Divine Mercy Fraternity●●Vero Beach, Florida ● August 2019

We meet on August 11, 2019, in the St. Patrick’s Room of the Fraternity Officers/Council Members Christian Living Center, St. Helen , Vero Beach, FL (exp. Feb. 10, 2022) Agenda and Schedule Minister: Fred Schaeffer, OFS Vice-Minister: Helen Caldarone, OFS Secretary: Jean McGovern, OFS 2.00 Opening, Reports, etc. Treasurer: Jack Reddy, OFS 2:10 To be Advised Formation Director: Donna Haro, OFS 3:00 Break and Refreshments Councilor-at-large: Joanne Giordano, OFS 3:20 Liturgy of the Hours (Christian Prayer), Franciscan Spiritual Assistant: Dcn. Richard Blake, OFS (when available) Crown 4:00 Closing Prayers and Dismissal

Refreshments: Please bring refreshments (food/drink) as you like. Council Meeting: follows at the closing of the Regular Meeting Remember in your prayers: All fraternity members, especially Marie, Fred, Stan and Virginia. Please pray for Nick (Joanne’s husband) for healing. See fraternity’s prayer request notebook for other inten- tions. Anniversaries - August—None Minister’s Message: I (Fred) am slowly getting well, too slowly. I still have a nasty non-productive bron- chial cough, but I can participate in meetings as long as I cover my mouth. I will try to be there in August. First they said it was Asthma, now they are leaning toward COPD. I have a “home health aide” who comes Mondays and Wednesdays, four hours each, and a nurse will come soon to take stock of my general wellness. I have a very good lung and heart doctor. I have not been able to drive since my discharge from Rehab, due to edema in my feet and legs but in the last few days I’ve been able to get my shoes on, so there is hope. The folks from St. Helen, led by Dave, have most graciously constructed a ramp with low steps and long platforms, making it possible for me to walk with a walk- er up and down the steps. It’s a life-saver. Also, thanks to one of my neighbors, Cindy, I have been able to get to all of my many doctor’s appointments. She has been most helpful. Please say a prayer for her and her husband, and all who helped me out.

New OFS Nationwide fraternity mapping feature: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/map-of-local-fraternities/ There are many Franciscan in August: https://www.dmf-ofs.org/home/franciscan -saints-ream/ so we can perhaps discuss these at the meeting.

Curé of Ars, John Vianney

Divine Mercy Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order, meets every month.

Divine Mercy Fraternity●Secular Franciscan Order●Vero Beach, Florida ● August 2019 p. 2

Franciscan Liturgical Saints August

02 Our Lady of the Portiuncula 04 St. John Mary Vianney 07 Bl. Aganthangel and Cassian 11 St. Clare 14 St. Maximillian Kolbe 17 St. Roch of Montpellier 19 St. Louis of Toulouse 21 St. Piux X 25 St. Louis IX

The “Ream” version of the calendar lists many more Franciscan Blessed and Saints but many of those are not celebrat- ed in Liturgical rites, except those Franciscans, and then not in all branches.

St. John Vianney has long inspired me (August 4: St. John Mary Vianney, Secular Franciscan priest). (May 8, 1786 – August 4, 1859). He wanted to become a priest but had inadequate schooling. Ars, is a small town in , about 20 miles north of , but that is where he served as a priest, the curé. He was born in about 8 miles from Lyon, the third of six children in a farm household. They lived simply, didn't have money for much and then the broke out. As a result, the churches fell apart, served by apostate priests who served the state. Those who did not agree were murdered. The Vianneys who were devout Catholics travelled many miles to get to Church in some distant farm, where Mass was celebrated by priests who managed to escape prosecution. Jean-Marie worked as a shepard until he was 20 before starting his school- ing. He had great difficulty learning Latin and when he was 30 he was placed to be educated by a parish priest, Abbé Balley. He managed to escape the French draft. An imperial proclamation in March 1810 granted amnesty to all deserters, enabling Vianney to go back legally to Écully, where he resumed his studies. He was tonsured in 1811, and in 1812 he went to the minor seminary at Verrières-en-Forez. In autumn of 1813, he was sent to the major seminary at . Considered too slow, he was returned to Abbé Balley. However, Balley per- suaded the Vicar general that Vianney's piety was great enough to compensate for his ignorance, and the seminarian received and the subdiaconate on 2 July 1814, was ordained a deacon in June 1815, and was ordained priest on 12 August 1815 in the Couvent des Minimes de Grenoble. He said his first Mass the next day, and was appointed the assistant to Balley in Écully. Little was expected of him and so he was assigned to a very poor church of Ars, a town where, at that time, there were dances, taverns and drunkeness. Years passed of devoted service. He excelled in the confessional.

Vianney came to be known internationally, and people from distant places began travelling to consult him as early as 1827. "By 1855, the number of pilgrims had reached 20,000 a year. During the last ten years of his life, he spent 16 to 18 hours a day in the confessional. Even the bishop forbade him to attend the annual retreats of the diocesan clergy be- cause of the souls awaiting him yonder". He spent at least 11 or 12 hours a day in the confessional during winter, and up to 16 in the summer. Vianney yearned for the contemplative life of a monk, and four times ran away from Ars, the last time in 1853. He was a champion of the poor as a Franciscan tertiary and was a recipient of the coveted French Le- gion of Honour.

He followed his Vocation with deep conviction and prayer. The Lord took care of him and placed him where he would do the most good. Let us pray with deep conviction and love for the Lord and for his people we meet in our lives.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS, (from various sources) July 18, 2019

Divine Mercy Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order, meets every month.