Volume 11

Volume 11, Issue 4

October 2007

TAU CROSS REGION

The Newsletter of the Secular Franciscan Order for The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York

N JULY 2^ND SIX OF US FROM THE REGION (DAVID BURGER, JOAN GEIGER, FRANCES SCHMIDT, FR. MATTHIAS, Jim and I) arrived in Pittsburgh, Pa for the 17th Quinquennial Congress. This is the largest gathering of Secular Franciscans in the United States. Held in a hotel for the first time (rather than college dorms and campus), this was a wonderful gathering of Seculars and Spiritual Assistants from all over our country, and several other countries. The theme was “Many Cultures-through Francis-in Christ”. Blessed by an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI, it focused on the multicultural aspect of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States. The intent was to raise the level of awareness of the rich diversity of cultures in the Order—and it certainly did. We had prayers in many languages and Mass in several different rites. Bishop Daniel Conlon, DD (Steubenville, OH), celebrated our opening Mass, and Archbishop Basil Schott, from Pittsburgh, celebrated Eastern Churches Divine Liturgy, with Fr Peter Vettickkankudy OFM Cap. coming from India for the Syro-Malabar Rite Mass. We also had Mass in the Korean and Spanish languages and Morning Prayer in English, Vietnamese, and Filipino languages. We had conferences given by Fr. Eric Law on multiculturism, workshops and sharing in small “fraternities”. Being Seculars we also had socials, with foods from various countries, national dances, and entertainments nightly. This Quinquennial reinforced what we all

know, that we are a worldwide order, that Seculars from other countries bring their Catholic faith and their Franciscanism to the United States, and that although our languages, customs, rituals may be different, in the most important thing we are all the same—walking the same journey, following St. Francis to Jesus. We experienced this on Sept. 8^th, when I presided at the profession of six members of the Syro-Malabar Rite as Secular Franciscans at St. Thomas Church in the Bronx. Teresa Teto SFO (Immaculate Conception Fraternity) and Evelyn Delaney, SFO (Mother of God Fraternity) were the Formation Directors and they will continue to guide the St. Thomas emerging fraternity.

Our Fall Gathering will be Oct. 27, at St. Joseph’s in Babylon. It will be a busy day. We will have a speaker on our Franciscan Vocation, the Family and Peace Awards, Mass, celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the region, and celebrate Fr. Matthias Wesnofske, OFM Cap.’s 40^th jubilee as a priest, and Joan Geiger, our regional councilor will present the “Invitational Sharing” method we learnt at the Quinquennial. This is a day for all Seculars in the region. Come for a day of prayer, formation, social, and a little business.

By the time we have the Fall Gathering, I will have been to the annual NAFRA meeting, held this year at the Our Lady of Snows Shrine in Bellville, IL. I will report on the meeting also.

The region now has a banner, which we will display at our future gatherings. Look for it at the Fall Gathering. Many thanks to Frances Schmidt from St. Mary,

Fr Matthias Wesnofske OFM Cap: (212) 564-9070 ext 244; email Mwesnof1@aol.com

SPIRITUAL READING

THE PERCENT-AGE OF ADULTS WHO DID NOT READ ANY BOOKS IN THE PAST year. (Time Magazine, 9/10/07). Perhaps this article should just be entitled “Reading” or “Study”, since I would like to encourage not only spiritual reading per se, or reading for spiritual growth, but also reading and study that will help us in understanding our faith, and then we, in turn, will be more able to pass it on to others.

In recent months, I have heard disturbing remarks from, not only friends and family members, but also from members of the Secular Franciscans, which indicate to me a lack of understanding of the teachings of the Church, an ignorance of basic principles given us by the Church, and symptoms of relativism. It also seems to me that many people get all their theology from the public media; the secular press and perhaps even late night comedians. For example, from recent remarks I have heard, it seems that some fraternity members think that all Holy Masses are now going to be celebrated in Latin in their local churches or that the Pope said that all non-Catholics are going to hell. For members of the Order to have this misconception shows a lack of knowledge of what the Holy Father really said. It is obvious that the Holy Father’s actual words were not read. There also has been a growing acceptance, among some members, of people living together before marriage; pre-marital sex, divorce, and same sex marriages. “As long as they are happy!” “I know they are living in sin, but couldn’t you just come and give them a blessing?”

It has always been encouraged that we do spiritual reading in order to strengthen our faith, to nourish our prayer life, and to receive inspiration and motivation for our own spiritual growth. Reading the works of the Fathers of the Church; the history of the Church; the lives of the saints; methods of prayer and the catechism, can help us in spiritual growth. We can also listen to tapes and CDs or watch videos of retreats or conferences on a variety of religious topics. But it is also helpful for us to know our faith, to understand why the Church teaches what it teaches, to get to the roots of our faith, to correct misconceptions of Church teaching, to see that faith and reason are not incompatible, and that many of the disputes of today were resolved centuries ago by the Church.

I encourage you to read and to study our faith and to have religious books in the house, to subscribe to Catholic literature or the diocesan newspaper; not only for ourselves, but for other members of the family or guests as well. Remember the story of St. Ignatius Loyola, who was converted through reading the only literature available when he was recuperating from battle, which were a life of Christ and a collection of the lives of the saints.

If we read and study about our faith, we will be less reluctant to engage in religious conversation with others who are not of our faith or who are lapsed. We will be better equipped to evangelize. We will be less reluctant to dialogue and to realize that we, and the Church, have nothing to fear from science, politics or economics. The more we learn the teachings of the Church and of Him, who is meek and humble of heart, the more we will grow in an appreciation that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. †

HAT AN INSPIRATION AND AFFIRMATION TO HEAR POPE BENEDICT XVI SPEAK ABOUT OUR FRANCISCAN VOCATION! TO ME, this Pope clearly has a Franciscan heart. Here is an excerpt from his new book Jesus of Nazareth: (bold italics are mine):

“By creating the Third Order, Francis accepted the distinction between radical commitment and the necessity of living in the world. The point of the Third Order is to accept with humility the task of one's secular profession and its requirement, wherever one happens to be, while directing one's whole life to that deep interior communion with Christ that Francis showed us. “To own goods as if you owned nothing” (see 1Cor 7:29ff) - to master this inner tension, which is perhaps the more difficult challenge, and, sustained by those pledged to follow Christ radically, truly to live it out ever anew – that is what the third orders are for. And they open up for us what the Beatitudes can mean for all. It is above all by looking at Francis of Assisi that we see clearly what the words ‘Kingdom of God’ mean. Francis stood totally within the Church, and at the same time it is in figures such as he that the Church grows toward the goal that lies in the future, and yet is already present: The Kingdom of God is drawing near.” (page 79)

Fr Matthias Wesnofske OFM Cap, our Regional Spiritual Assistant, has given talks about the above quotation at several fraternity gatherings, reminding us of the tension involved in living out our commitment in the world as Secular Franciscans. That is, on one hand we are immersed in the business of our worldly vocation and on the other hand committed to following Christ. We must keep these two aspects together, not as separate parts of our lives.

An example of this tension is the way we incorporate the Franciscan virtue of poverty into our daily lives. As Secular Franciscans, living in the world means that we cannot live absolute poverty but rather must acquire and use well the resources necessary for our state in life, to provide for our family. The tension arises when we need to determine that we have enough to satisfy our needs rather than our wants.

A good SFO friend gave me this example of the Pope’s message with regard to accepting the task wherever we may be. “For me, before my illness it was more being involved with the order's work. Now that I can't do that I find that I have the time to be even more aware of living out the Gospel by my example to others, and carrying out my responsibilities in my everyday meetings with people, in a store, in a parking lot, driving down the road, in a doctor's office, or walking down the street. Wherever there are people, animals, all of creation - it is an opportunity to carry out my responsibilities. It might involve being more loving to a rude person with whom I come into contact or maybe I have to forgive someone who hurt me during the day.”

I strongly recommend that the Pope’s message be discussed and explained to all those who are discerning their vocation during their initial formation. I also suggest that this message be discussed by your entire fraternity as part of your on-going formation; connect it to our SFO Rule #10: “United themselves to the redemptive obedience of Jesus, who placed His will into the Father’s hands, let them faithfully fulfill the duties proper to their various circumstances of life. Let them also follow the poor and crucified Christ, witness to Him even in difficulties and persecutions.”

When using this material for formation, have your brothers and sisters offer real-life examples of how they deal with the tension of poverty and also how they bring the Gospel to life and life to the Gospel wherever they are each day.

The Fall Issue of TAU-USA is now available on the web. This is a really good issue covering a great Quinquennial Congress. Since only professed brothers and sisters receive TAU-USA, please let your candidates and inquirers know it is available for downloading. Also, Formation Directors might want to download and print individual articles for ongoing Formation material.

On June 10, in Dix Hills, Marie Scalisi was admitted into New Pentecost Fraternity. John Hack, Minister, presided.

On March 13, in Oceanside, Mae Ann Barella was admitted into Our Lady of the Atonement Fraternity. Mary Alice DelCastillo, Minister, presided. Deacon James O’Neill witnessed.

On June 12, in Oceanside, Mary Mauceri was admitted into Our Lady of the Atonement Fraternity. Mary Alice DelCastillo, Minister, presided. Deacon James O’Neill witnessed.

On August 5, in Patchogue, Roger McEnerney was admitted into St Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternity. Gerard Crean, Minister, presided. Fr Matthias Wesnofske OFM Cap was Friar Witness.

On September 16, in Merrick, Nancy Courtemanche and Robert Messa were admitted into Cure of Ars Fraternity. Frank Tavella, Minister, presided. Deacon Robert Campbell SFO witnessed.

On May 20, in The Bronx, Ronald Barbera was professed into Holy Cross Fraternity. Raymond Miranda, Minister, presided.

On August 11, in Howard Beach, Lorraine Arcella, Dorothy Leibman, Rosetta Liuba and Dolores Stone were professed into St Helen Fraternity. John DeRiso, Minister presided. Fr Matthias Wesnofske OFM Cap was Friar Witness.

On September 15, at East Islip, Bernice Panzer was professed into Il Poverello Fraternity. Karen Marzovilla, Minister, presided. Fr Matthias Wesnofske OFM Cap was Friar Witness and Brother Etienne Jackel OSF, Fraternity Spiritual Assistant was also present.

Bishop William Murphy, of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, has instituted the St Agnes Medal of Service. Gerard and Gertrude Crean SFO, members of St Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternity, received this medal on September 14th at St Agnes Cathedral. Gerry and Gert offered the services of their Secular Franciscan fraternity so that the residents of a local nursing home were able to have a monthly Mass on Sunday and a Communion service each Sunday. About 80 residents attend the Mass. The Creans received the Tau Cross Regional Family Award several years ago.

 August 4: Portiuncula Celebration at Camp Alvernia, Centerport, sponsored by Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn

 August 25: Day of Recollection, sponsored by St Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternity, at Our Lady of the Island Shrine, Eastport

 September 22-24: Franciscan Weekend of prayer at Franciscan Center, Hastings on Hudson, presenter Fr Michael Connolly OFM Cap

 September 29: Canticle Series, topic “Franciscan Spirituality” presented by Brother Ed Bacon OSF, at Mount Alvernia, Centerport

 “Christ in the City”, Retreats at Church of St John the Baptist, 210 West 31^st Street, NYC: Saturdays, Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 12, 4 to 10 pm; contact Brother Salvatore Patricola OFM Cap, (212) 564-9070 ext 247

 October 13: Day of Recollection, sponsored by Our Lady Queen of Angels Fraternity, at Cenacle Retreat House, Ronkonkoma; contact Pete D’Amato (631) 331-7680

 November 17: Celebration of St Elizabeth of Hungary at St Elizabeth Church, Melville

 August 11-15, 2008: FLIC (Franciscans Living In Community) at Mount St Alphonsus, Esopus NY,

August 11-15, 2008: FLIC (Franciscans Living In Community) at Mount St Alphonsus, Esopus NY, sponsored by Our Lady of the Angels, Solanus Casey and Tau Cross Regions. Cost $300. Contact Bob Campbell: (516-599-4256) or email arcyc@aol.com for more information. [Note: This is the successor to SELF.]

For those who have never attended SELF: this was an annual gathering of Franciscan brothers and sisters (Friars and Seculars) from the 3 regions. Most recently it was held at Mount Alvernia (Wappingers Falls NY) and before that at Villa Maria (Stamford CT).

SELF was NOT a retreat, workshop or conference—but rather a fraternal gathering of Franciscan brothers and sisters! The format was similar to our fraternity gatherings, which included:

One day a friend of mine was fishing in the peaceful waters of Gardiner’s Bay when a submarine surfaced right next to his boat. Apparently the sub commander didn’t even know the boat was there. Unexpected things keep happening to us, but most are not so dramatic. Recently a parishioner told me she was confronted with a basic question about the faith and, although she lives the faith every day, she didn’t know what to say. That’s the usual type of surprise, and her reaction was also not unusual.

Last year a Tablet article (“St. Louis Cardinals Hurler Challenges Kids to Know Their Faith”, October 21, 2006) made this point. In it, Jeff Suppan (the Cardinal pitcher that Mets fans got to know during the playoffs) said that “People ask me why I believe what I do. And the only response I had was ‘because I believe’. My biggest challenge was to learn, to take my formation and learn more about why I believed...I believed 100%, but I had to learn why.” All seems familiar and we can handle what’s on our horizon, and then comes a challenge we can’t ignore, or one we don’t want to ignore.

What do we do when we’re at a loss to answer the questions or challenges of those around us, and of our own children or family, or co-workers? The field of Catholic study that deals with this, Apologetics, teaches us to be aware of the why. There are good recent books on the subject. One way that is helpful to me, to get good information and find out about these books, is EWTN, the cable channel. It runs 24 hours a day, and offers a great variety of good, interesting programming. Ballplayers like Jeff Suppan and Mike Piazza, and other celebrities, have appeared on a regular feature, Life on the Rock, explaining how they live their faith in their own fields.

One program, The Journey Home, has guests who have converted to Catholicism, usually from Protestant or fundamentalist groups. Their stories, which are both motivating and instructive, contain solid reasons for their conversions. There’s rarely a program that doesn’t contain memorable ideas. In addition, these guests frequently mention books that have helped them

Bookmark interviews authors of recent books. One program deals with current science as it relates to the faith. Serious Church history, a weekly report from Rome, and discussions on the Divine Mercy are but a few of the many regular features. There seems to be programming for every type of interest.

The original Star Trek series featured an episode in which the crew of the Enterprise lands on another planet that is very much like earth. At the time of the story this planet is in a period similar to our 20^th century. But one difference is that the Roman Empire never collapsed—it has not only survived, but it has dominated the entire world, right to their own 20^th century. As in our own world, Christ had come to earth. But although a Christian movement had begun, it had remained a small, struggling community that had gotten nowhere. The “Christians” of the story are recognizable as such in their faith, but they had remained a tiny, persecuted minority.

This fiction prompts the thought—what would the world be like if God did not intervene in our affairs? In the Intercessions in our Liturgy of the Hours Office for Week III, Sunday Evening, we have this:

We see a reference to this in the Office for another day (Evening Prayer for Friday, Week I) in Psalm 46:

One commentary on this psalm says “even earth-shaking catastrophes are a river, contained within bounds, designed for the joy of the city where the Lord dwells.” (New Bible Commentary, 21^st Century Edition. Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois. 1997. P. 515)

Continuing this thought—Father Groeschel recently mentioned, on EWTN, that Saint Augustine once said that God permits evil but mitigates it. This makes me think: if God did not intervene in our wars, for example, would individual wars ever end?

When I pray for peace and healing, as in the case of our recent prayers for Darfur, I can remember these things. As well as what a Secular Franciscan once said to me: What were those first tertiaries doing, when Francis visited their towns? Undoubtedly they were praying for Francis’ mission. Were their prayers a part of Francis’ success, calling down God’s help on his activities?

Please send items of interest (elections, professions, anniversaries, events, recognition) to Regional Secretary Raymond Clarke, 899 Crestview Avenue, North Woodmere NY 11581 (or email to Raymond.Clarke1@verizon.net)

The TAU is published quarterly, in January, April, July and October. Articles by Fraternity members are welcomed. If accepted, they may be edited. Please submit copy by the 10^th of the month prior to the publication month.

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Please address inquiries or letters to editor Frank Drollinger, 89-14 85^th St. Woodhaven, NY 11421 Phone: 718-296-1756 or fdrollin@aol.com