Mission Statement:We as Secular Franciscans are committed to seeking and promoting a closer relationship with God for ourselves and others by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and by following St. Francis’ and St. Clare's example of simplicity, humility and service using the Rule of Life of the OFS as our guide.

December 2018 Waseca/Janesville/Owatonna MN Volume 12 Issue 12

December~ Month of the Immaculate Conception

Upcoming EventsMonthly Gathering : Our next gathering will be December 16th

starting at 1:00 pm. At the Parish Center.

Orientation at 12:00 (Rose) read chapters 1 and 2 in The Franciscan Journey and answer the questions at the end of the chapters.  

Candidacy at 12:00: (Matt) Read Chapter 10 in The Franciscan Journey and plan to discuss Readings and Questions on page 121 with Kyle.

Ongoing Formation; Read chapter 19 in To Live as Francis Lived. Bonnie will lead.

Council Meeting: Our next council meeting will be on Saturday, January 12th at 10:00 am. in the Parish Center.

Gospel Sharing: Sr. Lois will do a presentation on the Incarnation.

Spiritual Buffet: There will be no Spiritual Buffets until Spring due to weather.

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can

take with you nothing that you have received - only

what you have given: a full heart, enriched by

honest service, love, sacrifice and courage. Francis of Assisi

Advent AvenuesSr. Lois Erpelding,OSF, Spiritual

AssistantThis Advent “A” words came popping forth:

awake, arise, aware, attentive, available, advocate, acknowledge, appreciate, apply. These themes flow into our Franciscan focus on Incarnation.

We are invited to be awake and arise to a God in our midst, who continually invites each of us to live out our Baptism. With growing awareness, we sense God’s blessings among the joys and woes of daily living across many cultures. We are called to focus on world needs with our Scripture providing hope amidst seemingly hopelessness.

We have Advent advocate modeling found in Joseph and Mary. Mary and Joseph needed to grow in awareness and affirmation of God’s desire to be available beyond their own understanding since God’s plan in their lives was broader than their imagined life. Their Yeses provide us with advocates to move forward in our spiritual journeys even when we humbly do not see the larger horizon. As St. Francis contemplated the presence of God, he knew that he, too, would value Mary’s profound role. “Francis lingered...and insistently begged her (Mary) who had conceived and brought to birth the Word full of grace and truth, to be his advocate.... he conceived and brought to birth the spirit of the Gospel truth.” LM 3:1

Recently Fr. Dan Crosby shared Blessed Solanus Casey’s focus: “If we would only appreciate.” Let us live out of God’s preciousness as we authentically appreciate sacredness of all.

We, too, are called forth to apply God’s gift of Incarnation of Jesus into our Franciscan lived experience. Let us acknowledge our call to continue to incarnate God’s love and mercy in a world of “searchers”. Experience Advent anew as together in spirit we stroll the avenues of Advent.

Lord of Love and Mercy please send Christmas blessings to our shut-in members:Evie Kahnke, ofs andKathleen Tharp, ofs

A Couple Specific ApostolatesPat Yunker, ofs, Formation Director

As I write this, I think of all the things our Franciscans do in the secret of their hearts.  They bring food and gifts to those in need through the collections at Church; many bring Holy Communion to shut-ins and lead Communion Services at the

Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facilities. They clean the churches, teach Religious Education, help in the parish offices, serve meals to the bereaved at funerals, and help in a myriad of ways, so to give credit to some seems un -Franciscan.  But we do have a couple of apostolates which are specific to the Christmas Season in addition to our fraternity donations to the Vincent De Paul Society for Christmas gifts for the poor.  We brought our shut-ins Evie Kahnke OFS and Kathleen Tharp OFS poinsettia plants for their homes this Christmas AND several of our Franciscans donated their time and talent for many hours during the Advent Season helping families “shop” for Christmas gifts from a wide selection of donated quilts, hats and mittens, pajamas, and toys at the Neighborhood Service Center’s Santa Anonymous this Christmas. Thank you!

From Darkness to LightBy Bonnie Johnson, ofs, Vice Minister

About this time every year I start to become anxious for the days to grow longer again. So I googled it to find how long I have to wait for the winter solstice to pass. Later when I checked my

Ongoing Formation Leaders - 2018Jan Prayer Partners Jul PatFeb Retreat -Sr. Lois Aug PeggyMar Bonnie Sep PicnicApr Carol Oct KyleMay Elections Nov PatJun Sarah Dec Bonnie

Gospel Sharing Leaders - 2018Jan Prayer Partners Jul CarolFeb Retreat Aug JeniseMar Sarah Sep PicnicApr Bonnie OctMay Elections Nov Gerri/ Sr LoisJun Kyle Dec Sr. Lois

Snack Schedule - 2018Jan Jean, Bonnie Jul Kyle, SarahFeb Doreen, Peggy Aug Jenise, BonnieMar St. Lois, Gerri Sep Picnic (All)Apr Arlys, Carol OctMay Pat, Bonnie Nov Pat, PeggyJun Matt, Theresa Dec Sr. Lois, Gerri

emails… lo and behold I found an one that gave me a Franciscan slant on going from darkness to light. As you may know I subscribe to the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement website because I love reading the weekly homilies of Fr. Bob Warren. They always give me a spiritual lift. This week Fr. Bob wrote “Advent is an invitation to break through the darkness into the light. It offers a challenge that comes to us very forcefully with a question: what darkness do you need to overcome?”

As Franciscans we are called to live the gospel and be bearers of the light of Christ to others. The darkness in St. Francis was to become a knight and enjoy the glory and admiration if he came home a hero. Yet with a good nudge from God he overcame that pride and unwittingly led others to Christ by sharing the light of God within himself. His joy stemmed from imitating Jesus without ever wanting or taking credit for shining that light to others. Fr. Bob also shared a poem that was written by James Patrick Kinney, a humble man who possessed the wisdom to see the difference between darkness and light. He used his God given gift to express it in a poem, and had the courage to share the poem with his minister, who read it aloud at church and later shared it with priests and rabbis at an ecumenical council. It spread like a wildfire, was published all over, it even appeared in a Dear Abby column! I am sharing his poem with you in the next column. How awesome it is what God can do when we

have the courage to share the light of God and our gifts with others.

The Cold WithinBy James Patrick Kinney

Six humans trapped by happenstanceIn bleak and bitter cold.

Each one possessed a stick of woodOr so the story’s told

Their dying fire in need of logs.

The first man held his backFor of the faces round the fire

He noticed one was black.

The next man looking ‘cross the waySaw one not of his church

And couldn’t bring himself to giveThe fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes.He gave his coat a hitch.

Why should his log be put to useTo warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thoughtOf the wealth he had in store

And how to keep what he had earnedFrom the lazy shiftless poor.

The black man’s face bespoke revengeAs the fire passed from his sight.For all he saw in his stick of woodWas a chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn groupDid naught except for gain.

Giving only to those who gaveWas how he played the game.

Their logs held tight in death’s still handsWas proof of human sin.

They didn’t die from the cold withoutThey died from the cold within.

Be the One!Pat Yunker, ofs, Formation Director

It is almost Christmas again. This year passed so quickly. Time does that. There is so much I wish I would have asked my parents. Questions like, did their lives end up on the paths they started, or did they stray? How

about us? Are we what God wanted us to be or have we strayed from our path?

G. K. Chesterton’s book on St. Francis helped me realize what is really important in the eyes of God. He told how Francis spent months alone meditating on God in the caves

outside Assisi. When he emerged, it was as if he were walking on his hands, seeing the world totally upside down. Seeing it as Jesus saw it. People who were at the top of importance were now at the bottom and the lepers and the poorest of the poor were at the top! “What was once bitter became sweet.”

Like St. Francis, St. Teresa of Calcutta saw in the faces of the poor, the face of Jesus. A sign in her convent read: “I will be the one.” She explained why one she had this sign. She quoted psalm 68 (69):21, “I looked for one that would grieve together with me but there was none.” She instructed her nuns to: “Tell Jesus, you will be the one; the one to comfort, encourage and love Him by helping the poor.” Let us do the same. Let’s follow Francis out of his cave and take a good look at our own lives while standing on our heads.

As our Fraternity writes our Goals for 2019 let us ask Francis and Clare to help us stay on our paths and help us to be good examples to our new Candidate, Matt Johansen and our new Inquirer, Rose Ann Rypka. Let us BE THE ONES to comfort Jesus by comforting those around us.

Merry Christmas, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Francis. Let us make every day count because Christmas 2019 will be here before you know it.

Love Pat

December Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

2 Bl. Maria AngelaAstorch2 Bl. Rafal Chylinski8 Feast of Immaculate Conception

10 Bl. Peter Tecelano12 Our Lady of Guadalupe

13Finding the body of St Francis of Assisi

15 Bl. Mary Frances Schervier19 Bl. Conrad Offida

Bl. Peter TecelanoPeter moved from Campi to Siena, Italy with his family as a child. He married and worked as a comb-maker. When his wife died he sold his house to the poor and became a Franciscan tertiary, serving as a nurse in a Franciscan hospital. He

continued making combs, living a simple, solitary life, giving any excess monies to the Franciscans, and spending his nights in prayer and meditation. He eventually moved from a layman‘s house to a cell in the monastery that ran the hospital. He considered himself too talkative and worked to living in silence. Known as a mystic and a miracle worker, he became a sought after advisor to priests and laity. The character of Pier the comb-seller in Dante’s Purgatorio may have been modeled upon him.

Rule 11 of the Secular Franciscan Order

Trusting the Father, Christ chose for Himself and His mother a poor

and humble life, even though He valued created things attentively and lovingly. Let the Secular Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying their own material needs. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s children.