(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117)

By Sharon Winzeler, OFS • Communications Committee Chair

As part of their National Chapter, on Friday, September 12th, members of the Secular Franciscan Order set aside time for a half-day pilgrimage to St. Anthony Shrine in Ellicott City, MD. The site has long stood as a place of prayer, reflection, and Franciscan witness. Operated by the Conventual Franciscan Friars, the shrine rests on 236 wooded acres, offering both spiritual and natural beauty.

Founded in 1928 as a novitiate, the shrine’s architecture was inspired by the sacred convent of the Poor Clares in Assisi. Its very foundations connect it to local history, incorporating small pieces of marble left over from the construction of the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument.

Within its chapels are relics of St. Anthony of Padua as well as the Polish saints St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Faustina, and St. Pope John Paul II. Winding walking trails throughout the grounds invite pilgrims to encounter creation in prayerful stillness.

The visit also highlighted the friars’ environmental ministry, Little Portion Farm, a living sign of Franciscan care for both the poor and the earth. This three-acre farm operates as an agro-ecosystem, with a diversity of plants and hab-itats that sustain the land while producing healthy food. Since the farm’s founding in 2019, more than 100,000 pounds of produce have been harvested and donated to those in need.

Little Portion Farm’s reach extends beyond its fields. The ministry supports a 13-week culinary program at the Fran-ciscan Center in Baltimore, where students learn valuable skills while preparing meals for those experiencing hunger as well as catering outside meals. During the Chapter visit, participants were treated to a dinner prepared by the Center – salmon accompanied by fresh salad, vegetables, and dessert – a taste of the Farm’s mission in action.

At the center of the day was the celebration of Mass, where Fr. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv., offered a homily that connected the pilgrimage experience to the daily rhythm of Secular Franciscan life. Fr. Jude began with a central question: “How can we convert other people?” His answer was both simple and challenging: “By our own conver-sion.” Transformation, he reminded the Secular Franciscans, is not imposed but inspired. When others see the Gospel alive in us, they are naturally drawn toward God.

On the subject of prayer, he emphasized sincerity over rigidity. “Decide which prayers work for you and pray them,” he said, even suggesting an “Early Bird Special” for evening prayer: “It’s okay to pray your evening prayer at 4:30 p.m.” What matters most, he reminded them, is faithfulness of heart.

He then turned to the delicate practice of fraternal correction, urging discernment and humility. Before offering correction, one must ask: Why am I doing this? Pointing to Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth, he explained that Mary went not to escape but to lovingly share the joy of God’s work. Correction, he said, should likewise spring from love, guided by the Holy Spirit, and offered at the right time.

Fr. Jude encouraged listeners to examine their own expectations when considering fraternal correction. “Is what they are doing really wrong, or do you have different or unrealistic expectations?” he asked. Even the uncertainty of whether to be gentle or firm can itself be turned into prayer. “It’s good to be confused. Offer the confusion as a prayer.”

Returning to his central theme, Fr. Jude underscored that holiness is not perfection but honesty before God. “You might not be perfect, but you are considering God’s call. Consider it humility and resolve. We are what we are, and we’ll be the best we can.”

The half-day away became more than an excursion. The pilgrimage deepened respect for the Franciscan vocation by calling attention to reverence for creation, solidarity with the poor, and a continuing call to personal conversion. From the witness of Little Portion Farm to the inspiration of Fr. Jude’s homily, the day wove together earth and prayer, fraternity and mission, reminding all present that God’s grace is found both in the soil beneath our feet and the conversion of our hearts.