The Franciscan Lay Apostolate

 

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 are made up of laypeople and consecrated religious who exercise a ministry in cooperation with the Catholic Church, whose organizations cooperate with ecclesiastical authorities. They operate "under the 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 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 by imitating Jesus Christ.

Contact information:

Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center

P.O. Box 34

Jerusalem, Ohio 43747

 

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Revenge Will Come Back To Haunt You

 

"Everything that you do in revenge against a brother who has harmed you will come back to your mind at the time of prayer."

Abba Nilus

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Judging The Rich

 

"We have no right to judge the rich. For our part, what we desire is not a class struggle but a class encounter, in which the rich save the poor and the poor save the rich." ~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

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Attached To Useless, Insignificant And Entirely Worthless Matters

 

"We become attached to useless, insignificant and entirely worthless matters, substituting these for the love of God and neighbor, appropriating material things as if they were our own or as if we had not received them from God."

Abba Zosimas

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Tithing

 

"There are some who receive ten and give one."

 ~ Abba Poemen

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Supreme Court Overturns Roe v Wade on Sacred Heart Feast Day

 

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The Complacency Of The Christian World

 

Hidden deep in the silence of the human heart is a protest against the complacency of the Christian world.

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Love And Hate

 

You can find love and hate everywhere because you will find what you bring with you. Which is it that you bring with you?

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Beggars From Assisi

 

The only thing we lack is the courage to be carefree and mad like those beggars from Assisi.

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Piety Vs Holiness

 

There is a great chasm between piety and holiness. Piety is mainly external and holiness is in the heart.

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Understand The Difference Between Being Simple And Being A Simpleton

 

Understand the difference between being simple and being a simpleton. The soul is complex and God is simple and the closer we approach God, the simpler we become in Faith, Hope and Love.

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Living Within Our Wounds

 

Contemplation teaches us how to live within our wounds.

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Prayers Please!

 

Please join us in prayer that we can begin building our little Portiuncula Chapel this year in Jerusalem, Ohio, (just like the one seen above.) 

God bless you and Pace e' Bene!

Fra Chris

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Modesty

 

by

Fr. Timothy Davison

During the warm months of the year I want to remind everyone again that modesty in dress needs to be observed. Our Lady of Fatima warned us that “certain fashions would be introduced that would offend Our Lord very much” I take this to mean that Jesus, Our Savior is calling us to dress and act with modesty. This should always be observed as Catholics but especially when we come to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are meeting the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. We are accustomed to follow the fashions of the society in which we live but in case of modesty we should follow a different standard. Our standard should take its inspiration from the Holy Scriptures and from our Catholic Tradition which is a different standard from the society in which we live. Modesty can assist us and others in avoiding of the flesh which Our Lady at Fatima said is the cause of many souls being lost forever. We certainly wouldn't want to play a part in such a tragedy, at least I hope we wouldn't. Come to Mass then dressed to meet God who is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Fr. Timothy Davison

Diocese of Steubenville

Pastor of:

 St. John the Baptist in Miltonsburg, Ohio, St. Sylvester of Woodsfield, Ohio and the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center in Jerusalem, Ohio

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Contemplative Prayer

 

Far from lulling the reasoning mind into some dull blankness, Contemplative Prayer sharpens our reasoning and engenders all manner of creativity.

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God Has Already Found Us

 

We burn with a desire to visit spiritual places. We think we need to enter a monastery to realize our true selves. We think our true selves are something that can be "acquired" and we burn with zealous desires to acquire it. But as our gaze into the vast silence deepens, our prayers grow silent, and external spiritual practices fall away, as do our need to pray in monasteries, cathedrals, canyons, mountains, forests, the "perfect place." Once we come to the realization that God has already found us, no matter where we are, then we can concentrate our attention on God and not our environmental surroundings.

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Covering Ourelves With Disguises

 

The free children of God must be saved from the conformist slave of fantasy, passion and convention. The creative and mysterious inner self must be delivered from the wasteful hedonistic and destructive ego that seeks only to cover itself with disguises.

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Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone Speaks Out About Nancy Pelosi

 

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God Does What God Wants To Do

 

We need to recognize that God does what God wants to do. God's power is not at our command. Sometimes He does work through us or in us if we simply allow ourselves to become open vessels in which He can use us.

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Pride Makes Us Hate Others

 

"Pride makes us hate our equals because they are our equals; our inferiors for fear they may equal us; our superiors because they are above us." ~ Saint John Vianney

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The Garden Of Solitude

We should never run from silence. Most of us fill our days with cell phones, noise and soap operas and our nights with cell phones, football, basketball or sit coms. As Franciscans we step into the garden of solitude where the cool, clear water of silence refreshes our spiritual lives.

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I Miss My Dear Friend, Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR. Rest In Peace Dear Friend

 

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St. Francis Is Not Some Fun-Impaired Fanatic

 

Not all wants are bad or destructive. St. Francis is not some fun-impaired fanatic who would punch us in the nose every time we grab onto some pleasure. However, a life consumed by fulfilling all our wants is a recipe for frustration and unhappiness.

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Finally! A True Roman Catholic Archbishop!

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God First Loved Us

Love comes to those who already have love. God first loved us and that gift is ours even before we set out to find it.

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Shout Out, "I Love You!" With Your eyes

 

In the silence of our hearts we should shout out with our eyes, "I love you!" to every person we pass on the street.

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The Gesture Of A Beggar

 

It is marvelous how people become who they really are once you reach out your hand to them in a gesture of the beggar. It is an experience only beggars understand.

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Ralph Martin: The World Is In Danger

 

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Franciscan Tunics

 Poor sackcloth tunics and a poor white cord tightened around the waist serves only one purpose; to identify followers of St. Francis of Assisi. We pray that our dress will never become like other clothes and become more important than the people who wear them.

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Fast And Pray The Rosary On Friday, May 13th, 2022 For An End To Abortion