Communal Prayer

       In keeping with our way of life, we pray together in different forms. Communal prayer is a way of “consecrating time.” It helps us to sanctify the day and the whole range of our human activities. It also helps us to bear the burdens of each other. The Liturgy of the Hours, the ancient and official prayer of the Church, does this wonderfully, but there are other ways we  pray together, too.  ​
     The San Luis Rey Fraternity prays the Little Office of St. Francis in community as a regular part of our monthly gatherings. Our version of this beautiful prayer comes from a devotional office (Little Office of the Passion) composed by St. Francis of Assisi himself. It is a supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours. The Little Office is provided below to be happily shared with our brothers and sisters of the broader Franciscan community: 
Image by Fr. Franklin Fong, OFM
As Jesus was the true worshiper of the Father,
so let prayer and contemplation
be the soul of all they are and do.
Let them participate in the
sacramental life of the Church,
above all ​in the Eucharist.
Let them join in liturgical prayer
in one of the forms proposed by the Church,
​reliving the mysteries
​of the life of Christ.
From the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order
Donna Foley, OFS, is a former Minister of the San Luis Rey Secular Franciscan Fraternity, a previous Dean of Students for the Franciscan School of Theology and currently engaged in Catholic High School Religious Eduction.
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