Minister's Note for November

​Dear sisters and brothers, 
May the Lord give you peace!

   In his Admonition VI, St. Francis reminds us that it is not enough merely to talk about saints. He suggests that we are called to be saints ourselves.

Details from 'Francis and the Wolf' by John August Swanson. Used with permission.

     Francis writes "it is a shame for us, servants of God, that while the saints actually did such things, we wish to receive glory and honor by merely recounting their deeds.” ​    

    But what does it mean to do "such things" as the saints did? We can perhaps say it does not mean copying the saints, or engaging in heroic practices that are not ours to do. But surely we 21st century Franciscans are called to do things in God's good world. This is what Franciscans mean by justice, peace and integrity of creation – JPIC.

     Our call to holiness/sainthood will be the topic of our November meeting. We'll spend a bit of time looking at some Franciscan saints who might be new to us, and we'll reflect on how we are called to act. We'll discuss work done at Brother Benno's and by Catholic Charities as we continue to discern - as individuals and as fraternity - what is ours to do. ​

​Pax et bonum, dear servants of God.
Donna OFS