SLR Secular Franciscan July Gathering on Sunday, 7/12/2020

Our July Gathering will be on Sunday, July 12th on Zoom at 1:00pm PT. Our meeting theme will be 'Seek First to Understand.' Fr. David Gaa, OFM, the Minister Provincial, will be joining us at our Fraternity gathering on Sunday, July 12th to talk about his public letter on racism. We are invited to enter into a time of sacred listening – to seek to understand.

​During the time of Coronavirus, our fraternity is both gathering online. For an idea of how our day together is usually structured when we gather in person, please see our Community page. For those that would like to learn more about our Secular Franciscan fraternity, please contact us - we'd love to hear from you.

Please keep all those impacted by the Coronavirus in your prayers. ​You can find our  Franciscan ‘Blessing of the Sick’  prayer as a PDF here.

Message from the Minister Provincial on Racism

Fr. David Gaa, OFM

Fr. David Gaa OFM, the Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Province of St. Barbara, has written an open letter to his White Sisters and Brothers who are Roman Catholic. In it he addresses the evil of systemic racism. He argues that racism is a spiritual wound and invites us to walk forward together as we struggle for a world of racial equality. Read his letter here.

Message from the Minister General on Coronavirus

Tibor Kauser, OFS

Our Minister General of the global Secular Franciscan Order, Tibor Kauser, says, ‘Solidarity and fraternal life becomes a new meaning’ in times such as these. He asks us to pray for all those impacted by Coronavirus.  Tibor has written a letter to the entire Secular Franciscan Order. You can find it here. 

Franciscan School of Theology

Free Online Zoom Sessions! Each 40-minute lecture will be followed by a 20-minute discussion period beginning at 7:00 PM PDT. Each lecture has a unique Zoom link. There is no cost to attend. A free-will offering via eCheck or credit card is most welcome and gratefully accepted by FST here.

• July 2:  Dr. Thomas Nairn, OFM - Pope Francis’ Integral Ecology and the Consistent Ethic of Life: Calls for a Wider Moral Vision. Register here. 
• July 16:  Dr. Darleen Pryds - Ongoing Conversion and the Role of Emotions in Franciscan Spirituality: Franciscan Joy. Register here.
• July 30: Dr. Maureen Day - Young Adult Catholics: Why Questions are Better Than Answers. Register here.
• August:  13 Dr. Joseph Chinnici, OFM - What Makes Pope Francis so Franciscan and Why Now? Register here.

Franciscan School of Theology – Continuing Education. There are four week-long sessions offered this summer on Zoom, each for $250; courses are held from 09:15-12:30pm M-F.
Click here to learn more.

Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University

The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University will initiate the first International Franciscan Blog in partnership with The Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Their website aims to connect the best of Franciscan learning with the wider world of scholars, educated professionals and communities of practice.  Visit the Franciscan Blog at www.franciscanconnections.com.

Retreat Center Programs

Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center offers a variety of Retreats, Programs, and Events with more always being added. To learn more and to Register go to the Retreat Center website.  The Retreat Center is a ministry of the Franciscan Friars Province of Saint Barbara.

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Christ, the gift of the Father's love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us,
and the life which he has come to give abundantly.
From the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order