From Our July 2019 Newsletter

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