May the Lord give you Peace! The Catholic Church in the U.S.A are this week celebrating 'National Vocations Awareness Week'. It began with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday and ends tomorrow January 16th. There have been many excellent resources posted on the internet but one that I found particularly interesting was submitted by Father David Toups, interm director of the Office of Clergy and Consecrated Life and Vocations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Father Toups offers "Ten Things", steps Catholics can do to promote vocations to priesthood and religious life and I was particularly taken by steps 6ff. I pray that those discerning their vocation at this time, particularly those who read this blog will find these steps helpful.
For those considering a vocation:
6. Practice the faith. We will need to be reminded that the whole point of our lives is to grow in a deep, intimate and loving relationship with God. This is the first step for any young person desiring to discern any call in life.
7. Enter into the Silence. Silence is key to sanity and wholeness. We can only "hear" the voice of God if we are quiet. Take out the ear buds of your iPhone, iPod, and iTunes and listen to God, the great I AM. Young people should try to spend 15 minutes of quiet prayer each day - this is where you can begin to receive clear direction in your lives.
8. Be a good disciple. Some bishops say, "We do not have a vocation crisis; we have a discipleship crisis." Young people can become true followers of Jesus Christ by serving those around them. By discovering your call to discipleship, you also discover your particular call within the Church.
9. Ask God. Ask God what He wants for your life and know He only wants what is good for you. If, in fact, you are called to the priesthood or consecrated life, it will be the path to great joy and contentment.
10. In the immortal words of a famous sneaker manufacturer: "Just do it!" If you feel that God is inviting you to "try it out," apply to the seminary or religious order. Remember, the seminary or convent (or Friary), is a place of discernment. You will not be ordained or asked to profess vows for many years, providing ample opportunity to explore the possibility of a call to priesthood or religious life.
God bless you and if you want to contact me please do not hesitate to do so at:
Sincerely,
Pat
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11 Day National Franciscan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Led By: Fr Bernard Jones O.F.M Commissary of the Holy Land.
To mark the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Franciscan Order a major study of the history of the Irish Franciscans was published in November 2009. Entitled The Irish Franciscans, 1534-1990 (Four Courts Press) the work examines all aspects of the life of the friars and their impact in Ireland and on the Continent.
“Irish Eyes are Smiling” - Charity Album from Fr. Tom Russell OFM in aid of The LARCC Cancer Support Centre. Fr. Tom Russell OFM is an Irish Franciscan working in their well known community at Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal. He has recorded a charity album in aid of The LARCC Cancer Support Centre based near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The album, “Irish Eyes Are Smiling”, contains Irish classics such as; My Lagan Love, The Foggy Dew and Roisin Dubh.
The following is an extract from a beautiful book on St. Francis of Assisi, 'Francis - the Journey and the Dream' by Murray Bodo, 1972, St. Anthony Messenger Press, p.39 and 40.
"When Bernard of Quintavalle and the others came to him, Francis rejoiced that his journey had not ended once the Spirit took over his life, but that a new and more exciting Journey had begun, a journey, even now only beginning.
Brother Bernard was, in Francis' eyes, the real founder of the Order of Lesser Brothers, because he was the first wealthy Assisian to sell all his possessions, give them to the poor, and throw himself completely upon the mercy of God. Francis remembered so vividly the night he spent in the home of the wealthy merchant, Bernard of Quintavalle. Bernard, pretending to be asleep, had spent the night watching Francis at prayer, and in the morning had told Francis of his resolve to renounce his possessions and to follow Francis in he footsteps of Christ.
Francis was utterly stunned. Never, in his wildest hopes, had he imagined that God would so quickly answer his prayers for companionship in poverty and pursuit of the Dream. But he did not immediately show his joy and relief to Bernard. Instead, Francis said that they must go together to the bishop's house where there was a poor priest who would say Mass for them. Afterwards they would ask the priest to open the Book of the Gospels three times to see what God would there reveal to them about their future; whether Bernard was to follow Christ as Francis' brother, or not.
May the Lord give you Peace! When men display an interest in the 'Franciscan Way' of life in the Irish Franciscan Province I try to meet up with them for a chat as soon as possible. After a few meetings and if we find that this 'might' be the right way for the person discerning to go I invite that person to spend a week-end in a Friary experiencing our way of life. Some men have come to attend a few week-ends and have continued to meet with me on a regular basis before deciding to apply to enter the first year of our formation programme.
Fr Gearóid Ó Conaire, OFM, tells of a little Vietnamese boy with AIDS who captured the hearts of those who knew him.This is the story of Tam, an eightyear- old Vietnamese boy who died of AIDS. As well as drawing our attention to a phenomenon affecting two
million children with the HIV virus, Tam taught Fr John Phuong Dinh Toai, a Camillian priest, and all those who cared for him profound spiritual lessons in generosity and detachment. I met Fr John in Rome at a conference I moderated for Caritas Internationalis and the US Embassy to the Holy See between 14th – 16th October 2009. The theme of the conference was on securing better access to early testing and treatment for children living with HIV or HIV/TB co-infection and to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Experts from the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation, the famous Vatican children’s hospital (Bambino Gesù) and the Health Commission of the Superiors General were involved in a packed three days of presentations and discussions.
Lucky to be alive, The friars in Haiti have experienced the horror of the earthquake. The day of the earthquake it was as if a bomb had exploded. We brought first aid to many people. I saw terrible scenes.
Irish Franciscan History The Irish Franciscans, 1534-1990, was launched in Dublin before Christmas. Published by Four Courts Press, Edel Bhreathnach, Joseph MacMahon, OFM, and John McCafferty are the editors of this major publication. 2009 was the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Franciscan Order.
Charity Album from Fr Tom Russell, OFM, in aid of the LARCC Cancer Support Centre Fr Tom Russell, OFM, is an Irish Franciscan working in the well-known community at Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal. He has recorded a charity album in aid of the LARCC Cancer Support Centre based near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The album, Irish Eyes Are Smiling, contains Irish classics such as My Lagan Love, The Foggy Dew and Roisin Dubh.
In November Fr Liam McCarthy, OFM, accompanied back to Scotland the body of Br Joe O’Toole who tragically died in a car accident in Zimbabwe. In his homily at the funeral in Glasgow Liam spoke fondly of Joe and his contribution to Franciscan mission.
Lived together, Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC) form a 'caring for creation' spirituality, a way of living life in the Spirit. As followers of St Francis of Assisi, we Franciscans feel ourselves called to live this spirituality, and by caring for our sister-mother earth and for the relationships between all people on earth, we work to bring about the Kingdom of God, where all are valued and cherished. When Christians pray the words of Christ, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying that each of these values – Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation – bears fruit as Jesus desired.
