"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

A special "Thank you!"
Goes out to
John Michael Talbot
for giving us permission
to use his song on our
"Come to the Quiet"
You Tube Video
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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Holy Obedience Due Our Bishops

 Photo of Pond at the Portiuncula Hermitage and Retreat Center in Jerusalem, Ohio
 
'When the friars have examined the land necessary for a house,' Francis said, 'they should go to the Bishop of that city and say to him, "My Lord so-and-so is willing to give us so much land for the love of God and for the salvation of his soul, so that we may build a house there. We are therefore coming to you first of all, because you are the father and lord of the souls of all the flock entrusted to you, as well as of ourselves and of all the brethren who will dwell in this place. So, with God's blessing and your own, we would like to build there." '

He spoke this because the harvest of souls which the friars desire to gather is more readily obtained by working in harmony with the clergy, thereby helping both them and the people, than by antagonizing them, even though they may win the people.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 10

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Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Leaving Home, Leaving Church - A Rite of Passage?

By Mike Filce, Crisis Magazine, Sept. 4, 2012

Door_Church_Villefranche

We rural people share a common understanding when it comes to our young: that it is essential for them to leave home after high school, to go away to college or work.  This understanding comes from witnessing the stagnation of those who stay, the narrowed horizons and expectations, the dead-end life goals and plans.

Those who grow up here in Tahoe often do return, having seen what’s “out there,” and preferring what they know here.  It then is a choice for something, rather than an absence of choice based on ignorance.  Unsurprisingly, these “returnees” seem to find greater happiness and purpose than those who have never left.

A Rite of Passage?

The trouble for Catholics arises in that we often come to view our children’s faith journey in similar terms—almost condoning their choice to drift away from the faith we have guided them in forming.  After all, many of us did the same thing—stopped attending mass with our parents, stopped practicing the sacraments on a regular basis, rationalizing our choices in myriad ways.  When you’re young and impatient, when you find attending mass a chore, it requires only the smallest excuse to drift away.  There are plenty of Christian assemblies around to provide the stimulation as well as the ready-made critiques of the Catholic faith and they do an admirable job of reaching out to our young people; and to be fair, we Catholics have provided our young with plenty of excuses to grow disinterested.  So when our young adults stray, we are not greatly surprised or alarmed.  Perhaps we offer up a prayer for their eventual return—that the Holy Spirit will lead them home; perhaps we lament the lack of programs and services aimed at retaining our young adults; but that’s usually as far as it goes.

And when our own children begin to drift, we accept it as our cross to bear, rather than pushing the child away from the Church even further.  Without exception, it seems, we parents opt to avoid the tyranny of forced attendance, clinging to the hope that our children will one day return of their own volition.

What the Studies Say

The process of disengagement is a subtle yet corrosive one, and there is no shortage of pundits who attempt to list reasons for it. Such attempts invariably reflect on the alarming trends and note the clichés that we all tend to reiterate when lamenting the tragic exodus of our youth.

For a typical summary of reasons behind the exodus, I refer you to a respected 2011 study by Charles Zech and Father William Byron, not to affirm their accuracy, but to confess my own easy acceptance of such findings, and to contrast them with my revised assessment that the answers lie in a different direction.  This study—eventually titled “Empty Pews: Survey of Catholics Regarding Decrease in Mass Attendance”—boils the somewhat predictable responses down to a list of seven reasons Catholics leave church (also summarized by Merica, Zimmerman).

The trouble with such studies is that they highlight the more public and sensational concerns—scandals and particularly rigid stances or doctrines; they conclude with platitudes and clichés without clarifying why young people really drift away from Catholic worship.

Getting at the Real Reasons

Looking a little further, one will consistently find that “People are not [leaving the Church] because they disagree with specific Catholic teachings; people are leaving because the church does not meet their spiritual needs and they find Protestant worship service better” (Reese).  Read “emotional” for “spiritual,” and “desires” for “needs,” and you have a fairly accurate picture.

Offering the most accurate explanation for the exodus is Dennis Coday, editor for the National Catholic Reporter.  He bases his analysis on a 2009 follow-up study to the well-known “Pew Report,” a 2007 study involving 35,000 Americans.  Coday reports that commonly the decision to leave “happened over time” rather than being “prompted by a one-time event”; it’s not about the sex-abuse scandals.  Catholic Researcher, Mark Gray, agrees that “The poster child of former Catholics is a disaffected teenager . . . This is about youth coming of age and not feeling connected to their faith” (qtd. in Coday).

“Matthew’s” story, as told in an essay by Kathryn Jean Lopez, epitomizes the complex emotional need to “feel connected,” which claims most casualties of the faith: Matthew grew up in a practicing Catholic household and went to Catholic schools.  He was raised, as many of us were, “with the indoctrination of how the Church was infallible, perfect, the sole authority of God.”  Not surprisingly, as he grew older, “he began to wonder whether this corresponded to the Church he saw.”  Couple this disillusionment with the way in which another Christian faith made him “feel welcomed, valued, and affirmed,” and you have the standard recipe for disenfranchisement.  It is almost pointless to speculate “how many there are who end up in ‘Bible churches’ because they find fellowship, scriptural preaching and teaching, and a sense of spirituality they had been lacking” (Lopez).

Where the Research Leaves Us

Whether or not we have children, we need to recognize this crisis among our Catholic children and young adults, because it is therefore a crisis of our Church and our Faith—for we are all one body, and we share responsibility for the faith formation of our young; likewise we all suffer when they neglect and abandon their faith.  We as parents and members of the congregation have become too passive in allowing other influences to govern our children’s key decisions, downplaying them as harmless rites of passage.

Uniquely Catholic

First, let’s acknowledge that because we claim to be the “one true Church,” to have the answers, to be the leader in the world, we open ourselves to relentless scrutiny, and a human institution must always fall short when measured against perfect righteousness.  Make no mistake, our young people bring that scrutiny to mass.

I urge you to spend a few minutes during mass to observe the congregation through the eyes of a teenager—witnessing people as the automatons our teenagers see.  It looked that way to me as well, and played a key role in my wanderings. In fact, it took years for me to realize that Catholics take to heart Jesus’ teaching that “what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6, NAB), and in embracing this teaching, end up looking like the least devout, the least engaged, the least spiritual, while in fact they are often among the most. Add to that the criticism that our faith and worship are not “scripture-based,” and you have the basis of evangelical efforts to lead us away from our church and toward theirs.

Under these attacks, our young people easily lose sight of the mass as an exaltation of the scriptures and a multi-faceted prayer . . . and that’s as good a place as any to start a dialogue with our kids.

Defending the Faith at Home

The other day my wife and I had to explain to our fifteen-year old daughter why we weren’t allowing her to attend a weekend retreat with her friend’s evangelical Christian church group.  Acknowledging that we cannot compete with the “fun” offered by other churches, we talk to her about the differences at the heart of our Faith and how those differences demand more from us, but that they define her and her faith in a vital way.  We talk about what the “one true church” means; we do not pretend that all churches and all faiths are equal in God’s eyes; we try to make her aware of the motives of evangelical groups, and what challenges that will raise for her.  It’s going to be an ongoing issue, one I’m sure we will continue to pray over, one that will push us to seek out guidance, one that will force us to frequently evaluate our beliefs and how we live them, and more importantly how we model those values to our children.

My wife and I do not see any point in “competing” with other faith communities or in trying to bring what works for them into our Church as so many seem inclined to.  We can neither surrender our children to the more enticing activities of other churches, nor try to emulate those churches in hopes of “winning” some unspoken battle for attention.  Emulation would only convey fear, whereas we need to embrace and celebrate the uniqueness of our faith instead.  This doesn’t mean it’s not important to create engaging opportunities for our children and young adults, but that it’s more important to get them to look at their relationship with God and their church as something transcending the allure of fun events with friends.

Returning to the Voices of Wisdom, One Last Time

Not surprisingly, one of the Pew Report’s findings was that “The church must make a preferential option for teenagers and young adults or it will continue to bleed. Programs and liturgies that cater to their needs must take precedence” (Reese; Cabaniss)—a suggestion so sensible and unassailable that we tend not to question it.  But it’s also the same facile response that always emerges in such conversations, probably because it sounds so logical.  The problem, as Margaret Cabaniss so cogently expresses, is that such “preferential options” have been made available for some time, and without effect; in fact, she points out, if we merely mimic what’s offered down the street, that provides even less reason to stay.  She focuses instead on what makes us unique: the Eucharist.  Cabaniss is also absolutely correct that “modern, ‘accessible’ liturgies, social justice outreach; and tight-knit communities” mean nothing “if we haven’t conveyed the fundamental truth at the heart of our Faith: that we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord in the Eucharist at every Mass, through an unbroken 2,000-year chain stretching back to Christ Himself. Any attempt to address the attrition problem that doesn’t begin here will fail before it has begun.”

Cabaniss is not alone in this assessment.  Rev. Joseph Wilson, a priest at St. Luke’s Church in Queens, New York, identifies the real problem as a “deep misunderstanding of what the Mass is about,” citing the pervasive and misguided expectation that the “liturgy is our self-expression, that it should be comfy and entertaining.” He focuses on the need to inculcate the understanding that mass should really be “not about what we do so much as about what God does” (qtd. in Lopez).  In all the hand wringing over the loss of so many young Catholics, I’ve rarely seen such a pithy and vital truth.

Where Do We Go From Here

Let’s turn to solutions—what we can take away from this discussion and begin applying to our families and communities.  I offer this list not only in the hopes that you will find something useful, but also for myself, as a way to clarify the task before me:

  • We must first renounce the notion that our young people must be entertained more than challenged.

  • We must consciously stop interpreting the departure of our young people as some kind of “rite of passage.”

  • We must be wary of trying to emulate those who compete for our children by providing fun and distraction.

  • We must emphasize to our children that God wants us to be serious thinkers; He does not want a cheerleader camp.

  • We must talk directly with our children about the church’s complex challenge – its role in the world; the nature of its critics and the allure of other faith communities.

  • We must be clear first in our understanding, second in our explanations of our faith to our children.

  • We must help our children to see the difference between the Church as a faith and the church as only the sum of its flawed human representatives.

  • We must constantly talk with our children about the literature, movies, music, and other media they are exposed to, and teach them to evaluate the messages that play such a subtle yet ubiquitous role in their lives.

  • We must challenge our children to reflect on the tenets of their confirmation and the sacraments as a whole.

  • We must pass on to them a religion that is not adulterated by the modern “cafeteria-style” approach to the Church’s doctrines and teachings.

  • We must openly acknowledge with our children that our faith does demand much more than others’ and we must support them tirelessly in shouldering that burden; after all, nothing valuable comes without hard work.

  • We must demonstrate for them what role spiritual emotion plays in their faith so they do not perceive it as bloodless; we must remind them that what a congregation looks like is often different from what is really going on within its members.

  • Last, we need to show our children that Christ is the center of our lives, not just what we do on Sunday.

A longer version of this essay first appeared August 30, 2012 on The Devout Life blog.

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/leaving-home-leaving-church-a-rite-of-passage

 

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

BonTon Community Day Booklet - Helping Non-Profits Like the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage


"Oh, WOW! Look at these fantastic coupons!"






 Our Community Day booklet is better than ever — featuring more savings coupons, better Bonus Buys and longer Early Bird hours. Includes the following great coupons:



  • $10 Off regular or sale priced item priced at $10 or more.  One coupon per item, some exclusion apply.
  • 40% Off All coffee, coffee makers, & coffee accessories.
  • $50 Off a pair of Clarks® shoes for her.
  • $50 Off Misses' designer down & Columbia outerwear.
  • $50 Off Select men's outerwear.
  • $30 Off Ukala™ by EMU boots for women and girls.
  • $20 Off Regular & sale price designer denim for ladies and men.
  • $15 Off any size fleece or cold-weather performance sheet set.
  • $10 Off Men's fleece sport shirts.
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  • $14.99 For Grandoe® touchscreen gloves.
  • $16.99 For any size LivingQuarters Micro Cozy Blanket.
  • $5.99 For a LivingQuarters Bamboo towel.
  • $22.99 For any size Leisure Bayside luggage.
Use most coupons in-store or online.  Shop Friday, November 9th or Saturday, November 10th to save big on top of our already-low sale prices. Proceeds from online donations will benefit all Community Day groups.

Click Below to go directly to the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center Booklet Sales:



http://www.elder-beerman.com/product/311676.html?utm_source=premiere&utm_medium=htmlversion&utm_content=184889&utm_campaign=12CMDAYBK&CID=12CMDAYBK184889
">http://www.bonton.com/wcsstore/BonTon/images/promos/2012/fall/community_day_booklet/kkr_250x240_EB.jpg" />

Chris Dickson, F.L.A. 
Servant General
Franciscan Lay Apostolate

   

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Bishop Jeffrey Monforton Installation September 10, 2012



The installation of Bishop Jeffrey Monforton will take place on Monday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. at the Finnegan Field House on the grounds of Franciscan University of Steubenville.


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Friday, August 17, 2012

Franciscan Lay Apostolate




The Franciscan Lay Apostolate  is currently under the direction of Fra Chris Dickson, F.L.A. Along with his staff, the F.L.A. works to foster the spread of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, and helps to raise the dignity of people's lives in Appalachia. 

Apostolicam Actuositatem is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. It defines the mission of the lay Christian faithful to both "lead non-believers to the faith and to instruct, strengthen, and encourage the faithful to a more fervent life". The lay apostolate is made up from laypeople and consecrated religious who exercise a ministry in cooperation with the Catholic Church. These organizations cooperate with ecclesiastical authorities. They operate "under direction of her pastors" but are not members of the official Church hierarchy nor in Holy Orders

Apostolates operate with the permission of the local Ordinary of a Diocese, but without material support. The Franciscan Lay Apostolate does not employ a professional fund raiser. We depend solely upon contributions from people like yourself.

Won't you please prayerfully consider a one-time gift of $5.00 or $10.00 to help us tend to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of our brothers and sisters in Appalachia? 

Mailing Address (Currently):

Portiuncula Hermitage
P.O. Box 114
Richmond, IN 47375-0114

Thank you for your kind consideration and Pace e Bene!

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The Catholic Church vs. Liberation Theology

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by Chris Dickson, F.L.A.



I am appalled by the naivete of our Church being duped into anti-Christian communism. Liberation theology is a threat to free society by its undermining of the Church and its Magisterium through attempting to redefine moral issues (changing the Gospel to support theology opposed to shaping theology as a result of the Gospel.)

Ignorance is not bliss and unless we familiarize ourselves with the dangers, then future generations will demand answers as to why we threw away our freedom in lieu of communism.

To quote Gustavo Gutierrez (the "father" of liberation theology,) "There is no evil in being subversive, struggling against the capitalist system...Liberation leads to reinterpreting the Gospel...As I have witnessed the power of Marxism to provide motivation for a life of service where none existed before, I have come to a new appreciation of this part of my own history. I cannot settle for any story of America that fails to give a central place to this vision."

Again, Roger Garaudy (one of France's foremost Marxist intellectuals) wrote, "Socialism is a traditional stage in the passage from capitalism to communism." Also, "When the established order involves such injustice that millions of men are exploited, oppressed, mutilated, and humiliated by this order, a revolution, even armed revolution, can be less costly and in the long run less 'violent' than this established disorder, which has become pure violence. Of this, incidentally, many Christians are today becoming conscious, including, for example, even priests and bishops in Latin America."

Charles E. Curran, no longer permitted by the Church to teach moral theology at Catholic universities, has stated,"Questions arise in the light of both the importance and the limitations of Scriptures. In the light of the most striking development has been the emergence of dissent within the Roman Catholic theological community from the teachings of the hierarchical magisterium on specific moral issues."

One cannot help but feel an air of approval when local archdiocesan newspapers print articles written by these people. Already we have seen a swing by our priests and educators away from the Church's doctrine of "norma normans non normata"(the Scriptures being the norm above all other norms by which all norms are taken) and are thus shown to question the Scripture's relevance in our daily lives.

Perhaps we need to seek the definition of a couple terms which seem to have taken on good and bad connotations in complete reversal of their intended meanings:

First of all, the term orthodoxy means "right praise," or consistency with the faith of the Church as embodied in Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, official teachings and the liturgy.

Libertaion theology, on the other hand, is defined as a new type of theology which emphasizes the motif of liberation in both Old and New Testaments and which reinterprets all doctrines in terms of that motif. Forms of liberation theology include Latin American, black and feminist.

Jesus "liberated" all of us from the bonds of oppression. Rather than reinterpreting the Gospel, perhaps we would be better served to "live it." This idea may not be popular with some in the Church today, but by returning to the basics of our faith, we will be truly liberated through the instruction of Sacred Scriptures if only we would accept Jesus as the catalyst of our lives.

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"Come to the Quiet" Retreat Venue Change



October 2012 "Come to the Quiet" Retreat   
 
Venue Change

Our October "Come to the Quiet" Retreat will be held at St. Sylvester's Roman Catholic Church in Woodsfield, Ohio.

Exact Dates and Times to be announced shortly...

There appears to be a growing interest in the monastic life among people of all
lifestyles – and no wonder! For centuries, the monastic life has provided monks and nuns with disciplines and practices aimed at helping them maintain balanced, healthy and centered lifestyles while they “prefer nothing to Christ.” But these practices are not only for monks! Join us as we explore practices such as silence, prayer, simplicity, solitude and celebration, and the benefits they have for all our lives.
Fee:   Free-Will Offering

To register, or for additional information, please email the Portiuncula Hermitage at hermitage@parallax.ws
 
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Thursday, August 16, 2012

FORMATION




Members are those persons considered to be part of the F.L.A. All baptized Catholics who are fourteen years of age or older, who are in complete harmony with all the teachings of the Roman Catholic church and the Magisterium, are eligible to enter formation as Members.

Members include those who have pledged to live the F.L.A. Rule and Constitutions as well as those pursuing formation in the F.L.A. at the Postulance level or above and who have no impediments to pledging if their formation were complete (as example, someone already pledged to the Third Order Carmelites).

PRE-INQUIRY

A pre-inquirer is an individual who contacts the F.L.A., or any Member of it, for information, advice, and/or prayer about discerning the possible vocation to the F.L.A., but who has not completed the Inquirer application.

INQUIRY

Inquiry is the first level of formal contact with the F.L.A.. inquirers are exploring the F.L.A. way of life and discerning a possible vocation in it.

POSTULANCY

The postulancy is an introduction into the formation process. Postulants reflect on certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, on penance, and on the spiritual journey. They study the F.L.A. Rule and Constitutions and begin to follow them in certain ways. The Postulancy is a time of further discernment of a vocation to the F.L.A.

NOVITIATE

The principle years of formation are three years of the Novitiate, each consisting of at least twelve full months during which the Novice regularly participates in at least one Spiritual or Corporal Work of Mercy. The Novice undertake a study of Scripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Each year of formation integrates different prescriptions of the Rule and the Constitutions into the Novice life. These prescriptions are: for Novice 1, prayer; for Novice w, fasting and abstinence; Novice 3, simplicity of life. At the end of three years of Novice formation the penitent shall be praying certain prayers for a certain amount of time daily, shall fast and abstain weekly, and shall have greatly simplified his or her wardrobe and possessions.

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Wednesday, August 08, 2012

The Franciscan Friars Minor Alcantarines or Discalced (Barefoot)

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7.29.
The Spanish reform was born before the division of the Order in 1517. In 1480 Juan de la Puebla had began an effort at reform, followed by Juan de Guadalupe in 1495. At this time this reform was under the obedience of the Minister General, and developed independently of the Observant Vicars General. In 1496 the Minister General Francesco Nanni gave him permission to live the Rule in the most strict observance. In 1499 the group of friars formed the Custody of the Holy Gospel.

7.30. The famous reformer Cardinal Cisneros, with the approval of the Spanish monarchs Fernando and Isabella, wanted to eradicate from Spain all religious who wanted to start reforms outside the Regular Observance. So in 1502 the permission given to Juan de Guadalupe was revoked, and the friars were asked to join the Observance in the houses of recollection which the Order in Spain had instituted for the purpose. But these reformed friars did not accept and declared their obedience to the Minister General of the Order. In 1515 these friars were known as "fratres de caputio", or "Discalced" Friars Minor and were given the Custody of Estremadura. They were also known as Reformed Conventuals, because of their obedience to the Minister General.

7.31. The "Ite vos" of 1517 commanded them to join the Order of Friars Minor, made up of the Observants and the other reformed groups. The Custody of Estremadura became the Province of St. Gabriel in 1520.

7.32. In 1515 Juan Pascual joined these friars. Later on he would ask to be left under the obedience of the Friars Minor Conventuals. Paul III gave him permission to accept novices and other Observants who would like to join the reform. When Juan Pascual died in 1554 he had laid the foundations for the Custody of San Josè.

7.33. A key figure in this Custody and a great reformer in Spain was St. Peter of Alcantara. He was a Minister Provincial of the province of St. Gabriel of the Reformed Conventuals. In 1557 the Minister General of the Conventuals gave him permission to become General Commissary of the Reformed Conventuals in Spain. Peter founded the hermitage of Pedroso. In 1559 the Custody of San Josè became a Province. The Alcanatarine reform was one of the strictest in the history of the Order. The same year in which Peter of Alcantara died, in 1562, the Province of San Josè left the Conventual obedience and entered the Observant family. Peter of Alcantara was instrumental in helping St. Theresa of Avila in the reform of the Carmelite Order, when she founded the Discalced Carmelites.

7.34. The Alcanatarine family was very intransigent in its sense of autonomy from the Observant mainstream and way of life. In 1621 the Alcantarines were given a General Commissary and a Procurator General.

7.35. By the end of the 18th century the Discalced or Alcantarine family of the Order of Friars Minor had spread to Italy (Naples and Lecce), Brazil, Mexico, East Indies, Japan and the Philippines. The Alcantarines were also a school of sanctity, with eminent figures such as St. Paschal Baylon, St. John Joseph of the Cross.

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Monday, August 06, 2012

Spiritual Joy

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Francis declared that if the servant of God strove to possess and preserve interior and external spiritual joy, which proceeds from purity of heart, the devils could do him no harm, but would be forced to admit: "Since this servant of God preserves his joy in tribulation as well as in prosperity, we can find no way to harm his soul."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 97


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Friday, August 03, 2012

Am I Not A Miserable Man?

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St. Sylvester, a diocesan priest, was one of the first four companions of St. Francis of Assisi. He is buried in the Basilica in Assisi.

By divine inspiration, a priest named Sylvester began to reflect on Francis' action, and said to himself: "Am I not a miserable man, old as I am, to be avid for temporal goods, when this young man despises and hates them for love of God?" During the following night in a dream he saw an immense cross reaching to the sky, and its foot was planted in the mouth of Francis, while the arms spread from on end of the world to the other. On awakening, the priest realized and was convinced that blessed Francis was indeed the friend and servant of Jesus Christ and that the form of religion he was introducing would spread over the entire earth. Thus Sylvester was brought to fear God, and he began to do penance while still living in his own house. Before long, however, he entered the fraternity in which he lived perfectly and died gloriously.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions - 31

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Sunday, July 08, 2012

The Tertiary Monthly Pledge

 
Realizing the importance of saving my immortal soul * and the great value of the Third Order Rule * to achieve this all important goal in life * I hereby resolve to observe this sanctifying Rule * not only in part * but as fully as human frailty will allow.

With God's grace, * I will assist at Holy Mass on weekdays, whenever possible * recite my Seraphic Office faithfully * never omit grace before and after meals * and examine my conscience every night.

I will receive the Sacraments at least once a month * attend the Fraternity meetings regularly * and contribute according to my means for the charities of the Order.

I will always carefully observe the Commandments of God and the Church * wear the Scapular and Cord * avoid extravagance in dress and manner of living * avoid dangerous amusements * be temperate in food and drink * set a good example for my family and fellow-man * avoid dangerous reading * be at peace with all * avoid vulgar and improper speech * and practice charity towards all * with special solicitude toward sick and deceased members.

May Saint Francis * so wonderful in penance and love of Jesus Crucified * grant me the necessary spirit of prayer * penance * love and sacrifice * so that I may faithfully observe his Rule until death. Amen

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Do You Mantilla?




For 2,000 years, Catholic women have veiled themselves before entering a church or any time they are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (e.g., during sick calls). It was written into the 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 1262, that women must cover their heads -- "especially when they approach the holy table" ("mulieres autem, capite cooperto et modeste vestitae, maxime cum ad mensam Dominicam accedunt")  -- but during the Second Vatican Council, Bugnini (the same Freemason who designed the Novus Ordo Mass) was asked by journalists if women would still have to cover their heads. His reply, perhaps innocently enough, was that the issue was not being discussed. The journalists (as journalists are wont to do with Church teaching) took his answer as a "no," and printed their misinformation in newspapers all over the world. 1 Since then, many, if not most, Catholic women have lost the tradition.

After so many years of many women forgetting or positively repudiating the veil, clerics, not wanting to be confrontational or upset radical feminists, pretended the issue didn't exist. When the 1983 Code of Canon Law was produced, veiling was simply not mentioned (not abrogated, mind you, but simply not mentioned). However, Canons 20-21 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law make clear that later Canon Law abrogates earlier Canon Law only when this is made explicit and that, in cases of doubt, the revocation of earlier law is not to be presumed, quite the opposite

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Can You Afford A One-Time Gift Of $5.00 or $10.00 ?

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The Portiuncula Hermitage located in Jerusalem, Ohio has been given permission of the Bishop of Steubenville to duplicate the Portiuncula Chapel that is located on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. To complete this project, we need the help of our Christian brothers and sisters. We are not seeking large donations, only small one-time donations of between $5.00 to $10.00  

Can you help?

Please prayerfully consider giving a small donation today.



Mail Donations To:

Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
P.O. Box 114
Richmond, IN 47375-0114

Thank you and Pace e Bene!

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Saturday, July 07, 2012

WHITE ROSE

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All Catholics who remain faithful to the Pope, the Bishops, and the Magisterium are invited to wear a White Rose from now until November 6, 2012 to show your support!

Thank you for your support!


 Chris Dickson, F.L.A.



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Friday, July 06, 2012

Obama Team Trying To Divide Catholic Church

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The Small Reward of Vainglory and Human Honor



Saint Francis thought it not right to show forth exteriorly the secrets of the divine wisdom which were revealed to him, unless he were urged thereto by the charity of Christ or the good of his neighbor. He used to say, "For the small reward of vainglory and human honor, we should lose our priceless treasure, and provoke God not to give us any more gifts." 

 ~ Saint Francis of Assisi


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Separated Only By A Partition Of Flesh



"St. Francis always sought to keep his spirit in union with God through uninterrupted prayer, so that he would not be without consolations of the Beloved. In his dedication to contemplation, prayer was the comfort of his life; and as if he were already a citizen of heaven and a fellow citizen of the angels, he went in ardent search of the Beloved, from whom he was separated only by a partition of flesh."

Saint Francis of Assisi
St. Bonaventure, Major Life

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Be Courteous and Humble to Everyone



"I advise, admonish, and exhort you in the Lord Jesus Christ that when you travel through the world you do not quarrel or argue or judge others; rather, be meek, peaceful and modest, courteous and humble, speaking honorably to everyone."

~ Saint Francis of Assisi 

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Jesus Was Among the People!



"So very often Jesus was on the seashore, along the docks, on the grassy plains of Palestine, in the market-place, in homes. Jesus was, indeed, exactly where the people were hurting." 

~ Fr. Ralph A. DiOrio
 "Called to Heal: Releasing the Transforming Power of God" 

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Thursday, July 05, 2012

RULE OF LIFE FOR THE F.L.A. (FRANCISCAN LAY APOSTOLATE)

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This is the Rule of Life for the Confraternity of Penitents. Penitents live this Rule according to the Constitution of the Confraternity of Penitents.

THE PRIMITIVE RULE OF 1221

Here begins the Rule of the Continent Brothers and Sisters: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The memorial of what is proposed to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, living in their own homes, begun in the year of our Lord 1221, is as follows.

CHAPTER I: DAILY LIFE

1. The men belonging to this brotherhood shall dress in humble, undyed cloth, the price of which is not to exceed six Ravenna soldi an ell, unless for evident and necessary cause a temporary dispensation be given. And breadth and thinness of the cloth are to be considered in said price.

2. They shall wear their outer garments and furred coats without open throat, sewed shut or uncut but certainly laced up, not open as secular people wear them; and they shall wear their sleeves closed.

3. The sisters in turn shall wear an outer garment and tunic made of cloth of the same price and humble quality; or at least they are to have with the outer garment a white or black underwrap or petticoat, or an ample linen gown without gathers, the price of an ell of which is not to exceed twelve Pisa denars. As to this price, however, and the fur cloaks they wear a dispensation may be given according to the estate of the woman and the custom of the place. They are not to wear silken or dyed veils or ribbons.

4. And both the brothers and sisters shall have their fur garments of lamb's wool only. They are permitted to have leather purses and belts sewed in simple fashion without silken thread, and no other kind. Also other vain adornments they shall lay aside at the bidding of the Visitor.

5. They are not to go to unseemly parties or to shows or dances. They shall not donate to actors, and shall forbid their household to donate.

CHAPTER II: ABSTINENCE

6. All are to abstain from meat save on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, except on account of illness or weakness, for three days of bloodletting, in traveling, or on account of a specially high feast intervening, namely, the Nativity for three days, New Year's, Epiphany, the Pasch of the Resurrection for three days, Assumption of the glorious Virgin mary, the solemnity of the All Saints and of St. Martin. On other daysw, when there is no fasting, they may eat cheese and eggs. But whern they are with religious in their convent homes, they have to leave to eat what is served to them. And except for the feeble, the ailing, and those traveling, let them be content with dinner and supper. Let the healthy be temperate in eating and drinking.

7. Before their dinner and supper let them say the Lord's prayer once, likewise after their meal, and let them give thanks to God. Otherwise, let them say three Our Fathers.

CHAPTER III: FASTING

8. From the Pasch of the Resurrection to the feast of All Saints they are to fast on Fridays. From the feast of All Saints until Easter they are to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, but still observing the other fasts enjoined in general by the Church.

9. They are to fast daily, except on account of infirmity or any other need, throughout the fast of St. martin from after said day until Christmas, and throughout the greater fast from Carnival Sunday until Easter.

10. Sisters who are pregnant are free to refrain until their purification from the corporal observances except those regarding dress and prayers.

11. Those engaged in fatiguing work shall be allowed to take food three times a day from Pasch of the Resurrection until the Dedication feast of St. Michael. And when they work for others it will be allowed them to eat everything served to them, except on Fridays and on the fasts enjoined in general by the Church.

CHAPTER IV - PRAYER

12. All are daily to say the seven canonical Hours, that is: Matins, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. The clerics are to say them after the manner of the clergy. Those who know the Psalter are to say the Deu...s in nomine tuo (Psalm 54) and the Beati Immaculati (Psalm 119) up to the Legem pone (Verse 33) for Prime, and the other psalms of the Hours, with the Glory Be to the Father; but when they do not attend church, they are to say for Matins the psalms the Church says or any eighteen psalms; or at least say the Our Father as do the unlettered at any of the Hours. The others say twelve Our Fathers for Matins and for every one of the other Hours seven Our Fathers with the Glory Be to the Father after each one. Ans those who know the Creed and the Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51) should say it at Prime and Compline. If they do not say that at the Hours indicated, they shall say three Our Fathers.

13. The sick are not to say the Hours unless they wish.

14. All are to go to Matins in the feast of St. Maretin and in the great fast, unless inconvenience for persons or affairs should threaten.

CHAPTER V - THE SACRAMENTS AND OTHER MATTERS

15. They are to make a confession of their sins three times a year and to receive Communion at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. They are to be reconciled with their neighbors and to restore what belongs to others. They are to make up for past tithes and pay future tithes.

16. They are not to take up lethal weapons, or bear them about, against anybody.

17. All are to refrain from formal oaths unless where necessity compels, in the cases excepted by the Sovereign Pontiff in his indult, that is, for peace, for the Faith, under calumny, and in bearing witness.

18. Also in their ordinary conversations they will do their best to avoid oaths. Ans should anyone have sworn thoughtlessly through a slip of the tongue, as happens where there is much talking, he should the evening of the same day, when he is obliged to think over what he has done, say three Our Fathers in amends of such oaths. Let each member fortify his household to serve God.

CHAPTER VI - SPECIAL MASS AND MEETING EACH MONTH

19. All the brothers and sisters of every city and place are to foregather every month at the time the ministers see fit, in a church which the ministers will make known, and there assist at Divine Services.

20. And every member is to give one ordinary dinar 18. The treasurer is to collect this money and distribute it on the advice of the monisters among the poor brothers and sisters, especially the sick and those who may have nothing for their funeral services, and thereupon among the poor; and they are to offer something of the money to the aforesaid church.

21. And, if it be convenient at the time, they are to have sine religious who is informed in the words of God to exhort them and strengthen them to persevere in their penance and in performing works of mercy. And except for the officers, they are to remain quiet during the Mass and sermon, intent on the Office, on prayer, and on thee sermon.

CHAPTER VII - VISITING THE SICK, BURYING THE DEAD

22. Whenever any brother or sister happens to fall ill, the ministers, if the patient let them know of it, shall in person or through others visit the patient once a week, and remind him of penance; if they find it expedient, they are to supply him from the common fund with what he may need for the body.

23. And if the ailing person depart from this life, it is to be published to the brothers and sisters who may be present in the city or place, so that they may gather for the funeral; and they are not to leave until the Mass has been celebrated and the body consigned to burial. Thereupon each member within eight days of the demose shall say for the soul of the deceased: a Mass, if he is a priest; fifty psalms, if he understands the Psalter, or if not, then fifty Our Fathers with the Requiem aeternam (Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them) at the end of each.

24. In addition, every year, for the welfare of the brothers and sisters living and dead, each priest shall say three Masses, each member knowing the Psalter is to recite it, and the rest shall say one hundred Our Fathers with the Requiem aeternam at the end of each.

25. All who have the right are to make their last will and make disposition of their goods within three months after their profession, lest anyone of them die intestate.

26. As regards making peace among the brothers and sisters or nonmembers at odds, let what the ministers find proper be done; even, if it be expedient, upon consultation with the Lord Bishop.

27. If contrary to their right and privileges trouble is made for the brothers and sisters by mayors and governors of the places where they live, the ministers of the place shall do what they shall find expedient on the advice of the Lord Bishop.

28 Let each member accept and faithfully exercise the ministry of their offices imposed on them, although anyone may retire from office after a year.

29. When anybody wishes to enter this brotherhood, the ministers shall carefully inquire into his standing and occupation, and they shall explain to him the obligations of the brotherhood, especially that of restoring what belongs to others. And if he is content with it, let him be vested according to the prescribed way, and he must make satisfaction for his debts, paying money according to what pledged provision is given. They are to reconcile themselves with their neighbors and to pay up their tithes.

30. After these particulars are complied with, when the year is up and he seems suitable to them, let him on the advice of some discreet brothers be received on this condition: that he promise he will all the time of his life observe everything here written, or to be written or abated on the advice of the brothers, unless on occasion there be a valid dispensation by the ministers; and that he will, when called upon by the ministers, render satisfaction as the Visitor shall ordain if he have done anything contrary to this condition. And this promise is to be put in writing then and there by a public notary. Even so nobody is to be received otherwise, unless in consideration of the estate and rank of the person it shall seem advisable to the ministers.

31. No one is to depart from this brotherhood and from what is contained herein, except to enter a religious Order.

32. No heretic or person in bad repute for heresy is to be received. If he is under suspicion for it, he may be admitted if otherwise fit, upon being cleared before the bishop.

33. Married women are not to be received except with the consent and leave of their husbands.

34. Brothers and sisters ejected from the brotherhood as incorrigible are not to be received in it again except it please the saner portion of the brothers.

CHAPTER VIII: CORRECTION, DISPENSATION, OFFICERS

35. The ministers of any city or place shall report public faults of the brothers and sisters to the Visitor for punishment. And if anyone proves incorrigible, after consultation with some of the discreet brothers he should be denounced to the Visitor, to be expelled by him from the brotherhood, and thereupon it should be published in the meeting. Moreover, if it is a brother, he should be denounced to the mayor or the governor.

36. If anyone learns that a scandal is occurring relative to brothers and sisters, he shall report it to the ministers and shall have opportunity to report it to the Visitor. He need not be held to report it in the case of husband against wife.

37. The Visitor has the power to dispense all the brothers and sisters in any of these points if he finds it advisable.

38. When the year has passed, the ministers with the counsel of the brothers are to elect two other ministers; and a faithful treasurer, who is to provide for the need of the brothers and sisters and other poor; and messengers who at the command of the ministers are to publish what is said and done by the fraternity.

39. In all the above mentioned points no one is to be obligated under guilt, but under penalty; yet so that if after being admonished twice by the ministers he should fail to discharge the penalty imposed or to be imposed on him by the Visitor, he shall be obligated under guilt as contumacious.

HERE ENDS THE RULE OF THE CONTINENT.

Author: Cardinal Hugolino dei Conti dei Segni who wrote this Rule at the request of St. Francis of Assisi, 1221 A.D.
 
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Fly From The World!



"Fly from the world, if thou wilt be pure. If thou art pure, the world does not delight thee." 

Saint Francis of Assisi 
(Admonitions to the Brethren)

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Retiring Into The Desert



"He who retires into the desert avoids three combats: seeing, hearing, and detraction." 

 St. Francis of Assisi 
(Admonitions to the Brethren) 

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Lesser Brothers



"In the name of the Lord begins the Life of the Lesser Brothers! The Rule and Life of the Lesser Brothers is this: to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of their own, and in chastity."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1223

* St. Francis called his friars, or brothers, "lesser," to locate them in society among the little people, the poor and lowly, who were called "minores," or  "lesser ones," in medieval Italy. The more affluent, or the nobility, were called "majores," or "greater ones."

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Wednesday, July 04, 2012

The Pursuit of Perfection


 
 
"What you hold, may you always hold,
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step,
Unswerving feet,
So that even your steps stir up no dust,
May you go forward
Securely,joyfully, and swiftly,
On the path of prudent happiness,
Not believing anything,
Not agreeing with anything,
That would dissuade you from this resolution
Or that would place a stumbling block for you on the way,
So that you may offer your vows to the Most High
In the pursuit of that perfection
To which the Spirit of the Lord has called you."


St. Clare's "Second Letter to Agnes of Prague"
 
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Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Bishop-designate Monforton will be installed as the fifth bishop of Steubenville

 Bishop-designate Jeffrey Monforton of Steubenville


STEUBENVILLE, OH--Father Terence Henry, TOR, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, joined many Church and Steubenville civic leaders who reacted to today’s news that Monsignor Jeffrey Monforton has been named as bishop of Steubenville.

“I am personally thrilled by today’s announcement, and Franciscan University shares the great joy of the faithful of the Diocese of Steubenville in learning that we now have a new bishop.  We look forward to Monsignor Monforton’s installation and to working closely with him in the new evangelization,” said Father Henry.

“Just as Monsignor Monforton has formed young men for the priesthood as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, we look forward to him forming the faithful of the Diocese of Steubenville.”

According to the press release from the Diocese of Steubenville, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, formally announced the appointment July 3 in Washington, D.C.

Monsignor Kurt H. Kemo, diocesan administrator for the Diocese of Steubenville, welcomed Monsignor Monforton to the diocese, informally July 2 and formally July 3 during a morning press conference at the chancery in Steubenville.

Monsignor Monforton will be ordained and installed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville. He follows Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, Steubenville’s fourth bishop, who was installed July 14, 2011, as the bishop of Joliet, Ill.

Presently, Monsignor Monforton is pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Rochester, Mich. He was installed as that parish’s pastor May 13. The parish, established in 1911, has more than 4,900 registered households and is the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Born May 5, 1963, in Detroit, he is the eldest of three sons of Marc Louis Monforton and Virginia Rose Ackerman Monforton. The new appointee attended Tinkham Elementary School and John Marshall Junior High, Westland, Mich., and graduated from Wayne Memorial High School, Wayne, Mich.

After high school, he attended Wayne State University and then entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, from which he received a bachelor of arts in philosophy degree in 1989. While studying at the Pontifical North American College, Rome, he received a bachelor’s in sacred theology in 1992; and then, he obtained a licentiate in sacred theology and was awarded a doctorate in sacred theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

On June 25, 1994, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit, by Archbishop Adam Maida. Following his ordination, he served in the Archdiocese of Detroit as associate pastor at the National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, from 1994-96, while also serving the faculty at the parish high school for two academic years in the Department of Religion.
For seven years, from 1998-2005, he served as the personal priest secretary to Cardinal Maida. During that time, he also was a member of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary faculty and assisted weekends at St. Paul on the Lake, Grosse Pointe Farms, and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Sterling Heights.

In April 2005, he traveled with Cardinal Maida to the Vatican and remained there for the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II, the conclave, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

On July 1, 2005, he was named pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Church, Shelby Township, Mich., and that same year was conferred the title of monsignor by Pope Benedict.

In addition, he was named as an apostolic visitor by the Congregation for Catholic Education to participate in the recent apostolic visitation of U.S. seminaries and houses of formation for the academic year, 2005-06.

In 2006, he became a member of the Madonna University, Livonia, Mich., board of trustees. Since 2008, he has been a board member of the American Friends of the Vatican Library.

On August 24, 2006, he was named by Cardinal Maida as the 12th rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He was installed as the rector October 29, 2006. He concluded his six-year term as Sacred Heart’s rector May 5. He continues, however, to serve the seminary as a part-time member of the theology faculty. Under Monsignor Monforton’s leadership, the seminarian population at Sacred Heart is the largest it has been in 38 years. Utilizing the resources of its newly created educational technology office, the seminary now teaches several online courses. And, for students in outlying areas of the Detroit archdiocese, courses are available at four parish satellite sites.

On learning of the appointment of Monsignor Monforton as bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville, Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said: “All of us in the Archdiocese of Detroit are deeply honored that Pope Benedict has chosen Monsignor Monforton, a son of this local church, to be the bishop of Steubenville.

“Monsignor Monforton is an exemplary priest and a zealous pastor - qualities we have come to appreciate during his years in the Detroit presbyterate, especially while he served as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

“He will be greatly missed here, but the Lord has called him to greater responsibility for shepherding his flock. Monsignor Monforton goes with our prayers and best wishes; we’re sure he will be a blessing to the pastors and people of the church in Steubenville.”

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