Lascia perdere, figliuolo, lascia pubblicare
quello che si vuole. Temo il giudizio di Dio e non quello degli uomini.
Ci spaventi solo il peccato perché offende Dio e ci disonora.
(Pensieri di San Pio)
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Saturday, November 24, 2012
Prophesy Regarding Future Poverelli
(Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it, my brothers and sisters?)
The brothers began at last to fawn upon men of the world; and they began to be wedded to them, as it were, that they might empty their purses, extend their own buildings, and multiply the very things they had completely renounced. They sold their words of advice to the rich and their visits to noble ladies; and they frequented the courts of kings and princes with great eagerness, so that they might join house to house and field to field. And they are grown great and rich and strong upon the earth, because they have proceeded from evil to evil and they have not known the Lord. They fell when they were lifted up, and they sprawled upon the ground before their birth; and still they say to me, 'We are your friends.'
Saint Francis of Assisi
Sacrum Commercium
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Devoted To True Humility
In his love for true humility, St. Francis
devoted himself to the lepers and lived with them, waiting on them all,
for the love of God. He washed their feet and bound up their sores,
drawing off the puss and wiping them clean. He was extraordinarily
devoted to them and kissed their wounds, he who was soon to play a part
of the worthy Good Samaritan in the Gospel. As a reward, God endowed
him with such power to heal that his influence over ills of soul and
body were miraculous. ~ Bonaventure, Major Life
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Blessed Are The Clean Of Heart
"Blessed are the clean of heart, for they
shall see God (Mt. 5:8). A man is really clean of heart when he has no
time for the things of this world but is always searching for the things
of heaven, never failing to keep God before his eyes and always adoring
him with a pure heart and soul." ~ Saint Francis of Assisi
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When Visted By God In Prayer
"If anyone is visited by God in his prayer, he
should say, 'Lord, you have sent this comfort from heaven even though I
am a sinner and unworthy, and I entrust it to your keeping because I
know that I only steal your treasures.' When you leave his prayer, such a
person should seem as much a sinner and worthy of contempt as if he had
received no new favor." ~ Bonaventure, Major Life
Deep Humility
"Francis built the Order of Friars Minor on
deep humility. That is why, from the very beginning, when the brothers
began to multiply, he made it clear that they were to live in lazarets
to serve the lepers." ~ Legend of Perugia
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Pray To God For Our Persecutors
The brothers suffered all this, hunger,
thirst, cold, nakedness, and many immense tribulations, firmly and
patiently, as St. Francis had bidden them. They were not dejected, they
never cursed their tormentors; but like men whose faces are set to a
great reward they exulted in tribulations and joyfully prayed to God for
their persecutors. ~ Legend of the Three Companions
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Confessing Our Sins
"To the honor and glory of Almighty God, hear the truth I announce to you. If every one of you confesses his sins and brings forth fruits befitting repentance, I give you my word that every pestilence will depart and the Lord, looking kindly upon you, will grant you an increase of temporal goods. But hear this also; again I announce to you that if you are ungrateful for his gifts and return to your vomit, the plague will be renewed, your punishment will be doubled, and even greater wrath will be let loose against you."
Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER VII
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Friday, November 23, 2012
Proposed Portiuncula Chapel at the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center
Photo of the beautiful little Portiuncula Chapel located on John Michael Talbot's "Little Portion" in Arkansas
Francis also told the friars to build their
houses small and their cells of wood, not of stone, and he wanted them
built in a humble style. He abhorred pretentious buildings, and disliked
superfluous or elaborate appointments. He wished nothing
about their tables or appointments to appear worldly or to remind them
of the world, so that everything should proclaim their poverty and
remind them that they were pilgrims and exiles.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 6
Please prayerfully consider a one-time gift of $5.00 or $10.00 to help us build our little Portiuncula Chapel.
Mail to:
Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
P.O. Box 114
Richmond, IN 47375-0114
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Thy Will Be Done
Frequently repeat the divine words of our dear Master, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" ~ Saint Padre Pio
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Three Qualities That Prevent Our Being Evil
If you possess these three qualities, you
cannot be evil: first, if, for God's sake, you bear in peace all
tribulation that comes your way; second, if you humble yourself in
everything you do and receive,; third, if you love faithfully those
things that cannot be seen with fleshly eyes. ~ From: Francis the
Journey and the Dream
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In The Quiet, Think of Nothing More Than Christ
In the Quiet, everything is simpler and we
confront our own silence there as we all must do from time to time.
But...we should never be inclined to wallow in a morbid concentration of
ourselves, even when alone in the Quiet. Instead, we should be
thinking of nothing more than Christ.
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Without Prayer True Love Is Impossible
We
must get to know the tension between the vertical ascent to God and the
horizontal journey of love, reaching out to all the people on earth. We
know that without prayer true love is impossible, and we learn from
living that without love prayer becomes self-centered and barren.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
This is what my whole heart desires to accomplish!
Until the work of restoring the church of
Saint Damian was completed, blessed Francis still wore the garments of a
hermit with a strap to serve as a belt, and he carried a staff and had
sandals on his feet. Then, one day during the celebration
of Mass he heard the words in which Christ bade his disciples go out
and preach, carrying neither gold nor silver, nor haversack for the
journey, without staff, bread, or shoes, and having no second garment.
After listening to the priest's explanation of these words of the
Gospel, full of unspeakable joy, he exclaimed: "This is what my whole
heart desires to accomplish!" ~ Legend of the Three Companions
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The Cross
"The cross will never oppress you; its weight might cause you to stagger, but its strength will sustain you." ~ Saint Padre Pio
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Sunday, November 18, 2012
Holiness
"Let us take the trouble to learn the lesson
of holiness from Jesus, whose heart was meek and humble. The first
lesson from this heart is an examination of conscience, and the rest -
love of service - follow at once!" ~ Madre Teresa of Calcutta
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Abandon Yourself Totally
"Abandon yourself totally in the arms of the
divine goodness of the heavenly Father and do not fear, because your
fear would be more ridiculous than that of a child in his mother's
womb." ~ Saint Padre Pio
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Monks Point To The Heart Of Things
VATICAN CITY
Benedict XVI says the vocation of monasteries is to point the world toward what is essential in life: seeking Christ and putting nothing before his love.
The Pope affirmed this today when he received in audience representatives of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Their three-day assembly concluded today.
Referring to the theme of the assembly, "Monastic Life and Its Significance in the Church and the World Today," the Holy Father said the theme was "particularly dear," as he took for his Petrine ministry the name of St. Benedict, founder of Western monasticism.
Monasteries, "seeking Christ and fixing their gaze on eternal realities," the Pontiff explained, "become spiritual oases that indicate to humanity the absolute primacy of God, through the continual adoration of this mysterious, but real, divine presence in the world, and the fraternal communion lived in the new commandment of love and mutual service."
Benedict XVI invited cloistered monks to "live the Gospel in a radical way deeply cultivating the spousal union with Christ" in awaiting the "glorious manifestation of the Savior."
If the vocation is thus lived, he continued, "then monasticism can comprise for all forms of religious and consecrated life a remembrance of what is essential and what has primacy in the life of every baptized person: seeking Christ and putting nothing before his love."
The Pope added that monasteries "should be ever more oases of ascetic life," where knowledge of Scripture is cultivated.
"It is from this prayerful listening to the Word," he said, "that silent prayer is raised up in monasteries, which become a testimony for those who are welcomed as if it was Christ himself in these places of peace."
Benedict XVI says the vocation of monasteries is to point the world toward what is essential in life: seeking Christ and putting nothing before his love.
The Pope affirmed this today when he received in audience representatives of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Their three-day assembly concluded today.
Referring to the theme of the assembly, "Monastic Life and Its Significance in the Church and the World Today," the Holy Father said the theme was "particularly dear," as he took for his Petrine ministry the name of St. Benedict, founder of Western monasticism.
Monasteries, "seeking Christ and fixing their gaze on eternal realities," the Pontiff explained, "become spiritual oases that indicate to humanity the absolute primacy of God, through the continual adoration of this mysterious, but real, divine presence in the world, and the fraternal communion lived in the new commandment of love and mutual service."
Benedict XVI invited cloistered monks to "live the Gospel in a radical way deeply cultivating the spousal union with Christ" in awaiting the "glorious manifestation of the Savior."
If the vocation is thus lived, he continued, "then monasticism can comprise for all forms of religious and consecrated life a remembrance of what is essential and what has primacy in the life of every baptized person: seeking Christ and putting nothing before his love."
The Pope added that monasteries "should be ever more oases of ascetic life," where knowledge of Scripture is cultivated.
"It is from this prayerful listening to the Word," he said, "that silent prayer is raised up in monasteries, which become a testimony for those who are welcomed as if it was Christ himself in these places of peace."
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Archbishop Joseph William Tobin, C.Ss.R., Appointed Head Of Indianapolis Archdiocese
Tobin was born in Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan, in 1952, the oldest of 13 children. At the end of the path of training for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), he made his temporary profession of vows on 5 August 1972 and the perpetual vows on 21 August 1976. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1978.
In 1975. he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy from the Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, Wisconsin in 1977 and, in 1979, a Master's in Religious Education and the Master of Divinity (Pastoral Theology) at the Mount Saint Alphonsus Major Seminary (Esopus, New York).
From 1979 to 1984, Tobin was the parochial vicar of Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit. He was then named pastor of Holy Redeemer, and served from 1984 to 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he served as pastor of Saint Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, Illinois. He served as an episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1980 to 1986; he also offered his collaboration to the local diocesan marriage tribunal.
He was elected General Consultor of the Redemptorist Fathers in 1991 and on 9 September 1997 was elected Superior General, confirmed for another term in this post 26 September 2003. That same year he became Vice-President of the Union of Superiors General.
He was also member of the Council for Relations between the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the International Union of Superiors General from 2001 to 2009.
Tobin spent 2010 taking a sabbatical attached to Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, and staying with the De La Salle Brothers. He pursued his interest in the rise of secularisation and secular culture, attending seminars by the sociologist of religion and anthropologist Peter Clarke, studying at the Las Casas Institute and taking classes at Blackfriars.
He speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Episcopal career
On 2 August 2010 Tobin was appointed as secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and Titular Archbishop of Obba. Tobin is the second US cleric to hold the post. (In 1969, Holy Cross Father Edward Heston, an Ohio native, was named secretary by Pope Paul VI.) In May 2009 Tobin was named to oversee the professed men's element of the forthcoming Apostolic Visitation of the Church in Ireland, which is reportedly slated to get underway come September 2010. He received his episcopal consecration in Rome on 9 October 2010. Tobin was told two weeks before the announcement was made. He recalls that "I was painting my mom's house in Ontario when the phone rang. The voice on the other end said it was Cardinal Bertone, and my first thought was that it was a prank … you know, I thought maybe it was one of the Redemptorists fooling around. Quickly, though, I realized that it really was Bertone, and he said that the Holy Father wants you to do this. My first reaction was to tell him that off the top of my head, I could give him the names of five people much more qualified to do this job than I am. I was completely serious about it. But Cardinal Bertone said no, this is what the Holy Father wants. He said I could take a week to ten days to think about it, so I talked to my superiors, my closest friends in religious life, and my spiritual director".[2]
Tobin said that "But my hope is that the Vatican’s relationship with the local churches can be a sort of creative tension. I think life without tension would be very boring and useless.We can’t walk, we can’t talk, we can’t sing without tension. You need to have tension in your vocal chords and your back, let alone a guitar. However, tension can be destructive. The challenge is to recognise the diversity of gifts and the plurality of churches and the one spirit that unites us. And I think that is the adventure of a lifetime."[3]
Tobin will be responsible for the Apostolic Visitation of American nuns, expected to end in late 2011, and also help oversee the visitation of the Legionaries of Christ that led to Pope Benedict’s recent decision to appoint an Apostolic Delegate for the order, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis.
In December 2010, Tobin said that Rome must acknowledge the "depth of anger and hurt" provoked by a visitation of American nuns, saying it illustrates the need for a "strategy of reconciliation" with women religious. Announced in early 2009, the visitation is currently in "phase three", meaning on-site visits to selected congregations. The aim is for reports to be delivered to the Vatican throughout 2011, marking the formal end of the process.[4]
In October 2012, Tobin was appointed to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis by Pope Benedict XVI.[5]
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Monday, October 08, 2012
Friday, October 05, 2012
Monroe County, Ohio Catholics: We Are Begging for Stones
Photo of the Portiuncula Chapel located on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville which our bishop has given us permission to duplicate on the grounds of the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio
"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
Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII
Monroe County,
Ohio Catholics are being asked to collect all their field stones and
drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on
Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road (just inside the wood line on the South Side of the Cemetary) so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel (pictured above) that is located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
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Thursday, October 04, 2012
Saint Francis of Assisi, "Giant of Holiness," Honored October 4th
On
Oct. 4, Roman Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi,
the Italian deacon who brought renewal to the Church through his
decision to follow Jesus' words as literally as possible.
In
a January 2010 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI recalled this "giant
of holiness" as a "great saint and a joyful man," who taught the
Church that "the secret of true happiness" is "to become saints, close
to God."
The
future Saint Francis was born on an uncertain date in the early 1180s,
one of the several children born to the wealthy merchant Pietro
Bernardone and his wife Pica. He originally received the name Giovanni
(or John), but became known as Francesco (or Francis) by his father's
choice.
Unlike
many medieval saints, St. Francis was neither studious nor pious in
his youth. His father's wealth gave him access to a lively social life
among the upper classes, where he was known for his flashy clothes and
his readiness to burst into song. Later a patron of peacemakers, he
aspired to great military feats in his youth and fought in a war with a
rival Italian city-state.
A
period of imprisonment during that conflict turned his mind toward more
serious thoughts, as did a recurring dream that suggested his true
"army" was not of this world. He returned to Assisi due to illness in
1205, and there began consider a life of voluntary poverty.
Three
major incidents confirmed Francis in this path. In Assisi, he overcame
his fear of disease to kiss the hand of a leper. Afterward, he made a
pilgrimage to Rome, where he deposited his money at Saint Peter's tomb
and exchanged clothes with a beggar. Soon after he returned home,
Francis heard Christ tell him in a vision: "Go, Francis, and repair my
house, which as you see is falling into ruin."
Francis
began to use his father's wealth to restore churches. This led to a
public quarrel in which the cloth-merchant's son removed his clothing
and declared that he had no father except God. He regarded himself as
the husband of "Lady Poverty," and resolved to serve Christ as "a
herald of the Great King."
During
the year 1208, the "herald" received the inspiration that would give
rise to the Franciscan movement. At Mass one morning, he heard the
Gospel reading in which Christ instructed the apostles to go forth
without money, shoes, or extra clothing. This way of life soon became a
papally-approved rule, which would attract huge number of followers
within Francis' own lifetime.
Through
his imitation of Christ, Francis also shared in the Lord's sufferings.
He miraculously received Christ's wounds, the stigmata, in his own
flesh during September of 1224. His health collapsed over the next two
years, a "living sacrifice" made during two decades of missionary
preaching and penance.
St. Francis of Assisi died on Oct. 3, 1226. Pope Gregory IX, his friend and devotee, canonized him in 1228.
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Bon*Ton / Elder Beerman Community Day Booklets
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Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
Community Day Coupon Booklet
Price: $5.00
Coupon booklets ship for FREE!
In some cases delivery may take longer than our standard 7-10 day service. However, we do guarantee delivery prior to the start of this event.
In some cases delivery may take longer than our standard 7-10 day service. However, we do guarantee delivery prior to the start of this event.
Be the first to write a Review.
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In Favor of Preaching
Photo of Fr. Stan Fortuna, C.F.R., taken at the
Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference
"In
prayer we walk with God and listen to him, and we walk with the angels.
But in preaching, we have to descend to the human and live among others
as one of them, thinking and seeing and hearing and speaking only on
the human level. But, in favor of preaching, there is one argument which
seems to count more than all the rest in God's eyes and that is this:
the only-begotten Son of God, who is Infinite Wisdom, descended from the
Father's embrace to save souls"...
Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Bonaventure - Major Life
Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Bonaventure - Major Life
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Schedule a "Come to the Quiet" Retreat at Your Church this Spring
Pace e Bene! The peace of the Lord be with you!
The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center is currently scheduling
"Come to the Quiet" Retreats
for
Ohio and Indiana
in the
Spring of 2013
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.
To book a "Come to the Quiet" retreat at your parish, all we require is a hand-written invitation from your parish priest on his personal stationery.
On January 6, 2001, at the end of the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope John Paul II published Novo Millennio Inuente, his vision of dynamic Catholic life for the new millennium, calling for the whole world to reconnect with the mystical tradition, mentioning specifically Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux.
In our “Come to the Quiet” Retreats we try as much as
possible to let these saints speak for themselves by a generous use of their
own words, keeping our own commentary to a bare minimum, so as not to impede
the flow of the “road maps.” We restrict ourselves just to those saints of the
Western Church who have been recognized as Doctors of the Church and have made
a major contribution to our understanding of the spiritual journey, the only
exception to this being our Seraphic Father, St. Francis of Assisi.
When Pope John Paul II considered what was the most important
legacy of the Jubilee Year 2000 that should be carried forward into the new
millennium, this is what he said: “But if we ask what is the core of the great
legacy it leaves us I would not hesitate to describe it as the Contemplation
of the Face of Christ” (NMI 15).
The latent richness of our own
Roman Catholic tradition should regain its necessary role in the world through
the teaching of Repentance and Penance through prayer. Contemplative prayer
naturally extends to the Eucharist, incorporating an hour of meditation before
the Blessed Sacrament each week. Our “Come to the Quiet” Retreats speak
specifically to people whose hunger and humility have already brought them to
the point St. Paul meant when he said, “We do not even know how to pray.”
We always begin with the ancient Catholic monastic tradition
of the “Jesus Prayer,” progress through Teresian Prayer (Lectio Divina),
the Office of the Hours, the Rosary, and end with the Ladder of Monks; Lectio,
Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio representing the four rungs on
that Ladder.
The only compensation we ask for at our “Come to the Quiet” Retreats is a free-will
offering at the end.
“Come to the Quiet”
Retreat Schedule
Friday 7:00-8:00 P.M.
Short (15
minute) talk explaining the weekend and an explanation of the ancient Monastic
practice of the “Jesus Prayer.” This is
followed by an hour of Silence where people split off individually and find a
place to be by themselves. They can choose to remain in their pews before the
Blessed Sacrament, walk around outside the church, whatever makes them most
comfortable.
Friday 8:00-9:00 P.M.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament,
remaining exposed throughout the entire weekend.
We humbly
request Reconcilliation be made available throughout the weekend, but especially during the first hour of Adoration. .Everyone is invited to leave in
total Silence.
Saturday 10:00- 11:00 A.M.
Praying the Liturgy of the Hours
Saturday 11:00-12:00 A.M.
Praying the
Rosary (Become Hidden in the Wounds of
the Savior ~ St. Francis of Assisi)
Saturday 12:00-01:00 P.M.
Pitch-In
Saturday 01:00-2:00 P.M.
Teresian
Prayer (Lectio Divina)
Saturday 02:00-03:00 P.M.
Contemplative
Prayer
Saturday 03:00-04:00 P.M.
Ladder of
Monks (Guiggo)
Saturday 04:00-05:00
Large Group
Discussion
Saturday 5:00 P.M.
Close with Mass
Mailing Address:
Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
P.O. Box 114
Richmond, IN 47375-0114
Mailing Address:
Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage
P.O. Box 114
Richmond, IN 47375-0114
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