Carolyn Seal – Page 10 – Secular Franciscan Order

Our Freedom, our choice, is to live as Christ lived

Fourth of July is a civil celebration, but for us Franciscans—indeed for all Christians—any commemoration is infused with a sense of God’s presence. While many of the Founding Fathers of our nation did not believe in the kind of God we believe in as Catholic Christians, several were Christian, and others acknowledged some kind of godly presence worthy of giving direction to our lives and our common project of national government. But what kind of freedom do we celebrate? ...

Carolyn Seal2022-09-07T14:06:01-04:00September 12th, 2022|Categories: CNSA, From the Newsletter|0 Comments

Fraternity Life – Fraternity: Our Secular Franciscan Witness

What could be the best contribution we, as Secular Franciscans, can make to the life of the Catholic Church? ... Here’s what Pope St. John Paul II had to say in 2002: “The Church expects from you, Secular Franciscans, a courageous and consistent testimony of Christian and Franciscan life, leaning towards the construction of a more fraternal and gospel world for the realization of the Kingdom of God. ….

Carolyn Seal2022-09-13T14:23:19-04:00September 5th, 2022|Categories: Formation, From the Newsletter|2 Comments

Secular Franciscan Order – USA Website

Website News and Did You Know… - How to use the slides on www.secularfranciscansusa.com ... - Franciscan Saints, Blesseds, & Holy Days ...

Carolyn Seal2022-09-30T08:01:56-04:00August 29th, 2022|Categories: Did You Know, From the Newsletter|0 Comments

Sharing the Vision – News From REC

The appointments for National Commissions Chairs or Committees Chairs or individual positions typically are made until one year after a scheduled NEC election. The appointment terms are set in such a manner, so a new council won’t have to appoint new commission or committee chairs immediately after being elected. ...

Carolyn Seal2022-08-16T14:51:54-04:00August 22nd, 2022|Categories: From the Newsletter, News from the NEC|1 Comment

Franciscan Jubilee – Minister’s Message Summer 2022

I will never forget my 50th birthday. My daughter, aware of the significance of this 50-year mark, made a sign that she hung on my mailbox. It simply said, “It’s Jan’s Jubilee!” I still have that sign. It now hangs on a wall in my garage as an important reminder to always turn to God, where I find joy and peace beyond all I could ask or imagine. It was not my idea that the theme of the 2022 Quinquennial Congress would be “Jubilee,” but when Br. Bob Brady, OFM, suggested it, I was thrilled. ...

Carolyn Seal2022-08-15T08:48:57-04:00August 15th, 2022|Categories: From the Newsletter, Minister’s Message|2 Comments

St. Michael’s Lent August 15th to September 29th

"In the writings of St. Francis, such as the Volterra text (Letter to All the Faithful) which is included in The Rule of the OFS, we are reminded again and again that Franciscans are called to be penitents, to pray and fast. For these reasons this ancient tradition is important to us. St. Michael’s Lent is a period of 40 days, honoring Mary and St. Michael the Archangel. It begins on the Feast of the Assumption and ends on The Feast of the Archangels. ...

Carolyn Seal2022-08-14T15:27:31-04:00August 13th, 2022|Categories: Announcements|2 Comments

The Pardon of Assisi – The Porziuncola Indulgence – August 2

This is the spot where, while listening to the Gospel, Francis understood what he was called by God to do. This is the spot where, while listening to the Gospel, Francis understood what he was called by God to do. St. Clare received her religious habit from the hands of Francis here in 1211.

Carolyn Seal2024-10-23T11:41:50-04:00July 30th, 2022|Categories: Formation|1 Comment

Ecumenical Interfaith Committee Joint Committee on Franciscan Unity

“The People of God: A Sacred Prism,” was an interfaith gathering of representatives of various Franciscan groups, which sparked joy, peace, and spirituality for all who attended. What a privilege it was for us, as members of the OFS-USA Ecumenical / Interfaith Committee, to attend this special event held Nov. 14-16, 2021, at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center in Garrison, N.Y., a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. [...]

Carolyn Seal2024-06-06T18:33:33-04:00July 18th, 2022|Categories: Ecumenical Interfaith Committee, From the Newsletter|1 Comment

Franciscan Living – Take Delight in the Lord

I remember when each of my children was placed in my arms for the first time! I examined each one, marveling over every finger and toe, with their eyes gazing upon me! My children heard my voice and were comforted. I delighted in them, and they delighted in me. Psalm 37, verse 4, tells us to “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” If the desire we have is to love God, then we must learn to delight in Him. How then do we do this? [...]

Carolyn Seal2022-07-12T14:27:19-04:00July 11th, 2022|Categories: From the Newsletter|2 Comments

Did You Know – Regionalization, A History

Willian Wicks, OFS, gives us a complete history of Regionalization – moving to geographical structuring and governing away from friar provincial jurisdictional structuring – in A History of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States. ... Presented here are only excerpts copied directly from Vol. III, Chapter 12, pages 277- 316. ... No one can tell the story better than William Wicks. The rest of the story, the details which mentions talks dating back to “1934 and probably before”, can be found in these volumes.

Carolyn Seal2022-07-08T09:05:52-04:00July 9th, 2022|Categories: Did You Know|4 Comments

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