St. Francis Fraternity

Our Next Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, January 12th at 12:30 pm.

We will participate in ongoing formation, have some social time with our fraternal family, and then recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390

“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”

~ The Lay Franciscan Monthly Pledge

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Fran Urso at francesurs@aol.com or 215-389-5854 if  you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated each month.

• CW – spiritual and emotional healing
• Dolores and Joy – Physical and financial healing
• Velvet – healing of facial paralysis from shingles
• Jim S. – New kidney healing
• FA – health and healing
• Piccone family – health and healing
• Michelle – heart health and relief from anxiety
• Andrew – needs better job
• Shieman family – health and healing
• Antoinette – Repose of her soul
• JWF – healing and emotional strength

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s & Women’s Underwear (especially men’s boxer shorts) — All Sizes
• Powdered Milk
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Toilet Paper
• Prayers

Formation Information

For the January ongoing formation session, Brother Kip will be showing the first part of a two-part video presentation called, “The Characteristics of a Franciscan Moral Vision.” After the video, there will be Q&A time and discussion.

Food for Thought

Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace but there is no peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.

~ Pope Francis

 – – –

The spirit of the Gospel is eminently that of the “open” type which gives, asking nothing in return, and spends itself for others. It is essentially hostile to the spirit of calculation, the spirit of worldly prudence and above all to the spirit of religious self-seeking and self-satisfaction. For what is the Pharisee but a spiritual bourgeois, a typically “closed” nature, a man who applies the principle of calculation and gain not to economics but to religion itself, a hoarder of merits, who reckons his accounts with heaven as though God was his banker? It is against this “closed,” self-sufficient moralist ethic that the fiercest denunciations of the Gospels are directed. Even the sinner who possesses a seed of generosity, a faculty of self-surrender, and an openess of spirit is nearer to the kingdom of heaven than the “righteous” Pharisee; for the soul that is closed to love is closed to grace.

~  Christopher Dawson, “Catholicism and the Bourgeois Mind”

 – – –

Francis sends us to the gospel, which is, at the same time, both beginning and end. But, in a certain sense, the gospel also points to Francis, who shows us how to live the gospel with simplicity of heart and integrity of faith. And we Franciscans must, live the gospel; all that we are and do must be informed by the gospel, without limiting ourselves to a “careful reading” or intellectual contemplation.

~  Emanuela De Nunzio, OFS, “Twentieth Anniversary of the Rule,” The Cord 48.3 (1998)

 – – –

We know that St. Francis read and meditated upon the Word of God until it was integrated into his very being. In body and soul, St. Francis was altered by the Gospel. His identity changed as he became conformed to the likeness of Christ. St. Francis went beyond imitation. He became one with the beloved. Francis proved that the Gospel could be lived. It was a process for him. It continues to be a process for us. It is what our Rule calls ongoing conversion. If we wish to be changed in the process, we must become one with the Lord.

~  Anne Mulqueen OFS, “Our Identity as a Secular Franciscan,” (FUN Manual)

Our Next Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, November 10th. Please try to meet us in our regular meeting room at 11:15 so we can all attend 11:30 Mass together.

After an abbreviated formation session, Frank  will lead us in a remembrance of our fraternity’s beloved decease. We hope to return to having our traditional Mass of Remembrance in 2020.

We will then have some social time with our fraternal family, and then recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390

“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”

~ The Lay Franciscan Monthly Pledge

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Fran Urso at francesurs@aol.com or 215-389-5854 if  you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated each month.

• KL – Family conversion and healing
• TL – Spiritual healing. Dealing with illness
• Bill – Eye problems and surgery
• Terry. – full recovery from fall
• Bob. -Recovery from cancer
• Connie – Repose of soul
• Susie. – Repose of soul
• Vincent – For a good job
• Deborah – For better health and job
• Diane – Healing from cancer
• Carol – mental health
• Tom – Osteoarthritis
• Sandy -health
• Carol Jo and Terry – return to full health
• Mary – healing
• Young man with stomach cancer
• Grandchildren to be baptized
• Piccone family- health, strength and healing
• Antoinette – repose of her soul
• Michelle – healing of heart issues and anxiety
• Andrew – employment
• MM – family healing
• CC – Depression and spiritual awakening
• S. and J. O. – serious health issues
• S. and D. P. – serious health issues
• Irene Hockberg – recently deceased

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s & Women’s Underwear (especially men’s boxer shorts) — All Sizes
• Men’s Shoes — All Sizes
• Baby Formula
• Powdered Milk
• Oatmeal (not instant or “one minute” please)
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Cleaning Supplies
• Spray cleaners (Lysol, Formula 409, disinfectants, cleanser, or similar items)
• Paper Towels
• Dish Towels
• Prayers

Formation Information

Br. Kip will be facilitating our November ongoing formation session. This month’s theme will be “The Franciscan Perspective of Purgatory.” To prepare, please read and think about the passage below taken from the Encyclical “Spe Salvi” by Benedict XVI.

If possible, Br. Kip also encourages us to read the entire Encyclical which can be found online  here: http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html or by searching in Google.

ENCYCLICAL LETTER SPE SALVI
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI

47. Some recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Saviour. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God. In this way the inter-relation between justice and grace also becomes clear: the way we live our lives is not immaterial, but our defilement does not stain us for ever if we have at least continued to reach out towards Christ, towards truth and towards love. Indeed, it has already been burned away through Christ’s Passion. At the moment of judgement we experience and we absorb the overwhelming power of his love over all the evil in the world and in ourselves. The pain of love becomes our salvation and our joy. It is clear that we cannot calculate the “duration” of this transforming burning in terms of the chronological measurements of this world. The transforming “moment” of this encounter eludes earthly time-reckoning—it is the heart’s time, it is the time of “passage” to communion with God in the Body of Christ.

Our Next Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, September 8th at 12:30 pm.

We will participate in ongoing formation, have some social time with our fraternal family, and then recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390

“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”

~ The Lay Franciscan Monthly Pledge

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Fran Urso at francesurs@aol.com or 610-202-8965 if  you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated each month.

• Alex for a good school year
• Jim O’Donnell  – recovery
• Jerry Bichel – repose of his soul
• Anonymous – health to brother and myself
• Ken, Rich and Michael – cancer
• Bill M. – Eye surgery
• Trish – strength to stay away from drugs
• Carol – mental illness
• Tom – osteoarthritis
• Michelle – anxiety and overall health
• FA – health issues
• Velvet – healing from shingles
• Antoinette – healing from cancer
• Charlotte – diagnosed with early on dementia
• CC- family healing

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s & Women’s Underwear (especially men’s boxer shorts) — All Sizes
• Men’s Shoes — All Sizes
• Baby Formula
• Powdered Milk
• Oatmeal (not instant or “one minute” please)
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Cleaning Supplies
• Spray cleaners (Lysol, Formula 409, disinfectants, cleanser, or similar)
• Paper Towels
• Dish Towels
• Prayers

Annual Day of Recollection

This year’s retreat will be on Saturday October 12th and will be held at the Capuchin Friary near Wilmington. More details to follow.

Formation Information

We’re going to try an experiment during our September formation session.  Our regional formation director, Justin Carisio, OFS, provides material every month for fraternities to use during ongoing formation. Please read the attached, two-page handout and prepare for our session by following the suggestions in the “For discussion or reflection” on page 2. St. Francis’s “Praises of God” can be found below.

The Praises of God

You are strong. You are great. You are the most high.

You are the almighty king. You holy Father,

King of heaven and earth.

You are three and one, the Lord God of gods;

You are the good, all good, the highest good,

Lord God living and true.

You are love, charity; You are wisdom, You are humility,

You are patience, You are beauty, You are meekness,

You are security, You are rest,

You are gladness and joy, You are our hope, You are justice,

You are moderation, You are all our riches to sufficiency.

You are beauty, You are meekness,

You are the protector, You are our custodian and defender,

You are strength, You are refreshment. You are our hope,

You are our faith, You are our charity,

You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life:

Great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior.

Our Next Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, July 14th at 12:30 pm.

We will participate in ongoing formation, have some social time with our fraternal family, and then recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390

“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”

~ The Lay Franciscan Monthly Pledge

Ceremony of Introduction
and Welcoming

Our initial formation group has completed the primary discernment of Orientation. They will now be moving into the Inquiry Phase which marks the formal beginning of their actual initial formation. This means we will be taking a few minutes during the July gathering for the Ceremony of Introduction and Welcoming.

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Fran Urso at francesurs@aol.com or 610-202-8965 if  you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated each month.

• Joan G. – recover from heart and respiratory problems
• Terry L. – confirm and treat possible lupus
• Bill M. – vision problems
• Bill McS. – heal health problems
• Carol – return to health
• Kathy T. – to become pain free so can return to work
• Ray J. – healing from 6/14 surgery
• Bob – cancer
• Rita – cancer
• Antoinette – cancer
• Trish – mental illness and addiction issues
• Trish’s grandmother – that she will find a way to help her
• B.A. – heal from stress of business
• Jamie – safe delivery and healthy baby
• Linda C. – healing from pancreatic cancer
• Linda G. – healing from asthma and upper respiratory infection
• CW – wisdom and guidance
• Michelle – healing from anxiety
• Andrew – job security – possible lay off
• Velvet – healing from shingles
• FA – healing from back and neck pain
• Piccone family – healing from health issues
• Helen F. – healing from cancer surgery
• Michelle – healing from anxiety
• Andrew – employment

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s & Women’s Underwear (especially men’s boxer shorts) — All Sizes
• Men’s Shoes — All Sizes
• Baby Formula
• Powdered Milk
• Oatmeal (not instant or “one minute” please)
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Cleaning Supplies
• Spray cleaners (Lysol, Formula 409, disinfectants, cleanser, or similar items)
• Paper Towels
• Dish Towels
• Prayers

Formation Information

Our July Ongoing Formation session will be about Prayer and St. Francis. Please read the attached handout by Deacon Dave Ream, O.F.S as well as the passages below and prepare to actively participate in a lively discussion about this fascinating subject.

Food for Thought

Francis, through his prayerful relationship with Jesus, grew in his love for everyone. Like Jesus, Francis is willing to give his life for the sake of other people. This is the ordinary result of a prayerful spirit. It seeks the spirit of Jesus and is responsive to the Holy Spirit.

~  Lester Bach, OFM Cap, The Franciscan Journey: Embracing the Franciscan Vision

St. Francis set his eyes on the example of Christ in his practice of prayer, and he urged his followers to do the same. From the time St. Francis discovered God as his Father, he developed a heart-to-heart contract with God whom he came to know in prayer. His constant life of prayer is the best explanation of the spiritual success of his life.

~  Philip Marquard OFM, Called to Live the Dynamic Power of the Gospel: Commentary on the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO Resource Library)

Those who seek God along the path of Franciscan prayer are to be transformed by the one they seek, the one they claim to love. Prayer centered on relationship with Christ, the Word of God incarnate, cannot help but change the life of the believer and the way one lives. Those who enter into Franciscan prayer, therefore, must be ready for change; they each must be willing to become “another Christ,” for this is where the path of prayer leads, to a new birth of Christ in the lives of the believers.

~  Ilia Delio, Franciscan Prayer

A Franciscan approach to ministry must always be rooted in a life of lived prayer. Those who adopt a Franciscan approach to ministry are not just people who pray, but people whose whole life serves as a prayer by their words and actions. Lived prayer is the openness to ongoing conversion that allows God to enter one’s life and transform it from the preoccupations of worldly concerns and triviality to an expression of authentic Gospel living – following Christ’s footsteps and working as God’s instrument of peace today.

~  Daniel Horan OFM, Francis of Assisi and the Future of Faith

Exciting News!
Our Fraternity Has a New Home

Our Lady of Peace Parish
208 Milmont Ave, Milmont Park, PA 19033

Thanks to the efforts of Br. Kip and the generosity of his friend, Rev. Joseph Devlin, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish, we have a new place to gather now that Conway Hall is unavailable for the foreseeable future.

We will still begin our official gathering at our usual 12:30 pm but Br. Kip would like us to try to attend Mass together at 11:30 am, especially this first month here. Initial Formation for inquirers and candidates will now be held at 9:30 am so that group will be definitely attending Mass. Perhaps we can all try to all sit together. The meeting place in the former convent which is to the right of the church. Park anywhere behind the church.

Our Next Gathering

We will hold our next monthly gathering on
April 14th. We will participate in ongoing formation, have some social time with our fraternal family, and then recite the Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Liturgy
of the Hours.

If you are unable to fulfill your obligation to attend the monthly meeting, please call Pat Simon at 610-352-5390

“And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.”

~ The Lay Franciscan Monthly Pledge

Rite of Installation

Our new location is not the only big news to report this month. We’re also excited to announce that Brother Kip has officially been named our new spiritual assistant by the regional provincial.

To celebrate this important occasion, we will hold the Rite of Installation for a Spiritual Assistant (yes that’s a thing), during the April meeting.

Our former Fraternity Minister (current Regional Minister) Kate Kleinert has kindly agreed to serve as presider during the Rite.

Prayer Petitions

Please contact Fran Urso at francesurs@aol.com or 610-202-8965 if
you would like to include a petition in the newsletter. A new list will be generated
each month.

• Trish special intentions
• Antoinette – cancer
• Piccone’s – health
• Betty – Health and family healing
• Tristan – physical and mental health
• Billy – mass in his lungs
• Gretchen – speedy recovery from surgery
• Lee’s Dad – recovery from surgery
• J&J – blessing of their marriage
• End of Abortion
• Rosemarie – healing from surgery and for her family
• Phyllis – going through chemotherapy

Annual Fair Share

Please remember that this year’s Fairshare contribution of $30 was due in March.

The Fair Share is not meant to be a hardship. If your financial circumstances makes it difficult to contribute please let a council member know.

Regional Elections

Elections for the Regional Executive Council were held at the St. Francis Retreat House in Easton on Saturday March 23rd. The following people have been elected to Regional positions:

• Kate Kleinert – Minister
• Gretchen Bienkowski – Vice Minister
• Justin Carisio – Formation Director
• Teresa Redder – Secretary
• Frank Urso – Treasurer
• Cindy Louden – Councillor at Large
• Ted Bienkowski – Councillor at Large

Please keep the newly elected Council in your prayers as they prepare to serve you for the next three years!

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s Shoes — All Sizes
• Baby Formula
• Powdered Milk
• Oatmeal (not instant or “one minute” please)
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Spray cleaners (Lysol, Formula 409, disinfectants, cleanser, or similar items)
• Paper Towels
• Dish Towels
• Prayers

Formation Information

Brother Kip’s postulant class will provide our April ongoing formation session and the topic will be penance.

Food for Thought

The term Penance in Franciscanism is equivalent to the biblical meaning of metanoia, understood as an intimate conversion of the heart to God, as a vital altitude, a continuous state of being. It is not a question of doing penance but of being penitent.

~  Fr. Lino Temperini, Penitential Spirituality in the Franciscan Sources