Quinquennal Reflections
(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2022 Issue #107)
From Sandal Prints, the newsletter of the St. Clare Fraternity Portland, Ore
“First, it is so amazing gathering with at least 600 other Secular Franciscans! We celebrated Mass together every day in St. Mary’s Basilica, a block down the street from the hotel. The church was completely filled with Franciscans, and when we sang the first hymn, I was bowled over by the beauty of the voices of my sisters and brothers absolutely filling the church! The organist/cantor was wonderfully talented—and it turns out (if I got this right), he is a member of YouFRA (people up to age 30 or so can belong). “
Clare Reidy, OFS
The Q was like looking through a telescope and seeing a galaxy of Secular Franciscans. Some were older and limited physically, some were middle aged with an energetic acute interest, and all seemed driven by a love for the principles of St. Francis. Each one was trying to bring into focus their mission in these challenging times. The love for Jesus Christ was conveyed through discussions on social justice, care for creation, reaching and showing dignity to the marginalized and the poor in spirit.
Cheri Lorenzo, OFS
The first people I talked to (at the Q) were from Franciscan Missionary Service. Rhonda told me about her experience with people crossing the border and needing to be rescued.
“That night, I left for my campsite in Apache Junction. I arrived around 10 pm and set up my tent. It was 99 degrees with thunderstorms on the horizon. I lay there in a pool of sweat wondering if people were crossing the desert that night. The next day, I went back to the mission table and asked if people actually crossed the desert in August. I was told yes, “that is the most affordable time because the coyotes charge a lot less”. I am forever changed by my experience and grateful that God would allow me that small suffering. I have a picture in my living room now from the Q that reminds me of the people who die in the desert in search of a better life for their family.”
Ralph Anderson, OFS
This was the second Quinquennial I have attended, and again, it did not disappoint! I am hard pressed to choose a favorite moment. I urge everyone to watch the keynote addresses on the NAFRA website—they are rich and filled with encouragement for all of us to live our fraternal lives wholeheartedly and then to go out into the world and transform it.
Barbara Allen, OFS
Additional Reflections
After the days we spent in Phoenix, we can only say what an awesome time we spent with our family from the OFS USA. Having come together to the talk sessions, hearing, learning and hopefully applying this to our way of life. I can truly say that you will not forget this grand reunion. If this was your first Q Congress, it will stay in your heart and in your mind.
Sofia Villeareal, Regional Minister, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas
Our first speaker (Fr. David Courturier) was excellent. He covered an area I thought I was an expert in, and that was economics. He explained it in a way that was so Franciscan and made so much sense that I believe we would have a better world if we would adopt what he told us to do.
Bill Parras, OFS, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas
What we heard was necessary. We are all thinking about it, and nobody is talking about it. We need to be treating each other as brother and sister everywhere we go. How would you treat a brother or sister? Not with violence. Not with anger. We need to show the world how to live as brothers and sisters. It’s a huge issue, and we can each start living it in our corner of the world—in our homes and in our fraternities.
Esperanza Nugent, OFS, Blessed Solanus Casey
I am again reminded that we are a much larger organization.
Sometimes, we forget that we are international, and the little fraternities were a gift because we could talk openly and honestly about what we thought. The dialogue was very good. I must look at Pope Francis’s call to be a fraternity to the world. I knew he said that in his writings, but I need to look more closely at how I can make that happen at my local and regional levels. It is amazing that he is talking to us in each writing, but we don’t seem to be engaging in putting some of it into practice. I want to try harder to do that.
Rosemarie LeClerq, OFS, Tempe, AZ, St. Thomas More
Day 3 at The Q 2022
(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2022 Issue #107)
Day 3
Doug and Marion Clorey, OFS; Tim and Kathy Taormina, OFS;Lori Hinker, OFS
Continuing with the spirited theme of the Quinquennial, “JUBILEE! Rejoice in the Choice!,” five Secular Franciscans concluded the keynotes with a call to live our vocation.
Speaking in the final keynote were Doug and Marion Clorey, OFS, of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and Tim and Kathy Taormina, OFS, and Lori Hinker, OFS, of Apple Valley, Minn.
Doug Clorey, OFS, opened the talk by reminding the audience that although the Rule has changed over the years, its specific focus remains the same now as it was 800 years ago—observing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the manner of St. Francis. “It is this foundation on which we go forward to build communities of caring and trusting encounter,” he said.
All spoke of the importance of the call to conversion that exists in the order.
Marion Clorey, OFS, emphasized the Franciscan themes of fraternity, simplicity, family and reconciliation, prayer, and peace. While all these are equally important, she said, fraternity drew her to the Order. “Reading Francis’ story, I felt a connection to him. His declaration ‘the Lord sent me brothers,’ as his way of describing the beginnings of fraternity resonated with me,” she said.
While a life of simplicity calls us to detach from material goods, it means more, especially considering Pope Francis’s Laudato Si. “The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are inextricably linked. In more recent times, our local fraternity’s JPIC team has been challenging us to live more simply and to promote justice initiatives as suggested in Article 15.”
Lori Hinker, OFS, reminded Franciscans that Francis and Clare were young adults when they began their orders and that we need to reach out and encourage the youth and young adults among us. “In the United States, young adults are those young people from all cultural communities and abilities between ages 18 and 39 who are single or married, with or without children, divorced or widowed, and in college, working, unemployed, incarcerated or in the military. These young adults are indeed adults and are impacting the church and society today,” Lori read from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
She said the enthusiasm of young people is contagious and reminiscent of the Franciscan call. “They ‘get it’ without too much explanation. They want to get their hands dirty and serve those in need. Remind you of anyone? St. Francis and St. Clare.”
She called on Franciscans to live out their vocations through the sacraments, their witness and personal invitation. By frequenting the sacraments, we remind ourselves that Christ is the center of our lives. The sacrament of Reconciliation also reminds us that we are not perfect.
Sharing our faith journey with family and friends, the young and old, is a way to witness, she said. While we are witnessing, we also can extend invitations to family and friends to attend our Franciscan gatherings. Lori became a Franciscan after an invitation from her parents, Tim and Kathy Taormina, OFS, who also spoke in the keynote.
Kathy Taormina, OFS, talked about the model of Francis leading others to God.
“As Francis lived his life and brothers gathered around him , common people were also attracted to his way of life. Were they already in penitential movement of the day? Possibly. Or maybe this was the first time they heard someone who looked like them, and probably dressed worse than they did, preach about a God who loved them just because he chose to do so.” He provided a strong example to follow on the pathway to Christ, including his love for the Eucharist, fervent prayer life, love of creation, life of penance and the ability to let go.
As God sent Francis into the world when it needed him, because of chaos and division of classes, He sends Franciscans to do the same, said Tim Taormina, OFS.
“As the Swiss mystic Father Zundel once said, ‘We carry in ourselves a treasure capable of changing the whole universe.’ Of course, he was speaking
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but does that quote not also reflect the vocation the Holy Spirit has given us and the profession we have attested to?”
Tim believes that the pandemic and the flexibility to communicate at times via Zoom is a sign of the flexibility of the Order. “No challenge can stop us from
being a viable order.” “Francis said, ‘He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart is an artist.’ Let us be artists of awareness and communication.
The complete texts and video recordings of the keynote addresses can be found at https:// www.secularfranciscansusa.org/updates-from-the-q-august-3rd-through-7th-2022/