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July/August 2015
The
Franciscan
Joy St. Peter Fraternity 168 John F.
Kennedy Blvd. Somerset NJ 08873
Visit our website : http://sfosomersetnj.sfousa.org/
From the Minister’s Desk.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am filling in for our minister, Mary Frances as she recuperates from knee surgery. She is doing great and is not easy to keep down. She sends her thanks for all the prayers and loving support from all her brothers and sisters.
Blessings and All Good
Penny
Mary Frances Reavey,OFS
Minister
Evelyn Lehr, OFS
Vice Minister
Joe McKenna, OFS
Secretary
Sal Bonfiglio,OFS
Treasurer
Penny Gleeson, OFS
Formation
Debra Kubeck, OFS
Councilor
Sr. Valenta Akalski,CSSF
Spiritual Assistant
Rule 21 The ministers' and
councilors' task to lead is
temporary. The brothers and
sisters, rejecting all ambition,
should show love for the
fraternity with a spirit of
service, prepared both to
accept and to relinquish the
office.
Article 32, Constitution-of-the-SFO
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Profiles of Joy
First Mass Mary Mother of God June 7, 2015
Congratulations Deacon Sal.
“Waiting man” or “servant” is the Greek
translation for Diakonos… “through the
dust", referring to the dust raised by
the busy servant or messenger.[3]
Wikipedia
The definition in Wikipedia for deacon
should read. ..Sal Bongfiglio OFS
Sal Bonfiglio OFS has been patiently and
steadily moving along this spiritual quest
which he accomplished on June 6, 2015.
Sal says it all began in 2007 when he was
professed to the Secular Franciscan Order
here at St. Peter Fraternity.
Sal’s “yes” activated a deep desire to
serve in the way of St. Frances and St.
Clare. Melody, Sal’s wife, has been next
to him all along the way. Going to build
homes for the poor and feed the residents
of the slums in Jamaica on their recent
anniversary is a model for all of us.
As Franciscans, we know how one “yes”
leads to many changes. Sal entered a
Master’s program at Immaculate
Conception Seminary School of Theology.
Looking at a five-year program meant
changes were about to effect his life. Job,
family responsibilities and continuing his
already meaningful service as prison
Chaplin, and visiting Carrier Clinic in Belle
Mead NJ not to mention his assisting at
mass in his parish, Mary Mother Of God,
Hillsborough NJ, and his faithful leadership
at St. Peter Fraternity as Treasurer and
council member would now become a
juggling act. Through prayer and
supported by his family and especially by
Melody, Sal persevered.
In an article for the official newspaper of
the Diocese of Metuchen, “The Catholic
Spirit,” Sal reflects on his spiritual path.
His faith and trust in God grew from
challenges. “They tell you that when you
go through the program, the devil will be
kind of nipping at your heels. He’s not
happy about this…well let me tell you, as
far as I’m concerned, and the people in
my class, the devil came at us with all he
had.” Sal’s faith deepened steadily with
each challenge and obstacle.
Both Sal and Melody are busy with the
work of serving. St. Francis and St. Clare
show us a way that is different , new even
today and as Sal says…”God is going to
shake you out of your comfort zone to do
what He wants and then you find it’s the
most rewarding thing you could have
imagined.” (Catholic Spirit June 4, 2015).
Brother Sal OFS and now Deacon, you are
a source of knowledge through your
studies, a mirror of Christ by your service
to others, and an instrument of peace
through your life of prayer. Blessings and
all good as you serve the Lord in the way
of St. Francis and St. Clare.
Penny Gleeson OFS
Formation Director St. Peter Fraternity
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Second Installment
Enlightenment
A voice speaks to him from the
crucifix which hangs in the little
church of San Damiano – “Francis,
go and rebuild my church which
you see has fallen into ruin.”
Taking this literally he began repairs
on this church. He takes some of
his father’s possessions, and sells
them to get money for this project.
His father hunts him down. Francis
hides in a cave – praying and
seeking God’s will. After some
time he emerges, now he knows
what he needs to do.
In the town square he renounces his
inheritance and states that he will
now only call God his father.
Francis strips and the bishop covers
him with his mantle.
Francis cares for the lepers, does
manual labor, gives away what he
earns and begs for food for himself.
He restores three churches –San
Damiano, San Pietro and the
Portiuncula.
He puts on a “tunic” and a cord; a
beggar’s outfit; not a religious habit.
He begins to preach the Kingdom of
God.
“LIFELINE” OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS
FORMATION MANUAL
In Sept. /Oct.: Brotherhood
I began the Time Line of St. Frances’s Life and Spiritual
Journey in the May /June newsletter.
Review the 1st installment: Awakening. Penny
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The Franciscan Character of 'Laudato Si''
LAUDATO SI
Jun 18 2015 - 6:00am | Daniel P. Horan
Perhaps it is no accident that, after opening
his encyclical letter "Laudato Si’" with a quote from St.
Francis of Assisi’s famous Canticle of the Creatures,
Pope Francis cites Pope St. John XXIII’s encyclical
"Pacem in Terris" (1963) as the model for his audience
of “all people” (No. 3). Shortly after "Pacem in Terris"
was published, the renowned Trappist monk and author
Fr. Thomas Merton wrote an article commenting on the
text, stating that, “the whole climate of the encyclical
[Pacem in Terris], in its love of man and of the world,
and in its radiant hopefulness, is Franciscan.” Now we
are privileged to witness the publication of another
powerful encyclical, one that is without a doubt even
more “Franciscan” and one authored by a pope named
Francis!
What marks this authoritative teaching as particularly
“Franciscan” is more substantial than the mere
references to the Saint from Assisi. Pope Francis clearly
“gets” both the letter and the spirit of the Franciscan
theological and spiritual tradition. From among the many
Franciscan themes that arise in "Laudato Si’," at least
three are worth highlighting from the outset: leaving
behind “naïve romanticism,” recognizing the inherent
value of all creation, and seeing the connection between
abject poverty and environmental degradation. What I
offer here is only a preliminary response, for the richness
of this encyclical letter exceeds the limits of initial
commentary.
Leaving Behind ‘Naïve
Romanticism’ In the early section of "Laudato Si’" under the
subheading “Saint Francis of Assisi,” Pope Francis calls
the Christian community and those people who admire
the history and legacy of St. Francis to take seriously the
medieval saint’s deeply theological convictions about
the relationship of the human person within and among
the rest of the community of creation. We read: “[St.
Francis’s] response to the world around him was so
much more than intellectual appreciation or economic
calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister
united to him by bonds of affection…Such a conviction
cannot be written off as naïve romanticism, for it affects
the choices which determine our behavior” (No. 11).
Whereas some people have viewed Francis of Assisi’s
poetic Canticle of the Creatures and romantic depictions
of him as a nature lover in the birdbath, Pope Francis
understands that his medieval namesake recognized a
profound truth of revelation: that you and I are deeply
interconnected and inherently related to all else that
exists. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are part of
a family of creation and not kings or queens over and
above nonhuman creation.
Near the end of "Laudato Si’" Pope Francis exhorts us to
follow the example of Francis of Assisi whose own
experience of “ecological conversion” helped open his
eyes to this reality. “I ask all Christians to recognize and
to live fully this dimension of their conversion. May the
power and the light of the grace we have received also
be evident in our relationship to other creatures and to
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the world around us. In this way, we will help nurture
that sublime fraternity with all creation which Saint
Francis of Assisi so radiantly embodied” (No. 221). This
vision of creation is far from one associated with the
overly romantic and easily dismissible caricature of the
“saint who loved animals.” Instead, it calls to mind the
real complexity of Christian discipleship that extends
beyond communion with God and other humans to
include all of creation.
Intrinsic Value of all Creation Pope Francis highlights many of the ways in which
nonhuman creation has been and continues to be
assessed according to its instrumental value or
usefulness. Arguments, Christian and secular, have been
advanced in favor of conservation in order to provide for
future generations. However, as Pope Francis notes at
several points, “it is not enough to think of different
species merely as potential ‘resources’ to be exploited,
while overlooking the fact that they have value in
themselves” (No. 33). Later, in a paragraph invoking the
work of Teihard de Chardin, Pope Francis states that,
“The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be
found in us” (No. 83), suggesting that just as human
beings have their source and goal in God, so too does the
rest of creation. It is, in other words, not all about us.
In addition to the respect, value, and dignity with which
Francis of Assisi approached all aspects of the created
order, from the smallest worm to the largest mountain,
there are other Franciscan resonances present in the
affirmation of the intrinsic value of all creation found in
"Laudato Si'." For instance, it is the medieval
Franciscan philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus
who advanced a principle of individuation (popularly
referred to as haecceitas, literally meaning “this-ness” in
Latin) that suggested that all aspects of the cosmos are
individually loved into existence by God and their
particularity is no accident or afterthought, but
coextensive with their very being.
Furthermore, Pope Francis relies heavily on the thought
of St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan theologian and doctor
of the church who affirmed the inherent dignity of all
creation due to each creature being a vestige of the
creator and mirror of the Trinity. As a vestige (from the
Latin Vestigio, literally meaning “footprint”), each
aspect of creation bears an imprint or mark of its creator.
As a mirror, all of creation reflects the Trinity. Pope
Francis references this latter point when he says that,
“The Franciscan saint teaches us that each creature
bears in itself a specifically Trinitarian structure, so real
that it could be readily contemplated if only the human
gaze were not so partial, dark and fragile” (No. 239).
The Holy Father calls us to follow the example of St.
Bonaventure in terms of contemplation, coming to
“discover God in all things” and continues, noting:
“Saint Bonaventure teaches us that ‘contemplation
deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace in
our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in
creatures outside ourselves” (No. 233).
The Connection Between Poverty
and Creation One of the most striking, and seemingly controversial,
dimensions of "Laudato Si’" is the explicit connection
that Pope Francis makes between abject poverty and
environmental degradation. The truth is that this is not a
new idea, but goes back as far as Francis of Assisi, if not
earlier. Pope Francis writes early on that, “The poverty
and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of
asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal
to turn reality into an object simply to be used and
controlled” (No. 11). This statement points to the heart
of St. Francis’s embrace of evangelical poverty as a
means toward deepening solidarity. What the saint from
Assisi recognized in his time was how not just things but
also women and men began to be valued in financial
terms. One’s worth came to be determined by how much
money one had, rather than by the inherent value that
comes with being lovingly created by God. Francis’s
refusal to play by the rules of the rising merchant
economy led him to embrace a voluntary poverty that
allowed him to draw near to all people and, eventually,
all of creation.
There are numerous early legends that testify to Francis
of Assisi’s continual call for the friars in particular and
society in general to care for their sister and brother
animals and other creatures that were often ignored or
disregarded. They, like the lepers of his time or the poor
and unwanted of ours, did not count according to the
standard of economic valuation. Pope Francis draws our
attention to the interrelationship between the reality of
global climate change (largely caused by the affluent and
powerful of our time) and the poor who suffer the
devastating effects disproportionately. Pope Francis
states: “Its worst impact will probably be felt by
developing countries in coming decades” (No. 25). The
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category of “the marginalized” extends beyond the
human species to include our very planet, or as Pope
Francis says: “the earth herself, burdened and laid waste,
is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our
poor” (No. 2).
For Francis of Assisi radical lifestyle change was
required to authentically follow the Gospel. Embracing
evangelical poverty as a means of protest against social
injustices and a means toward closer solidarity led him
among the poor and outcast of his day. Concurrently, his
renunciation of the power systems of his society allowed
him to—like St. Bonaventure—see God in all things and
become a nature mystic. Today, we too are called to
change our lives to follow the poor man of Assisi who
has so inspired the present bishop of Rome to teach us
with such authority and clarity rarely seen before.
Daniel P. Horan, OFM is Franciscan friar, a columnist
for America, the author of several books, and is
currently writing a doctoral dissertation titled:
“Imagining Planetarity: Toward a Postcolonial
Franciscan Theology of Creation.”
http://americamagazine.org
From the internet on July 18, 2015
For more information on this …
Please copy these links into your
browser.
http://www.news.va/en/news/la
udato-si-a-press-guide-to-the-
new-encyclical
http://www.usccb.org/about/lea
dership/holy-see/francis/pope-
francis-encyclical-laudato-si-on-
environment.cfm
http://peaceandallgood.org/2015/
06/laudato-si-praise-be-pope-
francis-new-encyclical/
http://francis35.org
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Profiles of Joy
Fraternity Life
Holy Hour May 30,2015
“The solemnity of Holy
Hour provided a wonderful opportunity for
reflection and prayer. The deep intimacy with
GOD, HIS mercy and GOODNESS flooded my heart
and mind with love, gratitude and peace. Thank
you for the privilege to be amongst my brothers in
CHRIST.” Darryl Du Bose OFS
“The Holy Hour was an excellent blend of
Adoration and Meditation. I could feel the power
of the prayer that was flowing throughout the
church. Each one there had his or her own private
issues for which they were praying but the sum of
all those prayers was a meaningful expression of
our adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Thanks to Sal for leading us as as a prayerful
fellowship and thanks to
Mary Frances for everything
that she did to make the event possible.
Francis Cryan OFS
June 6th Celebration
Members celebrate our Brother Sal and his
accomplishments on becoming a Deacon.
June 20, Visitation
Fellowship and sharing is always a
part of our fraternity meetings.
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July 11 –
St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic
Forane Church in Somerset NJ.
Kay Francis Kunjamma OFS is a
member of St. Peter Fraternity. On
July 11 some members joined her
to celebrate the Consecration of St.
Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic
Forane Church in Somerset NJ.
“The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic
Church in India which traces its origin to
the Apostolate of St. Thomas who,
according to the tradition, landed in India
at Kodungallur in 52 AD…”
The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the 22
sui iuris Oriental Churches in Catholic
Communion with its own particular
characteristics expressed in worship,
spirituality, theology and disciplinary laws.
The early Christian community in India
was known as St. Thomas Christians.”
http://www.stthomassyronj.org/
Center: Bishop of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar
Catholic Diocese of Chicago : Mar Jacob
Angadiath, Fr. Thomas Kadukapillil ,Vicar and
next to Fr. Thomas is Kay Francis OFS
From the internet July 18, 2015
Procession
All the clergy and religious in front of the
beautiful mural of Christ. Bishop: Mar Jacob
Angadiath of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic
Diocese of Chicago and Bishop Paul G.
Bootkoski Diocese of Metuchen( third and
second from the right)
Congratulations to our Sister Kay Francis. Your
faith, hard work and love of Christ has brought
you and your community to this wonderful day .
Thank you for inviting us to be a part of this
historical and glorious event.
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Anthony Marinelli July 29
Events and Up Coming
Meetings
Events in August.:
Pope says he will canonize Blessed
Junipero Serra in Washington
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/150025
4.htm
Prayer for the Year of
Consecrated Life
O God, throughout the ages you have
called women and men
to pursue lives of perfect charity through
the evangelical counsels
of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
During this Year of Consecrated Life, we
give you thanks
for these courageous witnesses of Faith
and models of inspiration.
Their pursuit of holy lives teaches us to
make a more perfect offering of ourselves
to you.
Continue to enrich your Church by calling
forth sons and daughters who,
having found the pearl of great price,
treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above all
things.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-
teachings/vocations/consecrated-life/year-of-consecrated-
life/year-of-consecrated-life-prayers.cfm
eting on http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-
and-teachings/vocations/consecrated-
life/year-of-consecrated-life/year-of-
consecrated-life-prayers.cfm
August
•Aug. 15
•Formation at 9:30 am
•Reg. Meeting 10:30 to 12
•Planning for Transitus and Elections
Sept
•Sept. 19
•Elections 9:30 to 12
•Planning for National Conference
Oct
•Oct. 3
•Holy Hr. Transitus.
•OCT 8
•National Conference