Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage Part 1

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Hallelujah!

The Object Of My Desires

Ah! What poetry flooded my soul at the sight of all these things I was seeing for the first time and the last time in my life! It was without regret I saw them disappear, for my heart longed for other marvels. It had contemplated earthly beauties long enough; those of heaven were the object of its desires and to win them for souls I was willing to become a prisoner.

Saint Theresa of Lisieux

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SURRENDER IS NOT AN OPTION !!!

Weapons

The Bishop of Assisi once said to St. Francis, "I think your life is too hard, too rough.You don't possess anything in this world."

And St. Francis replied, "My Lord, if we had possessions, we would need weapons to defend them."

 

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Legend of Perugia - 17 

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For The Love Of God

Among other words used in conversation, Francis could never hear the love of God without  a kind of transformation within himself. For immediately upon hearing the love of God, he would become excited, stirred, and inflamed, as though an inner chord of his heart had been plucked by the plectrum of the outward voice of the speaker. He said that to offer the love of God to get an alms was a noble prodigality, and those who valued it less than money were most foolish men. He himself kept unfailingly to his death the resolution he had made while he was still enmeshed in worldly things, namely, that he would never turn away a poor man who asked an alms for the love of God.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life

Chapter CXLVIII

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Please Help Us Build The Portiuncula Chapel

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To duplicate this Chapel, the Portiuncula Hermitage must raise $120,000

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,


It's times like these that tempt Catholics to throw in the towel and give up on the culture of despair.

Greed and corruption have wreaked havoc on our nation's economy. Euthanasia just received Washington State's stamp of approval. And all the pro-life victories of the past decade are now in jeopardy. It's the perfect storm for despair. But despair is the last thing we should do.

In troubled times, Christ calls us to pray, to trust in his perfect will, and to cooperate with his grace.

Ultimately, Christ calls us to hope. He calls us to remember that for Christians, peace does not rest on who wins an election or on the value of our stock portfolios, but in a loving God who “in everything...works for good.”

Of course, God doesn't just call us to hope. He gives us reasons to hope and signs of the good things to come.

I truly believe one of those reasons, one of those signs, is the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center.

While many other Catholic institutions have sold out to the culture of death, the Portiuncula, along with a few others, has fought steadfastly for a culture of life. It has faithfully stood alongside the Church, forming men and women capable of true leadership and committed to bringing Christ to the culture.

But the "Portiuncula Chapel" can't be built alone. To continue building, we need your help! And that is why I'm writing you today: To invite you to join me in helping our culture through these troubled times by helping build the Portiuncula Chapel.

United in the Roman Catholic tradition and obedient to the Magisterium of the Church and the Bishop of Steubenville, we are committed to our Lord and Savior in the Scriptures, the Eucharist, the Sacraments of the Church and in our Brothers and Sisters.

With God's grace and your help, I believe past Portiuncula retreatants and those soon to follow in their footsteps will lead our culture and our country out of these troubled times.

That is why I invite you to share the work of these Catholics and the Portiuncula Hermitage that is forming them.

First, allow them to pray for you.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Portiuncula Hermitage, and the Franciscan family would be honored to include you in their prayers. Please e-mail your most pressing intentions to: dicksoncorp@parallax.ws

Everyone at the Portiuncula will pray for your intentions before the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and at Mass.

In turn, please pray for the Portiuncula, that it might continue to form leaders who can be salt and light to our world.

Finally, I would be grateful if you supported the work of building the Portiuncula Chapel with a generous financial contribution.

Your support of the Portiuncula will make it possible for the sons and daughters of the Church to grow in faith during their retreats, and become the courageous Catholic leaders the world desperately needs.

Today, I want to ask you to become a partner in the Portiuncula's mission to build the Portiuncula Chapel by simply donating $5.00 $10.00 $15.00 a month.

PORTIUNCULA FRANCISCAN HERMITAGE/RETREAT CENTER
ON LINE DONATION

Please, become a part of the Portiuncula Hermitage's work today. Don't let this chance to turn the culture around pass you by.

Pax Et Bonum!

Fra Chris

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Giving The World A Good Example

"There is a contract between the world and the brothers: the brothers must give the world a good example, the world must provide for their needs. When they break faith and withdraw their good example, the world will withdraw its hand in a just censure."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life 

Chapter XL

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A Hypocrite In The Eyes Of God

Of main and paramount concern to St. Francis was not to be a hypocrite in the eyes of God.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of Perugia - 41

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Reverence and Adoration

Kissing your feet and with all the love I'm capable of, I beg you to render, as far as you can, all reverence and total adoration to the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all things in heaven and on earth are made peaceful and are reconciled to God the Almighty.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Letter to the Whole Order 

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Preserving Perfect Purity of Body and Soul

Fra Volantino (No hair to braid here)

When a man is too sure of himself, he becomes less wary of the enemy, and if the Devil can call his own just one hair of a man's head, he will lose no time in weaving it into a rope.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Bonaventure, Major Life

Chapter V

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How The Brothers Are To Preach

All my brothers, whenever they wish, may proclaim to anyone and everyone, with the blessing of God, the following or a similar exhortation and prayer of praise:

Fear and honor, praise and bless,
give thanks and adore
the Lord God All-Powerful,
Triune and One,
Father and Son and Holy Spirit,
Creator of all things.
Repent! (Matthew 3:2)
Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance,
for you know how soon we die!
"Give, and there will be gifts for you" (Luke 6:38).
"Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).
And "if you do not forgive others, your Father will
not forgive your failings either" (Matthew 6:15).
"Confess your sins to another" (John 5:16).
Blessed are you who die in repentance,
for you will be in the kingdom of heaven.
Woe to those who do not die in repentance,
for you will be children of the devil
whose co-workers you are,
and you will go into fire everlasting.
Guard yourselves and abstain
from every evil and persevere
in good unto the end.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule 1221
Chapter XXII 

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Creation Is The Ladder To God

                           The Portiuncula Pond in Jerusalem, Ohio

In everything beautiful, Francis saw Him who is beauty itself, and he followed his Beloved everywhere by His likeness imprinted on creation; of all creation he made a ladder by which he might mount up and embrace Him who is all-desirable.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Bonaventure, Major Life

CHAPTER IX

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Place Thy Mouth Where Thou Dost Set Thy Feet

(LET YOUR NOSE HIT THE DIRT)

l Piccoli Frati e Sorelle di Gesu e Maria

A friar once said to Brother Giles, "Father, tell me, how can we avoid this pride?" To whom Brother Giles made this reply, "Rest assured, my brother, that thou canst never hope to be free from pride until thou hast first placed thy mouth where thou dost set thy feet; but if thou wilt well consider the gifts of God, thou wilt clearly see that thou hast reason to bow down thy head..."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Little Flowers of St. Francis
PART FOUR: Chapter III 

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Join Me Today At "St. Teresa's Treasures" at Holy Family Church in Richmond, Indiana

The Mystic Monks have been busy preparing some surprises for this Christmas Season!

The most important of these is the



Fra Chris

Jingle Bell Java 2010

It is the most sophisticated blend available with a special blend of eight beans from all over the world. It is best described as a Medium Dark Blend with Citrus Flavors at first taste then a very smooth finish with pleasant pungentry. But hurry, because it is a Limited Edition Coffee Only!

And what would a Mystic Monk Christmas be without a little

Jingle Bell Java?

Our famous Jingle Bell Java will only be available until the end of the
Christmas Season
so be sure to stock up now!

We also have a beautiful new single handled Christmas Mug with a logo,and an insulated Mystic Monk Travel Mug - Perfect for enjoying our coffee while on the go!

Thank you for your support of the
Portiuncula Hermitage,
Mystic Monk Coffee®
and Birthright.

Please remember that the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center donates ten percent of their Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion)!!!

To order, simply click on the
Mystic Monk Icon
at the Top of this screen!

 

 

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Insignificant and Unbalanced

Have no fear of being thought insignificant or unbalanced, but preach repentance with courage and simplicity. Have faith in the Lord, who has overcome the world. His Spirit speaks in you and through you, calling men and women to turn to him and observe his precepts. You will encounter some who are faithful, meek, and well disposed; they will joyfully receive you and your words. But there will be more who are skeptical, proud, blasphemous, and who will insult you and resist your message. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to bear everything with patience and humility.
 

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of the Three Companions - 36

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Forgive Those Who Sin A Thousand Times Before Our Eyes

Let there be no one who has sinned, now matter how seriously, who would not look into your eyes seeking forgiveness, and go away without it. And should they not seek forgiveness, you should ask them if they want it. And if after that they were to sin a thousand times, even before your eyes, love them more than me, for this is how you will draw them to the Lord; and always have mercy on such as these.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Letter to a Minister 

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Contemplative Prayer

"If you wish to know how such things come about, consult grace, not doctrine; desire, not understanding; prayerful groaning, not studious  reading; the Spouse, not the teacher; God, not man; darkness, not clarity. Consult not light, but the fire that completely inflames the mind and carries it over to God in transports of fervor and blazes of love. The fire is God...

"Let us die, then, and pass over into the darkness; let us silence every care, every craving, every dream; with Christ crucified, let us pass out of this world to the Father (Jn.13:1)," for Jesus, "is to be adored by sacrifice and praise...admired in ecstasy and contemplation...and embraced with caresses of love." Jesus is to be loved.

Saint Bonaventure

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Would I Might Wake Saint Francis in You All

VACHEL LINDSEY

Would I might wake Saint Francis in you all,
Brother of birds and trees,
God's Troubadour,
Blinded with weeping for the sad and the poor:
Our wealth undone, all strict Franciscan men,
Come, let us chant the canticle again
Of mother earth and the enduring sun.
God make each soul
The lowly leper's slave:
God make us saints and brave.

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Please Help By Downloading 'Portiuncula Hermitage' Toolbar!

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"Searching" For Jesus!

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just download the GoodSearch – Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center toolbar at:

Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!


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$50 m for kids' medical care

DONATION FROM KHOO TECK PUAT'S FAMILY

By Rachel Lin

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (right) unveils the statue of the late Khoo Teck Puat with Ms Mavis Khoo, daughter of the late Khoo Teck Puat. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Monday announced that the family of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat - banker, real estate magnate and once Singapore's richest man - has pledged $50 million for children's medical care.

This money will go to the National University Health System (NUHS) and the National University of Singapore. It will enable them to expand their University Children's Medical Institute by building more outpatient clinic facilities, which will include developmental and paediatric services, counselling and activity areas and facilities for clinical trials.

In honour of Mr Khoo, the NUHS' University Children's Medical Institute will be renamed the Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute. 

Mr Lee made the announcement on Monday during the official opening ceremony for the Khoo Teck Puat hospital, which is also named after Mr Khoo. The hospital is Singapore's newest public hospital, and opened its doors for the first time in June. 

In his speech, Mr Lee praised the hospital, calling it 'an advance in the Government's efforts to deliver affordable, accessible and good quality care to Singaporeans'. 

He also stressed that, although Singapore's healthcare is among the best in Asia, healthcare professionals will have to keep up to date with the latest research, technology and international best practice. 

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Healing Those Who Suffer By Invoking The Name Of Christ

 

Athanasius comments: "For Anthony [St. Anthony of Padua] did not heal by issuing commands, but by praying and calling upon the name of Christ, so that it was evident to everyone that it was not he who did this, but the Lord manifesting his compassion to men and, through Anthony, was healing those who suffered." (Matthew 17:19 and John 16:23-24)

Vita Antonii 83-84

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Strip The Altar Bare For The Needy!

Once the Saint's vicar, Brother Peter Catani, seeing that St. Mary of the Portiuncula was crowded with friars from other Places and that there were not enough alms to provide them with what they needed, said to St. Francis: "Father, I don't know what to do with so many friars arriving from everywhere! I haven't supplies enough to provide for them. Please allow some of the property of the novices entering the Order to be set aside for our exenses when necessary."

But Francis answered: "Dear Brother, put away that kind of piety which impiously goes against the Rule for the sake of anyone whatsoever!"

And Peter said: "What shall we do?"

St. Francis replied: "Strip the altar of the Virgin and take away its various ornaments, since you cannot provide for the needy in any other way. Believe me, the Mother of God would rather have the Gospel of her Son observed and he altar stripped than have the altar adorned and her Son scorned. The Lord will send someone who will restore to His Mother what He has loaned us."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Part Three - 13 

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Dr. Antonio Quevedo Paraiso

Pace e bene, dear friend!

RICHMOND, Ind. -- Dr. Antonio Quevedo Paraiso, 87 years, of Richmond, Ind., went to heaven on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, at his home surrounded by his loving family. After bravely enduring Parkinson's disease for more than two decades, he suffered from complications.

He was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines on June 13, 1923, to Domingo Paraiso and Fidela Quevedo. Antonio, better known as Tony, was the youngest of nine children.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his eight siblings (Nicasio, Miguel, Severina, Claude, Rosal, Flora, Natividad and Alvaro); and his eldest daughter, Suzanne, in 1965.

He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Virginia Rustia Paraiso, a medical technologist and later a registered pharmacist who expertly managed Dr. Tony's medical practice in Richmond.

His legacy includes four adoring daughters: Sandy (Joe) Schwann, a pediatric dentist in Calgary, Alberta, Marie Antoinette "Toni" (David) Coughlin, a psychiatric nurse in Winchester, Mass., Marie Fidela "Fifi" (Craig Van Etten), a urogynecologist and reconstructive pelvic surgeon in Cleveland, Ohio, and Michelle (Paul Odland), an anesthesiologist in Belvedere, Calif.; and 10 wonderful grandchildren: Valerie, Michela, Kiersten, Keeley, Jordon, Cassandra, Alexandra, Michael, John Paul and Rachel.

Dr. Paraiso graduated from Ilocos Norte High School in 1940, and then later received his Baccalaureate Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1944. His education was interrupted by World War II. Dr. Tony suffered a gunshot wound during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and thankfully recovered after taking refuge in a foxhole for three days.

After this experience, he pursued medicine and graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) Medical School (1950) in the first class to graduate after World War II.

Dr. Paraiso decided to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob-Gyn) and began his internship at Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City, N.J., from 1951-52. He completed a four-year residency in Ob-Gyn at Saint Agnes Hospital and Lutheran Hospital (1952-55) in Baltimore, Md., and special training in Gynecologic Pathology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.Afterward, Dr. Tony served as a Fellow for the Agency of International Development at Pawtucket Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, R.I., from 1961-62.

After postgraduate education, Dr. Paraiso practiced Ob-Gyn at Quirino Memorial Hospital in the Philippines for 10 years (1956-66). He was head of Ob-Gyn at Quirino Memorial Hospital from 1964-66. From 1967 until early 1968, he was staff at Mercy Hospital in Hamilton, Ohio. Tony then started his Ob-Gyn practice and became staff at Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond, Ind., in February 1968, and retired in 1990. He delivered over 7,000 babies during his career and was well-known for his clinical skills and bedside manner, particularly by singing and reciting poetry to his patients in various languages (fluent in seven). He was dubbed the "Singing Doctor" in the Dayton Daily News. Tony was a member of the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Association, the Indiana Philippine Medical Association and the UP Medical Association of Student Alumni (UPMASA).


The Paraiso family immigrated to the United States in 1966, living in Pawtucket, R.I., and Hamilton, Ohio, prior to settling in Richmond, where Tony and Virginia have resided from 1968 forward. Dr. and Mrs. Paraiso have served as devout members of St. Mary Catholic Church for 42 years. His activities in retirement included international travel, playing piano, singing, and reciting and writing poetry. In 1994, Dr. Paraiso was inducted into the International Society of Poets. He continued to contribute to his friends, family and community with poems and articles published in the Richmond Palladium-Item newspaper.

Visitation for Antonio Q. Paraiso will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road W., Richmond. Liturgy of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19, 2010, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 710 N. A St., Richmond, with Father Todd Riebe officiating. Entombment will be in Earlham Memorial Mausoleum.

Memorial contributions may be made to Seton Catholic High School, 240 S. Sixth St., Richmond, IN 47374; Reid Hospital Foundation, 1100 Reid Parkway, Richmond, IN 47374; or a charity of choice.

Simplicity

Sacro Speco Fonte Colombo

St. Francis was zealous with more than the usual care to show forth in himself, and he loved in others, holy simplicity, the daughter of grace, the sister of wisdom, the mother of justice. Not all simplicity, however, was approved by him, but only that simplicity which, being content with its God, considers everything else as of little value.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life

Chapter CXLII

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Brother Fly

In the early days of the Order, when the brothers lived at Rivo Torto, there was a brother who prayed little and did no work, who never went begging, for he was ashamed, but he ate well. Considering his behavior, Blessed Francis was warned by the Holy Spirit that this brother was a sensual man. One day he said to him: "Go your way, Brother Fly, for you wish to eat the fruit of the labor of your brothers, while you remain idle in the vineyard of God. You resemble Brother Drone who gathers nothing, does no work, but eats the fruit of the activity of the working bees." He left without asking forgiveness, for he was a sensual man.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 62 

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JINGLE BELL JAVA Is Back For the Holidays!

The Mystic Monks have been busy preparing some surprises for this Christmas Season!

The most important of these is the



Fra Chris

Jingle Bell Java 2010

It is the most sophisticated blend available with a special blend of eight beans from all over the world. It is best described as a Medium Dark Blend with Citrus Flavors at first taste then a very smooth finish with pleasant pungentry. But hurry, because it is a Limited Edition Coffee Only!

And what would a Mystic Monk Christmas be without a little

Jingle Bell Java?

Our famous Jingle Bell Java will only be available until the end of the
Christmas Season
so be sure to stock up now!

We also have a beautiful new single handled Christmas Mug with a logo,and an insulated Mystic Monk Travel Mug - Perfect for enjoying our coffee while on the go!

Thank you for your support of the
Portiuncula Hermitage,
Mystic Monk Coffee®
and Birthright.

Please remember that the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center donates ten percent of their Mystic Monk Coffee Sales to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion)!!!

To order, simply click on the
Mystic Monk Icon
at the Top of this screen!

Guard Against Exterior Signs Of Holiness

We must all be on our guard against pride and empty boasting and beware of worldly or natural wisdom. A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but do nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with no desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit.

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Rule of 1221
Chapter 17 

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Jerusalem, Ohio - Begging for Stones!

Catholics in Monroe County, Ohio are being asked to collect all their field stones and drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

Francis set to begging for stones with which to restore the church of San Damiano. He called to the passers-by: "Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward; two stones, two rewards; three stones, a treble reward!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII

Please note : We are begging our Catholic brothers and sisters in Monroe County, Ohio to round up all their field stones and dump them into the woods next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road (in the direction of the large white house towards Woodsfield). These stones will be used to erect the Portiuncula Chapel.

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Stripped Of All Worldly things

Francis the servant of God was now stripped of all worldly things and free to serve the divine justice. He held his life of no accountg and dedicated himself to the service of God in every possible way. He returned to Saint Damian, gay and full of fervor, clothed in a hermit's garment; and he reassured the priest of the church with the same words that the Bishop had addressed to him.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of the Three Companions

Chapter VII

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"Do You Smell That?"

"This past week someone shared with me the story of Dana Lu Blessing. I share it with you as we reflect on the awesome gift of human life.

"A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as a doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon, March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24 weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver the couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.

"At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. 'I don't think she's going to make it,' he said as kindly as he could. Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.

"Because Dana's nervous system was essentially "raw" the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so for the first two months of her life her parents couldn't touch or cradle their tiny baby girl. Little by little this miracle child gained weight and strength. Five years later she was a petite and feisty little girl with no signs of physical or mental impairment.

"While her survival was a miracle, another miracle was revealed when Dana was just five years old. One afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ballpark watching her brother play baseball. She suddenly asked her mother, "Do you smell that?" "Yes," Diana responded, "it smells like rain." Dana closed her eyes and asked again, "Do you smell that?" Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're going to get wet. It smells like rain." Dana shook her head and announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest." And off she ran to play with the other children.

"And Dana knew that during those long days and nights of her daughter's first two months of life when her nerves were too sensitive for anyone to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it was His loving scent that she remembered.

"May Dana Lu Blessing never forget that scent and may we never forget God's love for His little ones both born and soon-to-be-born."

In God's love,

Fr. Todd Riebe

Pastor

Richmond Catholic Community

http://www.richmondcatholiccommunity.com/

(This was my very first blog posting on this Portiuncula blog back in 2006. I felt it bears repeating...)


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Holiness Should Be Known Only To God

 The Pond at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

"Behold my Knights of the Round Table: the brothers who hide in abandoned and secluded places to devote themselves with more fervor to prayer and meditation, to weep over their sins and those of others. Their holiness is known to God, but most often unknown to the brothers and men."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 71

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Shelter Under A Rock Of The Mountain

Sanctuario

Francis said: "When the Lord withdrew into solitude to pray and fast for forty days and nights, he did not have a cell or a house built for himself but he took shelter under a rock of the mountain." That is why, following his example, he refused to have either a house or a cell on this earth and forbade that one be built for him.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 13

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"My God And My All!"

Looking up to heaven and raising his hands, he prayed with intense fervor and devotion, saying: "My God and my all!" And he sobbed out those words with so many tears and kept repeating them with such devout persistence that until matins he said nothing but "My God and my all!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 2 

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The Portiuncula: No Poorer Church Could Be Found

The Portiuncula Chapel located on the campus of the 

Franciscan University of Steubenville

The Abbot of St. Benedict of Mount Subasio, moved with pity, took counsel with his brothers. God having so decided, they gave blessed Francis and his brothers the church of St. Mary of the Portiuncula, the poorest church they owned. No poorer church could be found in the whole territory of the city of Assisi. This is what blessed Francis had long desired.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of Perugia - 8

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"Come To The Quiet"

A special, thanks goes out to our dear friend, John Michael Talbot, for allowing the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center to use his music "Dark Night of the Soul" in our YouTube Presentation.

Pace e bene!

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Fired By The Brother's Preaching

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i Piccoli frati e sorelle di Gesu e Maria

Not only men, but also women and unmarried virgins were fired by the brothers' preaching, and, on their advice, entered the prescribed convents to do penance; and one of the brothers was appointed as their visitor and guide. Married men and women, being bound by the marriage vow, were advised by the friars to dedicate themselves to a life of penance in their own houses.

Saint Francis of Assisi
legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER XIV

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A Madman And A Fool !

An original tunic worn by St. Francis found in Cortuna, Italy

When St. Francis' relatives saw him, they covered him with insults, calling him a fool and a madman, and hurling stones and mud at him. Seeing him so changed, they thought he was out of his mind.

But God's servant paid no heed to all this; unmoved by insults, he thanked almighty God for everything.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE LEGEND OF ST. FRANCIS
CHAPTER VI

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Father Stan Fortuna - Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference

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Ladola Capellata (the Hooded Lark)

Above all birds, St. Francis loved the little lark, known in the language of the country as lodola capellata (the hooded lark). He used to say, "Sister lark has a hood like a Religious and is a humble bird, for she walks contentedly along the road to find grain, and even if she finds it among the rubbish, she pecks it out and eats it. As she flies she praises God very sweetly, like good Religious who despise earthly things, whose minds are set on the things of heaven, and whose constant purpose is to praise God. Her plumage resembles the earth, and she sets an example for to Religious not to wear fine and gaudy clothing, but cloth of a humble price3 and colour, just as earth is inferior to the other elements."



Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 113


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