Portiuncula Chapel In Ozark, Ohio (Adjacent To The Immaculate Conception Cemetery)

 UPDATED VIDEO

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The Portiuncula Hermitage and Retreat Center "Come to the Quiet"

 

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Woe To Those Who Insult You And Refuse You Alms

 

If people insult you and refuse to give you alms, you should thank God for it, because you will be honored before the judgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ for these insults. The shame will be imputed to those who cause it, not to those who suffer it.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE RULE OF 1221
Chapter 9

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Saint Mary of the Portiuncula Chapel (Adjacent to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio)

 

As a sign of holy poverty and humility, blessed Francis decreed that the churches of the friars were to be small and their houses to be built with only wood and clay. For he wanted the friary of St. Mary of the Portiuncula to be a pattern especially for buildings constructed of wood and clay, so that it might be a permanent memorial for all friars, present and to come, since it was the first and chief house of the whole Order. 

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 11

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Shelter Under A Rock Of The Mountain

(Photo taken at the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center in Ozark, Ohio)

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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Rise Immediately To Pray

 

"If the servant of God, as may happen, is disturbed in any way, he should rise immediately to pray and he should remain in the presence of the heavenly Father until he restores unto him the joy of salvation."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter LXXXIX

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"Son" Bathing

 

Exposition of the Holy Eucharist: 

“It is like sitting out in the sun. You may not feel the effect at
the moment, but a little while later, you know you were singed.”
  
Sr. Briege McKenna, OSC

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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!' " ~ Little Flowers of St. Francis - 2

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Virtue And Vice

 

Where there is Love and Wisdom,
there is neither Fear not Ignorance.
Where there is Patience and Humility,
there is neither Anger nor Annoyance.
Where there is Poverty and Joy,
there is neither Cupidity or Avarice.
Where there is Peace and Contemplation,
there is neither Care nor Restlessness.
Where there is Fear of God to guard the dwelling,
there no enemy can enter.
Where there is Mercy and Prudence,
there is neither Excess nor Harshness.

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Admonitions
Admonition XXVII




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Prone To Evil

 

Tomb of the Unborn Child
Franciscan University of Steubenville

Take care lest, when the dung of worthlessness has been placed at your roots, you be found sterile, for then there will remain nothing but that the axe be put to you. Do not trust entirely the spirit that is in now in you, for man's senses are more prone to evil than to good, even though it may have been considerably separated from it.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Sacrum Commercium - 54

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The Seraphic Order

 

"The prophecies say that the day will come when the religious will throw off their habits and move from their poor hermitages in the woods into large houses in the cities, and that seculars will pick up their habits and move away from the materialism of the city back into the gospel poverty of the hermitages in the country. There is no doubt that this is again happening today. Let us be open to the Spirit's calling of all people into the Seraphic Order of a monasticism of the future!"

John Michael Talbot

HERMITAGE

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Penetrating The Dwelling Places Of Heaven

Francis tried to keep his spirit always in the presence of God, by praying to him without intermission, so that he might not be without some comfort from his Beloved. Prayer was his chief comfort in this life of contemplation in which he became a fellow-citizen of the angels, as he penetrated the dwelling places of heaven in his eager search for his Beloved, from whom he was separated only by a partition of flesh.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Bonaventure, Major Life

CHAPTER X

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Everyone Should Have A Prayer Room Inside Their Home!

 

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You Are Invited To Pray The Rosary On November 5th At The Portiuncula Chapel Adjacent To The Immaculate Conception Cemetery In Ozark, Ohio At Noon

Photo or the Portiuncula Chapel adjacent to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio

I look forward to praying the rosary with you at noon on November 5th, at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio for the repose of those who have gone before us. May God, the just judge of the living and the dead, look with mercy upon them, and upon us. God bless you all, 

In Christ, Fr. Nick Ward

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Refer All Good To God

 

Blessed those who refer all good they have to their Lord and God. Those who attribute anything to themselves hides the master's money (Matthew 25:18) in themselves, and even what they think they have shall be taken away (Luke 8:18).

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition XIX

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The Talkative Religious

 

Woe to the religious who does not keep the favors God has given him to himself; people should see them only through his good works, but he wants to tell everybody about them, hoping he will get something out of it.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition XXII

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True Correction

 

Blessed the religious who is in no hurry to make excuses, but accepts embarrassment and blame for some fault they did not commit.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonition

Admonition XXIII

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True Humility

 

Blessed the religious who is always willing to be corrected. A man is a faithful and prudent servant (Matthew 24:25) when he is quick to atone for all his offenses, interiorly by contrition, exteriorly by confessing them and making reparation.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition XXIV

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Portiuncula Chapel Video

 

Portiuncula Chapel

Pray the Rosary in Latin with Cardinal Burke (Joyful Mysteries)

 

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The Orans Position Is Reserved For The Priest

 

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Pride

 

A man eats of the tree that brings knowledge of good (Genesis 2:16-17) when he claims that his good will comes from himself alone and prides himself on the good that God says and does in him.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition II

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Obedience To Our Superiors

There are many religious who under the pretext of doing something more perfect than what their superior commands look behind and go back to their own will that they have given up (cf. Proverbs 26:11). People like that are murderers.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

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We Can Boast Of Our Humiliations

 

There is one thing of which we can all boast; we can boast of our humiliations (cf. 2 Cor. 12:15) and in taking up daily the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition V

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Killed By The Letter

 

A man has been killed by the letter when he wants to know quotations only so that people will think he is very learned and he can make money to give to his relatives and friends.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition VII

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Our Lower Nature Leads Us To Sin

 

Everyone has his own enemy in his power and this enemy is his lower nature which leads him to sin. Blessed the religious who keeps this enemy a prisoner under his control and protects himself against it. Saint Francis of Assisi The Admonitions Admonition X

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Pace e' Bene, my Brothers and Sisters!

 

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Catholic Nun Commercial (Intended For "REAL" Nuns, not Pant Suit Nuns)

 

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Removing Temptation

 

When Francis had been troubled by a very grave temptation for more than two years, he happened to be praying in the church of St. Mary one day, when he heard in spirit the words of the Gospel: If you have faith, though it be like a grain of mustard seed, you have only to say to this mountain, Remove from this place to that, and it will remove. At once blessed Francis asked, 'Lord, what is this mountain?' And the reply came, 'This mountain is your temptation.' 'In this case, Lord,' said blessed Francis, 'let it happen to me as You have said.' And from that moment he was so completely freed that it seemed to him as though he had never had any temptation.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Mirror of Perfection - 99

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Prophesy Regarding Future Poverelli (Sounds All Too Familiar)

 

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 - 49

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To Those Who Have Chosen Poverty

                                                                                                St. Clare's Original Habit and Mantle

Since the great and good Lord, on entering the Virgin's womb, chose to look despised, needy, and poor in this world, so that people in dire poverty and deprivation and in absolute need of heavenly nourishment might become rich in him by possessing the kingdom of heaven, then you who have chosen poverty should rejoice and be glad!

First Letter of St. Clare to Blessed Agnes of Prague - 19

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Welcome To The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage And Retreat Center in Ozark, Ohio

Welcome to the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center located adjacent to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio

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Before It's Too Late!

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Gossipers Are "Biting Fleas"

 

Hating detractors deeply and more than any other kind of wicked men, Francis said that they carried poison on their tongues and infected others with their poison. Gossipers, therefore, those biting fleas, he avoided when they were speaking, and he averted his ears, as we ourselves have seen, lest they be defiled by hearing such things.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CXXXVIII

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We Are In Exile

 

St. Francis felt like an exile, as long as he remained in this earthly life separated from God, and at the same time, his love of Christ had left him insensible to all earthly desires. Therefore, he tried to keep his spirit in the presence of God, by praying to him without intermission, so that he might not be without some comfort from his Beloved. Whether he was walking or sitting, at home or abroad, whether he was working or resting, he was so wholeheartedly intent on prayer that he seemed to have dedicated to it not only his heart and soul, but all his efforts and all his time.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER IV

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We Ought To Be Ashamed Of Ourselves

 

Look at the Good Shepherd, my brothers. To save his sheep he endured the agony of the cross. They followed him in trials and persecutions, in ignominy, hunger, and thirst, in humiliations and temptations, and so on. And for this God rewarded them with eternal life. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves; the saints endured all that, but we who are servants of God try to win honor and glory by recounting and making known what they have done.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE ADMONITIONS
Admonition VI

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Appearing Ignorant And Of No Account

 

"Do not be afraid to preach repentance even though we appear ignorant and of no account. Put your trust in God who overcame the world; hope steadfastly in him who, by the Holy Spirit, speaks through you to exhort all to be converted to him and to observe his commandments."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER X

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Cleansing Ourselves Daily

 

In his present state of weakness man is incapable of imitating the crucified Lamb of God perfectly and avoiding all the stains of sin. And so Francis taught his friars by his own example that those who are trying to be perfect must cleanse themselves daily with tears of contrition.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER V

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Devotion To Prayer

 

Francis regarded it as a serious fault if his mind wandered or was full of empty imaginings, when he was trying to pray. Whenever it happened, he confessed it without delay and atoned for his fault immediately. This careful attention had become a habit with him, so that he very seldom suffered troublesome distractions of this kind.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER X

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To Those Who Are Poor And Despised:

 

God, the supreme Teacher, usually reveals his mysteries to the simple, to those who are poor and despised.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER XI

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Parresia: A Quality Of A Monk To Perform Miracles

Athanasius comments: "For Anthony 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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The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

Our Lord Jesus told his disciples, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. If you had known me, you would also have known my Father. And henceforth you do know him, and you have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known me? Philip, he who sees me sees also the Father (John 13: 6-9).

...It is the Most High himself who has told us, This is my Body and Blood of the new covenant (Mark 14: 22-24), and, he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting (John 6:55).

Saint Francis of Assisi

THE ADMONITIONS

Admonition I

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St. Bonaventure Sermon of October 4th, 1255

 

The Lord was pleased to endorse and to confirm the teaching and Rule of St. Francis, not only by miraculous signs, but also by the marks of his own stigmata, so that no true believer could possibly question them on external or internal evidence. And in his goodness God was pleased to affix his own seal to the Rule and teaching of St. Francis, who would never have presumed to teach or write anything other than what he received from the Lord. As he himself testifies, it was God who revealed to him the entire Rule.

Saint Francis of Assisi

St. Bonaventure's Sermon of October 4th, 1255

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Let Humanity Kneel In Fear!

Let humanity kneel in fear, let the whole universe tremble, and let heaven rejoice when Christ the Son of the Living God is on the altar in the hands of the priest.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Letter to the Whole Order

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Keeping Silence At The Portiuncula

 

Photo of the Altar at the Portiuncula Chapel adjacent to the 

Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery in Ozark, Ohio

Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio

Saint Francis said to the Lesser Brothers concerning the Portiuncula; "Let them do as the old brothers did. This is already a holy place; they preserved its holiness by praying there continually night and day and by observing silence there constantly. And if they sometimes spoke after the time determined for the beginning of silence it was always to converse about God and the salvation of souls with much uplifting fervor"...

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of Perugia - 9

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Observe The Gospel And The Rule

Photo of the Original Rule of St. Francis of Assisi dated 1221 A.D.

Francis admonished the brothers faithfully to observe the holy Gospel and the Rule to which they had bound themselves; to bear themselves reverently and devoutly towards the services of the Church and all ecclesiastical observances; to hear Mass and adore the Body of the Lord with devotion and worship.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of the Three Companions

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A Quiet And Secret Place Of Solitude

At certain times the blessed and venerable father Francis left behind the crowds of the world that were coming together daily with the greatest devotion to hear and see him, and he sought out a quiet and secret place of solitude, desiring to spend his time there with God and to cleanse himself of any dust that may have clung to him from his association with men.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life

CHAPTER II

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The Blessed Sacrament

 

Every day He humbles Himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne (Wisdom 18:15) into the Virgin's womb; every day He comes to us and lets us see Him in abjection, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the Altar.

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition I

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We, Wretched Creatures, Enjoy So Many Luxuries!

When the Lord Bishop of Ostia, who later became Pope Gregory IX, attended the Chapter of the Friars at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, he entered the house with many knights and clergy to see the friars' dormitory. And seeing how the friars lay on the ground and had nothing beneath them but a little straw, and a few broken-down pallets, and no pillows, he began to weep freely before them all, saying, 'Look how the friars sleep here! But we, wretched creatures, enjoy so many luxuries! What will become of us?'

Saint Francis of Assisi

Mirror of Perfection - 21

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We Are To Be Mirrors For Others

 

For the Lord himself has not only placed us as examples and mirrors for others, but also for our own sisters whom the Lord has called to our way of life, so that they in turn will be mirrors and examples to those living in the world.

St. Clare of Assisi

The Testament of St. Clare - 6

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Welcome, My Sister Death

 

St. Francis exhorted death itself, terrible and hateful to all, to give praise, and going joyfully to meet it, he invited it to make its lodging with him. "Welcome," he said, "my sister death."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CLXIII

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