The Canticle
May, 2003
Divine Mercy Secular Franciscan Fraternity · Vero Beach, Florida

Please Note:
* Refreshment Committee for May: Snacks - Kathleen Van Buskirk, Peter Askin
   Soda or fruit drinks - Helen Caldarone
* Remember our fraternity apostolate, St. Helen's Food Pantry
* Several changes in the May schedule: Third Sunday of May to avoid conflict with Mother's Day; Council meeting
  right after the regular meeting to prevent a serious delay in terms of "The Canticle" mailing; continuation of our
  new meeting time of 2 pm rather than 1 :30 pm to avoid parking problems.
* Many thanks to Jennie for volunteering to be our Librarian. We encourage you to visit it during our break.

Remember to include in your prayers:
* Andrea Cardoza and Peggy Rysdyke who will be professed on May 3rd. (See details below)
* A truly beautiful program on 10/4/03. . . and for the full commitment it will require from each of us.
* Our Inquirers and Candidates: Ed, Pauline, Kathleen, Julie, and Peter.
* Peace and stability in the Middle East…efforts to stabilize and rebuild Iraq will not be easy. Pray and fast.

From the Minister's Desk:

* PROFESSION CEREMONY FOR ANDREA AND PEGGY. Celebrate the Rite of Profession and Mass on
  Saturday, May 3rd at 11 :00 am in the chapel at St. Lucie Church. Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, our Regional Spiritual
  Asst., will preside. Please invite family and friends to attend and to rejoice with our fraternity on this awesome
  occasion! What a blessing for us all!
* PLENARY INDULGENCES: In the issue of the TAU distributed at our April meeting, I learned that a plenary
  indulgence is available on the day of one's SFO profession! (The usual conditions are to be observed.) Isn't it
  wonderful for Andrea and Peggy to learn about this very special opportunity in time to take advantage of it. A
  plenary indulgence is also available on the day of the Admission Ceremony - Ed, Kathleen and Pauline take note.
- Many other opportunities for a Plenary indulgence are available to a Secular Franciscan. We are including the
- TAU article on indulgences in this issue of THE CANTICLE. Clip it and tape in your Ritual Book!

---

page 2

This question was brought up at the Southeast Area Day of Recollection held on February 22, 2003 in Delray Beach. The answer is provided by the National Formation Commission in their recent series of F.A.Q.'s (Frequently Asked Questions) as follows:

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there are!  Appended to the revised General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order is a copy of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary's January 22, 1972 letter to the 'Interobediential General Council of the Secular Third Order of Saint Francis' - the predecessor of the Presidency of the SFO General Council (CIOFS). It confirms that a plenary indulgence is available to members of the SFO 'on the day of their admission and of their profession, and at the conclusion of an official visitation' as well as 'on the feast-days of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8); Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4); Saint Louis, King (August 25); Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17); Blessed Luchesius (April 28); Saint Clare of Assisi (August 11); Saint Margaret of Cortona (May 16); and all the Saints of the Three Orders of Saint Francis (November 29).' In addition to the usual conditions for obtaining an indulgence (celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation [going to Confession] sometime close to the time the indulgence is sought, reception of Holy Communion on the day of the indulgence, and prayer specifically for the intention of the supreme Pontiff, the Pope), Secular Franciscans are also required to 'make or renew, at least privately, their promise to observe faithfully the Statutes of their association,' in other words, to renew our profession-commitment to live the Gospel according to the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. The renewal of commitment found on page 31 of The Ritual of the SFO can serve as a wonderful model for this type of experience, but we are not bound to recite these exact words; all that matters is that the general sentiment and interior disposition expressed in this model are present. These indulgences, still valid today, were granted to the Secular Franciscan Order in 1972, six years before Pope Paul VI approved the SFO Rule on June 24, 1978."