Newsletter of the: December 2019 Volume 14, Issue 12 Saint Alphonsa Fraternity Queen of Peace Region – Secular Franciscan Order Minister’s Message Advent – A Time of Preparation Dear Brothers and Sisters, INSIDE THIS ISSUE I decided to look up some information about Advent to remind myself of the symbolism and its MINISTER’S MESSAGE 1 importance on the church calendar. We know that Spiritual Assistant Reflections 2 it is a time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Formation Assignment 3 Jesus, “Our Messiah”. Celebrating Advent has a very Consecration Prayer 3 long history in our Church. As I read on, I recalled St. Agnes of Assisi 4 that lighting the candles should remind us that Jesus November Meeting Minutes 5-6 is the light of the world. The evergreens represent My God & My All 6 the new life and eternal life we have in Jesus. We use Twelve Days of Christmas 7 four candles – one for each week of Advent. Three 2019 -2020 Calendar 8 are purple and one is rose/pink. We light the pink Patience 8 one on Gaudete Sunday. The word Gaudete means Prayer Requests 9 “Rejoice”! The three purple candles represent Fraternity Council 10 prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Did you think that Meetings 10 was reserved only for Lent? During this time it is Newsletter 10 important that we set aside time for prayer, reading Treasurer’s Report 10 the scripture, silence, reflection and of course Birthdays 10 participate in the Sacramental life of our Church. Not forgetting the needy among us. As I reflect on the life of St. Francis it seems to me that he spent a lot of his time mirroring the I believe that we should consider making our hearts behaviors called for during the season of Advent. He a resting place for baby Jesus. This might mean to was always preparing to meet the person of Christ in sweep out the cobwebs of indifference, unforgiveness others and in all of creation and of course for the and sin that are taking up space in our hearts. It is final encounter in heaven. Francis longed to be time to listen and respond to the call of St. John the united with Christ and bring others to him. It was Evangelist to repent. Then when Christmas arrives, Francis who conceived the idea of a live Nativity. He we will have a place for him to lie down his sweet drew from his knowledge of the events at head and we will be able to properly welcome God’s Bethlehem. Candles and torches lit the way that holy only begotten Son, the Savior of the world. night as the people of Greccio processed to the cave in the side of a cliff. The ox and ass were brought in “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast and approached a carved image of the baby Jesus. spirit renew within me”. Ps.51:12 There were no other figures. This was the first time any of them had seen something like this. It was O Come, O come Emmanuel……… enough to fire up the hearts of these people with Peace, greater love for Jesus. Christians today recall this event and set up manger scenes in our churches and Teresa homes and the tradition lives on. Saint Alphonsa Fraternity Page 2 Spiritual Assistant Reflections: Dearest Franciscan Brothers and Sisters, When we allow this King to reign in our hearts our whole world changes. Weakness, even our On November 24th we celebrated the Solemnity of own weakness, is treasured. A kind of poverty is Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. On that accepted and embraced. The poor are lifted up. day, we remember that all time and all of creation Our hearts become more tender, more God-like. belong to Him. We celebrate that all of creation And Joy fills our lives and peace permeates them. including every human heart longs for Him. And we We all ache for this! As we close the year and pray that one day He may be enthroned in every make our way into the season of Advent, let us heart, beginning of course with our own. allow ourselves to be drawn in by the humility of God so that Jesus might conquer our aching On feast days like this one, it is important to recall hearts and reign there! what kind of king He is. (You teach me what He is like all the time!) Jesus, as God, reigns as a King- Christ our humble King…. May your kingdom servant. He came to serve rather than to be served! come! As God He makes an eternal pouring forth of His life in humble servanthood. We experience this every Peace and every good, week in the Eucharist! Saint Francis knew this well: “O sublime humility! that the Lord of the universe, Fr. John God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under a morsel of bread. Consider, brothers, the humility of God!” (Letter to all the friars, 115) When we encounter Him, we encounter the profoundest humility and at the same time the greatest glory. Christ our King bows low to us so that we might draw closer to Him. Saint Alphonsa Fraternity Page 3 Formation Director Notes: Morning Glory Consecration Prayer Dear Brothers and Sisters of Penance, From “33 Days to Morning Glory” by There is no formal "Ongoing Formation" assignment Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC this month but as a new year begins in this Holy Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of season of Advent, let us make a renewed the B.V.M., Published 2011 commitment to our prayer life in "the Word", with our Lord. Let us make that time commitment (at the same time each day) to spend at least 30 minutes in the "Word" and then journal your experience. "I thought" "I Felt" "I Desired" "I Sensed in my body" I, __________________________________, a This journal will be a great treasure to us when we repentant sinner, renew and ratify today in your look back and see the Lord's movement, consolation hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my and healing within us, especially when we Baptism. I renounce Satan and resolve to follow experience desolation. All of our good works will Jesus Christ even more closely than before. Mary, I come from this relationship and time spent with our give you my heart. Please set it on fire with love for Lord. There is nothing more profitable to us than Jesus. Make it always attentive to his burning thirst time spent with our Lord. May you experience the for love and for souls. Keep my heart in your most Love, Joy and Peace of the Infant Christ this Holy pure Heart that I may love Jesus and the members season. of his Body with your own perfect love. Mary, I entrust myself totally to you: my body and soul, my Advent Blessings, goods, both interior and exterior, and even the +jean value of all my good actions. Please make of me, of **************** all that I am and have, whatever most pleases you. Candidate Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and Please read note above! merciful hands for bringing the greatest possible ***************** glory to God. If I fall, please lead me back to Jesus. Inquirers Wash me in the blood and water that flow from his Please read above note! pierced side and help me never to lose my trust in this fountain of love and mercy. With you, O Also, we will be preparing you now for the Rite of Immaculate Mother — you who always do the will in February. Each of you will be asked to Admission of God — I unite myself to the perfect consecration interview with Fr. John and myself in January and of Jesus as he offers himself in the Spirit to the you will be asked to write a Letter of Intent. I will Father for the life of the world. Amen. send an email with further details to each of you in the near future. Saint Alphonsa Fraternity Page 4 Saint Agnes of Assisi Agnes matched her sister in devotion to prayer and Saint of the Day for November 19 in willingness to endure the strict penances that (c. 1197 – November 16, 1253) characterized the Poor Ladies’ lives at San Damiano. In 1221, a group of Benedictine nuns in Monticelli near Florence asked to become Poor Ladies. Saint Clare sent Agnes to become abbess of that monastery. Agnes soon wrote a rather sad letter about how much she missed Clare and the other nuns at San Damiano. After establishing other monasteries of Poor Ladies in northern Italy, Agnes Saint Agnes of Assisi’s Story was recalled to San Damiano in 1253, as Clare lay dying. Born Caterina Offreducia, Agnes was the younger Three months later Agnes followed Clare in death sister of Saint Clare, and her first follower. When and was canonized in 1753. Caterina left home two weeks after Clare’s Reflection: God must love irony; the world is so full departure, their family attempted to bring her back of it. In 1212, many in Assisi surely felt that Clare and by force. They tried to drag her out of the Agnes were wasting their lives and were turning monastery, but her body suddenly became so heavy their backs on the world. In reality, their lives were that several knights could not budge it. Her uncle tremendously life-giving, and the world has been Monaldo tried to strike her but was temporarily enriched by the example of these poor paralyzed.