From our December 2012 Newsletter

Our December Gathering

The annual Christmas Celebration will take place beginning at 1:30 p.m. (setup will begin at 12:30) in Conway Hall.  We will begin with the Crown Rosary followed by our Creche Service and a Franciscan Feast (one that we provide for each other!!).  Many thanks to Antoinette Lightman for heading up the Party Committee.

Important Schedule Changes

Beginning in January, we will be changing the schedule of our meetings as follows:

• 10:30 to 12:30 Initial formation for inquirers and candidates
• 12:30 to 1:30 Mandatory ongoing formation (includes those in initial formation)
• 1:30 to 2:00 Social time (light snacks)
• 2:00 to 3:00 Communal prayer & announcements
• 3:00 to 3:15 Break & move to church for benediction
• 3:15 to 3:45 Benediction
• 3:45 to 4:45 Council meeting

December Profession Anniversaries

• Marie Bair 1986
• Veda Dugan 1986
• Teresa McHugh 1986
• Regina McGarry 1971
• Claire Quinn 1975

IMPORTANT ONGOING FORMATION INFORMATION

Please note: There will be some changes made to our ongoing formation program beginning in January.

First, as you may have noticed from the new schedule on the previous page, our gatherings now begin at 12:30. Ongoing formation will now be considered an integral part of the meeting rather than an optional preface to the meeting.

Second, we are going to shift gears a bit and begin the new year by reviewing, over a few months, selected readings from a really powerful presentation called Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment by Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap.

Copies of this presentation will be handed out at our December gathering and is also be available on our website’s Ongoing Formation page (follow link on the menu on top of each page of the site) if you want to get a head start.

Formation Quotations

From the General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (Article 44):

Begun by the preceding stages, the formation of the brothers and sisters takes place in a permanent and continuous way. It should be understood as an aid in the conversion of each and everyone and in the fulfillment of their proper mission in the Church and in society.

…

Ongoing formation – accomplished by means of courses, gatherings, and the sharing of experience – aims to assist the brothers and sisters

•  (Rule 4) in listening to and meditating on the Word of God, “going from Gospel to life and from life to Gospel;”
•  in reflecting on events in the Church and in society in the light of faith, and with the help of the documents of the teaching Church, consequently taking consistent positions;
•  in discerning and deepening the Franciscan vocation by studying the writings of Saint Francis, Saint Clare and Franciscan authors.