Upcoming Events

2013 Regional Ministers Meeting

May 31-June 2

Christ The King Retreat Center

Buffalo, Mn.

Queen of Peace Regional Fraternity

Food for Thought

 "Totally love Him,

Who gave Himself

totally for your love."

      St. Clare
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 20:29
 
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Welcome...please linger awhile with St. Francis and St. Clare...fall in love with... 

The Secular Franciscan Order

The Secular Franciscan Order, or SFO, gives the religious life to Catholic men and women who cannot leave home and family for monastery, seminary or convent.  It offers to people of all occupation and conditions a Rule that makes their life rich and peaceful by centering it on God.  Secular Franciscans profess the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, to “follow Christ in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi” (Rule, Article 1),  preaching the Gospel…using words when necessary.   It fills them with the charity of St. Francis, engaging them in apostolic work, which flows out into the community, offering help and comfort to those in need.

Individual Secular Franciscans gather in local fraternities to share fellowship, pray, witness to one another and grow in the knowledge of the Lord increasing their Faith.  The local fraternities in the United States are organized into Regions.  Queen of Peace Region under the patronage of our Blessed Mother Mary, whose feast we celebrate on December 8th, includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the western section of Wisconsin.

From the days of its founding, the Secular Franciscan Order of St. Francis of Assisi has been the inspiration not only of the poor and the humble, but also of some of history’s towering geniuses.  It has developed the spirit of St. Francis in outstanding men like the artists Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Murillo; musicians such as Palestrina, Liszt and Gounod; explorers like Christopher Columbus; the writers Dante, Cervantes, Johannes, Jorgensen and Francis Thompson; such scientists as Galileo, Galvani, and Volta.

"Oh, what a joy to walk with the Lord as St. Francis did.  May you hear the call and experience the peace of Franciscan life".
Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 15:36
 
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St. Francis of Assisi Founder of the Franciscan Order - Feast Day Oct. 4th

 

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St. Francis of Assisi…

“A Simple Man”

 

This is the story of a great man, a wonderful and simple man. He died over 800 years ago, but he has never been forgotten and he never will be. Great men by the thousands have lived and died…kings and conquerors and millionaires, artists, musicians and scholars. But this man was a beggar, and he is remembered better than any of the others. And loved as none of them was ever loved.

It was not always that way with him. There was a time when his best friends touched their finger to their forehead when they mentioned his name. Children threw rocks at him. But he had set out on a high adventure, and he kept going. People stopped laughing. There was something about the way he looked at each man, something about the way he spoke. Birds flew down to perch on his shoulders as he talked, and a wolf came once to crouch at his feet. Nature lay quiet under this man’s touch, as she had done for Adam when he walked with God under the trees of Paradise, before the serpent came.

 

The world stood back in wonder. This little man had no money but he acted as if he were richer than a millionaire. His body was scarred and racked with pain, but he sang sweeter than any lark. He smiled as he dined with a prince; he laughed as he shared his last crust with a leper. Somehow he had learned to love everything that lived. And everything loved him. He had a secret worth knowing…and the world has been learning it from him ever since.

“The Hour of St. Francis”-1955


 

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St. Clare of Assisi
Foundress of the Order of Poor Clare Nuns
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St Francis of Assisi
Founder of the Franciscan Order
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St Elizabeth of Hungary
Patroness of the Third Order
Feast Day - Nov 17

Last Updated on Saturday, 13 November 2010 20:36
 

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Greetings from...

Sr. Mary Lou Eltgroth, OSF Regional Spiritual Assistant

1st COMMANDMENT

“I hope it doesn’t snow any more.”  “I hope spring will finally come and stay.”  “I hope the Twins have a good season.” We use the word “hope” so casually…and that is OK.  But when we talk of the Virtue of Hope, it is something different .

The First Commandment:  “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us (2084), “You shall fear the Lord your God: you shall serve Him…You shall not go after other gods.  God’s first call and just demand is that humans accept Him and worship Him.”  This is the First Commandment.  It embraces faith, hope and charity—the Theological Virtues.  It follows that we must necessarily accept God Words and have complete faith in Him and acknowledge His Authority. He is Almighty, Merciful and Infinitely Beneficent…  Who could not place all hope in Him?  Who could not love Him when contemplating the treasures of goodness, and love He has poured out on us? (2086)

When God reveals Himself and call humans, they cannot fully respond to Divine Love by their own power. Humans must hope that God will give them the capacity to love Him in return and to act in conformity with the commandment of charity.  Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God’s love and of incurring punishment. (2090)

The First Commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely despair and presumption.

By despair, humans cease to hope for their personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it for the forgiveness of sins.  Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to His justice—for the Lord is faithful to His Promises--and to His Mercy. (2091

There are two kinds of presumption.  Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high) or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or His Mercy (hoping to obtain His forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit.) (2092)

We have the Feast of Pentecost coming very shortly.  Let us pray earnestly to the Holy Spirit to descend on us, individually and on the entire Secular Franciscan Order…that we may be faithful to living out our commitment made at our Profession.  In the Gospel of Luke (18:1), we are told “to pray and not lose heart.”  To that we need to add some of our own sacrifices and what a gift we have for one another.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten and guide us as we follow The Rule and pray Scripture to be enlightened as to how Scripture is meant for me this day…how I can LIVE THE GOSPEL.

 

Peace and blessings,                                                                                                                                                    Sister Mary Lou

 

 

 

Reflections

Our Lady of Fatima

May 13th - Feast Day for Our Lady of Fatima

The miracles that took place in Fatima in 1917 do not belong to a group of the faithful, nor do they belong to science.  Before all else, it is an undeniable historical event.  Three Portuguese children near the village of Fatima saw the Apparitions of a Lady. The children were Lucia dos Santos (aged ten), and her two cousins, Jacinta (aged seven), and Francis Martos (aged nine).

The miracle that took place in October was for all to believe.
May 13th, 1917
On her first Apparition, the Lady said "I come from heaven" and that she'll reveal her name later, and asked the 3 children to come at the same time every 13th of the month for six months. She then added, "recite the rosary every day to obtain peace in the world and the end of the war".
June 13th, 1917
On her second Apparition, the children ask if they'll go to heaven.  The Lady says that Jacinta and Francisco will go to heaven soon. Lucia much later, because Jesus wanted Lucia to make the Lady known and loved.  There were a few dozen curious people there.  Again, the Lady asks the children to pray the rosary every day.
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From the Heart of Your Minister

Fraternity Focus

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National Visitation

As the crazy spring weather starts to include something other than snow, I thought about our upcoming Regional Fraternity gathering.  This meeting will focus on the National Visitation.

Two visitors (Pastoral and Fraternal) will be coming from NAFRA. The visitation requires up-to-date information on the Franciscan life of the fraternity, an examination of the leadership, review of Regional information and relationships within the council and fraternity members, checking the effectiveness of initial and ongoing formation, just to name a few.

For those fraternities that have had visitations within the last two years, you have had a glimpse of what the Regional Executive Council (REC) has been preparing for.  The visitors will meet with the REC and Spiritual Assistants before the actual weekend activities begin. Once the Ministers of the Queen of Peace Fraternity start their meeting, the visitors will be spending time listening and talking with the Regional Fraternity.

We had some items to address after the last visitation three years ago. We think that we have addressed their concerns about leadership development (formation team, Spiritual Assistant class, formation workshops for the general OFS and specific to the Formation Director.) We still have some ideas that we want to implement and we will continue work on developing them.

The biggest challenge that every REC has faced is the large geographical region. This has meant long distance travel for both the REC as well individual members to different events. I don't know that there is a solution, but we are focusing on making sure every fraternity has the opportunity to participate in regional activities.

We are excited to note the 100th anniversary of Holy Trinity Fraternity, Dubuque, Iowa.

Their celebration will be in September.

Peace to all,

Kim Pappas, OFS