Volume 10

Volume 10, Issue 4

October, 2006

TAU CROSS rEGION

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

N MY VISITS TO FRATERNITIES, I'VE BEEN SPEAKING ON HOW THE WELLBEING OF A fraternity is the responsibility of all the fraternity members, not just the minister and council. Every member has to be willing to serve the fraternity, and to help in the work of the fraternity. Fr. Kevin Queally, TOR, National Spiritual Assistant, in his article in TAU-USA, says that every member also has the obligation to support and serve the Order on the regional, national and international level (GC, Article 30.1). This region has been terrific in financial support for the regional, national and international fraternities (those who have more give for those who have less). But the Constitution (GC article 30.2) also requires the personal presence, and active collaboration. of its members. This means Seculars also have the responsibility of serving the Order (personal presence ) on the Council of the Regional Fraternity, to accept nomination for our election in April 2007. It is not too early to be discussing this. Nomination forms will be sent to the fraternity ministers in November, to be returned by February 1. Those nominated will be notified in March. This gives every fraternity time to discern who they would like to have on the Regional Council. Every fraternity and member has the right to nominate people for office. We need you to do so. We are a very diverse region, with many members capable of serving. The Regional Council needs to reflect the diversity of the region. Finally the work of the Regional Council is basically the same as in fraternities; with active collaboration, we help each other learn and do the work of the region.

John and Joan DeRiso, SFO are the recipients of our 2006 Peace Award and the Family Award for 2006 goes to Jim and Mary Lou Hughes, SFO. John and Joan are members of St. Helen Fraternity in Howard Beach. Jim and Mary Lou belong to Il Poverello Fraternity in East Islip. The awards will be presented at our Regional Day, Nov. 11, at St. Joseph Church, Babylon. Applications for the 2007 awards will be available that day. Every one is welcome to attend the Regional Day. It is our day to gather with and share with our Secular brothers and sisters. Bring a brown bag lunch.

Quinquennial Congress: July 3-8, 2007, Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio Every five years, Seculars from all over the United States come together for a “Congress”. Five days of living in community, conferences, prayer, sharing, socializing, all for $490. Watch for the registration form in the next issue of TAU-USA. †

THE CULTURE AND THE GOSPEL Rev. Matthias Wesnofske, OFM Cap.Regional Spiritual Assistant

HIS CURRENT ISSUE OF THE REGIONAL NEWSLETTER HAS AN ARTICLE ON EWTN, A Catholic television network, and an article on the results of a poll taken of the Region concerning our Regional Newsletter, our small contribution to the world of the media. Recently, I have given a number of talks to fraternities on the media and media literacy, as well as a Day of Recollection on the culture and the living of the Gospel Life in our culture. I based my talks on two books, which I found very helpful and which I recommend. The first was a book, written by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XV1, and entitled, On the Way to Jesus Christ, with particular emphasis on the 3rd Chapter, “Communication and Culture”. The second book is Screen Saved, Peril and Promise of the Media in Ministry by Dan Andriacco Both books help us to understand the culture in which we are trying to live the Gospel life.

All of the saints lived in a culture. St. Francis lived in a particular culture and he, along with the friars and the Third Order, the Secular Franciscans, transformed the culture of their time. After the advent of St. Francis and the Secular Franciscans, medieval society was changed with the refusal of the seculars to take oaths and to bear arms, and the prescription to make a will. Art had changed and the celebration of Christmas was never to be the same. Passion plays, songs, and spirituality, devotion to Mary, concern for the lepers brought about a transformation of the culture, as the humanity of Christ was emphasized. St. Francis used the media of his time, writing letters, Rules, blessings, poetry and songs. He drew pictures of the Tau Cross on cave walls and he drew crowds of people to hear his words, much like a concert star of today.

The books, that I mentioned above, describe the power of the media and how, in many ways, the culture is the media; and the driving force of all media is consumerism; and all media is controlled by a comparatively small number of people; and how we can grow in media literacy and teach others, especially children, how to discern the perils of the media.

Pope Benedict's book is especially helpful is realizing that we don't adapt the Gospel to our culture, we adapt the culture to the Gospel. We don't adapt ourselves and our living of the Gospel to the culture, but rather we try to insert the Gospel into the culture. We don't eliminate the culture, because there is much that is good in the culture, but we try to change the culture so that it is more in conformity to the Gospel. For instance, we can see that our culture celebrates many holidays that are religious in origin, but have lost their religious significance. The holidays, e.g. Christmas, are good, but Christ and Gospel must be inserted into these celebrations. We don't adapt ourselves into accepting the consumerism and materialism of these holidays, but we celebrate them by inserting the message of the Gospel into the celebrations. How we do this is comparatively easy, if we stop and consider what we are trying to do. The culture, as Pope Benedict has written, is to be slit, and Christ, the Logos, inserted within the cut.

It is not just celebrations, the holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries, where Christ can be inserted, but also in our language, the words we use; for example, saying 'I am going to Church', or to say, 'I am going to Mass', or better, 'Holy Mass', to receive 'Communion', or better, 'Holy Communion', or better yet, 'the Body and Blood of Christ'. Many people go to church on Sunday. It is part of our culture. But to insert Christ, to say, 'I am going to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass'. What a difference!

So to summarize these brief thoughts: We look for what is good in our culture. We cut what is inedible, and we insert Christ within the slit and let God give the increase. We critique our culture and reject what is evil. We live what some consider to be impossible to prove that it is possible with the grace of God. With the help of others, particularly members of our fraternity, we bring the Gospel to life. We bring the Gospel to our culture. †

WTN IS CELEBRATING ITS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY. THIS IS THE ETERNAL WORD television Network. Do you have access to this cable channel on your television set? If not, please consider getting it. This is one of those rare truly Catholic television stations that only God could bring to life. If you don’t have cable TV and want to get EWTN, please remember to check whether the cable package you are offered includes EWTN—some cable packages do not.

In the midst of all the degrading and immoral TV programming on the air, God breaks into TV through EWTN. It is a must for those who wish to live by moral principles, and enjoy good entertainment at the same time. God had to wait until He found a “do does” person. In the words of Mother Angelica, a do does person is one who doesn’t know it can’t be done. There are a lot of smart (very educated and wealthy) people out there who know it cannot be done, so they don’t do it.

It all began with a desire and a need to effectively reach millions, without the expense of printing and the exhaustion of travel. It came to pass when Mother Angelica visited Channel 38, a Baptist television station in Chicago. Walking into the studio and looking out the window, she saw satellite equipment on the roof. She asked her guide, Tom Kennedy, “what would something like this cost?” About $950,000. Reflecting in prayer she said, “Lord, I gotta have one of these.” Then she hesitated and said, “What would 12 cloistered nuns do with this? I have no money and I know nothing about television.” Then God must have responded, “This is just the dummy I need. A dummy that is willing to learn and accept all the crosses I will send her, to accomplish My plan.” And what a plan is was!

EWTN was envisioned as a “spiritual growth network”, a supplement to, not a substitute for, the Church, dedicated to the advancement of truth as defined by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

At EWTN’s maiden broadcast, Mother Angelica offered this prayer: “O God, Lord of heaven and earth, You alone have accomplished all we have done. May this first Catholic Satellite Television Network be a tribute to the beauty of Your Church. May your Son, the Eternal Word, be glorified through this great work of Your hands. Bless all the programs that will issue forth from its facilities, just as Your Word issues forth from You. Lord Father, may that same Word touch each heart that listens to this network. Let Thy Spirit work with freedom through every teacher who proclaims Thy truth, and Thy Church. Bestow upon this network to power to inspire men to seek holiness of heart, zeal for the extension of Thy Church, courage to seek after justice and human rights, and the patience to endure persecution. May Thy Paternal Blessing always rest upon it.”

UR FALL REGIONAL GATHERING WILL BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 11, 2006, AT St. Joseph's parish in Babylon. We will be opening our celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, our Secular Franciscan Order's Patroness, at this gathering. We thank the Lord for our guest speaker and her advanced studies: Lori Pieper, SFO, Ph. D.. Lori wrote her thesis for her doctorate on St. Elizabeth, and has been asked about publishing her work by St. Bonaventure's publishers. Lori has also been invited to serve on an international formation commission by Encarnaci'on delPozo, our SFO General Minister, to develop formation material based on St. Elizabeth for the entire Secular Franciscan Order. She will be traveling to Rome for a few days to meet with five other members of the Commission. According to a letter from the SFO General Minister, the intention is to celebrate this special event "in two phases" over a two year period from November 17, 2006 to November 17, 2008. St. Elizabeth's 800th Birthday will be in 2007. Her letter continues to explain that the first year will be for "learning more about the spirituality of Saint Elizabeth", while the second year will be for "going into further detail on the secularity of our vocation, inspiring ourselves to our Patron". We look forward to hearing from Lori at our Fall gathering. Please talk about this event with your sisters and brothers—all are invited.

On another note, we have learned that you can now download articles from TAU-USA by going to the NAFRA-SFO web site. It is recommended that you can download by going to www.nafra-sfo.org/tau-usa.html and click on Articles from TAU-USA. You can download an entire edition, but if you have dial-up service it is best to download the article you need, as it takes a very long time. There are a lot of very good articles which can be used for on-going formation with your fraternity. Also, we have been told that Inquirers and Candidates can have access to articles this way.

Speaking about TAU-USA, I see that Fr. Lester Bach, OFM Cap., has a new on-going formation book ready for us. He is the author of Pick More Daisies, and other books which are being used for formation. Please refer to the back cover of TAU-USA for additional information. After reading Fr. Lester's new work, I would be interested in your comments. His new book is Capturing the Spirit of Francis & Clare.

As many of you may know, we will be having elections at the Regional level in April of 2007. However, nominations will be called for much earlier. We will need a new Regional Formation Director. According to our Regional Guidelines, "The Regional Formation Director coordinates the initial and ongoing formation for the Regional Fraternity according to the procedures outlined in the General Constitutions Article 40-44 and National Statutes Article 19". If anyone would like to discuss the qualifications for the position, I would be happy to discuss it with you. †

Y GOOD FRIEND, ROSEANNE, EXPRESSED TO A NUN HER DESIRE TO join one of the Church's secular orders. In her discussion with the nun, Roseanne was told that if she wanted to learn how to pray and meditate, she should join the Carmelites; if she wanted to teach and preach, she should join the Dominicans; and if she wanted to do good works, she should join the Franciscans.

I remember on my first visit to the Immaculate Conception Fraternity that the minister asked me why I was interested in the secular Franciscans. My unprepared reply was, “I want to love God more.” I eventually learned that Francis’s spirituality was firmly built on his love of God. Everything he saw and knew had been created by God and, therefore, everything reflected like a mirror God’s love, beauty, power, strength, and glory. Everywhere Francis looked, everything Francis experienced was a reflection of the great love God in His mercy has for all His creatures.

That decision to love all of God’s creation is a fertile, enriched soil in which blossoms of faith and hope grow and flourish. All the virtues and goodnesses grow in such a soil. Thus as Franciscans, we are called to love thankfully all that God sends us out of His deep love for us. And the greatest of these is love. It is the foundation and the fertile soil in which all the virtues grow and thrive and blossom. Because holy Father Francis looked at all created things and people as mirrors that reflect the glory, the beauty, the majesty, the strength, the power of the Almighty Creator, let us focus on the love that made the life of Francis holy and centered on Jesus Crucified. Amen. †

T OUR NATIONAL VISITATION IN APRIL, THE VISITORS STRONGLY urged us to concentrate on both initial and ongoing formation. Among the resources they suggested we use were the National and Regional Newsletters. In order to evaluate the current use of these resources, the Tau Cross Regional Executive Council sent a SURVEY to each Fraternity, using our email Contact list. We received 53 responses. Several fraternities obtained responses by a show of hands at a fraternity gathering. Here are the results of the SURVEY along with some comments.

The National Newsletter (TAU-USA) is printed 4 times a year and is sent directly to each professed brother and sister at his/her home.

1. Most responders receive their copy and at least browse through it. 5 did not receive the Summer 2006 issue [COMMENT: advise the Regional Secretary of names and current addresses of any professed brothers and sisters who do not receive their copy.]

2. Most fraternities have not discussed the various topics in this Newsletter at their fraternity gatherings. [COMMENT: We suggest that the TAU-USA be used as a resource material for on-going formation at each fraternity.]

Our Regional Newsletter is printed 4 times a year and sent to each fraternity minister for distribution to their fraternity brothers and sisters.

1. Most of the responders indicated that their Minister did distribute this Newsletter at a fraternity gathering, but few were sent to those absent from that gathering or to the homebound. [COMMENT: Three fraternities have decided to mail the Newsletter along with their monthly Fraternity Newsletter, which is sent to all brothers and sisters, including the homebound.].

2. All responders stated that they read the Newsletter and find it informative. However, none indicated that there is any discussion about the Newsletter during their gatherings. [COMMENT: One fraternity had decided that each member of their fraternity council will give a report on their “counterpart’s” column.]

3. Most responders stated that they read the Calendar of Upcoming Events and, as a result, several have attended these events.

4. Some suggestions were submitted for articles/columns in upcoming issues. These included: more local news, peace and justice issues, practical ideas for living the Gospel in our culture, Franciscan spirituality.

Thank you very much to those who responded to the SURVEY. Any additional comments or suggestions can be sent to Regional Secretary Bob Campbell at arcyc@aol.com.

On January 22, in The Bronx, Brian and Elizabeth Gallagher were admitted into St Barnabas Fraternity. Kathleen McElligott, Minister, presided. Brother Salvatore Patricola OFM Cap was Friar Witness.

On July 9, in West Hempstead, John Hynson and MaryAnn Reap were admitted into St Bonaventure Fraternity. Francis Murray, Minister, presided. Rev Matthias Wesnofske, OFM Cap, was Friar Witness.

On August 13, in The Bronx, Ana Charley, Laura Moise, Maria Roberts and Sandra Valley were admitted into Immaculate Conception Fraternity. Angie Ainette, Minister, presided.

On May 28, in The Bronx, Noreen Donoghue, Eileen Moran, Wokoma Oruwariye, Melvin Russell and Joseph Zaccardo were professed into St Barnabas Fraternity. Kathleen McElligott, Minister, presided. Fr Matthias Wesnofske and Brother Salvatore Patricola OFM Cap were Friar Witnesses.

August 19: Day of Recollection, St Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternity, at Our Lady of the Island shrine, Eastport

September 28: Day of Recollection, Our Lady Queen of Angels Fraternity, at Cenacle Retreat House, Ronkonkoma

· Silent Retreats at Church of St John the Baptist, 210 West 31^st Street, NYC: Saturdays October 21, November 18, December 16, January 20, 4 to 10 pm, Contact Brother Salvatore Patricola OFM Cap, (212) 564-9070 ext 247

· April 28, 2007: Regional Chapter of Elections, St Adalbert Parish Center, Elmhurst

The New Pentecost Fraternity, SFO at St. Matthew’s Church in Dix Hills and Temple Beth Torah held our annual Family Fun Day Fair at the HELP Suffolk facility for families with children who are homeless. We had nine members of our fraternity there, eight members of St. Matthew's parish in Dix Hills, and twelve members of Temple Beth Torah in Dix Hills (that's Rabbi Mark Gelman's group, he's part of the "God Squad" on Telecare). All volunteers pitched in to run the Fair and games for the children. There was no charge for anything.

We had pony rides for the kids, we gave out a hundred dollars worth of ice cream, a couple hundred dollars worth of school supplies, had a table of handouts of religious materials, one hundred and fifty hot dogs, eight cases of soda, new and used donated clothing, a few tables of groceries and gently used toys. We had face painting, potato sack races and other games run by several of the young volunteers. All in all it was an ecumenical event which was greatly enjoyed by the residents of the shelter. This was the eighth year in a row we have held the Fair.

Anne Porter, an SFO from St Thomas More Fraternity in Southampton, NY, has just published her second book of poetry. Her first book was published in 1999, when Anne was 88. The new book is entitled “Living things: Collected Poems” and is published by Zoland Books.

A book reviewer (Fred Volkmer, in Southanpton Press, May 18, 2006) had this to say about Anne’s new book: “Mrs. Porter is a devotee of St Francis of Assisi and his spirit pervades her work. Her language is simple and unadorned in the Franciscan manner. And, like Francis, she is a celebrant of love, and also of the domestic routine, of her husband and her five children, of the natural world, of circuses……Anne Porter conveys in her poetry a simple thankfulness for all things. It is a sentiment that the world could use a little more of.”

Please send items of interest (Elections, Professions, Anniversaries, Events, Recognition) to Regional Secretary Bob Campbell, 135 Centre Avenue, East Rockaway NY 11518 (or email to arcyc@aol.com)

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.

+ + + + +

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