Beloved National Family,

As all of us know, we are experiencing language changes in how we celebrate Mass. I am absolutely certain that it is still the same Lord and Savior that I receive at Holy Communion.

At the last International Chapter in October in Brazil, the following document was introduced, voted upon and approved. You may read it. I must send it to you in a PDF file because this is how I have received it. It is signed by our Minister General. I'm sorry that my computer skills do not allow me to translate this file to another medium if you cannot open it.

If you can open and read it, you will see in the official document the words "Secular Franciscan Order" still used when referring to our Order in English, as well as "Secular Franciscans" still used when referring to us.

I also give you these exact words in an email from Doug Clorey, who many of us know from previous visitations:
"Document on the 'Name of the Order' should be released shortly in a circular from our Minister General. This document was presented to the General Chapter in Brazil, voted and approved.

Note that Doug, our Order's Vice-Minister General, is still a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. When we use English, we are still the Secular Francisan Order, not the Order of Franciscan Seculars or whatever. We remain Secular Franciscans, not Franciscan Seculars, when we use English. What has changed is that Doug is now, in English, when he uses the initials after his name, Doug Clorey, OFS not SFO.
Again, I am absolutely certain that OFS or SFO does not make me or you or Doug any more or less Franciscan. We are still permanently professed. Our Order is still, in English, the Secular Franciscan Order.

Dear National Family,

 

Our Sister Pat Brandwein-Ball has a simple, but faith-filled Lenten prayer for each and all of us:

 

As soon as you read this email, please pray:

 

"May God have mercy upon Japan and all of us. May we all repent and be converted." 

 

Please continue the prayer until "a safe resolution is achieved."

 

At your earliest convenience, your health permitting, please offer an appropriate period or day of fasting for this intention.

 

Thanks, Pat.

 

Peace and love to all,

 

Tom 

Dear National Family,

 

At the prompting of our sister Anne Twitchell, I wrote to Doug Clorey, our friend and Vice-Minister General of our International Fraternity (CIOFS), about what we could do to offer spiritual or material support to our SFO sisters and brothers in Japan.

 

Here is Doug's response.

 

Let us keep all this in prayer before our Merciful Lord,

 

Tom 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Doug Clorey <jdclorey@gmail.com>
Date: 2011/3/17
Subject: Re: Can we do anything for our SFO sisters and brothers in Japan?
To: Tom Bello <tbellosfo@gmail.com>
Cc: "Fr. Amando Trujillo, TOR" <amandotrujillo@yahoo.com>, Attilio Galimberti <attilio.galimberti@gmail.com>, Encarnación del Pozo <mingenofs@gmail.com>