Fr. Adrian's 50th Anniversary Celebration

On June 6th, 2010, Fr. Adrian Tirpak celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood at St. Anthony's in Windber. Fr. Adrian is well-known throughout the community of Windber, PA, and has ministered in the area for over 25 years. Last year Fr. Adrian was actually inducted into the Windber Hall of Fame! He is renowned for his pastoral skills and for his love of singing. On countless occasions he has used this gift to comfort and encourage hospice patients and the parishioners of the Church of St. Anthony. On the occasion of his 50th anniversary, the Church was packed with parishioners, friends, friars, and relatives. Fr. Adrian's life and dedication bears powerful testimony to the fruit that religious life and priesthood offers the Church. The Franciscan joy that he embodies also bears witness to the fact that religious life and priesthood is a joy-filled and fulfilling option for young people to explore. May the Lord continue to bless Fr. Adrian's life and ministry! Pat, TOR

Up Close and Personal with the Gulf Oil Spill Crisis

Pensacola, FL (June 9, 2010 - Day 51 of the Gulf Oil Spill)

Beautiful white sand beach in Pensacola, FL.

Beach shore with lines of pebble-sized tar balls.

A little crab outside its hole/home surrounded by tar balls.

An oil covered bottle that washed ashore.

An oil covered bird feather.

Birds walking around tar balls on the beach.

While on vacation in my hometown of Pensacola, FL; I was able to see first hand the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill. The shoreline is littered with pebble-sized tar balls. Unfortunately, this is only the prelude. I saw several plastic bottles that had washed up on shore and were coated in thick oil which is an indication of what is to come. During my walk along the beach, I was very moved by a little crab. Its hole/home was surrounded by tar balls close to its own size. Even the smallest of creatures are being affected and there is no telling the long term impact on the food chain. The Gulf Coast is a nursery for many species of fish and birds and the impact on even the smallest of creatures, in turn, affect many different species of creatures throughout the whole Gulf of Mexico.

I lived in Pensacola the first eighteen years of my life. I camped, fished, and played on that particular beach throughout my childhood. It is very sad to see it being destroyed especially after the destruction from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Ivan leveled sand dunes and eroded large portions of the beach. After six years, the sand dunes are starting to build up again. However, Ivan was a natural disaster. What the Gulf Coast is experiencing now is a human-made disaster.

Natural disasters occur from natural processes. The earth is dynamic and ever changing. Some of these changes take thousands of years to develop. However, there is a process, a cycle. There is a passing away of one thing and a coming to be of something new. Take, for instance, a forest fire caused by a lightning strike. The resulting fire may destroy hundreds of acres of forest including trees, plants, birds, insects, mammals, etc. However, new life comes from the passing away of these creatures. It is a natural cycle of life. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecc 3:1-2).

In contrast, human-made disasters occur from our negligence, ignorance, apathy, and even malice (take Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for instance). In human-made disasters there is a passing away of something but there is not necessarily a coming to be of new life. There is no natural cycle. The toxic aftermath of most human-made disasters actually prevent new life. So it may also be with the current Gulf Oil Spill. Only time will tell what impact there will be on the long term health of the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast. But there is hope. There is hope that something good can come from this human-made disaster. Not necessarily the good of new life, but the good of life-giving change. We can learn from this experience and work to prevent future disasters. We can treat this as an opportunity for conversion, a change of heart and mind set. The worst mistake one can make is a mistake that one never learns from and does not avoid to repeat.

This experience reminds me of the lyrics from a song called Burning Too by one of my favorite bands, Fuzagi. The song was released in 1989, but I think the lyrics are still very relevant today. - Bro. Jeffrey, T.O.R.

Burning Too (by Fugazi)
Anytime but now
Anywhere but here
Anyone but me
I've got to think about my own life

We are consumed by society
We are obsessed with variety
We are all filled with anxiety
That this world would not survive

We gotta put it out… the sky is burning
We gotta put it out… the water's burning
We gotta put it out… the earth is burning

Outrage but then they say...
Anytime but now
Anywhere but here
Anyone but me
I've got to think about my own life

The world is not our facility
We have a responsibility
To use our abilities
To keep this place alive

Right here
Right now
Do it
Now
Do it

A New "Cadence": Reflection on First Year in Community as a Friar

May 30^th marked, for me, one year in Religious vows. As I reflect on my first year in vows, I compared my experience with that of my Postulancy and Novitiate year and found many common themes. Below is a short reflection that I wrote for our Province newsletter in the fall of 2007 at the beginning of my Postulancy. I want to share it on the blog because I think it is still relevant to my ongoing formation as a Franciscan Friar. Enjoy! Br. Jeffrey Wilson, T.O.R.

The transition to community life has not been as difficult as I first thought it would be. Prior to my candidacy with the Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular, I lived by myself for several years and I was use to doing what I wanted, when I wanted. I did not have to answer to anybody but myself. At first, I was worried that adapting to living with others would take a long time. But I have found that living in community with the friars is not much different than my prior life. The main difference is the "cadence" of my life.

Before moving in with the friars, the cadence of my life was very self centered. The majority of my day was spent at work so that I could house, feed, and clothe myself. The time outside of work was dedicated to my entertainment. My daily and weekly chores were performed for my benefited. Most of my decisions in life had been based on what would be best for me or what would make me happy.

After moving in with the friars, I find that I am doing many of the same activities that I did before. The main difference is that the cadence of my life is now God and community centered. Currently, my day is planned around our communal prayer life with the majority of the day dedicated to classes and study. My studies are not just for my personal betterment alone. They also prepare me to serve others better. Time is also set aside for ministry work around our local neighborhood. I perform many of the same chores as I did in my old apartment. However, now they benefit the other friars as well as myself.

Jesus' instruction to "love your neighbor as you love yourself" has also become, for me, "do for your brother friars and you do for yourself." Likewise, the friars do for me as they do for themselves. It is clear to me that the friars have taken great care to welcome me into their home. And this is exactly what the friary is, a home for the friar brothers to live and pray together in. It is this loving and caring family of brotherhood in Christ that has transformed the cadence of my life.

Trinity Sunday: God For Us, God With Us, and God In Us

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a symposium at the University of Notre Dame entitled, "Stewards of the Treasures of Our Faith." The focus of the event was how to minister to young adults (aged 18-24) in ways that are compelling and relevant. One of the keynote talks dealt with trying to make the doctrine of the Trinity more accessible to young adults. This is a challenge that the Christian and Catholic faith has been addressing more directly for the past sixty years or so. More precisely, the task is to translate the doctrine of the Trinity which, for the most part, is cast in a terminology that was used during the first several centuries of the Church and during the medieval period into a language that will resonate with contemporary minds and hearts. Failing to do this implies that the most fundamental and important aspect of the Christian faith, namely that God exists as a communion of persons united in essence and mission, is akin to a book that rests on the top shelf in a library, just out of reach, destined for the most part to only collect dust.

One way to begin the process of translating the classical doctrine of the Trinity is to focus less on how God can be simultaneously three-in-one or one-in-three and to emphasize who God is in relation to creation and humanity. The Eastern Christian tradition and the Franciscan Tradition gives us some resources for developing an understanding of Trinity that can resonate with people of the 21st century. To begin with, both Western and Eastern Christianity emphasize that "God is For Us." What this means is that God's goodness is continually poured out upon creation without reserve. St. Bonaventure, a great Franciscan scholar of the 13th Century, remarked that one of the defining characteristics of God the Father is that of being a "fountain fullness" of grace and solicitude which is constantly poured out for others while never being exhausted. In reference to God the Word/Son, the Eastern Church emphasizes that God does not exist in isolation but dwells in God's Word so much so that this Word from all eternity is also a divine person (Son), sharing completely in the Father's glory and majesty.

God is therefore fully with the Word/Son and the Word/Son is fully with God. An important implication of this relationship is that when God extends God's self to creation, God does so fully and personally in the Word/Son. Hence, God is not only "God For Us", God is "God With Us." St. Bonaventure referred to God's Word/Son as "exemplar" (meaning, "model"). What Jesus "exemplifies" for us is how to relate to God and others in such a way that our hearts and minds are one in communion and purpose. Last, but by no means least, "God is In Us" through the Holy Spirit which is poured out upon all creation and offered to all persons. When a person's life is opened to the Spirit and by the Spirit, God's entire self, Father, Son, and Spirit make a home within the person and begin a dynamic process that the Eastern Church refers to as "divinization." This means that the person becomes more and more like God by being united to God and others. St. Francis gave expression to this dynamic process best when he exclaimed, "My God and my All!" Far from being an esoteric, abstract doctrine, the Trinity is meant to become a practical way of life in which we allow God to be for us as fountain fullness, with us as partner and exemplar, and in us as the Spirit which makes God "all in all". Pat, TOR

First Vows Ceremony!

On May 30th, Br. Matthew Hillman and Br. Paul Johns (from our sister province) made their first profession of vows to religious life. This ceremony is the culmination of the novitiate year (see blog entry below for more information on the novitiate year). The celebration took place in the context of Mass and was beautifully done as always by Fr. Christopher Dobson (and others) from our sister province, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Br. Matthew and Br. Paul will both begin studies in the fall. May God bless and keep them during this time of transition and anticipation.

The Long Awaited Investiture Ceremony Arrives!

On Friday, May 27th, our postulant brother, Corey Smoot, along with five other postulants from our sister province were vested with the Franciscan habit for the first "official" year of religious life (known as novitiate). It is said that even angels envy a religious novice! Why, you might ask? The novitiate year of religious life is something of a "honeymoon" you might say between the novice and God. One spends a great deal of time in prayer, study, and discernment. As far as the prayer life of a Franciscan T.O.R., novice, one commonly spends 2 or more hours daily in communal and personal prayer. The studies during the novitiate year focus on Franciscan history, Franciscan T.O.R., history, and the spirituality of religious life and the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The discernment part of the experience mainly consists of meeting with a spiritual director every two weeks to reflect on one's relationship with God and if God is indeed affirming the call to religious life. Knowing Corey, I'm sure he'll make the most of the year ahead of him! May God bless him and his novice brothers (Nathan, Richard, Rick, Jared, and Paul). Pat, TOR

What Really is the Worst That Could Happen as a Result of the Gulf Tragedy?

This morning I was having breakfast at a restaurant and I overheard two persons talking about the oil spill tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the persons stated that the worst thing that could come out of this is for the United States to stop the practice of off-shore oil drilling. He also said quite non-chalantly that "disasters happen all the time" and that we should therefore be undeterred in our quest to extract more oil presumably wherever oil reserves can be found. What made these comments so disturbing to me is that they were being made directly in front of a television set broadcasting incredibly disturbing images of the oil-saturated gulf waters. So, the question that I would like to pose is, "what really is the worst thing that could happen as a result of the Gulf tragedy?" My response to this question is twofold: one response is based on my Catholic, Christian, and Franciscan orientation to the world and the other is based on a rationale analysis of the event (I offer two responses since not everyone has the same faith orientation as I do).

The worst thing that could happen from a faith perspective is for me and people of a similar faith to not stop dead in our tracks and listen for the voice of God's Spirit speaking in the midst of a disaster of nearly unparalleled scale that will have disastrous ecological, social, and economic effects for years or even decades to come in the Gulf area. I suspect that God wishes to say something profoundly game-changing about this event. Further, something tells me that the Creator, who scripture states delights in his creation and from whom all creatures flow and return, is likely not pleased with our hubris in seeking to extract oil reserves from pristine habitats such as the Gulf or the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) and thereby threaten the environmental health and well-being of these places for years, decades or even generations to come. The burden of proof for people of faith is to explain how drilling operations that at times recklessly threaten the environment could possibly be pleasing or agreeable to the Creator who is glorified through the grandeur of creation. Putting aside the faith response, what is the worst thing that could happen as a result of this tragedy from a purely rational analysis? Given that the oil reserves in or around the US are estimated to supply only a relatively small amount at our current rate of consumption (some estimates are that we have as little as three years) there can be no question that given the catastrophic damage that will be incurred in the Gulf region alone (not to mention the very likely scenario of future disasters), I would say that reason and rationality dictate that, at a minimum, a moratorium should be imposed on current off-shore drilling operations and future plans until such time that fail safe mechanisms can be installed or developed to make absolutely certain that such a disaster never occurs again.

It's a simple analysis of costs v. benefits: the costs of the current disaster and the potential for future ones versus the very limited benefits we will derive demand that we stop dead in our tracks. Make no mistake, there are far worse things that could happen as a result of this disaster than merely stopping our quest for oil, especially if we don't ask some hard questions and learn from it. My prayers go out to those who lost their lives in this disaster (and those who survive them), those species currently fighting for life and dying, and the people of the Gulf who are suffering and will likely suffer for years to come. I also pray that people of faith and reason consider contacting their Congressional representatives and urging them to sponsor or co-sponsor a moratorium on current dangerous off-shore drilling operations and future ones until "fail safe" mechanisms can be developed and installed. Pat, TOR

Care for Creation (C4C) Blessing Ritual and Potluck Picnic

This afternoon approximately thirty persons gathered at St. Bernardine's Monastery for a blessing of the community gardens, a blessing of seeds that will be planted in area gardens this spring, and a potluck picnic. The blessing ceremony was presided over by Fr. Christopher Panagoplos. The purpose of the event was mainly to raise awareness regarding our dependence on the land for sustenance and to develop a spirituality inclusive of creation and mindful of the rhythms of the seasons. St. Francis was very aware of humanity's reliance on the earth. In his Canticle of the Creatures, he speaks of how the earth governs the human race. What a vastly different take on our relationship to creation from the contemporary, progress and technology driven mentality! This gathering also gave us the opportunity to build community and share in food and fellowship. The C4C project is off to another great start! Pat, TOR

Reflection on 7th Sunday in Easter: It's All Well and Good That Jesus is the Beginning and End, but What Ever Happened to the "Middle"?

This Sunday's readings for the 7th Sunday in Easter give us the opportunity to examine a very important question regarding forming a contemporary and relevant Christian faith up to the task of meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. In the second reading we read from the Book of Revelation that Jesus is the "beginning and the end." In the Gospel we encounter Jesus prior to his Crucifixion basically offering a long intercessory prayer on behalf of the Apostles he is about to suddenly depart from. His prayer is that they might be one in communion just as intimately and intensely as he and the Father are. When I reflect on the second reading in light of this Gospel passage from John, the question that comes to my mind is, "If Jesus is the beginning and end, what about the middle?"

I pose this question because our faith has placed such a strong emphasis on Jesus as the beginning ("In the beginning was the Word") and the end (emphasized in Revelation) that the middle has often been sorely overlooked. In stating that Jesus is the beginning and the end, what the Book of Revelation is also implying is the very important fact that Jesus is the "middle" that keeps both beginning and end united in meaning, purpose, and trajectory.

What might the "middle Jesus" have to offer our faith and world? "Jesus-as-middle" offers nothing less than the promised eruption of the Spirit into our lives, forming bonds of fraternal communion where before there was alienation, shaking the ground beneath our feet with the tremors of New Creation, and transforming our world more and more into the pattern of the New Heavens and New Earth. What Jesus is essentially praying for prior to his departure in John is that the Apostles might be open, receptive, and responsive to his (and the Father's) "interim" presence in the Spirit. This is the only way that the world will believe that God has sent Jesus and that God and Jesus have sent the Spirit, if the community of believers are united in communion, mission, and enlivened by the transforming Spirit. A shift in focus to "Jesus-as-Middle" can open our lives and tradition to the important work that Christians are called to in this life: not so much proclaiming Jesus "as Lord and Savior" but by declaring through unity in communion and mission that God's saving power continues to be hard at work in a world that desperately needs to experience it. Pat, TOR

Postulancy complete, now novitiate

What a blessed time this year and four months at St. Bridget's has been for me. A chance for me to settle into community as an aspirant really helped me test myself out, and allowed the friars to get to know me. Then I was officially accepted as a postulant in August and was able to learn more about the Order and the life of a Franciscan while I was still working with developmentally disabled clients at a group home and taking a couple classes at a community college for further education. I was able to hone up on my Spanish skills and write a term paper in English about St. Francis' kiss of the leper and what that means to be accepting of the social outcast in our society. My classes with Br. David, Br. John and Fr. Pat at the friary were times to reflect on Franciscan Spirituality and how I can apply those principles in my life today.
But my time in Minneapolis is quickly drawing to a close. The people I have met and with whom I've worked will always have a special place in my heart as I go out from here to the next phase of my formation: the novitiate. In Loretto, Pennsylvania I will live with 5 novices from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Province in a joint novitiate program. We will have just over a year to deeply consider our desire to become Franciscans and what this means to us. I have been told to prepare for classes 4-5 days a week, retreats and hermitages, and lots of time for prayer, communal and private, and a time of intense discernment. I will not be on line much, I will be away from the big city and many of the distractions of life: one very long retreat: a liminal space for study and prayer as I consider taking vows.
Having Br. Jeffrey here after his novitiate year, and having visited my classmates in Loretto a couple of times, has given me some insights into what it will be like. But it is still mysterious to me. I'm taking a lot of note cards and stamps so that I can keep in touch with others while I am without internet access, and I'm taking a lot of books.
Today Fr. Anthony gave me the cord that I will be wearing with my novice habit, a plain black tunic, and he taught me how to tie the knots that represent my vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. In a very short time I will be going on the pre-novitiate retreat with my 5 classmates and I'll be adjusting to a new living arrangement and a new lifestyle. I am excited, but a little trepidatious. I have been blessed up to now though with this new family of brothers, and I know that God is taking me on this journey for a reason. I will trust in God to make me the best servant I can be, no matter where I go. Peace and good, Corey

Community Gardens and Care for Creation (C4C) Project Getting Revved Up!

The community gardens at St. Bernardine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA, and the Care for Creation Project are springing back to life! The community gardens moved to St. Bernardine's Monastery two years ago after losing their garden at a local VA facility. The gardens have been going strong since just after World War II and were a continuation of the Victory Garden movement. The Care for Creation project is in it's second year. We are hoping to build on the success we experienced last year. For more information on our community's Care for Creation initiative, go to:http: www.franciscanfriarstor.com/care-for-creation.php. Pat, TOR

Love of God, Self, and Neighbor in Context

The first reading from today's Roman Catholic Mass describes the tension of the early Christian community as it became inclusive of Gentiles (Acts 15:7-21). Apparently there were Judeo-Christians who thought that the Gentiles must observe the Mosaic Law in order to be saved while others believed this to be a hindrance to them receiving the faith. Eventually it was decided that Gentiles need only observe those statutes of Moses that would allow them to commune with their Jewish counterparts without causing scandal or division.

Today's Gospel is short and sweet: it is the teaching of Jesus in John's Gospel that whoever observes his commandments will remain in his love (John 15:9-11). Of course, the commandments of Jesus are to love God with one's entire being and to love one's neighbor as one's self. While the first reading and Gospel seem to be unrelated in content, when the Gospel is viewed in the context of the first reading it sheds light on one practical way that we are to love God, self, and neighbor. The connection between the two is that love means focusing on what is essential and not allowing ourselves to be distracted by bias, prejudice, pet-peeves, or people's idiosyncrasies. In other words, love implies looking upon the other as a sister or brother who is beloved of God, Christ, and Holy Spirit and not critically eyeballing them for all those characteristics that may not be appealing to us. Just as some Judeo-Christians of the early Church were "troubling" their Gentile sisters and brothers by viewing them with disdain for not following the letter of the Mosaic law, so we can violate the spirit of evangelical love by "troubling" others when we choose to see them through the lens of bias, prejudice, or our "pet-peeves." Today's readings call forth the human capacity to transcend our bias', prejudices, or pet-peeves so that we might see and love others as beloved of God. Pat, T.O.R.

The Peace the World Cannot Give

Today's readings from Mass offer us the opportunity to reflect on the gift of peace that Jesus gives his apostles prior to undergoing his passion, crucifixion, and resurrection. No doubt Jesus and his apostles saw the storm clouds gathering on the horizon: he had stirred up the hornet's nest through his message and ministry and there was a price to be paid. The peace that he gifted the apostles with, however, is not to be in any way understood as an "otherworldly" gift of bliss, detached from the messiness of this world nor the coming storm. This would fly directly in the face of the earlier proclamation of John's Gospel that, "God so loved the world that he sent his only son." (John 3:16). The world that God so loved and entered into to save in Jesus would not be one that God now turns his back on. No, what Jesus offers is no "escapist", "pie in the sky", disembodied peace that seeks to flee in the face of so much agony and anguish but one forged directly in and through an intimate experience of the world's travail. What Jesus is offering the disciples is precisely what he came to experience in daring to sink to the depths of the world's misery by associating with the wretched and forsaken of the earth: God's abiding presence laboring to bring about a New Creation. Far from being a gift of blessed, undisturbed repose, this gift of peace is the assurance that if the apostles dare to sink to the depths that Jesus did they will likewise encounter an unparalleled depth of communion with the God who works with a patient restlessness that all creation be utterly transformed. The reason why the "world" (understood as all of those forces allied against God's Kingdom and not the created world) cannot give such a peace is because it's definition of peace is precisely the opposite. The peace of the world is the negation of tension, conflict, or opposition that comes by force of arms, oppression, or the simple, seemingly harmless counsel that the oppressed of the earth accept their lot passively because the next life will bring all that they hoped for in this life but were often brutally denied. For Christ's disciples of the 21st Century, the offer and gift of peace will similarly be experienced only in going to the lengths and depths that he did to trouble the waters of the pseudo peace that so many have begrudgingly or unwittingly settled for. Pat, T.O.R.

A Ministry of Gatekeeping

From time to time I tell people that as vocation director for my community, I not only am on the "look out" for good vocation prospects but that my ministry also involves "gatekeeping". I understand this aspect of vocation ministry as exercising a certain caution to ensure that only the more well-rounded and stable prospects join the community and become ministers in the Church. Such an emphasis is exceedingly important given the abuse scandal that the Church continues to live with. However, Today's reading from the Gospel of John gave me a new appreciation of the ministry of "gatekeeping" that hadn't occurred to me before (John 10:1-10). In the Gospel Jesus talks about how a shepherd "enters the sheep gate" to lead his sheep to pasture in distinction to those who "climb over elsewhere" in order to do the flock harm. Further on in the Gospel he states, somewhat surprisingly, that he is comparing himself to the gate rather than the "good shepherd" (which we normally associate him with). Unless the sheep pass through him they will not find pasture. What might be the role of disciples who are called to help shepherd? This may be discerned through the mysterious gatekeeper mentioned in today's Gospel: the gatekeeper opens the gate so that sheep and shepherd can pass through it. My broadened appreciation of "gatekeeping" as a ministry is that it's also a powerful analogy of letting people pass through and into. In the case of today's Gospel, "gatekeeping" could be seen as assisting others to pass through and into Christ, crossing the threshold from difficulty, distress, and even despair into a life of hope, transformation, and, ultimately, resurrection. So many in our world stand at troubling and exceedingly difficult thresholds in which they fear they are teetering on the brink of despair. With the right pastoral and "gatekeeping" presence on the part of those who are also in the process of passing through and into Christ, they can be assisted in making the ever more profound journey from death to life. Pat, TOR

Spring Comes to St. Bernardine's Monastery!

Peace and good! Signs of spring abound here at beautiful St. Bernardine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. I've included some pictures for your enjoyment. The first photo is of brother bee pollinating some tree flora, a couple photos show the community garden field freshly plowed, and the last photo shows flowers in bloom on the side of the Monastery. The Blair County Community Gardens and the Care for Creation Garden (C4C) are preparing for what hopes to be another great summer of gardening, presenting on care for creation related topics (nine are planned), and celebrating the growing season (we have a blessing ceremony and two festivals planned). Some C4C committees have already met and things are well under way! Stay tuned for more updates and pictures! Pat, TOR

Holy Week and Paschal Mystery: Anything But a "Spectator Sport"

This past Thursday, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation, the scriptural event in which Mary is visited by an Angel and told that she would bear "Emmanuel", God-with-us. It's a curious thing, isn't it, that right in the thick of Lent the Church should call our attention back to how it all began. Yet there is much wisdom in doing so. To recall the Annunciation, especially immediately prior to Holy Week, can serve as a profound interpretive key of what it is that we are preparing to remember and celebrate during Lent, Holy Week, and the Easter Season. The Annunciation reminds us that the Incarnation of God's Son occurred not primarily as a remedy for sin but because, "God so loved the World" (John 3:16). In other words, before we consider the purpose of Jesus' birth, ministry, suffering and death in terms of expiation, or, redemption from sin, we must not forget that God came primarily to "pitch God's tent among us" and share the fullness of himself while also sharing fully in creaturely existence. The Annunciation points to the fact that salvation is not merely a matter of expiation but participation. As one early Church Father so eloquently expressed it, "God became human so that humans could become God."

Therefore, to wade into the profound depths of Holy Week and the Paschal Mystery of Jesus we would do well to remember and strive to re-enact in our own lives Jesus' particular "mode of participation" in creaturely and human existence. The mode that Jesus assumed is summed up well in Palm Sunday's Second Reading from the Letter to the Philippians: "though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God, something to be grasped at; rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave." This "self-emptying" doesn't only imply that Jesus served others, but also that he put aside all ambition and vainglory and choose to align himself with the poor, marginal, good-for-nothings, abandoned and forsaken of his society. It meant that he threw caution to the wind by taking on the powerful who were oppressing the masses through imposition of a religious code that had become onerous, legalistic, and a barrier to communion with God. Ultimately, Jesus' "self-emptying" took the form of upending the status-quo and calling to radical conversion not just individual persons but cultural, social and even political norms. It is sometimes very convenient to overlook the fact that Jesus was formally condemned for the social and political charge of being a subversive. What we recall this Holy Week and strive to re-enact in our lives is what some theologians have referred to as a "dangerous memory", one that will likely bring us ridicule and scorn should we, like Jesus, upset the "apple cart" of cultural, social, and political norms that no longer foster life but have become endemic to it. In so many words, our observance of Holy Week and our "being drawn" into the deep waters of Jesus' Paschal Mystery is anything but a "spectator sport!" Pat, TOR

5th Sunday of Lent: Etched in Sand?

Fr. Anthony Criscitelli, T.O.R., pastor of St. Bridget's Church in North Minneapolis, raised an interesting and thought provoking point in his homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent. He noted that a number of scripture scholars have speculated what Jesus may have been scribbling in the sand during his confrontation with the scribes and pharisees over what to do with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Some scripture scholars speculate he was simply scribbling something non-sensical, a "delay" tactic employed to keep his detractors distracted while he thought of a response. Other scholars suggest he was scribbling the names of the lawyers and pharisees who surrounded him and also writing down some of their own transgressions. Fr. Anthony took the novel approach of focusing on the medium upon which Jesus was writing. In other words, if Jesus was writing down the sins of the elders, he was doing so in sand, a medium that can easily be changed with the slightest breeze, brush of the hand, or placement of a foot. Fr. Anthony than pointed out that our own "slate" or "history" of mistakes, sins, faults, and failings are similarly "etched in sand" to God, and that this slate can easily be "wiped clean" by allowing the Spirit to blow in, through, and over our lives, providing the possibility of a fresh start and empowering us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Pat, TOR

Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary: Faith and Justice, a Matter of Vision and Action

The readings for today's Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, give a great deal of insight into the "structure and dynamics" of Judeo-Christian faith and the relationship between faith and justice (Rom 4:22). The second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans talks about how Abraham was promised by God to become the "father of many nations" and even that he would "inherit the world." Abraham, hoping against hope and despite his old age, came to believe in this promise and it was credited to him as "righteousness" or "justice." Similarly, in today's Gospel reading from Matthew, Joseph is instructed in a dream by an angel to "hope against hope" that God's will could be realized through a virginal conception wrought by a mysterious Holy Spirit. Both Abraham and Joseph were asked to "go out on a limb" in believing that God could do something in their lives unprecedented in history and effectively "bring into existence that which does not exist." (Rom 4:17). Because of their willingness to believe in the near "unbelievable" promises of God and their openness to the vision and dream of God for their lives, they both were deemed righteous or just.

These stories of Abraham and Joseph and the outcome of their stories give great insight into the structure and dynamics of faith and the relationship between faith and justice. To begin with, these stories suggest that the structure of Judeo-Christian faith is so much more than mere "orthodox" belief or recitation of creedal formulas. Rather, faith is founded on putting one's trust in God and his promise to do great things, even to "bring into existence that which does not exist." In other words, faith is based on both a Person and a Promise. For Christians, the person is a Triune God and the promise is to bestow the gift of resurrected life, a "New Heavens and a New Earth", to all who open themselves to dream this near impossible dream. The dynamics of faith are such that it entails assent of mind and heart and movement of hands and feet. In the case of Abraham and Joseph, their faith was ratified not only by sharing in a vision or believing in a dream but following through with concrete actions to make that vision and dream a reality. Finally, the relationship between faith and justice that these stories highlight is that justice is not only a matter of action but vision. Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have a Dream" speech is a powerful testimony to the fact that for justice to take on flesh in the form of concrete actions it must first captivate the human heart and imagination. As with Abraham and Joseph, the key to realizing God's justice in our day is to believe against belief, and hope against hope, that God can bring into existence from the raw materials of our life and world that which does not yet exist: namely, the New Heavens and New Earth, where the righteousness of God can fully dwell. Pat, TOR

3rd Sunday in Lent: Imagining Anew What God and Penance Can Do

This Sunday Fr. Anthony Criscitelli, T.O.R., Pastor of St. Bridget's Parish in North Minneapolis preached a very inspiring and enlightening homily on the necessity of "re-imagining" God and the concept of penance that Christians place so much emphasis on during this season of Lent. Fr. Anthony pointed out that, like the persons whom Jesus was instructing in today's Gospel, many "prophets of doom" exist in our world who are quick to make facile and grossly distorted connections between recent catastrophes and God's judgement. In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, a number of very prominent Christian persons made pronouncements about how Haiti was incurring God's wrath as a consequence of "making a deal with the devil." Such a notion flies directly in the face of the conviction that Christians have of God being a "God of life." The God who brings life cannot at the same time be a God who destroys.

On the contrary, God is a God who "rolls the dice" in a sense by granting creation and humans freedom to be and to choose. The reason why people suffer unnecessarily can very often be traced to the misuse or abuse of human freedom. Take for example a comparison between the devastation experienced by the citizens of Haiti after the recent earthquake versus other countries that have experienced as severe or more severe natural disasters and yet endured far less devastation. Such a comparison reveals that the real reason for Haiti's calamity has to do with a "house of cards" style infrastructure that simply crumbled when put to the test. This lack of development on the part of Haiti speaks to systemic and structural inequities present in Haiti and our world that cries out for reform. Herein lies a twist in the way we approach penance: penance has to do not only with reforming our personal lives but reforming a tragically impersonal world. Instead of dismissing the suffering of others in so cavalier a fashion as Jesus' audience does in today's Gospel or as some have done regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti, we should imagine anew what God and penance can do when we allow suffering to lead us into interpersonal and global solidarity in order to reform our lives and world and fashion them in a manner that God can find welcome and be "all in all." Pat, T.O.R.

2nd Sunday of Lent (Gen. 15:5-12, 17-18; Phil. 3:20-4:1; Lk. 9:28b-36): The "Transfiguring" Space Between

If one were to read or hear today's readings from the Third Sunday in Lent with a critical ear or eye, one might arrive at an apparent contradiction. In the first reading from Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abram and promises to bestow upon him and his descendants a large tract of land as a perpetual heritage. In a subsequent covenant with Moses, God again promises to lead the Israelites into a "land flowing with milk and honey." In the book of Leviticus there are a number of laws laid down by God regarding the possession of the land and care for it (c.f., Lev. 25). Without a doubt, the land and this world figured prominently in the Jewish faith. In the second reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians, Paul declares to his readers that "our citizenship is in heaven." The apparent contradiction is this: how did the Judeo-Christian covenant, beginning with Abram, go from being a "land based" covenant to a "heaven based" covenant? Another, more practical way of posing the question might be "should we be committed to this world or to heaven?" To grapple with this difficulty, one must begin with the principle that "God does not go back on God's Word". Therefore, one must hold that the promises made to Abram are not annulled in the Christian covenant but, rather, reach their fulfillment. In looking for a key to "unlock" a possible answer to this dilemma, we need look no further than today's Gospel reading of the Transfiguration.

Prior to Jesus' Transfiguration on the mount in Luke, Jesus had been a virtual dynamo: preaching, teaching, healing, and constantly communing with the people who came to him or whom he encountered. There is no question that he was resolutely committed to persons of this world and the transformation of this world (hence, his proclamation that the Kingdom of God is "at hand"). However, in the transfiguration event, the prophets Moses and Elijah meet with Jesus and speak to him of his "exodus" or death. In other words, they reveal to Jesus how he is to depart this world. I know, I know, for some this is too much of a stretch! Some might be thinking, since Jesus is the "son of God" he already knew what was going to happen. However, Jesus was also the "son of Man" or, fully human, and therefore, could not have possessed a blueprint of his entire life. This would definitively rule out his being fully human. Besides this, when heavenly beings arrive on the scene in Luke they come as messengers. After the Transfiguration, Jesus puts his faith in the God who alone can ensure the continuation of his life and ministry after his "exodus". In a sense, he "becomes a citizen of heaven." This gives us the key to answering the question of whether we are to be committed to this world or the next: like Jesus, we are to commit ourselves to this world and the possibility of it being transformed while placing our final hope on the God who awaits us after our own exodus. Simply put, our own transfiguration occurs in the tense "space between" our commitment to this life and our hope in the next. Pat, TOR

The Lenten Season: Sharing our story, breaking the bread, and knowing our rising from the dead

Lent is a time for sharing in the great stories of salvation history and allowing our own stories to be drawn into this larger drama! Today's first reading from Mass (Est. 12: 14-16, 23-25) is a great example of someone who models for us how a personal story can transcend an individual and become a part of the great drama of salvation. Queen Esther finds herself and her jewish people between a rock and a hard place and appeals to the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph" for deliverance. She speaks of how she has heard the stories of her fathers about God's marvelous deeds and calls out to God as an "orphan." What Esther is doing, in essence, is pulling at God's heartstrings! She knows well that the great stories she has heard about God describe God as one who has a deep and abiding concern for "the alien, the widow, and the orphan." What Esther is also doing that should command our attention is modeling for us how we should approach the Lenten Season.

A great deal of emphasis is often placed on Lent as a time of penance, fasting, sanctification, and reconciliation. However, while all of this is true, what may be of even greater importance is participation. In other words, we enter into this great season of Lent year in and year out not to merely carry out acts of penance and reconciliation but to allow the "tributaries" of our lives to be more drawn into the "sea of salvation history". Like Esther, we are called to so identify ourselves with scriptural personas (i.e., the orphan, prophets, psalmists, Jesus, Apostles, etc...) that their great stories will become our own stories. Through the drawing of our stories into salvation history, new and deeper modes of communion with God, others, and all creation are realized. There's a wonderful refrain from a Christian hymn that perhaps sums up best what the Lenten Season is about: "We Come to Share Our Stories, We Come to Break the Bread, We Come to Know Our Rising From the Dead." Through the uniting of our stories to salvation history this Lenten Season, may all of us come to know more and more our rising from the dead through Christ, crucified and risen. Pat, TOR

Decorating the Care for Creation (C4C) Center

In discussing how we wanted to decorate the Care for Creation Center at St. Bernadine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA, we decided on art that reflected the natural beauty and culture of Central Pennsylvania. The Care for Creation Project has inspired a number of participants to donate such artwork or to create it. In the above pictures, two painted gourds are displayed and held by the artist, Cathy Schwartz (if you look carefully, you can see that one of the gourds is decorated in a Franciscan Habit!). These gourds take nearly two years to cure and are hand painted. They are wonderful additions to the C4C Center and we are greatly appreciative of Cathy's contribution and for all who have helped to decorate the C4C Center. Pat, TOR

Vocation Homily: "Breaking Out of the Familiar and Dreaming the Dream of God."

This past weekend I had the opportunity to preach and preside at the Sunday Masses for St. James the Greater Parish in Charlestown, West Virginia. To my mind, the readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time lent themselves to a reflection on the theme of vocation in general and a vocation to religious life and Priesthood in particular. The reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah has God declaring that "before I formed you in the womb I knew you." This suggests that Jeremiah (and all persons by extension) are known in the bosom of God's creative imagination and heart long before they begin gestating in the womb. If we allow our imaginations to mull over such a prospect, it suggests that God, in a sense, "dreams" us into being and has a dream for our lives. Note carefully that a "dream" is much different than a "blueprint." Some Christians might believe that God has in mind all the things that God would like for us to do down to the minutest detail. The problem is that such a notion doesn't gel well with the idea that humans are endowed with freedom. On the contrary, when God "dreams" our lives into being, God, in a sense, "infuses" our being with creative potential and than partners with us in creatively "unlocking" this potential to live as fruitfully as possible for the world, others, and ourselves. Very basically, when persons strive to "unlock" their potential so as to serve others and God, this is what is meant by "vocation."

God's call and dream for all persons is that they share in the "something greater" of God's plan for their lives and for the world. This implies opening ourselves more and more to the dream that God has for the world and "breaking out" of the often times constraining, familiar, and limiting vision of what society thinks constitutes "greatness." A contemporary example of someone who recently "broke out" of the limiting vision of society in order to share in the dream of God is a young man named Grant Desme. Last week Yahoo! news announced that Grant set aside a potential future as a Major League Baseball player to pursue the Catholic Priesthood (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/A-s-prospect-leaving-baseball-for-call-of-the-pr?urn=mlb,215238). In his own words, he felt called to "something more." Is God calling you or someone you know in a similar way? Pat, TOR

Province Chapter

This past week our community held its quadrennial Chapter deliberations at Priest Field Pastoral Center in West Virginia. At this meeting a new Provincial Council was installed (see pictures above) and the community laid the groundwork for the next four years. It was a very good experience and gave ample evidence to the fact that we are alive and well and forging ahead with hope and vision as we continue to address the changing needs of the Church and the world! May God bless our newly installed Provincial, Fr. Patrick Quinn, T.O.R., and the Provincial Council as well! Pat, TOR

Update On Pierre Julien

Peace and good! Just a little update on Pierre's family members in Haiti: both his Mom and brother are safe and sound! I spoke with him several days ago and he shared the good news and his appreciation for our prayers. Please continue to keep him in prayer as he discerns with our community. Pat, TOR

Prayers for Pierre

Peace and Good! I'd just like to ask our Friars, Friends, and followers of this blog to include a vocation prospect of our community in prayer as he awaits word on the fate of his loved ones in Haiti. His name is Pierre Julian and his Mother and Brother both live in Port-Au-Prince. I called the day after the earthquake to express my concern and to find out what happened to them and have not heard back from him. Please include him in a personal way in your intentions for the Haitian people during this tragic time. May God bless the people of Haiti and stir fires of solidarity on the part of the rest of the World to share in their grief and hope! Pat, TOR

Outcome of "Come and See" Weekends

Peace and good and Happy New Year! Recently our community hosted two "come and see" style weekends, one at San Pedro Retreat center in Central Florida (12/18-12/20) and the other at our formation house in Minnesota (1/8-1/10). The come and see held at San Pedro was co-hosted by the Vocation Office of the Diocese of Orlando. Eleven persons attended (6 men and 5 woman). All had a wonderful experience and the majority will likely be following up on their "vocational stirrings." Thanks to the Friars at the Center and region who spent time with us at the meals, your presence was truly appreciated! One person on this retreat, Stephen R., has followed up with me and hopes to come for a visit to our formation house in February. The second come and see weekend was attended by Jason C. from Maine. He enjoyed the weekend as well and will be following up with us in the future. Please keep all the attendees of these retreats as well as Stephen and Jason in your prayers! Pat, TOR

New Year, Beginning a New PhaseA

Hello Friars, Friends and Family members on this Day of the Baptism of the Lord,

I have told people all along that I am taking "baby steps" in my discernment of God's will for my vocation with the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular. Today I look back over the past year of living here at St. Bridget's Friary in Minneapolis and realize that those baby steps have gotten me quite a ways already. Oh, I'm still in the process of discerning, but that discernment has grown and deepened since 2006 when I started making my first phone calls and internet searches about living out a religious calling.
After filling out a vocations questionnaire I was contacted by a few different groups, but one stood out. St. Francis has always been an especially important saint to me, and I was attracted by the dedication to work with the poor and to live in community, together with other friars, and in the local neighborhoods of the world. Fr. Pat and I got a hold of each other and set up a time for me to get to know the TOR Franciscan friars of the Immaculate Conception Province. In 2008 I came to Minneapolis three separate times to visit, getting to know the friars and the Twin Cities, and observing their involvement in North Minneapolis. More and more I was attracted to the life of prayer and service. After many interviews and prayer I decided to move here as an Aspirant in January 2009.
That was a scary step to take, moving away from my family and friends in Portland, Oregon and concentrating my discernment on one group, but I felt called to leave my comfort zone and step out in faith. Besides, it wasn't a commitment for the rest of my life, yet.
Living here through the spring and summer I got to know the friars much better, integrated myself into the rhythms of the house and the ministries of the church. I found a job working with people living with developmental disabilities and I started some volunteer work here in the Twin Cities. I got to spend time with Christopher and Matthew during their postulancy and to see what it was like to be in formation. I attended some of their classes and experienced the joy of community at prayer and at table. After they went to Pennsylvania for novitiate, Br. Jeffrey moved back and I have enjoyed learning more about his novitiate experience.
Before I knew it, it was August and the postulancy program was upon me. I took a trip back home to visit, both as a way to say "good-bye" again, and to test myself to see if I really wanted to let go of the life of independence, and embrace a life of inter-dependence with this community. I became a Postulant on August 25th, the Feast of St. Louis, after returning to Minneapolis with a new sense of commitment. I began classes with the friars and started at the community college, studying to improve my availability for ministries later on.
There have been ups and downs - mostly ups - in this process. Around the holidays I started to feel some pangs of homesickness, and was informed that many postulants return home for the holidays, but my work schedule would not allow it. I stuck it out and found the support and fellowship of community sustained me and fed me. I not only have a new sense of family, I have an enlarged family, which now includes the friars here.
This last week we traveled to Washington, DC on retreat where I met the men that I will be in novitiate with after postulancy ends in May. I discovered the richness of the order as I met friars from the Sacred Heart Province and saw friars in our motherhouse in Pennsylvania. The family just gets bigger. I am getting more and more excited about the community as I see it cooperate with others in ministry and service. That's what I wanted out of a community, fellowship and cooperation in meeting common goals.
This year of 2010 I embark on another stage of the process. I have decided to work less as an employee and that will free me up to be present with the activities of the friary, and to ministry. I am looking forward to another retreat in the spring to Pennsylvania to reconnect with my new-found brothers there, and to take more steps toward novitiate. Little by little I am moving along. For me, I needed to focus on the baby steps, because it is important to stay present with God through each phase of my discernment process. The idea that I would drop everything and live forever with a rule in a new community would have been unrealistic. There are challenges to grow along ever step of the way. Each day there is an opportunity to let go a little more of my self, and to find myself a little more in community.

May you find yourself ever more in God's plan of love and grace,
Corey Smoot, postulant, Franciscan Friars, TOR

Surprised by Joy: a Tribute to Our Sri Lankan Brothers (Gregory Vajira Silva and Jude Asantha Barrera)

On December 13th the friars of St. Bridget friary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said farewell to our Sri Lankan brothers Gregory Vajira Silva and Jude Asantha Barrera. For the past several months I had been teasing Gregory and Jude about how much I was looking forward to them finally leaving. From time to time I would sing the Christian Hymn "The Strife is Over the Battle Done" adapting the words of the opening line to the following: "The Strife is Over the Battle Done, now that the Sri Lankans are gone!!!" This good natured ribbing has gone on between Jude, Gregory, and myself for about a year and a half and represents the kind of joviality and frivolity that they brought to our friary (I may have helped instigate it a bit too :) What Jude and Gregory also brought was so much more than this, however. They brought gentle demeanors, serious dedication to their studies, and a devotion to our way of life that inspired the friars and many a visitor to St. Bridget's friary. On the occasion of their graduation celebration and dinner held on December 11th, they gave wonderful, heartfelt, and graceful testimonials about how much the opportunity to study at the University of St. John's in Collegeville, MN, has meant to them. I must say that after each of their speeches I was quite proud to call myself their brother. This past Sunday, December 13th, the day of Gregory and Jude's departure, I made reference to the both of them at a Mass that I celebrated for a group of young people preparing for confirmation. This Sunday, as you may know, was the third Sunday in the four week Advent Season and is referred to as "Gaudate Sunday" (which means "rejoice"). To practically illustrate what rejoicing and joy have been like in my life recently, I mentioned some of the ways that Gregory and Jude had brought joy to our friary over the last two years. Though they will be dearly missed by the friars of St. Bridget's, we "rejoice" at their return home and all the good they will no doubt do back in Sri Lanka. Pat, TOR

A Great Poem for Those in Discernment

Recently I happened across some birch trees in a Minneapolis nature preserve and the yellow leaves brought to mind the below poem by Robert Frost entitled, "The Road Not Taken." I think it is a great poem that is especially applicable to persons who are discerning a vocation to religious life. It speaks to the tension of having multiple options in life and making the choice between one or the other. The temptation, as evidenced in the opening lines of the poem, is to remain at "the crossroad of possibility" and to simply contemplate the pros and cons of taking each path. As a vocation director, I find it amazing the number of inquirers who report that they have felt called for 10 or more years and have never followed through. On more than one occasion I've found myself wondering if these persons are "stuck" at "the crossroad of possibility." Our culture certainly encourages this. Sayings such as "keep all your options open" and "don't put all your eggs in one basket" speak to the pseudo-virtue of being non-commital and "waiting for a better deal" to come along. The fact of the matter is that a meaningful, rich, and purposive life isn't about "deal-making" so much as "decision-making". It seems to me that the Living God is not one who brokers deals with us but extends an irrevocable, non-negotiable opportunity, call, and challenge to accept his nearness and the values of the Kingdom. Some paths lead us down this "road" and others either skirt around it or move in the opposite direction. Like the road that Frost opts for, the road to deeper life with God and a deeper commitment and decision for God's Reign is certainly the one less traveled. However, deciding for it makes all the difference. Pat, TOR

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Care for Creation (C4C) Fall Harvest Festival!

On October 24th the Care for Creation "Pilot Project" wrapped up a successful 1st season with a Fall Harvest Festival at St. Bernardine's Monastery in Hollidaysburg, PA. Despite inclement weather in the morning, the festival was attended by approximately 80 persons. The evening began with a prayer of thanksgiving followed by fellowship in the C4C Center. From there we gathered at a bonfire to listen to some excellent folk music provided by Justin Cain, one of our C4C members. A little later on I told a couple of stories to prepare everyone for a "haunted hayride" experience. Since we are closing in on the Catholic Feast of All Saints and All Souls, the first story focused on St. Francis and the wolf of Gubbio and the second on a fictional (or was he?) friar named "Larry" who mysteriously died in the 1930's and who's spirit still haunts the Monastery grounds (especially during the end of October, ironically enough ;) After the "tales at the bonfire" we had a hayride which went around the property. And, wouldn't you know it, "Scary" Larry made an appearance! All in all it was a wonderful evening of getting to know one another and sharing in food, laughter, and even some screams!

For those unfamiliar with C4C, it very basically refers to the contemporary movement within Franciscan circles to explore and make application of the Franciscan heritage of concern and care for all of God's creatures. Over the past 8 months or so, our community has launched an effort to see if there is interest in the area regarding care for creation style programming (presentations on organic gardening and forming a spirituality that is more environmentally concerned and focused), building community, and doing organic gardening. As of now we have more than 100 names on our general email/contact list. Not a bad job for one season! Hopefully we will continue to move forward with this project as a community and experience even more success in the future! Peace, Pat, TOR

"Inspiring" Aspirant Weekend

Happy Feastday of St. Francis! This past weekend (October 2nd-4th) the formation house in Minneapolis, MN, hosted three inquirers for the first of four "Aspirant" weekends. The Aspirant program was designed by Br. David Liedl, our former vocation director, to accommodate the discernment of men who have an interest in our community and who are also likely to be accepted should they decide to make application. The structure and purpose of the weekends is to expose vocation prospects to our way of life, spirituality, friars, and ministries. Given that this weekend coincided with the feast of St. Francis, there were some events hosted by the Secular Franciscans and Franciscans in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Archdiocese. The inquirers attending the weekend were Stephen M., from St. Louis, Octavio W., from Atlanta, and David B., from LA. On Thursday, October 1st, David B. arrived and we took him to a presentation on poverty and prayer by the former Hollywood producer Gerry Straub. Gerry left a posh Hollywood lifestyle as a Executive Producer of daytime serials in order to film the poorest of the poor in some of the harshest slums in the world. Gerry is a Secular Franciscan who attributes his conversion to time spent in Assisi doing research on St. Francis. Currently, Gerry has produced a number of DVD's which powerfully depict the day-to-day drama of the world's poorest.

On Saturday, Br. John Kerr and I took the Aspirants and our postulant Corey to a retreat day at St. Olaf's in downtown Minneapolis. The retreat focused on Franciscan prayer, contemplation, and imitation of Christ and on Social Justice as a concrete way to imitate Christ. Both events gave the Aspirants a great deal of food for thought regarding the prophetic dimension of our Franciscan vocation which urges us on to being transformative leaven in both the Church and the World. The next Aspirant weekend will be during the weekend of December 4th-7th. We hope to host at least four men at this retreat (all of them but one different persons than those who attended the above weekend). Thing are looking up regarding vocations! It's my hope that during our provincial elections and chapter process taking place from October-January we will lay a bold foundation which will draw men who wish to continue carrying the "evangelical torch" of St. Francis, proclaiming the Good News of God's salvific will for all, especially the neediest of our world and the world itself! Peace, Pat, TOR

Vocation Office Update

Several weeks ago I travelled to Texas to meet with two vocation prospects (Jerry R. and Daniel A.) in Ft. Worth and to visit the parish where I spent five years studying theology on the occasion of their 50th anniversary (St. Leonard's in San Antonio, Texas). The visit with Jerry and Daniel went well. Jerry and I were fortunate enough to be able to join some other TOR friars who are assigned to the Ft. Worth Diocese for dinner on September 8th. There are presently five TOR provinces ministering in the Ft. Worth Diocese and they have a great reputation for getting together on a monthly basis. My visit to San Antonio was also very nice. I was able to catch up with parishioners and friends during the annual parish festival and the Jubilee Mass and celebration on September 13th. After spending a week back in Minnesota I travelled to Pennsylvania (where I am presently). During my stay at the Monastery I will be meeting with members of the Care for Creation (C4C) initiative that began this past summer. We are beginning to "wind things down" and are also planning for a Fall Harvest Festival on October 24th. This will be the last "formal" opportunity for the year to do a "PR" push and educate persons in the surrounding area about C4C. Please keep Daniel, Jerry, and the C4C project in your prayers! Peace, Pat, TOR

O' Happy Day! Corey Smoot Received Into the Postulancy

On August 25th, 2009, Corey Smoot was received into the Postulant Program of the Franciscans, TOR, Province of the Immaculate Conception. Corey has been with our community for the past eight months as an Aspirant and brings a gracious, deliberate, self-motivated, and community oriented spirit. All of us living at the formation house have marveled at how smoothly Corey has adjusted to life at St. Bridget's Friary and have no reason to doubt that he will adjust as well to life as a Postulant. During the coming year Corey will continue learning about Franciscan spirituality and religious life as he prepares for the next stage of his journey with us. Please keep Corey in your prayers as he continues his discernment! Pat, TOR