By Cherryle Frugge, OFS
NEC Councilor

Cherryle Frugge
NEC Councilor

While sitting in Church at midnight Mass, I started gazing upon the Nativity scene, pondering what I saw. I began to think about 800 years ago and what it must have been like to experience the first crèche. What a profound moment in salvation history to experience such an event.

I started thinking the world was much smaller back then in terms of population size. I remember thinking America hadn’t even been discovered yet, and probably many other countries were not.

Anyway, I was wondering how it made an impact in the 1200s with no immediate media resources to reach out to the public. How fast did the news travel, especially by word of mouth?

When Mass was starting, my Pastor Fr. Guilbeau was processing in carrying a little baby toy.  When he reached the altar, he lifted the baby up like a presentation to the Church, then laid Him in the manger.

His action was so intimate that my eyes began to water as my heart grew tender, imagining the reality of Jesus being among us.

I leave you with these points to consider: “How will you respond to someone new that comes into your path? How will you present Jesus in your heart to them?”

Remember we meet Him every time we attend Mass. How long do you feel his presence lingering in you when you leave the Church?

I love you with all my heart on this feast of the Epiphany 2024.

en español

Mientras estaba sentado en la Iglesia en la misa de medianoche, comencé a mirar el nacimiento, reflexionando sobre lo que estaba viendo. Comencé a pensar en cómo hace 800 años cómo debe haber sido experimentar la primera guardería. Qué momento profundo en la historia de la salvación para experimentar tal acontecimiento.

Empecé a pensar que el mundo era mucho más pequeño en ese entonces en tamaño de población. Recuerdo haber pensado que Estados Unidos ni siquiera había sido descubierto todavía, y probablemente un gran número de otros países no lo estaban.

De todos modos, me preguntaba cómo tuvo un impacto en los años 1200 sin
recursos mediáticos inmediatos para llegar al público. ¿Qué tan rápido viajaron las noticias, especialmente de boca en boca?

Cuando comenzó la misa, mi Pastor, el P. Guilbeau, estaba procesando para llevar un bebé juguete de pequeño. Cuando llegó al altar, levantó al bebé como una presentación a la Iglesia, luego lo colocó en el pesebre.

Su acción fue tan íntima que mis ojos comenzaron a lagrimear, mientras mi corazón se enternecía, imaginando la realidad de Jesús entre nosotros.

Te dejo con estos puntos para que pienses: “¿Cómo responderás a alguien nuevo que se cruce en tu camino? ¿Cómo les presentarás a Jesús en tu corazón?”

Recuerde que nos encontramos con Él cada vez que asistimos a Misa. ¿Cuánto tiempo sientes que Su presencia permanece en ti cuando dejas la Iglesia?

Os amo con todo mi corazón en esta fiesta de la Epifanía 2024.

Epiphany of Jesus Among Us

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2023 Issue #110)

By Sharon Winzeler, OFS

Vickie Klick, OFS and Terri Leone, OFS

Vickie Klick, OFS, chair of the Centenary Task Force, led an activity focusing on the four-year Franciscan Centenary Celebration. The focus of the year 2023 is the Rule and Christmas at Greccio, 2024 will be the Gift of the Stigmata, 2025 the Canticle of the Creatures, and 2026 the Easter of Francis of Assisi.

Chapter attendees had an opportunity to participate in an exercise focusing on the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. The attendees worked in pairs to discuss questions focusing on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The goal of the activity was for the participants to better understand how living the Rule, builds relationships between sisters and brothers.

Centenaries Presentation

“The questions provide opportunities for us to be transformed.  We apply the questions to our lives, share with others and grow deeper and closer as Franciscans,” Vickie said.

“These are questions that recognize that we come to the Order by different paths, but the reason we are here is part of the lens that shows how we understand and focus on our way of life. With Francis, we learn about his conversion experiences.  Something happened in your life that made you think you needed something more.  What was that?” she asked.

Vickie talked about her admission to the Catholic Church on Christmas Eve in 1982 and her profession in 1985. She explained, “I was looking for fraternity. I needed to be with other people who shared my beliefs.”

Animated conversations could be heard throughout the exercise as fraternity members were eager to share their experiences. The questions in this module relate to fraternity, the Rule, and living the Gospel life. Prayers for Fraternal Life are also included in the formation series.

This activity and others that relate to the Franciscan Centenary Celebration can be found in the Centenary section of the Secular Franciscan website under “Activities and Prayer Resources” near the bottom left of the page.

“And whoever observes these things let him be blessed in Heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father, and on earth with the blessing of His Beloved Son with the Most Holy Spirit the Paraclete”

(Blessing of St Francis found in The Testament of Francis)

Franciscan Centenary Celebration Activity

The solemn opening ceremony of the 800^th anniversary celebration of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi will be broadcast online Friday, Jan. 5.

The event will be streamed live on the website centenarifrancescani.org at 11 a.m. in Rome, which is 5 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S.

Resources for observing and learning more about the gift of the stigmata can be found on our website at https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/centenary-resources-the-gift-of-the-stigmata/

Opening ceremony for the anniversary of the Stigmata of St. Francis is Friday

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2023 Issue #110)

by Vickie Klick, OFS

Celebrating the Feast Day at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

Off on a Day Away – Chapter attendees traveled to downtown
St. Louis for Mass and a tour of the St. Louis Basilica-
Cathedral on a record-breaking 104° day.

National Chapter attendees celebrated the feast of our patron, St. Louis IX, King of France, at a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis at its 2023 Chapter on the feast day of St. Louis, Aug. 25. Fr. Tom Nairn, OFM, provincial of Sacred Heart province, was the celebrant.

Fr. Nairn is author of “A Franciscan Spirituality of Discernment”, the source of the National Fraternity’s theme “Listen, Discern, Go Forth.” He is provincial minister of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart located in St. Louis.

St. Louis was king of France from 1226 to 1270. He is known for his kindness and service to the poor, which included making sure that those in his community were fed daily. He would often help serve the meals.

Fr. Tom’s homily reflected on how odd it seemed to have a king and a crusader as a patron of our order.  He connected the readings from Wisdom, 2 Timothy, and the parable of the talents from Luke to show St. Louis as a king who was a servant leader, who cared for the poor personally, who worked for peace, and who was a true evangelist. Using Francis’ Letter to All the Faithful, Fr. Tom presented St. Louis as a model of what it means to be a member of the Franciscan family.

The cathedral is a stupendous experience in itself and a representation of Byzantine and Romanesque design. The interior is covered with 83,000 square feet of mosaics, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, the religious history of the city of St. Louis, and, in the narthex, the life of St. Louis. One of the scenes shows St. Louis receiving the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis, our Secular Franciscan Order. It was very special to celebrate the feast there.

Originally designated a cathedral, it was given the distinction of a cathedral basilica in 1997 by Pope John Paul II who visited it in 1999. A basilica is the highest designation that can be given to a church building and is only bestowed by the Pope. The three signs that a church has been named a basilica are the presence of the Ombrellino (umbrella), Tintinnabulum (Bells), and the Papal Cross Keys. A cathedral is the home church for the bishop or archbishop of the diocese.

Chapter Day Away