Begin observing the feast of St. Francis of Assisi today with Triduum prayers just released by CIOFS. Day 1 begins with this encouragement from St. Francis, "In that love which is God, I entreat all my friars, ministries and subjects, to put away every attachment, all care and solicitude, and serve, love, honour, and adore our Lord and God with a pure heart and mind; this is what He seeks above all else."
God transformed Francis, keeping many things in his style (that were a part of his character), and not destroying his personality. This is the miracle — how God can transform a person by changing things in life and turning (things that are) bitter into sweetness.
Tuesday’s meeting began with Minister General Tibor Kauser giving a formation talk on servant leadership. Leadership is tied to community; that is, a leader needs a team to move ahead with a project or strive for a goal. So, he said, a leader helps form and protect community, and helps members grow in their OFS vocation. ...
The messages of joy, hope, service, and the onset of our celebration of Franciscan centenaries are expressed in CIOFS General Minister Tibor Kauser’s Christmas letter. “Do not think about Christmas as a cozy feast but let us make it a feast of being children of God,” Tibor said.
"Let us ask for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit focusing now on fraternal life, on our vocation, and on our identity." Tibor Kauser, CIOFS Minister General
Do you want to know how many canonically established Franciscan fraternities are in the United States? Or are you curious about the number of permanently professed members? Or do you want to know how many local spiritual assistants are in the Order?
What I invite you all now is to remember that the ultimate victory can never be won by evil. Christ has won the ultimate victory on the cross. This is what we celebrate, and in spite of every difficulty, misery, poverty and marginalization, illness and weakness, Easter is a feast of joy, the feast of the glory of God.
Pope Francis and Franciscan world leaders are calling for prayers and fasting for peace in Ukraine on Ash Wednesday.
General Minister Tibor Kauser, OFS, is echoing Pope Francis's call for prayers for peace in Ukraine. "I invite you dear brothers and sisters, to strengthen our unity with each other, with the whole Franciscan family and with the Catholic Church by joining the prayer of Pope Francis for peace on Ash Wednesday," he said.
God has a message. God had a message for the Holy Virgin Mary, as he had a message for St. Francis. He has a message for each one of us...