The 2009 Annual Meeting - May 22-24, 2009 - Peace and Good!

Dear sisters and brothers,

On the left, you will find Jeff Majewski, SFO, the photographer of all those fine pictures of our meeting. With him, is Teresa V. Baker, SFO who gave us a wonderful program. A lot of very important stuff was discussed, and with God's help I will be able to report to you on this meeting. It is now evident that more Franciscans look at our website than I had first supposed. Statistics programs do not show how many are Franciscan visitors; that information I learn by meeting people.

Most attending the meeting, arrived on Friday (5/22) after strenuous driving - rain, thunder, you name it, led to "white knuckle driving" as Pam Nagle, SFO, termed it. There were sisters and brothers present who came from as far as Fairhope, AL, and lots of other places in Florida. Teresa V. Baker, SFO, of Derry, New Hampshire, presented a wonderful program, in three sessions, titled, "Humility of God as Witnessed in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order." She concentrated on St. Bonaventure's Itinerarium.

Teresa V. Baker, SFO (right), was Co-Chair of the National Formation Commission, is a member of Greccio Fraternity in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Region. She resides in Derry, NH, with her husband, Raymond; they have two grown sons. She has done considerable writing and is a published author and co-author of several SFO formation texts.   
Fred Schaeffer, SFO

 Teresa Baker's handouts (.pdf)

The following are notes I made while Teresa was speaking.....

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

Renew yourself in the spirit of the Gospel --
    The Pope is expecting us to turn up the flame What is our chief desire to follow the Rule

Bonaventure - God is love ... God is goodness.

Question: How does God make His love known to you in your life?

Don't do anything that doesn't bring you joy!

Jesus came to set the world on fire - fire of the Father's love.... and Francis caught it!

St. Bonaventure, [Doctor of the Church, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano, Minister General of the Friars Minor, b. at Bagnorea in the vicinity of Viterbo in 1221; d. at Lyons, 16 July, 1274.] wrote beautiful Franciscan theology. He wrote the Itinerarium, the "Journey of the Mind into God."

Teresa recommends the version published by Fr. Andre Cirino, OFM and Joseph Reischl, SFO, a retreat style book.

What was the last time you gasped for God? Do we spend quiet time with God? How about silent time, just to listen?

SILENT - LISTEN  (Examine the words - you'll see the same letters)

Just as the Seraph has 6 winds, the Itinerarium has 6 parts.

Think of the desert - it is an arid place, hot, unknown, and it brings up thoughts about homeless, unloved, poor ... We own nothing, except our sins.

It is our nature to seek what is like us ... God, Jesus Christ.

See Admonition 19 of St. Francis [See Admonitions, in Roman Catholic Religion Resource)
... We are what we are...

Humble ourselves before God. We turn to God in awe of His Goodness. We go to God in the morning without agenda. We don't tell God what I'm going to do, and hope He tags along!

We are (SFO) - Brothers and Sisters of Penance (which is the theme of this meeting).

A life of Penance: Have the openess to grow, to be shaped - a life dynamic, presence, and movement to Christ within.

We have to be malleable like clay in the potter's hand but where there is no more "metanoia" we (the clay) are fixed (no longer malleable). Mrs. Baker sculpts and she said that once the clay is baked (heated), it sets and is no longer malleable.

Bonaventure - In our being we are in the image of God - In our likeness - We are the doing of God.  OBEDIENCE (DIE to self).

Surrender is accepting what is! God is our co-pilot (one side of the sign)
--- the other side of the sign: "Move Over."   (In other words, God is the pilot!)

Question: What is the only man-made thing in Heaven?
Answer: "The Wounds of Christ"                                        (end of Friday's Sessions 1 & 2)

(Saturday, Session 3)

True relationship is what humility is all about.

Dual Monologue

bad-- Two people in conversation each with an agenda.

good-- Two people listening with both ears open to each other.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself! Humility is thinking of yourself, less!

Kinosis - self-emptying- total self-giving. Focus on the other! Not on self.

As far as material goods go: We do not need two where we can do with one; that's detachment.

Moments of real spiritual sharing during prayer time. We share about anything except about Him (God) - that's not good. We must challenge others to live the Gospel in our fraternities.

At this point in the timeline, there was a Regional Business Meeting after Jeff took a group picture in front of Building 300:

Other pictures

 

 

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