By Joe Makely, OFS

National JPIC Animator

This article is written by Joe Makely, who succeeds Carolyn Townes after her 10 years of service on the National Executive Council.

Greetings in the Season of Caring for Creation 2023!

The Season of Creation is a period that unites the Christian community worldwide to pray and care for the environment. It begins on September 1 with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and ends on October 4 on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

It was established by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I, in 1989, when he proclaimed September 1st as the Orthodox Day of Prayer for Creation. Years later, the World Council of Churches extended the celebration to October 4th, the day St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the environment, is celebrated.

For his part, in 2015, Pope Francis made the Season of Creation official for the Roman Catholic Church. His holiness’s message for the World Day of Prayer 2023 is here.

The first attachment below is Carolyn Townes’ annual prayers for the Season of Care for Creation based on St. Francis’ own Canticle of Creation and the prayer from Laudato Si’.

The next attachments are resource guides to help OFS members seeking ways to initiate concrete actions to implement Laudato Si.

Franciscan Season of Caring for Creation

LaudatoSi actionplatformhandout

Laudato Si Resource Handout

Season of Caring for Creation Observed Sept. 1-Oct. 4

(This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 Issue of the TAU-USA #109)

by Jim Wesley, OFS

Early in the morning, when I sit on the front porch and look east, I have a clear view of the distant hills and trees. If I wake up early enough, I watch the sky just above these hills beginning to glow in various shades of yellow, orange, and magenta. A few birds flutter by, and some sit silhouetted in the trees. Even a small hummingbird pauses to watch the new day begin. As time passes, rays of light flare along the hilltops, and Brother Sun slowly appears with a glaring brightness signaling the beginning of a new day. After a short time of quiet reflection, it is time to head back into the house for a little breakfast.

What did I experience? Was it simply the morning sunrise signaling the beginning of a new day, complete with a spectacular light show, or was something else happening that my senses were unable to perceive?

When we refer to the word “day,” we are talking about the amount of time for one rotation of the earth on its axis. The sun doesn’t really rise, because it is at a fixed location at the center of our solar system. The sunrise is therefore, not the sun rising, but the earth rotating. In fact, what I experienced on my front porch was the sun being revealed as the earth rotated eastward. A very convincing illusion witnessed by humans for as long as they have inhabited the earth.

Another interesting fact is that my home is located along the western coast of North America at 35°2’33” north latitude. The circumference of the earth at this latitude is 24,861.5 miles; that is the distance my house travels each day as the earth rotates. If my house travels this distance in 24 hours, a simple mathematical calculation reveals a speed of 1,036 miles per hour. It may seem unbelievable, but it is reality. We don’t perceive this movement because of gravity, and because the atmosphere is also traveling at this same speed. This is similar to the sensation, or the non-sensation, we have on an airplane traveling 500 miles per hour.

There is even more to this perception story. Another scientific fact is that the earth is in orbit around the sun. This revolution, or journey, around the sun, a distance of 92.96 million miles, takes 365.25 days to complete, at an amazing orbital speed of 66,700 miles per hour. Again, we are unable to sense this motion. Yet it is happening. Sister Earth is constantly in motion.

Reality is often difficult to accept. Back in the 1600s, the mathematician/astronomer, Galileo Galilei, faced an interesting dilemma. After gathering and interpreting scientific data, he realized that a fundamental teaching and belief of his time was flawed. Through limited sensory observation, popular beliefs, and established theological teachings, the earth was falsely believed to be the center of our universe. One-hundred years earlier, Nicolaus Copernicus had stated that the sun, not the earth, was at the center of our solar system, and that the earth rotates on its axis. When Galileo scientifically proved that the heliocentric solar system was correct, the Catholic Church of that time considered him a criminal for promoting heresy and sentenced him to house arrest. The popular belief of the time prevailed, and it wasn’t until 1992, 359 years later, that Pope John Paul II finally exonerated Galileo, and in the year 2000, the Church officially apologized to Galileo for not accepting the scientific facts that ultimately corrected popular misinformation of the 1600s.

This little story brings us to the present time. To truly understand God’s creation, we need to look beyond the earth. One suggestion is to visit the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world. You can visit at the following link: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/. Be sure to watch the video: The Pope’s

A Sunrise Perspective

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Seventy Franciscans are attending Chapter in St. Louis.

The National Executive Council sends its warm greetings from St. Louis, Missouri, during our National Chapter and on the Feast of our Patron, St. Louis the King.

We have 70 people in attendance to conduct the business of the Order.  Providentially, our meeting was scheduled this week – overlapping the Feast Day. What a Godincidence!  So today, we will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.  https://cathedralstl.org/

All things St. Louis.  Photos of our afternoon celebrating our Patron will be shared.

St. Louis the King was a good example for us in practicing our theme…Listen, Discern, Go Forth.  We discussed actions we can take to further our priorities – Vocations, Communications, and

Relationships.  Many decisions will be made on Saturday morning.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us for those deliberations.

Also, we’ve been experiencing a fraternal and pastoral visitation during this chapter.  Presidency Councilor Dina Shabalina OFS (Ukraine) and General Spiritual Assistant, Fr. Carlos Campos TOR (Peru) have been with us.  They have brought the Franciscan Joy to us, along with ideas for how we may be able to guide our National Fraternity.  We appreciate their care and consideration. More on that in another message!

We conclude our Chapter on Saturday afternoon.

Thank you for your prayers.

Peace and all good,

Jane

on behalf of the National Executive Council

https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/2023/08/25/national-chapter-underway-in-st-louis-on-feast-of-st-louis-the-king/

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Spring Issue  #109)

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

2022-2025 OFS-USA Theme

Daily Boosters for our Vocation through Email

In 2007, our sister, Kathleen White, OFS, of Our Lady of Indiana Regional Fraternity, started sharing daily emails about various OFS-related aspects with other Regional Ministers. After her 2nd term as Regional Minister ended, she learned that many still wanted to receive her daily posts. Thus, the Tau-Daily email list was born. At one point, there were more than 1,000 names on that list serv. A few years ago, Yahoo closed down the list serv features, so Kathleen opened a Google Groups list. Currently 472 have subscribed to receive the daily messages. Topics of the emails include, in monthly rotation:

• The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order,
• the Admonitions of St. Francis,
• an article from the OFS General Constitutions,
• the USA National Statutes,
• Little Flowers of St. Francis,
• a Franciscan quote, and additionally,
• the Franciscan saint of the

To subscribe, send a blank email to: tau-daily+subscribe@googlegroups.com If you don’t succeed there, send her an email request at kdwofs@gmail.com

If you change your email address, unsubscribe from your old address, then re-subscribe from your new email address.

To end your subscription, there is an UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each email.

Thanks to Kathleen for those daily boosts of inspiration for our vocations!

Chapter 2023

This year’s annual chapter gathering will be held at the Pallottine Renewal Center in St. Louis, MO., from August 22 through 27, 2023. This is a fraternal and pastoral visitation for the OFS-USA. We will be welcoming Presidency Councilor Dina Shabalina, OFS, (Ukraine) and General Spiritual Assistant Fr. Carlos Campos Julve, TOR (Peru). Fraternal and Pastoral visitations are a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of how to live our vocations. It is so good to receive feedback on what is going well and suggestions for doing some things differently. There are so many ways to correctly serve our Lord. It’s such a gift to receive ideas on what is working well in other parts of the world. We look forward to sharing the experience with you in a variety of ways―Facebook, our website, and TAU-USA. Just like regional and local fraternity visitations, we have a visitation questionnaire to fill out for the visitors. We are just starting to work on that now. Thank you for your prayers so we may continue our journey to effectively animate and guide the OFS-USA.

National Fraternity Council Meetings

Meeting with the National Fraternity Council throughout the year: the NEC is continuing its practice of holding virtual meetings to stay in contact with the Regional Ministers. The National Fraternity Council met on February 8 and April 29, 2023. Virtual meetings allow us to continue the business of the Order throughout the year, as the Regional Ministers are a critical part of the National Fraternity Council.

Connecting with Our Members

Years ago, Jane used to listen to a radio show. The host had a segment when he’d throw a dart at a map of the U.S. He’d get a copy of the phone book from that location (remember phone books?). The next week, he’d call someone from that town during the live broadcast and ask questions to learn about the town. Jane really liked that idea. She also heard that Pope Francis has made random calls to people. So don’t be surprised if you get a call from one of your National Executive Council members. We want to learn about you! 1-How you heard about the Order; 2-Your favorite Article of the Rule or aspect of our vocation that resonates with you strongest; 3-How you serve currently and in the past; and 4-suggestions for the NEC.

Ritual Update

A significant amount of progress is being made on an update to the brown Ritual book. In 2022, the OFS-USA obtained the copyright for the text and began the process for the update. The CNSA and Deacon David and Therese Ream, OFS, worked on the initial update. The NEC is now in the process of reviewing. We will keep you informed of plans for issuing the revised text.

Duns Scotus Board

Requesting applications for OFS members to serve on the Duns Scotus Formation Fund Board. There are two openings for terms starting January 2024-January 2026. Please contact Patricia Serotkin, OFS, DSFF Secretary, to apply by May 31, 2023. Pat’s email: dunsscotustrustfund@gmail.com

Sharing the Vision – News from The NEC