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DIVINE MERCY
SECULAR FRANCISCAN FRATERNITY
Our Fraternity: from 1992 to the
present
In late 1991, Fred Schaeffer
attended a St. Helen Charismatic Prayer Group meeting on a Thursday evening.
Jean Kurtz came in and asked to speak. She asked if there were any Franciscans
present. Fred raised his hand. After the meeting finished, Jean asked Fred if he
could help her start a Franciscan fraternity in Vero Beach. Jean wanted to
become a Franciscan. The nearest fraternity, at the time, was in Melbourne, but
Jean didn't want to travel that far because of health problems. Jean's friend,
Corrine McCarthy, SFO, then joined us and the three of us agreed to carry this
forward in the Name of Jesus. The first "exploratory" meeting was held in April
1992. As Fred recalls that early meeting between Jean and himself, he is sure
that our fraternity was started by and through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks you, Lord!
Early History
1992
In April of
1992, a group of people, headed by Corrine McCarthy, SFO, Jean Kurtz
(deceased), and, Fred Schaeffer met at the residence
of Jean Kurtz, as ‘Friends of St. Francis’, with the intention of finding a
way to begin the formation of a group which would eventually become a
fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. We had invited Fr. Mike Heine, OFM
Conv. (then of John Carroll High School, in Fort Pierce) to come, and we
enjoyed his company. We had asked him how to proceed but he was not sure.
Corrine McCarthy talked to people at San Pedro (Orlando area), and, visited
Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, in Melbourne, Florida. Fred Schaeffer offered
to contact the Capuchin Spiritual Assistant of St. Mary Province in New
England, and other friars he knew from his Capuchin experience.
Fr. Mike Heine
invited us to a Day of Recollection at John Carroll High School, in Ft.
Pierce. There were about eight of us.
Fred requested
and we received permission, from Msgr. Irvine Nugent, Pastor, to meet at St.
Helen Parish, in Vero Beach, and met there in November, December of 1992.
1993
We met on
January 10th, at St. Helen’s Parish, and on January 13th, Fred Schaeffer
mailed a letter to Mr. Ben O’Neal, SFO, then Minister of Our Lady of Lourdes
Fraternity. In this letter, Fred explained how he had gotten into contact with
Fr. Zachary Grant, OFM Cap., and subsequently had been referred to the late
Elizabeth Ryder, SFO (then Secretary to NAFRA), who had explained the
Regionalization process and she spoke of an emergent Region in Florida. She
advised us to contact Larry Herbert. Larry explained various things about Five
Franciscan Martyrs Region, what we should do, and to contact Ben O’Neal.
On January 16th,
Fred mailed requests to the following churches, asking for the insertion of a
parish bulletin notice, suggesting that our February meeting be an
organizational meeting of professed Secular Franciscans and others interested
in starting a fraternity. The churches where this bulletin notice was
requested were: Holy Cross (Vero Beach), St. Sebastian (Sebastian), St. John
of the Cross (Vero Beach), St. Helen (Vero Beach), St. Anastasia (Ft. Pierce),
and, Our Lady of Guadalupe mission at Fellsmere, Florida.
We met on
February 14, 1993 and we discussed the proposed election (as suggested by Ben
O’Neal, SFO) slated for April of 1993. More than a dozen people were present.
We met on March
14, 1993, to further prepare for the April meeting. A newsletter was started
by Fred Schaeffer. In months previous to March 1993, he had been using
postcards as meeting notices and a personal letter-format where applicable.
The newsletter was just called "Newsletter."
Ben O’Neal, SFO,
representing Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, as sponsor, supervised the
election of the following officers: Fred Schaeffer, Minister; Helen Caldarone,
Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz, Secretary; and, Cecile Morelli, Treasurer. The
meeting was held on April 18, 1993, the day of beatification of Sr. Faustina.
Although the name of the fraternity was drawn by lots (secret ballot), it
surely is more than coincidence that this fratemity’s name is Divine Mercy A
good number of people were present (Secretary has attendance records).
We registered
this group with Pam Nagle, SFO, Regional Treasure, opening a checking account
at Great Western Bank. We met on the 3rd Sunday of the month by exception,
having arranged to meet always on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Formation of
inquirers has begun. Fred is taking formation with Our Lady of Lourdes
Fraternity, in Melbourne (since February 1993).
We had a
terrific meeting on June 13, 1993. Many are on vacation but there were still
nine (9) present. The group has all the characteristics of a happy family.
In August, seven
people asked to become candidates. These people have completed the study of
chapters 1-6 in "Catch me a Rainbow". The "Rite of Admission" is being planned
for the November 1993 meeting.
The November
meeting, on the 14th, in the Upper Room took place (due to the amount of
visitors) at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center, where the Rite of Admission
was celebrated. Ben O’Neal, SFO, Minister of Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity,
provided the participants with a booklet outlining the Rite and the parts for
the candidates and other participants. Besides Ben, Isabel Harvey, SFO,
Kathleen Kibbe, SFO, Fr. Mike Heine, OFM Conv., and Fred Schaeffer
participated. The candidates were: Eugene and Helen Caldarone, Joe John, Jean
Kurtz, Marge and Steve Litcher, Elaine and John Matthews, and Frances ‘Pat’
Riordan. We welcomed Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, who joined us. He has been
installed as Parochial Vicar at St. John of the Cross Parish. There were 20
people attending the meeting and seven couldn’t make it.
1994
Fred was in bed
with the flu in January. Helen Caldarone opened the meeting, which began at
St. Helen’s, and was continued in Helen and Gene’s dining room at their
Pelican Lane house, over dinner.
On February
13th, we met at St. John of the Cross Church, on 82nd Avenue, where we met Fr.
Tom Murphy, OFM, Spiritual Assistant of Five Franciscan Martyrs Region. He and
Fr. Richard concelebrated H. Mass for the group, consisting of 29 people. It
was a very wonderful day, where Fr. Tom spoke at length about Christopher
Columbus, and about the Psalms.
Our March
meeting took place on the 13th, at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center, at 2
p.m. Fred made a special effort to get participants to send in articles and
notes for the "Newsletter." We met in April but nothing significant occurred.
Since our
meeting (2nd Sunday of the month, as usual) fell on Mothers’ Day, attendance
was sparser, however, most of us felt it was appropriate to hold a SFO meeting
on Mothers’ Day because Mary is our mother as well as the Mother of God.
June. Nothing
stands out from this June meeting, except a renewed effort by Fred to teach
the participants the finer points of the Liturgy of the Hours and how to pray
this wonderful Liturgical prayer. We put a questionnaire in the "Newsletter as
Ben O’Neal’s suggestion, asking for guidance regarding scheduling of the
proposed professions on October 4, 1994. We had given the candidates a choice
of October 4th or October 9th (normal meeting date). The majority chose
October 4th, the feast of our Seraphic Father Francis. On June 25th, Larry
Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the
Diocese of Orlando.
July. Fred, in
the July 1994 issue of the "Newsletter," copied those portions of the
Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (NAFRA edition), pertinent to
Profession or Promise of Evangelical Life.
In August, Fred
sent a letter to all Candidates for Profession, dated August 29, 1994. It was
a letter "from the heart’ written with lots of guidance by the Holy Spirit.
In the
September/October 1994 issue of our "Newsletter," Fred thanked some of the
early promoters of the fraternity, and this short note should be made part of
this record too:
As we prepare
for professions, let us pray most especially for the Franciscans and other
friends who had a hand in the formation of this Fraternity, Corrine
McCarthy, SFO and her husband Bill, Jean Kurtz, Rose and Bob O’Brien, SFO,
Trudy and George Thomas, all were instrumental in getting this fraternity
started. Let us pray for Ben O’Neal, SFO, and for Franciscans of Our Lady of
Lourdes Secular Franciscan Fraternity, who graciously offered to sponsor us.
Ben, Millie Kaminowsky, SFO, Kay Libby, SFO, Isabel Harvey, SFO, and others,
participated in our first initiation ceremony and other meetings. Let us say
a special ‘Thank You’ to Jesus for the generosity of Msgr. Irvine Nugent,
Pastor of St. Helen, Fr. Sean Flynn, Fr. Alfredo Hernandez, and Paul Zedek (DRE)
who permitted us to use the CLC for our meetings. We’re blessed to have this
wonderful place to meet. Finally, let’s thank Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, Spiritual
Assistant to SFO for Five Franciscan Martyrs’ Region, Fr. Mike Heine, OFM
Conv., and Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, who continue to be our friends. May the
Lord enrich their ministry and give them peace and all that is good.
On October 4,
1994, seven souls were professed: Helen Caldarone, SFO; Eugene Caldarone, SFO;
Jean Kurtz, SFO; Elaine Matthews, SFO; John Matthews, SFO; Frances ‘Pat’
Riordan, SFO; and, Fred Schaeffer, SFO. Praise God! Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO,
celebrated Holy Mass in St. Helen’s Chapel, and the professions were made
after the Gospel, and received by Fr. Richard who had been delegated by Fr.
Tom Murphy, OFM to receive these Evangelic promises on behalf of Five
Franciscan Martyrs’ Province, and the Church. Fr. Richard signed the
"Certificate" card. Anticipating the need for a new Chapter, members were
asked to let the Council know where they would like to serve. Until this point
in time there had been a few hasty Council Meetings, most things having been
hashed out in open meeting; Fred urged the members to meet once a month,
separate from the monthly meeting, and this will be done at Helen’s house in
the last, or next to last week of each month. Shortly after the professions
took place.
Except that our
meeting in November 1994 was the first meeting at which there was no formation
(except for one inquirer), and where all of us, now professed, were together,
there is nothing special to report.
December. We
held a Council Meeting before the Regular Meeting on December 11th, and had a
small social with Christmas in mind. Fred hopes once again "to take the
mystery out" of the Liturgy of the Hours. The only way to learn your way
around these prayers is to pray them twice a day, morning and evening. The
issue of the "Newsletter" was largely devoted to this effort.
1995
We met on
January 8th at the customary place at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center,
Dining Room. Fred urged the group to do something about the office of
Treasurer, which should have been filled and had been vacant for some time.
February. A
slate of nominations came together, and Fred contacted Ben O’Neal, SFO, who
promised to contact Carlos Calderon, SFO, Regional Coordinator, to schedule a
Chapter. Shortly afterwards, we heard from Ben that the Chapter had been
indefinitely postponed, at least until after Canonical Establishment. Fr. Rock
Travnikar, OFM, of the Midwest Franciscan, visiting Fred in Vero Beach,
concelebrated Holy Mass for us, with Fr. Richard. It was a wonderful meeting,
and an unforgettable day for Fred. Fr. Rock gave Fred an earthenware cup, used
as the Communion Cup at this Mass, made by Dave Kobek, then Candidate to OFMs;
this cup, used many times since at OFM Vocation functions as the Chalice, was
a wonderful symbol of friendship and partnership between the OFM and SFO’s.,
in general, and Fr. Rock, Fr. Richard, Br. Dave, Fred, and the members of
Divine Mercy Fratemity, in particular.
March 12th was
the meeting Sunday. Nothing stands out about this meeting except that we met
as a happy and close-knit spiritual family.
April’s meeting
fell on Palm Sunday, a good way to contemplate the significance in our lives
of the events that took place so many years ago, when our brother, and Lord,
Jesus, and his Mother Mary, and the Apostles, were on earth and their story
unfolded and ended with the Crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection. John and
Elaine Matthews, SFO attended a retreat at Our Lady of Florida Monastery in
North Palm Beach, given by Secular Franciscans from fraternities in the
southem area. We discussed what type of activity or program we might use at
future meetings, and urged all to begin an apostolate. The Council is meeting
once a month now rather than sporadically.
At our May 14th
meeting, Fred appointed, at the request of Council, our new Treasurer: Elaine
Matthews, SFO. From this meeting forward, we agreed to begin each meeting at
1:30 p.m., with a 20-30 minute social where coffee, soda, and some other
goodies would be made available. We also agreed to try to place an agenda for
each meeting, as decided at the monthly Council Meeting, in the "Newsletter."
Most of us attended a wonderful event at St Helen’s, the first Mass of Fr.
Glen Pothier, who had been ordained just two days before. Fr. Glen has been
appointed Parochial Vicar at St. Helen. He also did his intership here and was
ordained a Transitional Deacon in 1993, at St. Helen. At the May meeting we
showed a video on Mother Teresa.
As a nice change
of pace, the June meeting was held at the home of John and Elaine Matthews,
followed by a pot-luck dinner. The second half of the Mother Teresa video was
shown. The "Newsletter", largely a collection of sharings, teachings, etc., by
Fred, as well as little quotations from various books and pamphlets, is
steadily growing from two to four sides (pages), but another request was made
for stuff authored by the rest of us. Rita Hutchinson, SFO, Minister of Our
Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, phoned Fred that on June 11th, we had been voted
in at the Five Franciscan Martyrs’ Regional Fraternity and accordingly, we’re
now "Emergent." (a step on the way to Canonical Approbation)
July. Marguerite
and Tony Bonner, SFO, friends and winter visitors, write that they had gotten
back home safely. Back home is in Barnegat, New Jersey. Fred mailed a letter
to Fr. Mark Sangy, OFM Conv., who teaches at John Carroll High School in Ft.
Pierce and is Guardian of the group of Conventual friars there, living at St.
Clare of Assisi Friary, inviting him or one of his fellow friars to our
meetings. We viewed a video on St. Clare during this meeting.
We met on August
13th. Helen and Eugene Caldarone were on vacation; in fact, Fred was
‘house-sitting’ their abode on Pelican Lane. Fred tried to show a video on St.
Maximillian Kolbe, however, the video equipment available didn’t do too well.
We heard we had been invited to a Day of Recollection sponsored by Our Lady of
Lourdes Fraternity in Melbourne, on September 16th.
The Day of
Recollection, on the September 16th, held at the Campus Ministry All Faiths
Center at Florida Tech, was a wonderful experience. We all met Pam Nagle, SFO,
Regional Treasurer, of Tampa, who helped us by suggesting a text for proposed
bulletin notices. Corrine McCarthy, SFO, helped a lot with this too, mostly in
goading Fred on, to ‘do something about’ the ‘no-publish’ situation. Fred
later discussed this with Larry Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, since this
topic had been under discussion for some time. Larry advised Fred that there
were problems in finding a friar province sponsor to provide Altius
Moderamen as set forth in Canon Law, and elsewhere. We met, also, on
September 10th for our regular meeting, where Gene Caldarone, SFO, presented
the beginning of his discussion on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical "The Gospel
of Life" (Evangelium Vitae). We’re all praying for Jean Kurtz, SFO, who
is convalescing from surgery. We added the Rosary, to our meeting prayers, or
at least where possible, the Liturgy of the Hours having preference when
pressed for time.
October. The
"Newsletter" now has a subheading, part of the wording suggested by Pam in
September, which says: "A group of professed Secular Franciscans, seeking to
experience the life of the Gospel in fraternity, who are taking their final
steps on the journey toward Canonical Establishment." Fred called Larry
Herbert a number of times to sort out the stumbling block concerning Canonical
Establishment, and learned that National Fraternity put a new procedure into
place and that Holy Name Province’s reluctance to admit any new fraternities
in Florida, due to lack of ‘friar presence’ may have been influenced by the
new procedures. Corrine appropriately termed this "Franciscan Dis-Order." We
keep plugging away at it. A number of appointments were made by Fred on behalf
of the Council, eyeing growth in the near future: To "Co-Directors of
Formation": Eugene Caldarone, SFO, and Pat Riordan, SFO; to "Assisting
Formation Team": John Matthews, SFO, and to "Recruitment Director," Corrine
McCarthy, SFO. Essentially, now all members at present are welcome to attend
Council meetings, if they desire.
Our November
12th meeting featured the continuation of Gene Caldarone’s talk on "The Gospel
of Life". We showed the video "Miracles of the Eucharist" and, most
importantly, we had a friar visitor Fr. Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv.,
from St. Clare of Assisi Friary, Fort Pierce. It was a blessing to listen to
Fr. Anthony Francis's story. The "Newsletter" has been renamed. We now know it
as "The Canticle."
December. "The
Canticle" has been completed, in which we announced that the next meeting will
be on December 10th. Jean Kurtz, SFO, wrote a nice article on meditation.
Council decided on a mixed meeting program with lots of different things,
ending with Christmas carols. Fred talked with Larry Herbert, SFO, once more,
since there is a glimmer of hope that the Conventuals will pick us up if we
complete certain steps. The most necessary step is a Regional Fraternal and
Pastoral Visitation which will be on January 14, 1996. Larry Herbert, SFO,
Regional Minister, and Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, Regional Spiritual Assistant will
be visiting us. We made arrangement for Fr. Tom to overnight with Helen and
Gene because of space limitations at St Helen’s Christian Living Center. It
appears that there is a retreat going on. Fred discussed this with Paul Zedek,
DRE at St. Helen, who is in charge of "room useage", along with Sandy Miller.
He feels that we should probably use the Chapel for that meeting, but it is
best to see what is available at the time.
Fred began
writing this Chronology, which will be continued. This material will be turned
over to the Vice-Minister, when Fred leaves in July for Cincinnati. A copy of
this Chronology, to date, has been made available to Larry Herbert, Regional
Minister, Five Franciscan Martyrs Region, and to the Fraternity’s Council.
1996
Deacon Larry
Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, came down with Father Tom Murphy, OFM, Regional
Spiritual Assistant, for a Fraternal and Pastoral visitation on January 14th.
The February 11th
meeting was routine. Fred attended the Regional Annual Meeting in the Orlando
area where Richard Nagle, SFO, became Regional Minister. What is very important
is that our request for Canonical Establishment is back on track and it is
expected to be received in July 1996.
Meetings in March
and April came and went. So did May, in the rising anticipation of receiving
Canonical Approval. This approval was received in writing, on June 9, 1996! So
it took 4 years to be "Established" and receive Canonical Approbation. But in
the meantime, there would be a change in Fred's life. He left on July 8th to
join the OFM's in Ohio, and later Indiana.
In the meantime,
Jean Kurtz, SFO, inherited the editorship after Fred Schaeffer had departed and,
the following 'chronology' has been pieced together from past newsletters. In
August, our friend and spiritual advisor, Fr. Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM. Conv.
left to take on another assignment up north.
Due to vacations
it is believed the August meeting attendance was rather sparse but in September,
on the 8th, the fraternity met again. Fred sent a reflection which was attached
to the Canticle.
The October
meeting was on the 13th, and the big news was that Trudy and George Thomas were
professed that day. This was very significant, because Trudy's health was
deteriorating and she desired to be professed so much before the end. Rick and
Pam Nagle and Fr. Tom were on hand for the ceremony.
Our next meeting
was on November 16th when we welcomed Father Joseph Dorniak, OFM., Conv., as our
new Spiritual Assistant. He also teaches at John Carroll High School in nearby
Fort Pierce.
At the December
8th meeting, Fred was down for Christmas vacation, and we all got together at
Jean's house.
1997
The first meeting
in 1997 was on January 12th at the home of Elaine and John Matthews, SFO, where
Fr. Joe said Mass and after that there was a pot luck meal. Our meeting on
February 9th seemed uneventful. We viewed a video on Padre Pio. March 9th
meeting came with a call for the annual regional dues (this year $30 per
professed member). These fees are worthwhile as they pay for the use of an
automobile and travel expensed for the Regional Spiritual Assistant (Fr. Tom)
and there is a portion of this money that is submitted by the Regional Treasurer
to the National Fraternity. Trudy Thomas, SFO passed away, on February 6,
1997, and was eulogized by her husband, George at the March meeting.
The meeting on
April 9th brought a report from Helen Caldarone, SFO, Fraternity Minister
covering Annual Reports, Procedures for Elections, a change in the preferred
Initial and Ongoing Formation texts (viz. "Fully Mature with the Fullness of
Christ" by Fr. Bennett Fonck, OFM.) She also announced an upcoming retreat in
St. Augustine (May 9-11), another retreat in September, etc.
The May 11th
meeting was routine. At the June 8th meeting, we were told that the next formal
elections would be held September 7, 1997. We heard from Fred who would be
moving to the OFM Novitiate in Cedar Lake, Indiana, in June.
The July 13th
meeting had Deacon Henk Toussaint from San Sebastian Parish in Sebastian,
talking to us. The elections have been postponed to October 5th.
As usual, the
August meeting was sparsely attended due to ongoing vacations. Nominations for
Officers would be taken next month. A very complete writing on the functions of
each of the Officer positions, Minister, Vice-Minister, Secretary, Formation
Director, and Treasurer was enclosed with the August Canticle.
At the September
14th meeting, a slate of Nominations were agreed upon as follows:
Helen Caldarone, Minister; John Matthews, Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz, Secretary;
Pat Riordan, Treasurer; and, Gene Caldarone, Formation Director.
The Chapter of
Elections took place on October 5th and the persons on the Slate of Nominations
were elected and installed. News came that Fred has received the OFM habit on
October 3rd.
The November 9th
meeting ended with a picnic in honor of Corrine McCarthy, SFO, who is
celebrating thirty years as a Franciscan. She's one of the three co-Founders of
our Fraternity.
December 14th was
a Christmas party type meeting.
1998
The January 1998
meeting took place on the 11th. Fred Schaeffer, SFO returned to Vero Beach on
December 7, 1997. The OFM experience did not work out and he was looking for
something more contemplative. Fred would be staying at the home of Elaine and
John Matthews for a while. We attended (on Jan. 22nd) a meeting at the KofC Hall
to coordinate voluntary work at the local Soup Kitchen (The Source) where 13,000
meals a year are served.
At the February
8th meeting, Fred helped out by covering Chapter 5 of the formation text. Pat
Reardon underwent surgery on Jan. 12th and is recuperating.
At the March 8th
meeting nothing special happened. The April meeting was moved because of Easter,
to April 5th. Fred left again to join the monks of adoration, in
Massachusetts, a monastic contemplative community, on March 31st.
The May meeting
was moved, too, because of Mother's Day on the one hand, and a Regional Meeting
on the other. We received a note from Pat Riordan, SFO., that she was all healed
and returned to work on April 13th.
In June, our
meeting on the 14th the whole fraternity turned out to help at The Source to
donate and prepare the meal. Corrine McCarthy, SFO., moved back up north
and now lived at Kittery, Maine., and Fred reported that he's very happy at his
new monastery in Massachusetts.
The July meeting
was held on the 12th at Jean Kurtz's home. The August 9th meeting was held at
Gene and Helen's house. Elaine Matthews, SFO, is retiring in June. Corrinne is
settling up north but still has health problems, vertigo.
The September 13th
meeting was routine, as was October's meeting on the 11th. The members are
putting in time at The Source on various days. Many wonderful teachings and
reflections from Fred are attached to this year's newsletters. These should and
will be republished in the future.
At the November
8th meeting, Gene gave a talk on False Spirituality. At our meeting in December
(13th), we're planning to sign up for more dates to help out at The Source, as a
Fraternity apostolate.
1999
The January 10th
meeting was routine. Father Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv., sent us a nice
Christmas letter which was promptly attached to each copy of The Canticle. In
February, at our meeting on the 14th, Candidate formation would begin again. On
March 14th, Franciscan Father Ray Oosdyke gave a talk. Tony Bonner, SFO., one of
our winter visitors with his wife, Marguerite, is very ill and has been in and
out of the hospital. They asked for prayers.
Jean gave a talk
on Blessed Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion at the April 11th meeting and
at 3:00 pm the chaplet was chanted by all. At the May 9th meeting, Jack
DeMello, SFO., from Cape Cod gave a talk. In this month, Jerry Carey married
Arlene. Tony Bonner passed away.
The June 13th
meeting was uneventful. The July meeting was held at Jean Kurtz's home and Donna
would give a talk on St. Leopold Mandich, a Franciscan Saint she's been studying
in her travels in Europe, and specifically Italy. The August meeting was held at
the Caldarone home where our friend, Deacon Henk gave a talk.
September 12th was
the date of profession for Jerry Carey, attended by Fr. Tom, Deacon Ric and Pam
Nagle, SFO. Fred Schaeffer wrote that he ended his Novitiate on August 28th and
was now a full-fledged, but very junior, monk.
The October
meeting on the 10th brought a talk by John Matthews on Visitation House. We
learned that Fr. Richard (now Fr. John Mary, OFM) was reassigned to Cypress.
November 14th meeting was a quiet meeting. We were saddened by the passing of
Fr. Sean Flynn, of St. Helen's parish where we hold our meetings.
Father Ray gave a
talk at our December 12th meeting. The year closed with a whimper.
2000
Our January 2000
issue of the Canticle came with an exhortation by Helen Caldarone, SFO,
Fraternity Minister, for us, the professed members to always wear a symbol of
the Order to evangelize that we're Franciscans. She suggested we wear a Tau
cross or pin, or ring. Since we, as lay Franciscans, don't wear a cloth habit,
the Tau insignia is, in fact, our habit. Also, Brother Frederick arranged for
another website for the Fraternity.
February 13th
meeting featured another talk by Father Ray (Ongoing Formation) and a talk on
healing by John Matthews, SFO. Helen mentioned that at our January meeting
with all the snowbird Franciscans back here, we almost ran out of chairs to seat
them all.
March 12th was the
profession day of Donna DiMesa. It was held at St. John of the Cross parish. A
day of recollection is scheduled for April 1st, a Saturday, to be conducted by
the Regional team.
April 9th brought
a talk by Donna on St. Francis, and Father Ray participated again. The day of
Recollection on April 1st was very successful. Father Tom celebrated Holy Mass
as part of the Recollection day.
Donna talked on
the Tau symbol and its meaning and Helen led us in the Crown Rosary at the May
14th meeting. June 11th's meeting was chaired by John Matthews, SFO, since
the Caldarones were expected to be away.
Helen Caldarone,
SFO., Fraternity Minister, took over the editing of The Canticle with the July
2000 issue because Jean was moving. On the 9th, there was a nice Ongoing
Formation program and a teaching by Gene Caldarone on "The Little Office of the
Blessed Virgin."
The August 13th
meeting included a report on a reception held for Fred Schaeffer (Brother
Frederick) who was able to visit Vero Beach for a short vacation. It was a
wonderful get-together. A day of recollection was held in Melbourne on August
12th.
On September 10th,
a Chapter of Elections was held, where Jerry Carey, SFO became the new
Treasurer, and Jennie Donlin, SFO, our new Secretary. Other officers remained
the same.
On November 29,
2000, Jean Kurtz, SFO, passed away. She was one of the founding members of the
fraternity and will be sorely missed. She led a very holy life.
On November 18th,
most of the Franciscans of our fraternity made a pilgrimage to St. Ignatius
Cathedral in Palm Beach to receive the Millennium Indulgence.
At the December
10th., meeting, Jim Catrambone was Admitted to Candidacy.
2001
On January 14,
2000, Carmela LaMattina was Admitted to Candidacy. Also, at that meeting, the
fraternity agreed to begin a Pledge Drive to raise funds for the purchase of a
St. Anthony of Padua statue to be donated to the new church of St. John of the
Cross, upon completion of construction.
Helen and Gene
Caldarone, SFO., attended a Formation Conference in Melbourne with ministers
from several fraternities of the East-Central Florida area present, as well as
Peace & Justice officers from the Five Franciscan Martyrs' Regional Council.
In May 2001,
Treasurer Gerry Carey reports that the statue funds has $1000 in it!
June 13, 2001, the
feastday of St. Anthony of Padua, a Day of Recollection was held at Holy Cross
parish in Vero Beach.
On July 8th, a
Ritual of Welcoming was held for Peggy Rysdyke, who became an Inquirer. At each
of the monthly meetings, the fraternity is using "Fully Mature in the Fullness
of Christ," by Friar Benet Fonck, OFM., as a formation text.
September: Due to
renovations of St. Helen's Christian Living Center, our meeting room will hence
forth be in the "South Room," later known as the "Emmaus Room." It is believed
this meeting location will work out much better than the previous because there
are some lockable cabinets in that room for our library and meeting supplies.
We celebrated the
Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4th) with a Day of Reflection.
This information was sent to the various local parishes so that it could be
included in their bulletins.
On November 11th,
a Rite of Admission was held for Andrea Cardoza.
2002
The Rite of
Profession for Jim Catrambone and Carmela LaMattina, was held on January 5th,
2002, at St. Lucie Church in Port St. Lucie, thanks to Monsignor Burke's
generosity. The newly professed attend Holy Mass at St. Lucie Church. Father Tom
Murphy, OFM presided over the Rite of Profession and celebrated Holy Mass,
there.
At our regular
monthly meeting (Jan. 13th), the Rite of Admission was held for Marguerite
"Peggy" Rysdyke.
On Sunday, May 19,
2002, the Rite of Profession for Caroline DiGennaro was held by Father John
Crowley, Pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish. Caroline is sacristan at this
parish.
Per capital dues
($35) are now due for anyone professed before (or a member of our fraternity
before) 12/31/01. Sarah Hardy, and Jack & Susan Solloway have volunteered to
work with the Peace and Justice Commission (Sarah), the Work Commission (Jack)
and the Family Commission (Susan).
There was a
wonderful surprise at the July 2002 meeting: Fred Schaeffer, SFO., one of the
founders of the Fraternity, and its first minister, has returned (on July 2nd)
and requested to be reinstated in the Fraternity. After five years as a
contemplative monastic, Fred returned due to
health reasons. He bought a manufactured home in Vero Beach and will again be
very active at St. Helen's parish. Fred offered to be Webmaster for the
fraternity since he had started a new website with our fraternity in mind (but
also for his own evangelization apostolate). He's also our Librarian. Effective
with the November issue of the Canticle Fred will again be editor at the request
of Helen who is Fraternity Minister, who can use a break, workload wise.
In November-December 2002, Fred
was appointed Ecology Commissioner and Jim Catrambone volunteered to be Youth
Commissioner. Corrine McCarthy, SFO, one of our three founding members, enrolled
the Fraternity into a one-year membership to share in the prayers of the Poor
Clares. Julie McHugh was admitted to SFO as a Candidate in a beautiful ceremony
in November.
We rejoiced in the election of
Encarnacion del Pozo who was elected SFO General Minister.
The year ended with a Christmas
party at the Caldarones after the December meeting. Their hospitality, as
always, was outstanding!
2003
We began to focus (already) on a
10/4/03 celebration to be held at St. John of the Cross. We wanted something
really big and were prepared to invite a Franciscan "of note" to make it a
treasured event. Donna Haro volunteered to lead the project and small committees
were gradually established to handle various aspects of the event.
Our Minister, Helen Caldarone
placed much emphasis on the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
The highlight of February was a
visit by Fr. Richard LaCorte, our former Spiritual Assistant, currently assigned
to the Diocese of Fargo, ND in the town of Lidgerwood.
Gene Caldarone re-introduced us to
our Fraternity Ministry - monthly donations to the poor via St. Helen's
Neighborhood Apostolate Pantry. He suggested we might eat fewer times in
restaurants and use the savings to purchase canned goods for the Pantry. St.
Helen's Pantry feeds many poor people in the outlying areas of Vero Beach, such
as Gifford and Winter Beach but also in Vero Beach itself.
Also in February, John & Elaine
Matthews and Fred Schaeffer attended a Chapter of Mats at San Pedro Center in
Winter Park, Florida, which covered new 4-volume set, Saint Francis of Assisi:
Early Documents, written/edited by Br. Bill Short, OFM, Fr. Wayne Hellman, OFM
Conv., and Fr. Regis Armstrong, OFM Cap. Unfortunately, Fr. Regis was ill but
the other two Franciscans were there and it was very interesting. Our March 2003
issue of the Canticle (elsewhere on this site) has a report on that Chapter.
Also, the meeting time on the 2nd
Sunday of each month, was changed to 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm to alleviate parking
problems incurred at St. Helen's due to the Noon Mass.
At the April meeting, we had a
ceremony marking the half-way point in Peter Askin's candidacy. We also reviewed
Donna's progress for the Oct. 4th event.
On May 3rd, 2003, at St. Lucie
Church (Port St. Lucie, Florida), we celebrated the Profession of Andrea Cardoza,
and Peggy Rysdyke to full membership in the Fraternity. Fr. Tom Murphy was
present and it was a grand celebration.
May 2003 was a joyful meeting
moved to the third Sunday in May to allow mothers to celebrate Mothers Day on
the 2nd Sunday with their families.
In June, Jennie Donlin volunteered
to take care of our library. We prayed much for world peace, particularly in the
Middle East. Since July and August are months where members are often away on
vacation, there was nothing special about the meetings except that attendance
was high and our meetings are always animated. There are no dull meetings in our
Fraternity!
In September 2003 we tried
something different. Using Fr. Benedict Groeschel's "Oratory of Divine Love"
format, we're using this and the corresponding SFO Rule article for ongoing
formation for professed members. That was actually vary interesting.
Our October 2003 meeting was the
time for the Visitation of the Regional Council. Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM celebrated
Holy Mass in the Chapel of St. Helen's Christian Living Center for us all, and
Pam & Deacon Ric Nagle, SFO, were here also representing Carlos Calderon, SFO
(Regional Minister) who was unable to be here due to a family emergency. As
always, it was a very amicable, typical Franciscan, meeting and it is always
great to have Fr. Tom, and the Nagles with us.
Our October 4th,
2003,
program in pictures
Our Fraternity is
10+ years old! Our first meeting took place
in April 1992, but the meeting at which we elected Officers and named the
Fraternity took place on April 18, 1993. At that meeting, our brother, Ben
O’Neal, SFO, representing Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, as sponsor, supervised
the election of the following officers: Fred Schaeffer, Minister; Helen
Caldarone, Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz (RIP), Secretary; and, Cecile Morelli,
Treasurer. The meeting was held on April 18, 1993, the day of beatification of
Sr. Faustina. Although the name of the fraternity was drawn by lots (secret
ballot), it surely is more than coincidence that this fraternity’s name is
Divine Mercy Secular Franciscan Fraternity.
We thank God for all the Grace we
have experienced for our fraternity is healthy and vibrant.
Most of us realize that the deceased co-founder Jean
Kurtz, SFO, and also Trudy Thomas, SFO, continue to contribute to our Fraternity
in their intercessory prayer from Heaven. Their earthly journey has ended but
their journey with Jesus for all time is ongoing.
The November 2003 meeting came and
went. We prayed that God appoint us a Spiritual Assistant, and we prayed for
Julie, Fr. Brian et al. (See below)
On November 16th, at St. Lucie
Parish in Port St. Lucie, Fr. Brian Horgan, Pastor, presiding, Julie McHugh
became our 21st Professed Member. Her profession took place in a regularly
scheduled Mass and we are extremely grateful to Fr. Brian for his generosity, in
defraying expenses for the reception that followed. It is always very special
when those being professed are shared with an entire congregation. This does not
happen frequently. Thank you, Julie for your generosity and prayer. We welcome
you are our sister in Saint Francis.
The December 2003 meeting and
Christmas party was held at the home of Eugene and Helen Caldarone, SFO in Vero
Beach. Although we have not mentioned it, the Inquirers and Candidates meet
always a half hour before any meeting do follow through with their studies of
the Order and our way of life. And this month was no exception. A slate of
Officers was presented by Nominating Committee Chairperson Peggy Rysdyke, SFO. A
Chapter of Elections is scheduled for the January 2004 meeting. Then, Donna Haro,
SFO, gave a wonderful talk on "Miracles." She really dug into the history of
Miraculous occurrences and also spoke of the well known Eucharistic Miracles in
Italy in earlier centuries. The Christmas goodies followed and before breaking
up we prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, Evening Prayer, in common. A Merry, Holy
Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year as well.
2004
We received a nice Christmas
card from Marguerite Bonner, SFO, a seasonal resident who frequently attended
meetings from the very beginning of our fraternity. She writes: "Hi Folks, I'm
undecided about getting down to Florida this year. I have my house up for
sale. If it sells, it'll help make up my mind. I enjoyed being with you at the
meetings and quite happy with the success and growth of the chapter. Good luck
and God Bless you all. Then we received a card from Nick and Dorothy Todorich,
SFO, who are also seasonal residents who have visited with us from time to
time. They write: "We're spending our first winter in 9 years in Pa. The M.S.
Society asked me to come back to work. So I decided to help out." Dorothy
speaks of Nick's health problems. Please pray for them, they are our brothers
and sisters in Saint Francis.
The following Officers were elected: Helen Caldarone, SFO, Minister
(3rd term); Fred Schaeffer, SFO, Vice Minister; Jennie Donlin, SFO, Secretary;
Sarah Hardy, SFO, Treasurer. For the first time in our Fraternity, the
Director of Formation (Gene Caldarone, SFO) became an elected position, as are
the two Councillors-at-Large (George Thomas, SFO and Marguerite Rysdyke, SFO)
February. Ceremony of Introduction and Welcoming (See RITUAL p9-10) for
Skip and Hope Leet took place. In March, many of us watched "Perspectives"
(Mar. 21st and 28th, 2004), sponsored by St. Helen Parish on Vero Beach's
Local Channel 10 - WWCI-TV. Helen Calderone & John Matthews appeared on the
first show, Helen & Fred Schaeffer on the second.
The March and April meetings did not present anything special. The
final “Perspectives” show was aired in April, with Donna and Fred. These shows
are all about our Fraternity and the SFO!
In early July 2004, we welcome back Fr. Richard P. LaCorte, SFO within
our midst, our Spiritual Assistant. Since he was professed in Barrenspot, St.
Croix, USVI as an Isolated Tertiary on April 24, 1981 and therefore, at this
time is not connected to any fraternity, we asked Pam Nagle, and through her
Fr. Tom, if Fr. Richard would be allowed to join our Fraternity. Normally a
Spiritual Assistant is not encouraged to be a member of the fraternity he
serves, but in his case an exception was made and so, since July 13, 2004, he
is no longer “Isolated.” We all need the support of our Franciscan communities
and so we’re glad. We praise God for His Grace in finding us a Spiritual
Assistant and dear friend. Fr. Richard received the Profession of the original
founding members on October 4, 1994 in the name of the Church and the
Franciscan Order. Fr. Tom wasn’t able to be present that day.
We were supposed to have a Day of Recollection September 8th at San Pedro, but
Mother Nature had other plans. On September 5, 2004, a Category 2
Hurricane (“Frances”) came ashore at Sewall’s Point – Vero Beach was in the
Northeastern Quadrant and so we were hit hard. As if this wasn’t enough, two
weeks later, on September 21st, Hurricane Jeanne, a Category 3 type,
also making landfall at Sewall’s Point, did considerably more damage. Damage
went from the Palm Beaches all the way into Brevard County and points North
and East. In Indian River County about 8000 people became homeless, and many
thousands lost employment. During August and September combined, four large
hurricanes hit our State of Florida. We met in August by we do not recall
anything special. All our members suffered some damage. Several lost their
homes. The September meeting was held but was poorly attended for obvious
reasons.
October 2004, we were all present at the meeting. Fr. Richard talked
about St. Thèrèse of Lisieux, in particular about her writings on Purgatory.
He had a printout for all of us, and Fred placed it on the website, as well.
It was a very convivial meeting where we followed our usual format of business
and talks before the refreshment break, and the Liturgy of the Hours and/or
other prayers in the Chapel of the Christian Living Center, after the break.
We look forward to the Profession of Ed O’Donnell and Kathleen Van Buskirk, on
October 17th, 2004 at the new St. John of the Cross parish (74th Ave.) at the
11:00 AM Mass, with our Spiritual Assistant, Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO,
presiding.
PAX
This history is now complete
through October 2004. We need a historian to finish this project through the
present!
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