From Our November 2018 Newsletter

Our November Gathering

We will hold our monthly gathering on Sunday, November 11th at 12:30 pm in Conway Hall.

A Profession!

Yes, this is what I want.

After a brief gathering, which may include the Franciscan Crown Rosary and formation, we will proceed at around 2:00 to St. Francis Church for the Profession Mass of Kathy Cerone. We will also be remembering the deceased members of our fraternity during this Mass. Refreshments will be served after Mass in Conway Hall.

Please be sure to keep Kathy in your prayers as she makes her final preparations for this important moment in her life.

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

• Angel – Emotional and family healing
• Marian McCole, OFS – recovery from pacemaker implant
• Brother Larry – repose of his soul
• Olga – 100 years old – restoration of health and healing
• Success of the New National Executive Counsel
• Peg McNally, OSF – repose of her soul
• Brother Kip and family – loss of mother, pray for repose of her soul and for the family
• K. Cerone – Chest pains, inflammation
  of chest
• Karen – successful settlement on new home
• Adreana – incurable disease
• Vivian – pancreatic cancer
• Chris – cancer
• Rita – cancer
• Barbara – cancer
• Terry – conversion of family
• Jessie – special intention
• Ray Sabath, OFS – repose of his soul
• Patti R. – physical healing and family healing
• Kathy Tierno, OSF – knee replacement
• Rose and Carmen – very sick
• Sister Jean Marie Seaman, OSF – second knee replacement
• Victims of Hurricane Michael and Pittsburg Shooting

St. Francis Inn Needs

• Men’s & Women’s Underwear (especially men’s boxer shorts) — All Sizes
• Men’s Shoes — All Sizes
• Diapers – Sizes 4, 5, 6, 3T-4T & 4T-5T
• Baby Formula
• Powdered Milk
• Spray Air Freshener or Deodorizer
• Toiletries — All Sizes (large & small) & Types (soap, deodorant, shampoo, lotion, razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, and the like)
• Prayers

Formation Information

We may or may not have a formal ongoing formation session at our November gathering, but please prayerfully contemplate the following in light of the Profession we will be celebrating.

– – – – – –

Profession and Commitment to the Gospel Life

I, ________, by the grace of God,
renew my baptismal promises
and consecrate myself
to the service of his kingdom.
Therefore, in my secular state
I promise to live all the days of my life
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the
Secular Franciscan Order
by observing its rule of life.
May the grace of the Holy Spirit,
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and our holy father Saint Francis,
and the fraternal bonds of community
always be my help,
so that I may reach the goal
of perfect Christian love.

– – – – – –

If I pause to think about it, such a declaration is enough to take my breath away. In consecrating ourselves “to service in His Kingdom,” we change our relationship to God’s infinite and eternal creation, which in itself is something that is always changing, always new, always becoming. We are no longer simply along for the ride, as it were. We can no longer live our lives as we have, focused solely on ourselves and our families and our careers and the countless irritations that make up modern life. In making our formal and public professions, we declare that Christ is the center of our lives, the balance point, the focus, the prime mover–our “All.” In consecrating our lives, we make Christ, as He is revealed in the gospels, the measure of all that we do.

~ Andrew Sapp OFS, Reflection: Profession & Our Franciscan Life

– – – – – –

The moment of Profession is a specific moment. It doesn’t just happen. It is prepared for and is joyfully anticipated. It is specific, so that we know exactly what is happening and why. It is a moment not to be forgotten, whose impact is transformational and dictates all we do and say from the moment of profession on. Fr. Felice [Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap in Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment] says that it is the “foundational moment in the identity of the Professed.” This moment changes everything.

~ Fr. Richard Trezza, O.F.M., “Profession and the Secular Franciscan: Theological and Liturgical Foundations”

– – – – – –

Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order, as a promise to live the gospel in the manner of St Francis, aims to put before us the radical, light­ filled and joyful style in which Francis listens to the gospel and commits himself to live it.

~ Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap, Profession in the SFO: Gift and Commitment