Engaging Franciscan Wisdom

Join Franciscan Associate Applicant Elise Carey as she breaks open the gift of Jesus coming to live among us, and the bigness of God who is known in relationships with others and with creation.

From Elise's interview: "I came (to Russia) with my worldview from growing up in the States. That impacted what I understood and even how I related to God. Different countries, different cultures, their worldviews are a bit different. When I worked with, lived in community with, prayed with, cooked meals with, lived life with people from other countries and cultures, it began to change my understanding of God and my faith dramatically. I began to see that my way of thinking was not the only way of thinking or understanding faith or God."

"Jesus is the Word. The Word was with God, the Word was God. And so it's really God in the flesh. In carne, flesh. Coming and living among us, taking on the form of a baby, as we celebrate this time of Christmas, this time of Advent. … Jesus came and pitched his tent among us. He tabernacles among us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He participated in the day-to-day of life. Just like we did, just like we do. He went to weddings. He mourned the loss of friends. He ate with people. He spent time with his mates. He told stories. He prayed with people. He grieved with people. He talked with people in the most unassuming places. … He lived life and so in his coming, through the incarnation, Jesus, he's translating who God is to us."

"He takes the commandments and the laws from the Old Testament and he condenses them into basically two themes, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He lived this and he exemplified it. He entered people's lives and he let others into his life. Through the incarnation, we have a model. Not do's and don'ts, but a model. An example of what the economy of the kingdom is or the ways of the kingdom works. This is good news; we have an example."

"We see in Francis of Assisi, a life living the example of the economy of the kingdom, the ways of the kingdom. And out of that, some of the Franciscan values are formed. Care for the poor and the marginalized. We see that Jesus said, love your neighbor. We see loving God and loving neighbor in the life of Francis."

"Incarnational living is connecting with people. It's about relationship. To me, that's the bottom line, relationship. But it's relationship with people, with the other. So it's nice to talk about relationships with people that we like to like, but that challenge of the other. For St. Francis, the other was the leper. But in that embrace, in that kiss, that leper became a man, became equal. And so it's embracing the other, so to speak. … When I care for (ducks and chickens), this is the economy of the kindom. Yes, the kindom. It is incarnational living. It's living in relationship with people, with creation."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

References:

John 1:1-4, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)

Jon Bonk: We must begin to see the incarnation, not merely as theologically descriptive, but strategically prescriptive.

Saint Francis of Assisi references:

Francis and the Leper (1 Celano 17): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195.

Francis and the Wolf (Little Flowers 21): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2502-fa-ed-3-page-601.

Canticle of the Creatures: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-canticle-of-the-creatures/129-fa-ed-1-page-113.

Jorspeis, Latvian Christian band, sample music: https://jorspeis.bandcamp.com/track/uzticams.

What is a seed library and how does it work? Creating Seed Libraries - How Does A Seed Library Work (gardeningknowhow.com)

What is an heirloom seed / plant? Heirloom Vegetables - Tips For Growing Heirloom Plants (gardeningknowhow.com)

Matthew 6: 9 – 10: Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Saint Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

Elise's formula for life: Implication + Application = Transformation

Icons, Eastern Orthodox Church: http://ww1.antiochian.org/icons-eastern-orthodoxy

Join Franciscan Associate Applicant Elise Carey as she breaks open the gift of Jesus coming to live among us, and the bigness of God who is known in relationships with others and with creation.

From Elise's interview: "I came (to Russia) with my worldview from growing up in the States. That impacted what I understood and even how I related to God. Different countries, different cultures, their worldviews are a bit different. When I worked with, lived in community with, prayed with, cooked meals with, lived life with people from other countries and cultures, it began to change my understanding of God and my faith dramatically. I began to see that my way of thinking was not the only way of thinking or understanding faith or God."

"Jesus is the Word. The Word was with God, the Word was God. And so it's really God in the flesh. In carne, flesh. Coming and living among us, taking on the form of a baby, as we celebrate this time of Christmas, this time of Advent. … Jesus came and pitched his tent among us. He tabernacles among us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He participated in the day-to-day of life. Just like we did, just like we do. He went to weddings. He mourned the loss of friends. He ate with people. He spent time with his mates. He told stories. He prayed with people. He grieved with people. He talked with people in the most unassuming places. … He lived life and so in his coming, through the incarnation, Jesus, he's translating who God is to us."

"He takes the commandments and the laws from the Old Testament and he condenses them into basically two themes, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He lived this and he exemplified it. He entered people's lives and he let others into his life. Through the incarnation, we have a model. Not do's and don'ts, but a model. An example of what the economy of the kingdom is or the ways of the kingdom works. This is good news; we have an example."

"We see in Francis of Assisi, a life living the example of the economy of the kingdom, the ways of the kingdom. And out of that, some of the Franciscan values are formed. Care for the poor and the marginalized. We see that Jesus said, love your neighbor. We see loving God and loving neighbor in the life of Francis."

"Incarnational living is connecting with people. It's about relationship. To me, that's the bottom line, relationship. But it's relationship with people, with the other. So it's nice to talk about relationships with people that we like to like, but that challenge of the other. For St. Francis, the other was the leper. But in that embrace, in that kiss, that leper became a man, became equal. And so it's embracing the other, so to speak. … When I care for (ducks and chickens), this is the economy of the kindom. Yes, the kindom. It is incarnational living. It's living in relationship with people, with creation."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

 

References:

John 1:1-4, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)

Jon Bonk: We must begin to see the incarnation, not merely as theologically descriptive, but strategically prescriptive.

Saint Francis of Assisi references:

Francis and the Leper (1 Celano 17): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/636-fa-ed-1-page-195.

Francis and the Wolf (Little Flowers 21): https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2502-fa-ed-3-page-601.

Canticle of the Creatures: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/writings-of-francis/the-canticle-of-the-creatures/129-fa-ed-1-page-113.

Jorspeis, Latvian Christian band, sample music: https://jorspeis.bandcamp.com/track/uzticams.

What is a seed library and how does it work? Creating Seed Libraries - How Does A Seed Library Work (gardeningknowhow.com)

What is an heirloom seed / plant? Heirloom Vegetables - Tips For Growing Heirloom Plants (gardeningknowhow.com)

Matthew 6: 9 – 10:  Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Saint Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

Elise's formula for life: Implication + Application = Transformation

Icons, Eastern Orthodox Church: http://ww1.antiochian.org/icons-eastern-orthodoxy

Join Secular Franciscan Carolyn Townes as she tells her surprising story of the Spirit of God leading her to Franciscan life born out of loss, lived in community, and dedicated to bringing Gospel values into the world.

From Carolyn's interview, referring to experience after death of a loved one, and 9-11 in New York City: "I like to exude laughter and happiness and joy, and to be working in the realm of grief and loss was just very antithesis to me and I couldn't, I couldn't even fathom it. But I realized that once you walk the path of grief and loss, that joy does come. And joy is that deep abiding feeling that's within you. That it's not the same as happiness. So you can experience grief and joy at the same time."

"I even went to grief counseling and they kept saying to me, it will get softer. It won't get easier, but it'll get softer. And I remember thinking, how can it? It's just so heavy. It's so hard. But walking through it, I can see that. I wanted to help others to know that as well, that it does soften. You grieve to the extent that you loved; it's just a different expression of love. But to know that that loved one will never be on the same plane again, that you'll never see them, that I think is the heaviness.

"You don't realize how many people are grieving who are just walking down the street. And you don't know what's heavy on their hearts until you have a conversation with them and realize that they're going through something. So I always live with the idea of, just be gentle with people because you don't know the journey they're walking through."

"The work of women in transition was to talk through. I love when women come together, they can share their stories. First they know: I'm not alone. There's somebody else out there with a similar story. And there's someone else out there who has been experiencing something like what I've experienced. And so to get that collective voice in the room, we can all then move from those pain points to that sense of joy and laughter…."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

References:

Secular Franciscan Order – USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/. International Secular Franciscan Order: https://ciofs.info/. Another interesting resource: http://franciscanseculars.com/.

The Rule of Life of the Secular Franciscan Order: http://franciscanseculars.com/secular-franciscan-rule/.

What is the Mass? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/mass.php.

What are the Sacraments? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php.

What is Eucharist and Real Presence? https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-real-presence-faqs.

What is a ciborium? https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03767a.htm.

What is RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/christian-initiation-of-adults.

Order of Friars Minor, First Order of Franciscans: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/franciscans-first-order. Three main branches of this part of the Franciscan family include Observant, Conventual and Capuchin friars.

What is a Secular Franciscan fraternity? https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/08/09/fraternity-life-fraternity-and-its-beginning/.

Saint John the Baptist church, ministered to by the Capuchin Franciscans: https://www.padrepio.us/sjbnyc.html.

Father Mychal Judge: https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/911-20-years-later-remembering-father-mychal-judge-new-york-city/71-9f17ec07-6a69-4cbe-bc2e-28a6068b7c38.

Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, 31st St, New York City is an amazing center of service and faith: https://stfrancisnyc.org/.

Grief: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grief. There are many forms of grief, and many ways of grieving. Seeking out support in friends, spiritual companions/directors, counselors, support groups can help us process and work through loss and find ways forward in our lives.

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) for Secular Franciscans in the USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/jpic/. Here is an example of a blog post by Carolyn: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/09/07/becoming-prayer-for-peace-and-social-justice-pt-1/.

What are Catholic Social Teachings (CST)? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching. A short video summary of CST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyLdMlFdzA&t=143s.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet:

"(…) have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions

themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

Join Secular Franciscan Carolyn Townes as she tells her surprising story of the Spirit of God leading her to Franciscan life born out of loss, lived in community, and dedicated to bringing Gospel values into the world.

 

From Carolyn's interview, referring to experience after death of a loved one, and 9-11 in New York City: "I like to exude laughter and happiness and joy, and to be working in the realm of grief and loss was just very antithesis to me and I couldn't, I couldn't even fathom it. But I realized that once you walk the path of grief and loss, that joy does come. And joy is that deep abiding feeling that's within you. That it's not the same as happiness. So you can experience grief and joy at the same time."

 

"I even went to grief counseling and they kept saying to me, it will get softer. It won't get easier, but it'll get softer. And I remember thinking, how can it? It's just so heavy. It's so hard. But walking through it, I can see that. I wanted to help others to know that as well, that it does soften. You grieve to the extent that you loved; it's just a different expression of love. But to know that that loved one will never be on the same plane again, that you'll never see them, that I think is the heaviness.

 

"You don't realize how many people are grieving who are just walking down the street. And you don't know what's heavy on their hearts until you have a conversation with them and realize that they're going through something. So I always live with the idea of, just be gentle with people because you don't know the journey they're walking through."

 

"The work of women in transition was to talk through. I love when women come together, they can share their stories. First they know: I'm not alone. There's somebody else out there with a similar story. And there's someone else out there who has been experiencing something like what I've experienced. And so to get that collective voice in the room, we can all then move from those pain points to that sense of joy and laughter…."

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

 

References:

 

Secular Franciscan Order – USA:  https://secularfranciscansusa.org/. International Secular Franciscan Order: https://ciofs.info/. Another interesting resource: http://franciscanseculars.com/.

 

The Rule of Life of the Secular Franciscan Order: http://franciscanseculars.com/secular-franciscan-rule/.

 

What is the Mass? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/mass.php.

 

What are the Sacraments? https://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php.

 

What is Eucharist and Real Presence? https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-real-presence-faqs.

What is a ciborium? https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03767a.htm.

 

What is RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/christian-initiation-of-adults.

 

Order of Friars Minor, First Order of Franciscans: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/franciscans-first-order. Three main branches of this part of the Franciscan family include Observant, Conventual and Capuchin friars.

 

What is a Secular Franciscan fraternity? https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/08/09/fraternity-life-fraternity-and-its-beginning/.

 

Saint John the Baptist church, ministered to by the Capuchin Franciscans: https://www.padrepio.us/sjbnyc.html. 

 

Father Mychal Judge: https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/911-20-years-later-remembering-father-mychal-judge-new-york-city/71-9f17ec07-6a69-4cbe-bc2e-28a6068b7c38.

 

Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, 31st St, New York City is an amazing center of service and faith: https://stfrancisnyc.org/.

 

Grief: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grief. There are many forms of grief, and many ways of grieving. Seeking out support in friends, spiritual companions/directors, counselors, support groups can help us process and work through loss and find ways forward in our lives.

 

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) for Secular Franciscans in the USA:  https://secularfranciscansusa.org/jpic/. Here is an example of a blog post by Carolyn: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/2021/09/07/becoming-prayer-for-peace-and-social-justice-pt-1/.  

 

What are Catholic Social Teachings (CST)? https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching. A short video summary of CST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyLdMlFdzA&t=143s. 

 

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet:

"(…) have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions

themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

Join Poor Clare Sister Beth Lynn as she explores God's work in her life and in the world. A gifted weaver of stories old and new, Sister Beth celebrates the uniqueness of each person and the wonder of being a contemplative in communion with the whole Franciscan family.

From Sister Beth's interview: "Each Franciscan is each Franciscan. No two alike. And each one has a wonderful story. I'm thrilled to be able to share mine because I believe it's an inclusive story of God's love for all God's people."

"Each [Poor Clare] monastery, because each person is so unique, each monastery is unique…The tradition is every monastery is very unique because each person is unique, you know. And it's so Franciscan."

"Clare was somebody that ran away. She was a radical member of our great Order over the centuries. I mean, she just said phooey on this style of marriage and took off. She wasn't going to be Benedictine. She was going to follow Francis. You know, we take it kind of as a folk story, but it's really a story of changing culture and changing people's views of women and what they're about and what they can do on their own."

"This [the Poor Clares] simplicity of life. They were living it to the full, they were faithful to the Franciscan Friars and the friars to them. So you can see how important the Franciscan Friars and Seculars are to the Clares. It's one family."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

References:

Mission Santa Cruz (Holy Cross): https://holycrosssantacruz.com/mission-santa-cruz/ .

Saint Elizabeth's in Oakland, CA: the High School of Beth's time is recognized here: https://cristoreydelasalle.org/st-elizabeth-legacy/.

Secular Franciscan Order, USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/ .

Poor Clare Sisters: International site: http://poorclare.org/. Sister Beth previously belonged to:

• Poor Clares of Santa Barbara: https://poorclaressantabarbara.org/poor-clares-of-santa-barbara/ and
• Zambia Poor Clares: Videos of Sisters singing Alleluia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmNZpUYWUA and the Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D40eFVXpEDk . Beth is currently a member of the:
• Rochester (formerly Minneapolis) Poor Clares: https://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/64-years-poor-clares-leave-monastery-legacy-prayer-friendship/.

Overview of Poor Clares: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Clares.

What is an Abbess? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbess.

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose: https://www.msjdominicans.org/ .

Vatican II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on 'Read More'), type 'Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.

Saint Bonaventure University: sponsored by the Franciscan friars of the Holy Name Province: https://www.sbu.edu/; Franciscan Institute: https://www.sbu.edu/academics/academic-resources/franciscan-institute .

Brother Ed Coughlin, of happy memory: https://www.sbu.edu/news/news-items/2019/07/30/University-friar-communities-mourn-death-of-Siena-President-Br-Ed-Coughlin.

Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA: https://missionsanjose.org/.

Rule of Saint Clare: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-form-of-life-of-saint-clare/282-ca-ed-1-page-106. Within the Form of Life of Saint Clare, Beth quoted Chapter 6:1-4:

"After the Most High Heavenly Father saw fit by His grace to enlighten my heart to do penance according to the example and teaching of our most blessed father Saint Francis, shortly after his own conversion, I, together with my sisters, willingly promised him obedience. When the Blessed Father saw we had no fear of poverty, hard work, trial, shame, or contempt of the world, but, instead, we held them as great delights, moved by piety he wrote a form of life for us. Because by divine inspiration you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most High, most Exalted King, the heavenly Father, and have taken the Holy Spirit as your spouse, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I resolve and promise for myself and for my brothers always to have the same loving care and special solicitude for you as for them." [as well as cf. 6:10-14] "As I together with my sisters have ever been solicitous to save God the holy poverty, which we have promised the Lord God, and blessed Francis, so too all the abbesses who succeed me in office, they will themselves, all of that. No ownership or intermediary that holds things for them to live only for this much land as necessity requires."

See also the Testament of Saint Clare 24-29, 33: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-testament-clare-of-assisi/237-ca-ed-1-page-61.

Join Poor Clare Sister Beth Lynn as she explores God's work in her life and in the world. A gifted weaver of stories old and new, Sister Beth celebrates the uniqueness of each person and the wonder of being a contemplative in communion with the whole Franciscan family.

 

From Sister Beth's interview: "Each Franciscan is each Franciscan. No two alike. And each one has a wonderful story. I'm thrilled to be able to share mine because I believe it's an inclusive story of God's love for all God's people."

 

"Each [Poor Clare] monastery, because each person is so unique, each monastery is unique…The tradition is every monastery is very unique because each person is unique, you know. And it's so Franciscan."

 

"Clare was somebody that ran away. She was a radical member of our great Order over the centuries. I mean, she just said phooey on this style of marriage and took off. She wasn't going to be Benedictine. She was going to follow Francis. You know, we take it kind of as a folk story, but it's really a story of changing culture and changing people's views of women and what they're about and what they can do on their own."

 

"This [the Poor Clares] simplicity of life. They were living it to the full, they were faithful to the Franciscan Friars and the friars to them. So you can see how important the Franciscan Friars and Seculars are to the Clares. It's one family."

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

 

References:

 

Mission Santa Cruz (Holy Cross): https://holycrosssantacruz.com/mission-santa-cruz/ .

 

Saint Elizabeth's in Oakland, CA: the High School of Beth's time is recognized here: https://cristoreydelasalle.org/st-elizabeth-legacy/.

 

Secular Franciscan Order, USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/ .

 

Poor Clare Sisters: International site: http://poorclare.org/. Sister Beth previously belonged to:

• Poor Clares of Santa Barbara: https://poorclaressantabarbara.org/poor-clares-of-santa-barbara/ and
• Zambia Poor Clares: Videos of Sisters singing Alleluia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmNZpUYWUA and the Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D40eFVXpEDk . Beth is currently a member of the:
• Rochester (formerly Minneapolis) Poor Clares: https://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/64-years-poor-clares-leave-monastery-legacy-prayer-friendship/.

Overview of Poor Clares: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Clares.

What is an Abbess? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbess.

 

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose: https://www.msjdominicans.org/ .

 

Vatican II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on 'Read More'), type 'Vatican' into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.

 

Saint Bonaventure University: sponsored by the Franciscan friars of the Holy Name Province: https://www.sbu.edu/; Franciscan Institute: https://www.sbu.edu/academics/academic-resources/franciscan-institute .

 

Brother Ed Coughlin, of happy memory: https://www.sbu.edu/news/news-items/2019/07/30/University-friar-communities-mourn-death-of-Siena-President-Br-Ed-Coughlin.

 

Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA: https://missionsanjose.org/.

 

Rule of Saint Clare: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-form-of-life-of-saint-clare/282-ca-ed-1-page-106. Within the Form of Life of Saint Clare, Beth quoted Chapter 6:1-4:

"After the Most High Heavenly Father saw fit by His grace to enlighten my heart to do penance according to the example and teaching of our most blessed father Saint Francis, shortly after his own conversion, I, together with my sisters, willingly promised him obedience. When the Blessed Father saw we had no fear of poverty, hard work, trial, shame, or contempt of the world, but, instead, we held them as great delights, moved by piety he wrote a form of life for us. Because by divine inspiration you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most High, most Exalted King, the heavenly Father, and have taken the Holy Spirit as your spouse, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I resolve and promise for myself and for my brothers always to have the same loving care and special solicitude for you as for them." [as well as cf. 6:10-14] "As I together with my sisters have ever been solicitous to save God the holy poverty, which we have promised the Lord God, and blessed Francis, so too all the abbesses who succeed me in office, they will themselves, all of that. No ownership or intermediary that holds things for them to live only for this much land as necessity requires."

See also the Testament of Saint Clare 24-29, 33: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-testament-clare-of-assisi/237-ca-ed-1-page-61.

Join Franciscan Brother Adolfo Mercado as he tells of his journey from being raised as a cradle Catholic in a Mexican American family to his discerning life as a Franciscan friar, together with the evolving story of First Order Observant Friars in the US today.

From Brother Adolfo's interview: "One of the beauties of our Franciscan family is the diversity that we bring and just in the nomenclature of the communities and in the habits that we wear. As a First Order OFM [Order of Friars Minor] or Observant, we consider ourselves to be the group that's directly connected to the St. Francis. We still follow the rule that Pope Honorious the Third approved for St. Francis. …

What I wasn't able to articulate when I was discerning, that now I can say comfortably, is the incarnational theology that the Franciscans bring to the church and that we bring to the world. The facility that we have in seeing Christ in the other is what I find really exciting. … What really resonates with me to my core as a friar is when I meet another human, I lead with love. And I start by honoring and appreciating the dignity in the other person. And I think that's what other people respond to. …

I remember a classmate of mine in the Novitiate who was really charitable and really soft, even though he was almost 20 years younger than me and reminding me to get to a language that was really people-centered. So not saying the homeless man, but the man experiencing homelessness. That real focus on the dignity of the human and starting with that. And when that's the foundation, when that's the platform that we begin our dialogue, our relationship, our interaction with another person, I think the world needs more of that now."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

References:

St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Sacramento, CA: https://www.stfrancisparish.com/

Vision Vocation Network: an online reference for those discerning a religious vocation, see: https://vocationnetwork.org/en/

Saint Barbara Province of Franciscan friars: sbfranciscans.org . Stages of Formation: https://sbfranciscans.org/be-a-friar/formation/stages-of-formation/ .

Franciscan School of Theology: FST.edu. FST is affiliated with the University of San Diego and association with the San Diego Diocese: Sandiego.edu

Cristero War: a video in time period English language: https://youtu.be/VGBGFS2rZdo; another perspective in 12-minute contemporary research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsqbcHNHoj4 .

Saint Toribio Romo: Adolfo writes: "My dad's family is from Jalostotitlán, Jalisco. Santo Toribio Romo, a priest who was martyred during the Cristero War, is also from Jalostotitlán. Family lore is we are distant relatives." For an introduction to this saint, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_Romo_Gonz%C3%A1lez .

Order of Friars Minor: The First Order OFM or Observant Friars international site: https://ofm.org/. While Adolfo is rooted in the Saint Barbara Province, the newly forming US Province is: https://usfranciscans.org/.

OFM Rule, now 800 years old: https://ofm.org/about/rule/. It begins: "The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity."

Franciscan Poverty: sine proprio. See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book "Poverty and Joy": d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents.

Casa Franciscana, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico: https://casafranciscanaoutreach.org/.

Adolfo's links to initiatives he has been connected to and recommends looking into: -Breakthrough Sacramento, working towards educational equity; see: breakthroughsac.org.

-The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, promotes grass-roots international exchange; see: jetprogramme.org

-Gente Unida, a human rights border coalition; see: genteunidasd.net

Join Franciscan Brother Adolfo Mercado as he tells of his journey from being raised as a cradle Catholic in a Mexican American family to his discerning life as a Franciscan friar, together with the evolving story of First Order Observant Friars in the US today.

 

From Brother Adolfo's interview: "One of the beauties of our Franciscan family is the diversity that we bring and just in the nomenclature of the communities and in the habits that we wear.   As a First Order OFM [Order of Friars Minor] or Observant, we consider ourselves to be the group that's directly connected to the St. Francis. We still follow the rule that Pope Honorious the Third approved for St. Francis. …

 

What I wasn't able to articulate when I was discerning, that now I can say comfortably, is the incarnational theology that the Franciscans bring to the church and that we bring to the world. The facility that we have in seeing Christ in the other is what I find really exciting. … What really resonates with me to my core as a friar is when I meet another human, I lead with love. And I start by honoring and appreciating the dignity in the other person. And I think that's what other people respond to. …

 

I remember a classmate of mine in the Novitiate who was really charitable and really soft, even though he was almost 20 years younger than me and reminding me to get to a language that was really people-centered. So not saying the homeless man, but the man experiencing homelessness. That real focus on the dignity of the human and starting with that. And when that's the foundation, when that's the platform that we begin our dialogue, our relationship, our interaction with another person, I think the world needs more of that now."

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

 

References:

 

St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Sacramento, CA: https://www.stfrancisparish.com/

 

Vision Vocation Network: an online reference for those discerning a religious vocation, see: https://vocationnetwork.org/en/

 

Saint Barbara Province of Franciscan friars: sbfranciscans.org . Stages of Formation: https://sbfranciscans.org/be-a-friar/formation/stages-of-formation/ .

 

Franciscan School of Theology: FST.edu. FST is affiliated with the University of San Diego and association with the San Diego Diocese: Sandiego.edu

 

Cristero War: a video in time period English language: https://youtu.be/VGBGFS2rZdo; another perspective in 12-minute contemporary research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsqbcHNHoj4 .

 

Saint Toribio Romo: Adolfo writes: "My dad's family is from Jalostotitlán, Jalisco. Santo Toribio Romo, a priest who was martyred during the Cristero War, is also from Jalostotitlán. Family lore is we are distant relatives." For an introduction to this saint, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_Romo_Gonz%C3%A1lez .

 

Order of Friars Minor: The First Order OFM or Observant Friars international site: https://ofm.org/. While Adolfo is rooted in the Saint Barbara Province, the newly forming US Province is: https://usfranciscans.org/.

 

OFM Rule, now 800 years old: https://ofm.org/about/rule/. It begins: "The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity."

 

Franciscan Poverty: sine proprio. See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book "Poverty and Joy": d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents.

 

Casa Franciscana, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico: https://casafranciscanaoutreach.org/.

 

Adolfo's links to initiatives he has been connected to and recommends looking into: -Breakthrough Sacramento, working towards educational equity; see: breakthroughsac.org.

-The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, promotes grass-roots international exchange; see: jetprogramme.org

-Gente Unida, a human rights border coalition; see: genteunidasd.net

Join Franciscan Sister Patricia Forster as she reflects on her response to God's calling to open doors between cultures and generations, to live a value-based life in simplicity, humility, and service.

From Pat's interview, reflecting on four basic values of the Third Order Regular in the Franciscan family: Contemplation and Prayer: "I like to talk about the difference between, and also the need for, both/and. I think there is a way of praying that would be called devotional, such as the rosary, or meditation, which be focusing on Scripture. And then another way of praying, which is called a contemplative quietness, and that's going into a deeper consciousness. The latter is something that seems more focused on wisdom and listening to God and waiting and waiting. And the previous one is much more focused on, I need salvation, God, you are my Savior, my Redeemer. But they're all prayer, and very important prayer. The Eucharist is prayer also, and we put the Eucharist at the center of our lives. … If there's anything that I would wish for, it would be that every person would take at least 10 minutes a day to be totally quiet and pray. That means listen to God from the inside. …

Conversion and that conversion is to God and to neighbor. Or it is also a way in the olden language of community life of saying, Looking for God's will. … We're made in the image and likeness of God, and so we are going to come into contact with another person, many persons every day, all the time, and they're going to be different than us. That means that we are open to change. And we might be in a particular job that tomorrow we're told you, you no longer have a job here. … So we're asked to make changes over time"

Poverty: "In exchange for their service, they may accept anything necessary for their temporal needs. So much of what we need is for our ministry. It's not for ourselves. Granted, we all have to live and eat, but we do, we give beyond, we give what we have extra to the poor in many, many different ways. We have a simple home. … We accept up to 17 girls in our Casa Franciscana, and when I watched those gals, you know, they have maybe one dress, a couple outfits. They plain and simply don't have money to have a lot. And their environment is so poor that to catch up with other students takes time. … It's pretty exciting where poverty can move to a stableness and a human development that knows God and gives thanks to God."

Minority: "To believe that everything that we do is only important because the Lord wants it done. Because we are serving the Lord, that's minority to be serving the other. To be humble, to be accepting, perhaps to even reject commercialism and stay with simplicity. … to be humble, to be one with those who are on the street, to be one with. Francis has had many stories in which he was one with. He had come, you know, from the merchant class, he came from a middle-class. He really did not come from the poverty people, but he could see what the world was like and how the poor were not getting what they needed. So, he gave himself to that."

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

References:

Values of the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers of the Third Order Regular: for a brief summary of the four core values: Conversion, Contemplation, Poverty, Minority, see: https://franciscanfriarsloretto.org/about/tor-franciscan-values/.

Eucharist: For an exploration of the mystery of the Eucharist, see: https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/the-sacraments/eucharist. And a reflection on its relationship to our response to God's call: https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/transformed-in-the-eucharist.

Breviary: Sister Pat notes that it is "a public prayer service" with psalms, antiphons, readings. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breviary. The Third Order Regular of the US have a Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise book that we pray with daily.

Opening Doors to Lay Ministry: Pat published this book about culture and ministry, exploring the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN Mexico Mission from 2002-2017: https://taupublishing.com/book-store/ols/products/opening-doors-to-lay-ministry.

DACA Definition: https://www.usimmigration.org/glossary/daca.

Join Franciscan Sister Patricia Forster as she reflects on her response to God's calling to open doors between cultures and generations, to live a value-based life in simplicity, humility, and service.

 

From Pat's interview, reflecting on four basic values of the Third Order Regular in the Franciscan family: Contemplation and Prayer: "I like to talk about the difference between, and also the need for, both/and. I think there is a way of praying that would be called devotional, such as the rosary, or meditation, which be focusing on Scripture. And then another way of praying, which is called a contemplative quietness, and that's going into a deeper consciousness. The latter is something that seems more focused on wisdom and listening to God and waiting and waiting. And the previous one is much more focused on, I need salvation, God, you are my Savior, my Redeemer. But they're all prayer, and very important prayer. The Eucharist is prayer also, and we put the Eucharist at the center of our lives. … If there's anything that I would wish for, it would be that every person would take at least 10 minutes a day to be totally quiet and pray. That means listen to God from the inside. …

 

Conversion and that conversion is to God and to neighbor. Or it is also a way in the olden language of community life of saying, Looking for God's will. … We're made in the image and likeness of God, and so we are going to come into contact with another person, many persons every day, all the time, and they're going to be different than us. That means that we are open to change. And we might be in a particular job that tomorrow we're told you, you no longer have a job here. … So we're asked to make changes over time"

 

Poverty: "In exchange for their service, they may accept anything necessary for their temporal needs. So much of what we need is for our ministry. It's not for ourselves.  Granted, we all have to live and eat, but we do, we give beyond, we give what we have extra to the poor in many, many different ways. We have a simple home. …  We accept up to 17 girls in our Casa Franciscana, and when I watched those gals, you know, they have maybe one dress, a couple outfits. They plain and simply don't have money to have a lot. And their environment is so poor that to catch up with other students takes time. … It's pretty exciting where poverty can move to a stableness and a human development that knows God and gives thanks to God."

 

Minority: "To believe that everything that we do is only important because the Lord wants it done. Because we are serving the Lord, that's minority to be serving the other. To be humble, to be accepting, perhaps to even reject commercialism and stay with simplicity. … to be humble, to be one with those who are on the street, to be one with. Francis has had many stories in which he was one with. He had come, you know, from the merchant class, he came from a middle-class. He really did not come from the poverty people, but he could see what the world was like and how the poor were not getting what they needed. So, he gave himself to that."

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [email protected].

 

References:

 

Values of the Franciscan Sisters and Brothers of the Third Order Regular: for a brief summary of the four core values: Conversion, Contemplation, Poverty, Minority, see: https://franciscanfriarsloretto.org/about/tor-franciscan-values/.

 

Eucharist: For an exploration of the mystery of the Eucharist, see: https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/the-sacraments/eucharist. And a reflection on its relationship to our response to God's call:  https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/transformed-in-the-eucharist.

 

Breviary: Sister Pat notes that it is "a public prayer service" with psalms, antiphons, readings. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breviary. The Third Order Regular of the US have a Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise book that we pray with daily. 

 

Opening Doors to Lay Ministry: Pat published this book about culture and ministry, exploring the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN Mexico Mission from 2002-2017:  https://taupublishing.com/book-store/ols/products/opening-doors-to-lay-ministry. 

 

DACA Definition: https://www.usimmigration.org/glossary/daca.