Then, on each bead recite the following:

• 1st Bead: One "Our Father"
• 2nd Bead: One "Hail Mary"
• 3rd Bead: One "Glory Be"

Petitions:

1. St. Anthony, who raised the dead, pray for those Christians now in their agony, and for our dear departed.
2. St. Anthony, zealous preacher of the Gospel, fortify us against the errors of the enemies of God, and pray for the Holy Father and the Church.
3. St. Anthony, powerful with the Heart of Jesus, preserve us from the calamities which threaten us on account of our sins.
4. St. Anthony, who drivest away devils, make us triumph over their snares.
5. St. Anthony, lily of heavenly purity, purify us from the stains of the soul and preserve our bodies from all dangers.
6. St. Anthony, healer of the sick, cure our diseases and preserve us in health.
7. St. Anthony, guide of travelers, bring to safe harbor those who are in danger of perishing and calm the troubled waves of passion which agitate our souls.
8. St. Anthony, liberator of captives, deliver us from the captivity of evil.
9. St. Anthony, who restorest to young and old the use of their limbs, obtain for us the perfect use of the senses of our body and the faculties of our soul.
10. St. Anthony, finder of lost things, help us to find all that we have lost in the spiritual and temporal order.
11. St. Anthony, protected by Mary, avert the dangers which threaten our body and our soul.
12. St. Anthony, helper of the poor, help us in our needs and give bread and work to those who ask.
13. St. Anthony, we thankfully proclaim thy miraculous power, and we beseech thee to protect us all the days of our life.

At the end of the 13 sets of 3 beads, recite the Miraculous Responsory:

If miracles thou fain would see,
lo, error, death, calamity.
The leprous stain, the demon flies,
from beds of pain the sick arise.

The hungry seas forego their prey,
the prisoner’s cruel chains give way;
while palsied limbs and chattels lost,
both young and old recovered boast.

And perils perish, plenty’s hoard,
is heaped on hunger’s famished board;
let those relate who know it well,
let Padua on her patron tell.

The hungry seas forego their prey,
the prisoner’s cruel chains give way;
while palsied limbs and chattels lost,
both young and old recovered boast.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The hungry seas forego their prey,
the prisoner’s cruel chains give way;
while palsied limbs and chattels lost,
both young and old recovered boast.

V. Pray for us, blessed Anthony,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God,
let the votive commendation of Blessed Anthony,
Thy Confessor,
be a source of joy to Thy Church,
that she may always be fortified
with spiritual assistance,
and may deserve to possess eternal joy.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Learn More About It!

For further reading, check out the following resources:

• Catholic Doors Ministry: Chaplet of Saint Anthony
• EWTN: Rosaries of All Kinds
• The Shrine of St. Anthony: Pray to St. Anthony

Labels: franciscan, prayer, saints

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 3 comments

Timely technological prayer 

A fellow Franciscan, Sr. Mary Kansier, MS, composed this wonderfully powerful -- and concise! -- prayer in relation to the proper use of technology. I'm happy to share it here, and hope it spreads 'round the Innertoobz! With proper citation for Sr. Mary (who retains all copyrights), of course!

Prayer to St. Maximilan Kolbe on the Use of Technology
by Sr. Mary Kansier, MS

Heavenly Father, Your loving servant Maximilian Kolbe spent his life in service to others, using technology to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

You crowned his life with the grace to give his life for another, in imitation of Jesus who said, "There is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend."

Through the intercession of St. Maximilian, may we always use technology for Your Glory and to draw others close to You and Your Blessed Mother Mary.

St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us. Amen.

Labels: franciscan, friends, prayer, saints, technology, third order regular

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 2 comments

Spiffy: Friars setting up the creche 

Check out this neato time-lapse video of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate as they set up their creche at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. The friars reposted this from when AirMaria was just getting started.

Fi News #1

Labels: franciscan, spiffy, third order regular, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments