Five Franciscan Martyrs Region
From our Regional Minister
November 2, 2006
Two years ago at their annual meeting, the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order, representing over 15,000 members throughout the United States, unanimously adopted a statement condemning the genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan.
As that horror continues, this year the National Fraternity reiterates that cry for justice and again urges that the United States firmly support the United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Darfur. In addition, we urge that the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service grant prompt and just refugee status to the people of Darfur now languishing in refugee camps in Kenya and throughout Africa.
Novena for Darfur
As agreed at the recent NAFRA meeting, the SFO in the United States would like to institute a “perpetual” novena for at least one year on behalf of the people of Darfur. Every day for the next year, members of the SFO will be praying the novena prayer. For this to happen, I am proposing that 5 Regional fraternities be assigned to cover each month. To make sure we cover the entire month, there will be four to five “waves” of the novena, each starting on Sunday. People are assigned to these waves by Region again, as noted below. For example, the first Sunday of December, members of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Region will begin praying the novena; the second Sunday of the month Lady Poverty will begin the novena. In this way the people of Dar fur will be held in prayer by the SFO for the entire year.
In the event there are only 4 Sundays in the month, the fifth Region can pray week 1, or choose another week. Individuals may start and end their novena on other days if necessary, or do a different week. If you want to continue to pray before or after your week/month you can certainly do that! You are also encouraged to share the novena with people in your parish, youth groups, or other organizations to which you belong.
A novena allows us to hold a particular concern before God in a special way. The name “novena” comes from the Latin for “nine”. Traditionally we pray a novena every day for nine days, and the prayer is usually a bit longer than a brief intercession. This allows us to give more of ourselves to our prayer for the concern we are bringing before God.
Dec/June
Jan/July
Feb/Aug
Mar/Sept
Apr/Oct
May/Nov
Week 1
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Bl Kateri Tekakwitha
Fr Solanus
The Tau Cross
Our Lady of the Angels
St. Katharine Drexel
Week 2
Lady Poverty
St. Margaret of Cortona
Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis
Five Franciscan Martyrs
St. Maximilian Kolbe
Holy Trinity
Week 3
Divine Mercy
Our Lady of Indiana
La Verna
Mother Cabrini
Franciscans of the Prairie
St. Clare
Week 4
St Joan of Arc
Queen of Peace
Juan de Padilla
Los Tres Companeros/Three Companions
Our Lady of the Rockies
Santa Maria de las Montanas
Week 5 or Week 1*
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Troubadours of Peace
Bl. Junipero Serra
St. Francis
St. Thomas More
Ohana O Ke Aneunue
The prayer follows:
Novena Prayer for Darfur
Merciful Father, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Wisdom and Compassion, please look upon our brothers and sisters in Darfur. We humbly pray:
-----For those who have been subjected to violence: women, children, young and old men, we ask for healing, consolation, and relief of further suffering.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
-----For those who have done violence, we ask for healing, forgiveness, and the grace of conversion.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
-----For those in authority throughout the world, we ask wisdom, creativity, compassion and courage in addressing this situation.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Lord Jesus, Your Sacred Heart burns for love of all your people. Please place in our hearts that same love and inspire us to have the courage, wisdom and ingenuity to take what measures we can personally to relieve the suffering in Darfur. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, our Lord, through the intercession of the sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Memorare: Remember oh most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, oh Virgin of Virgins, my mother. To thee to I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. Oh mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen
On June 1, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI asked for a negotiated solution to the bloody situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. The Holy Father said this today when receiving the letters of credence of Ahmed Hamid Elfaki Hamid, the new ambassador to the Holy See from Sudan. "In this deadly conflict, that primarily affects the civil populations, everyone knows that no solution to arrive at a just peace can be implemented with the force of arms," the Pope said. The Pontiff spoke of the need for "a culture of dialogue and negotiation, so as to arrive to a political solution of the conflict, which respects the cultural, ethnic and religious minorities." Benedict XVI continued: "It is never too late to courageously make the necessary, and at times demanding, decisions to bring to an end a crisis situation, with the condition that all parties involve themselves with sincerity and with determination in their resolve." The Holy Father made a call "to all persons that have responsibility in this situation so that they continue their efforts and make the required decisions." (fide Zenit.org)