'Animation'
Chapter 2012!
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by admin.
Franciscan Friars: Chapter 2012
Franciscan friars from across the western United States gathered January 8-13, 2012, in Oceanside, California, for their provincial chapter. Held at the historic Old Mission San Luis Rey, the chapter provided an opportunity for the brothers of the St. Barbara Province to strengthen their fraternal bonds, elect their governing council (called the definitorium), address potential changes in ministerial commitments, receive updates on the “state of the province,” and pray together. Roughly 150 friars attended the gathering, which had has its theme “A Future Full of Hope.” The province’s next chapter will be held in January 2016. Until then, siempre adelante!
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Poverello House of Tucson
Posted on 14. Dec, 2011 by admin.
It’s hard to know just how to categorize the work of Brother David Buer and the Poverello House in Tucson. In the practice of hospitality (the word comes up several times in the video) each element of JPIC – justice, peace, and even care for creation – blends with the other…at least on a good day (as Brother David would say). The friends of Poverello House work not only in the spirit of St. Francis but in the Catholic Worker tradition of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin . (As we know, forming Houses of Hospitality is a primary work of CW.) Thanks, Brother David, for bringing JPIC to life, beyond categories!
Serving others in the Franciscan Tradition, Poverello House provides daytime hospitality for the homeless that includes opportunity for breakfast, lunch, laundry and showers as well as clothing .
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Franciscans on Care for Creation
Posted on 19. Oct, 2011 by admin.
St. Francis of Assisi is widely acclaimed as the pre-eminent example of Christian care for creation. British Royalty, scientists, leaders of other faiths, diverse scholars and ordinary believers have claimed him as their inspiration in this age of ecological crisis. Why such a broad appeal? Francis recognized God’s work in creation, and loved it. He celebrated the beauty of God in creation, and loved God all the more for this gift. Francis’ relationship with creation is best understood within the broader context of his religious journey, including: Francis’ passionate love for Jesus Christ and his desire to follow him; contemplative prayer; ongoing conversion of life; and a spirituality of brotherhood with everyone and everything. Francis was foremost a follower of Jesus, but in him there was no tension between loving God and loving all creatures of God. His life inspires faith in Jesus Christ and care for creation. [...]
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Animation in the Franciscan Tradition
Posted on 25. May, 2011 by admin.
Animation is a Franciscan style of leadership that recognizes the spirit at work in all people. It works primarily to enliven the faith, vision and engagement of fellow Franciscans with the society and world around them. Animators actively encourage holistic personal growth in those they serve, and provide on-going formation opportunities to explore and commit more deeply to the meaning of Franciscan life today. Animation in justice, peace and care for creation undertakes the encouragement, service, and on-going formation of the friars in our province. The animator devises a collaborative JPIC discernment and reflection process to identify priorities, and then coordinates an agenda which flows from them.
The animator focuses on the experience of friars, fostering theological reflection on their experience of God, Jesus Christ, the poor, social structures, and creation.
Our province’s JPIC work seeks to embody the following traits: broad participation, collaboration, dialogical relationship, mutuality in faith formation, inclusivity, prophetic vision, and formation of conscience. We understand JPIC animation to be formation work, fostering continuing conversion among all touched by it. The animator works with other friars to carry this same spirit of formation out to the Franciscan family and other laity with whom and to whom we minister.
The JPIC animator collaborates with on-going formation efforts in the province in order to provide formation experiences marked by our Franciscan intellectual tradition, and thus foster a clearer and stronger Franciscan identity among the friars and the Franciscan family. Familiar with the order’s vision for the JPIC dimension of our common vocation, the animator helps the brothers intergrate their vision into their life and work.
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Franciscans On Justice
Posted on 04. May, 2011 by admin.
Our understanding of justice is rooted in the life and preaching of Jesus Christ, who declared: “The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord” (Luke 4: 18-19). Although uncertain and tentative at first, Francis came to recognize that Jesus called him through his experience of prayer and through the needs of his poor brothers and sisters. For Francis, this meant not only serving lepers, but living among them, expressing compassion in a visible, practical way.
Each person has been created in the image and likeness of God, and has been accorded great dignity. Yet we know that many in our world do not have access to fundamental human necessities, such as adequate food, clean water, shelter and health care. Our world is blessed by God and rich with resources, but billions of our brothers and sisters cannot access these essential resources. To proclaim justice means to work for the life, dignity and well being of all people, regardless of human difference.
We work for social justice among all peoples: in our communities, our states, nation and world. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, and care for the sick. We join our voice with those who advocate for a more compassionate society and a world without extreme poverty. The teaching of the Catholic Church is clear: the promotion of justice in our day is constitutive of preaching the Gospel. The US Bishops offer us a Catholic framework for economic life. Our country plunged into crisis in September 2008, and millions of families have suffered severe economic hardship. For a reflection on this in light of Franciscan values read Br. Bill Short’s Franciscan Economic Perspective.
The dignity and life of migrants is of special concern to the Franciscans of the St. Barbara Province. Many Catholic brothers and sisters in our midst are immigrants, some with legal documentation and some without. All are worthy of respect, all have dignity. We note with concern a rising tide of indifference and intolerance toward the migrants among us, despite the clear teaching of our tradition and our Church. We call on all people to respect the human dignity and human rights of immigrants, whether refugees or economic migrants. [some province statement about solidarity with migrants]
