​Brothers and sisters,
     Before we move into Advent, let’s pause to ponder a great gift of our tradition in the Church - the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. So much of how we understand the two seasons of Advent and Christmas should flow from this day.
     On December 11, 1925 Pope Pius XI affirmed in his encyclical Quas primas that Christ Jesus is the first reason and final cause of all existing things. He did this in the face of a rising tide of facism, and when he did, Franciscans around the world took note. Why? Because this teaching on Christ the King reflects Scripture, tradition and the deep insights of Franciscan theology. 

     In 1307, Bl. John Duns Scotus used this understanding of the primacy of Christ to defend his ideas about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After more than 600 years, the Church made the insights of this humble friar official. Christ the King and the Immaculate Conception are connected – and they both point to Christmas!  Perhaps this is the reason we have the hymn from Colossians in Evening Prayer II on Christmas: ​

Dear brothers and sisters,​

 This month we have the opportunity to experience a life-giving aspect of our shared vocation – the pastoral visit. Sylvia Paoli, OFS, our Regional Spiritual Assistant, will join us for our entire day together on November 4. ​

  Our canonically established fraternity is a kind of “person” in the eyes of the Church. And a visit to check on our spiritual health is good for our fraternal personhood!

A Spiritual Assistant can be a member of the First Order/TOR, of the Second Order (Poor Clares), or of one of the Orders of sisters who follow the TOR rule, or a trained Secular Franciscan, or a diocesan or other priest or deacon. Our Regional Spiritual Assistants are assigned by the Provincial of the St. Barbara Province, Fr. David Gaa, OFM, or his delegate. ​

  I urge you to read carefully the passages below. They are from Article 95 of our Order’s General Constitutions, and describe the meaning of a pastoral visit.
 1.    The pastoral visit is a privileged moment of communion with the First Order and the TOR. It is carried out also in the name of the Church and serves to guarantee and promote the observance of the Rule and the Constitutions and fidelity to the Franciscan charism. …
2.    Having verified the canonical establishment of the fraternity, the visitor will give attention to the relations between the fraternity and its spiritual assistant and the local Church. …
3.    The visitor will promote collaboration and a sense of co-responsibility among the secular leaders and the religious assistants. The visitor is to examine the quality of the spiritual assistance given to the visited fraternity, encourage the spiritual assistants in their service and promote their continuing spiritual and pastoral formation.
4.    The visitor will give special attention to programs, methods and experiences of formation, to the liturgical and prayer life, and to the apostolic activities of the fraternity.

If you have any questions at all, or would like to talk about the visit, please do not hesitate to contact me.

May the Lord give you peace!
Donna