Up to Now Newsletter of the St. Margaret of Cortona Region of the Secular Franciscan Order Covering the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and portions of West Virginia and Southern Pennsylvania Fr. Philippus Philippus, OFMCap Fr. Volume 22 Issue 3 Let us begin again, for up to now we have done nothing. February 2019 News from the National Executive Council Regional Council National Priority for 2019-2021 St. Margaret of Cortona Region t the 2018 Chapter, the National Fraternity Council Minister: Regional Councilor (DC/Metro): (NAFRA) discussed the question of national pri- Bob Longo, OFS Mary Catherine Bibro, OFS orities for 2019-2021. Many suggestions were pre- Vice Minister: Regional Spiritual Assistants: A Michael Huether, OFS Fr. Charley Miller, OFM sented, and several were mentioned multiple times, but no Secretary: Br. Matthew Hindelang, OFM Cap one priority stood out clearly. It was the consensus of the Peggy Gregory, OFS Fr. Kevin Treston, OFM Holy Land Fr. Kevin Queally, TOR body that the incoming National Executive Council (NEC) Treasurer: Anne Mulqueen, OFS decide our national priorities for the upcoming three years. Peter Noyes, OFS (OFM Conv delegated) Formation Director: Regional Youth and Young Monica Zevallos, OFS The NEC is happy to announce that this was accomplished Adult Commission Co-Chairs: at our December 13-16, 2018, meeting in St. Louis, MO. Dur- Regional Councilor (MD/PA): Harry Ford, OFS ing this meeting, we prayerfully considered the needs of the Vacant Mike Coleman, OFS Regional Councilor (VA): Regional JPIC Chair: national family, as well as the feedback from the NAFRA Geo Peter Farago, OFS Gil Donahue, OFS Groups at Chapter, and the decision became clear to us. Regional Councilor (MD/DE): Regional Newsletter Editor: While in past years NAFRA has set as many as six priorities, Barbara Countryman, OFS Mary Lou Coffman, OFS this year we chose to narrow our focus to one—Fraternity Life. Note that concentrating on fostering vibrant fraternity St. Margaret of Cortona Region Website has a new url: http://saintmargaretofcortona.org/ life does not imply that previous priorities will be ignored or neglected. Formation, JPIC, Communications, and Spiritual Assistance will all play an important role in strengthening our local fraternities. In This Issue. Regional Minister’s Message .......................................... 2 The decision to choose Fraternity Life was confirmed for us Franciscan Mission Service ............................................. 3 in a wonderful way! A few weeks after we chose this prior- Help Wanted ...................................................................3 ity, we received a Christmas letter from our General Minis- Pope's 2019 Monthly Prayer Intentions ........................... 4 ter. In this letter Tibor Kauser encouraged us to repeat our Mark Your Calendar .........................................................5 “yes” unconditionally—saying yes to God, yes to our voca- Ecumenical Day of Reflections ........................................ 6 tion and yes to our neighbor. He then repeated three times Many faiths, one in gratitude...........................................7 “…this will give new life to our fraternities, too!” (See our Day of Reflection Registration ........................................ 8 General Minister’s Christmas Letter: https://secularfran- New Franciscan Saint ..................................................... 9 ciscansusa.org/2018/12/25/christmas-messages-from- Around the Region ........................................................10 our-national-and-international-minister.) New Regional Executive Councilor (Virginia) ................... 11 To help all of us achieve this priority we decided to high- Websites of Interest ...................................................... 11 light three aspects of fraternity life: What Are We Reading?................................................... 11 Regional Retreat Registration ........................................12 National Priority 2019-2021 Carbon Fast for Lent 2019 .............................................. 13 Fraternity Life Franciscan Saints and Blesseds .....................................16 1. Deepening our Franciscan Vocation Franciscan Institute Summer 2019 Programs ..................18 2. Growing in Fraternal Communion 3. Cultivating Universal Kinship (See "National Priority" on page 5) Regional Minister’s Message inspiration and pattern of their Eucharistic life. 40th Anniversary of our Pauline Rule 7. United by their vocation as "brothers and Sisters and Brothers in sisters of penance," and motivated by the dynamic Francis and Clare, power of the gospel, let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of Our celebration of the birth that radical interior change which the gospel calls of Christ has come and gone, "conversion." Human frailty makes it necessary and another year has begun. that this conversion be carried out daily. At the celebration of the Epiphany, we heard the story On this road to renewal the sacrament of of the Magi on their journey, reconciliation is the privileged sign of the Father's bearing gifts, searching for mercy and the source of grace. the Christ child. The journey Sisters and brothers, our world needs us now more of the Magi recalls our than ever before. Our cities are crying out for Franciscan journey and the gifts we bear throughout peace, for justice, for love, but most of all for the the year. loss of faith. We Franciscans can bring that peace, As we continue to celebrate the 40th Anniversary justice, love and faith to all those we meet daily. of our Pauline Rule, the Rule is that gift that keeps You may say “I live the gospel life.” But do we live it on giving, our way of life is that gift. Our profession daily? I am reminded of the reading from the book tells us, and the world, that we have made a of Micah: 8 “You have been told, O mortal, what is commitment to live the gospel life and to share this good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to beautiful gift with others do justice and to love by our words and actions. goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Our Rule is our daily guidepost, and I would like I would like to leave you to bring your attention to with these thoughts: Rules 4, 5 and 7: If you see someone 4. The rule and life of looking sad and alone, the Secular Franciscans give them a smile, or is this: to observe the even better, strike up a gospel of our Lord Jesus conversation. Christ by following the If you see someone in example of St. Francis need of help, of Assisi who made give them a helping hand. Christ the inspiration and the center of his When you receive life with God and people. something from someone, Christ, the gift of the say thank you with a smile Father's love, is the and even say “Bless you.” way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit You never know whose life you may change or even leads us, and the life which he has come to give make for a better day. abundantly. Talk to others as if you were talking to Jesus. Secular Franciscans should devote themselves These small gestures can brighten a person’s day. especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel. Your Franciscan brother in Christ, 5. Secular Franciscans, therefore, should seek to Bob Longo, OFS encounter the living and active person of Christ in Regional Minister their brothers and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in St. Margaret of Cortona Region the Church, and in liturgical activity. The faith of St. Francis, who often said, "I see nothing bodily Remember brothers and sisters, we are called to of the Most High Son of God in this world except evangelize both verbally and by our ac@tions. His most holy body and blood," should be the "Road to Emmaus" from lds.org Volume 22, Issue 3 February 2019 Page 2 Franciscan Mission Service God caught my attention during this same season in a fa- Quiet Joy that Leads Me Home miliar place: in His Home. During daily mass, my grandpa and I would sit by the stained glass windows on the far left Becky Kreidler is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chi- hand side of St. Raymond’s, my home parish in Mt. Pros- cago who has just begun her two-year journey as a Fran- pect, Illinois. While I’ve seen these stained glass windows ciscan Mission Service missioner in Guatemala, where she each time I’ve been in church, they’ve only ever been a will accompany the students at Valley of the Angels School landmark, a decoration. Yet, in this season, God used outside of Guatemala City. In this reflection, Becky consid- them as a channel of joy for me. ers how God was speaking to her right before leaving her home community and how joy has filled her heart during Each morning during about 15 or 20 minutes of Mass, the this time of transition. sun would align perfectly, and the stained glass windows would reflect onto the wooden beams inside our church. I’ll be the first to admit my heart often wanders. Even I couldn’t help being totally consumed by the images the though I’ve felt God’s steadiness in my life, in my imper- sun would create and the sense of peace, wonder, and fection, I can stray from His path. In this past season, I’ve warmth that defined my time in church. In the seemingly been leaning on myself more than Him, stubbornly think- ordinary, God navigated my attention to the stained glass ing that I am in control (Spoiler alert: I’m not). In my story in order to remind me that, in the same way, these win- it is often in moments of stress, grieving, sorrow that I dows were made for His glory and He uses them as chan- stray back to Him, as I depend on His grace and guidance. nels to speak to me. Likewise, I am to be an instrument of Yet in this past season God has reminded me that deep, His peace in my life.