Gatherings

St. Anthony's Corner Eternal Peace "Jesus came and stood before them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said.” (Jn 20:19) Peace can be said to be threefold: external, internal and eternal. You ought to have external peace with others; internal peace with yourself, and eternal peace with God. (From the Sermon for Sundays in the octave of Easter)

Like a Light to the World

Apostolic Commissions: "Formation"

Task: To encourage spiritual growth through Formation and to have a uniform plan for Formation at all stages. Chairpersons: Rena Xuereb and Joanne Elfers
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Profession 1999 A Time for Celebration On February 28, Adelia Encinias, Martha Lopez and Brigit McCoy were professed into the Secular Franciscan Order at Queen of Angels Chapel. On February 27 they attended a retreat at the Felician Sisters convent in Rio Rancho which was also attended by professed members.
Following the Mass, celebrated by Father Paul Juniet OFM, everyone came together for a reception. The fraternity wants to welcome Adelia, Martha and Brigit to the Franciscan family. Please continue to pray for the newly professed as well as all future SFO’s in you prayers. Thanks to Fr. Paul for the beautiful liturgy, to our minister Christina and council members and to Carol and Brigit and all involved in the food preparation.

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March 2, 1999

    Dear Rena,
             Please include this in the next newsletter.
    We sincerely appreciated all who helped make our retreat and profession day so memorable.
    The many prayers, thoughtful gifts and delicious banquet contributed to the festive occasion.
    May our Lord bless each of you for your generosity.
                                                                         Adelia, Brigit and Martha
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Miscellaneous

In Case you missed it:
Rosemary Encinias and Joseph were married February 12 at Queen of Angels Chapel. Father Paul celebrated the Mass followed by a reception. May God bless your marriage and your love for one another!

ABOUT ‘LENT’
One bitterly cold night in January the parish priest had to run to the local store for some groceries, so he bundled up and walked quickly around the corner. But a gunman stepped out and demanded his wallet. Eager to oblige, the priest reached inside his coat for his money only to reveal his Roman collar. The would-be robber was taken aback at this and said, “Excuse me, Father. I didn’t know you were a priest.” Very relieved, the priest responded gratefully, “Here, have a cigar.” The robber blurted, “No thanks,Father. I’ve given up smoking for Lent.” Moral: Penance is good; keeping
the commandments is better.

**** Remember When:
A History of Charlie’s & Marcie’s Franciscan Journey:

The year 1962 was a turning point in Charlie’s and Marcie’s lives. He was introduced to the Third
Order of St. Francis, was inspired to check it out, and was professed on Nov. 3d, 1963. Also, in 1962, he and Marcie met, courted, and were married on Oct. 19th, 1963- two weeks before Charlie’s profession.

For the next ten years, Charlie continued his Franciscan journey. He and Marcie were active in
several ministries at Holy Rosary Parish, including Weekends of Christian Living throughout the
archdiocese and a few out of state. After one of these weekends, Marcie commented, “Oh! I wish there were something in the church, that would provide a continuous spiritual formation after the Weekend of Christian Living experience.” Charlie said, “There is!” Marcie questioned, “What is it?” Charlie replied, “The Third Order of St. Francis!” This got Marcie’s attention. She joined, fell in love with their way of life, and was professed on Sept. 23, 1973.

Chaslie and Marcie were both very active in the Order for many years while raising five children.
They both served as Lay Ministers for St. Anthony Fraternity. Marcie has also served as Instructor of Candidates and Formation Director. When the Third Order became the Secular Franciscan Order in 1978, Charlie was a representative to the St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, OH. He was lay minister of the Southwest Region when it became the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1981, so he automatically became the first Lay Minister of the new province.

Charlie was ordained a Deacon in 1987. Marcie attended the 4 year training classes with him. Their ministries in the parish have kept them from continuing their activities in the Order, but they enjoy coming to the Franciscan gatherings when their other ministries allow them the time.

In Order to Serve

"May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment." (From the Rite of Ordination of Deacons).
We are nearly finished with the first year of formation in the diaconate program here in the Gallup diocese. Aside from the numerous papers and books we’re required to go through in order to be intellectually proficient there is the aspect of spiritual formation. We have a specific pastoral theology course that we take but I’d always wondered if I’d be ready for pastoral ministry if an occasion would ever present itself. Little did I realize that I’d be faced with a most unusual one.
At the beginning of March the medical records clerk I work with miscarried her second child at 35 weeks of pregnancy. She’s Baptist but they couldn’t find her pastor when she went into the hospital. My coworkers are aware of my aspirations so they asked if I’d go by the hospital to give her a pastoral visit. On the way over I wondered if I’d be able to say the right things. So I prayed for guidance and when I arrived I did the best I could drawing upon my own experience and training.
As I did my best to help her through the crisis I also did some natural things-like reaching down to touch her child and to give it a blessing. And to let her know that her little boy was now standing with his angel in the presence of God and that he would always be there for her and her family. I left her a small holy card with a picture of a small child in the palm of a hand and the saying of Isaiah 49:15, “I will never forget you...”
It seemed to help. But it wasn’t really the training that helped as much as the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who was in that room!
Michael A. Lente

Librarian

Remember, the library is open after the meetings!

Visit the Library after the fraternity meeting. You’ll find many hidden treasures and good reading.

Do you have a favorite Franciscan book or movie or tape you’d like to see reviewed? Let us know so we can include it!

TERTIO MILLENNIO ADVENIENTE

“As the Third Millennium Draws Near”

Article from “Leaves” by Br. James Miller, C.M.M.

God our Father is a loving Father. Pope John Paul II has called for the year 1999 to be a time to focus on God the Father. The two previous years, 1997 and 1998, were devoted to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Thus, this year we complete the Holy Trinity.

When we think of God the Father, what images come to mind? Do we think of an old man similar to Father Time who welcomes the New Year’s Baby? Is He stern and demanding? Do we relate our images of our own fathers- for good or for ill? Does He live somewhere “up there” sitting on a majestic throne? Is He powerful or tender?

Just who is the First Person of the Trinity? As the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” reminds us: Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the reation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works (CCC #198)

We begin the Creed with “I believe in God.” In order to believe in Him, we must first come to know Him. Scripture is a good place to begin our search. Reading Exodus, you will discover that God the Father remains faithful to His children, even when they are not faithful to Him. His love is “steadfast.” Ephesians tells us God is “rich in mercy.” In Psalm 119:160 we read of God that “the sum of your word is truth.”
The “Catechism” (#214) gives us a beautiful summary of God:

God, ‘He who is,’ revealed himself to Israel as the one ‘abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Ex 34:6). These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays not only his kindness, goodness, grace, and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness, and truth. ‘ I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness’ (Ps 138:2). He is the Truth, for ‘God is light and in him there is no darkness’; ‘God is love,’ as the apostle John teaches (1Jn1:5;4:8).

What an extraordinary portrait of God! Our God is a truly loving God, even when we sin, even when we don’t deserve His love. We may stray, but when we return, He is there waiting for us with open arms. Let us seek, this year, to know God our Father even better than we do now. The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” is a great place to begin. In reading the Catechism, take the time to look up the Scripture citations to gain an even better view of God’s glory.