The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Palm Sunday (Reprise) – Fr. Christopher
Let us acclaim Him, not only with Palm branches, but by honoring one another in charity.
Doing our Little Bit for Justice
I remember with great warmth a snowy 2:00 AM drive to pick up our daughter, Grace, at Holy Cross Church in Lewiston, Maine, where the bus had returned from the March for Life in Washington D.C. She was less weary than the chaperones, and excited to share her adventures. It was around that same time my pastor, Father Conley, asked me to do a talk after Mass to support the diocese pro-life legislation.
Servant of God Adele Brice Update
UPDATE: Adele Brice is confirmed as a Third Order/Secular Franciscan and a bit of our USA history.
Faith without Action is Dead; Action without Faith is Social Work
True faith deepens our relationship with God and attunes our actions with his will. It is a form of surrender to the divine. It is a theological virtue through which we accept as true all that God has revealed to us through Scripture and the Church. As the apostle John wrote, let us not love only with words, but with action and in truth. (1 John 3:18).
Servant of God Adele Brice & Our Lady of Champion
Recently as I was researching Marian apparitions on the internet for our local Fraternity’s On-going Formation, I was astonished to discover that Our Mother Mary had appeared in the Green Bay area of Wisconsin in 1859 to a young girl who established a group of Third Order Franciscan Sisters. What follows is a compilation of the information that I found. Resources are listed at the end.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 4th Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
Since the first day of creation to the present, the work of God is to bring light out of darkness.
That First Kiss
In his writings and throughout his life, St. Francis exemplifies that true faith must be expressed through concrete actions. That first kiss, to the leper, and then to and from the Christ of the cross of San Damiano, revealed humility, love, peace, and service to others. Francis stressed the commitment to “observe (putting words to actions) the holy Gospel” as our rule and life.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 3rd Sunday in Lent – Fr. Christopher
“Lord, give me this water, that I may never thirst.”
Integrating Faith and Action in Our Daily Lives
As Secular Franciscans, we are called not only to profess our faith but to exemplify it in our daily lives. Our Rule reminds us that our vocation is rooted in Baptism and strengthened at Profession, where the Holy Spirit empowers us to proclaim Christ by both word and example. This integration of faith and action is demonstrated through the fruits of the Spirit, our commitment to the Rule, and our personal witness.
Our Mission: OFS Rule Article 6
On the night of my Profession, I realized how blessed I was to have had excellent formators, true witnesses of our faith and the Order. They taught me well because I knew that I would forever be more intimately united with the Church and her mission because of my Profession.