The Canticle November 2004

Regular Meeting: Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004 - South Rm., St. Helen Christian Living Ctr., 2-4 pm.

Council meeting: Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004. - Hibiscus Café, Vero Beach at 9 am

Agenda and Schedule for meeting:

1:30 pm Initial formation sessions for Inquirers and Candidates before the regular meeting.
2:00 Opening prayer, reports, old and new business.

2:25 Ongoing Formation: Continuing study of the SFO Rule: Article 17 - AIn their family, they should cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace, fidelity and respect for life, striving to make of it a sign of a world already renewed in Christ. By living the grace of matrimony, husbands and wives in particular should bear witness in the world to the love of Christ for His Church. They should joyfully accompany their children on their human and spiritual journey by providing a simple and open Christian education and being attentive to the vocation of each child.@ (Led by Helen Caldarone).

Also, we will look at the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, wife, mother and secular Franciscan. (Led by Fr. Richard LaCorte)

3:10 Break and Refreshments

3:25 Liturgy of the Hours in the Chapel and Recitation of the Crown Rosary

4:00 Closing Prayer and Dismissal

Refreshments Committee: Snacks: Julia McHugh and Ed O=Donnell

Soda, fruit drinks or Iced Tea: Pat Riordan

Remember in your prayers: Jack Solloway who is recovering from a brief stay in the hospital and continue praying for Marcella Richards who is doing well. We also must not neglect prayers for all those who suffered severe hardship as a result of the hurricanes in Florida and who continue to live from day-to-day.

From the Minister=s Desk: By the time you read this newsletter our national elections will be history. We hope that the results will be decisive so that we, as a people, will not be in doubt about the winners. In any case, let=s resolve to pray daily for all the elected leaders of our country that their hearts and minds will be open to the Will of God and that they will recognize the awesome responsibilities they are charged with are impossible to perform without the constant guidance of God. Exciting news about our December meeting: It will be held at St. Lucie Church at the invitation of the Pastor, Fr. Horgan. He wants us to attend the 11:30 Mass in the Church. Following Mass, we will have our meeting in the Rectory. Fr. Horgan will provide refreshments for us as well. It should be a wonderful day - mark your calendars, please!!

Franciscan Saints and Blesseds in November

4 St. Charles Borromeo, bishop of III Order.

7 St. Didacus of Alcala, religious of I Order.

13 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin of III Order.
Founder. (In USA)

14 St. Nicholas Tavelic, priest & comp. Martyrs I Order
17 St. Elizabeth of Hungary, widow, member and Patron
of the Secular Franciscan Order.

18. Bl. Salome, virgin of II Order.
19. St. Agnes of Assisi, virgin of II Order. (Opt. for SFO)
26. Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, priest of the I Order.
27. Saint Francis Anthony Fasani, priest of I Order.
28. Saint James of the March, priest of I Order.
29. All Saints of the Franciscan Family. (I-II-III Orders)

TOLERANCE

Mimi Def
From: CIOFS¹ Bulletin, 1995, N. 3

Oh Lord, if everybody spoke the same language, how much easier it would be to communicate.

Oh Lord, if everybody was a Christian like me, we could celebrate all together.

Oh Lord, if we were all of a respectable age, we would no longer be troubled by the noise of the young.

Oh Lord, if everybody had enough to live on comfortably, we wouldn't have to worry about social conflicts.

But...
- have you forgotten the beauty of a rainbow and the pleasure of discovering the way of communication of
our brothers?
- do you remember the joy of family gatherings when you were so happy together?
- do you remember the happiness in being able to smile thanks to a gesture of sharing?

Yes, Lord I very well know that you mix up our categories. Even the disciples and the people of your country had been baffled at this:

"...and Jesus said to her, "give me a drink of water."
The disciples themselves were astonished that He was talking to a woman." (John 4)
"Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today... there was much whispering that He was
going to the house of a sinner." (Luke 19)
"Your sins are forgiven... the others sitting at the table began to say to themselves, ‘Who is he who even forgives sins?’" (Luke 7)

You invite us to leave behind us our frontiers, our enclosures and to meet others, all others.

In order to communicate with the Samaritan woman and Zacchaeus, Jesus shared their needs and desires: the need to drink and the desire to stay with them. Accepting the risk of dialogue, of sharing, they depart transformed.

Reading our lives on line with the Gospel, we may make out the meetings that have changed our hearts.

How do we meet others? …Those different from us?

"Humility and mercy walk together and together they lead to tolerance". (Comte Sponville)

To conclude, let us meditate the description of a perfect Friar Minor in "Mirror of Perfection", 85.

(1) CIOFS (Italian) stands for: “Consiglio Internazionale Ordine Francescano Secolare” or in English: “International Council Secular Franciscan Order.” The acronym also fits the Latin version. I help CIOFS by putting up their weekly Bulletin on their website: www.ciofs.org – You will find it there in four languages, English, French, Spanish and Italian. As time goes on, I will be more involved in that website. Similar to the arrangement with our Regional & fraternity website here, I donate my services for free. That is my contribution to the SFO. Fred