Keynote Speakers Day 1&2 at the Q 2022
(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2022 Issue #107)
Keynote talks by a friar, a bishop and five Secular Franciscans inspired those in the audience to renew their calls to conversion in daily life and to revitalization of the church. The work of Pope Francis was cited as a model of living in solidarity with all our brothers and sisters, as well as evangelizing our Franciscan way of life in the 21st century.
Day 1
David B. Couturier, OFM Cap.
“Called to build a more fraternal and evangelical world:
Secular Franciscans as a Community of Care and Moral Transformation”
To alleviate what Pope Francis labeled a “globalization of indifference,” Fr. David B. Couturier, OFM Cap., called upon Secular Franciscans to build a more fraternal world in the opening keynote at the Quinquennial. “In all that you do, you must develop the bonds and connections of being a brother and sister to everyone in the world,” he said. He called upon Franciscans to make a difference in the lives of the poor and vulnerable.
Fr. Couturier told a story about Pope. Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to get close to others and “look at the person in the eyes. Do not observe with detachment, but approach, bend down, touch with your own hand. Touching with our hands humanizes us,” Pope Francis said.
Fr. Couturier said that when the Pope hears confessions, he asks the penitents if they give to the poor. “When the person answers that he or she gives to charity, he said he likes to follow up with the question, ‘when you give alms, do you touch the hand of the person asking? Do you look them in the eyes?’”
He said our culture has led us to do otherwise. “We have inherited the dark legacy of racism and white supremacy that has leaked into every American system and created subtle biases in our hearts, minds, and actions. We have been trained in a politics of competition instead of a politics of caring.” Instead of being lulled into a sense of this is “just the way things are,” Secular Franciscans must act for change.
“As Franciscans, there is so much we can do and must do. We have a call, a vocation, and a divine charge to build a fraternal world,” Fr. Courtier said. A call to the Secular Franciscan life is a call to make a difference in the quality of life for everyone. “The Gospel imperative ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ gives you and me a more earthly charge for the promotion of peace, justice, and the care of creation.”
While Francis and Clare experienced the violent and greedy world of their youth, they left a legacy of transformation Franciscans can bring to the world. “Our task is to make every encounter meaningful by humility, generosity, realism, and patience. We need to help the world transition from its market-driven obsessions with profit and power and take on the challenge of caring encounters,” Fr. Courtier said.
Day 2
Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.
“Rebuilding the Church in the Spirit of St. Francis: Secular Franciscans
in the Age of Pope Francis.”
Pilgrim. Poor. Brother. Simplicity. Joyfulness. Enthusiasm. Humility. Authenticity. “I bet you could add several more to the list,” said Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.
These traits reflect St. Francis of Assisi, as well as the actions of Pope Francis. “Pope Francis has drawn on his namesake to provide a path of renewal for the church. We know it’s not going to be an overnight renewal,” Bishop Stowe said. Pope Francis was clear from the beginning that his goal was providing gospel simplicity and claiming mercy. “He wanted a poor church for the poor. Does that sound familiar?”
“Most of us in the Franciscan family can recognize the points of connection between our founder and our current leader.” Pope Francis has brought the spirit of St. Francis alive in the church, not only by his example but also by his magisterial teachings. “Pope Francis does have an agenda in the best sense of the word,” Bishop Stowe said.
He encouraged Franciscans to follow in the footsteps of our leaders. “Let everything you say and do convey mercy, and make sure it balances with preaching peace everywhere.” Our vocation is more than talking. He noted that Pope Francis has mastered the value of gestures. Whether people are listening to his words or not, what they see is a gospel witness by his actions, just as in the life of St. Francis.
“Living the gospel is more important than talking about it. To live in fraternity and witness gospel love was far more important than evangelizing to Francis,” Bishop Stowe said. Our mission is to help people feel the nearness of God and extend our reach to those on the fringes of society. Pope Francis encourages us to reach out to three circles of people: those who are practicing their baptismal ministry in church; those who are baptized but not attending church; and those who do not know Christ or have intentionally rejected him.
“Each of us can find them in our own families, and we can find our mission among them. There is a lot of mission that can take place among those already in the pews, but it can’t be limited to them,” Bishop Stowe said. In this sense, he said, no Franciscan can be exempt from being a missionary. “Mission brings us to life. Ask yourself, do your fraternities engage in those three circles, or are you limited to just active members of the church?”
Bishop Stowe also referred to Pope Francis’s appeal to eliminating the globalization of indifference. “To counter this, the Pope proposes a revolution of tenderness that is found in the gospel, in the example of Francis of Assisi and as a crucial component to our vocation.”
Quinquennial 2022 – from the TAU-USA Fall 2022
(This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 Issue of TAU-USA #107. Many photos of these events can be seen in the TAU-USA)
A Jubilee Quinquennial Welcome
What happens when you get 600 Franciscans in the same room for dinner the first night of a Quinquennial? Their national minister breaks out in song and a celebratory atmosphere permeates the room. Jan Parker, OFS, who is known for her parodies, did not disappoint at the opening session of the Q in the ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Phoenix. She created her own lyrics to the tune of “My Favorite Things” and to “Celebrate Good Time” to introduce all the groups who were in attendance and welcome everyone. Accompanying herself on guitar, Jan encouraged audience participation.
The following lyrics were provided to the audience so that everyone could sing along.
Welcoming Song for the 2022 Quinquennial Congress
“Quinquennial Things”
To the tune of “My Favorite Things”
God will renew us and give us new wings These are the blessings Quinquennials bring
Here you’ll meet people from so many places See lots of smiles on so many faces
In Little Fraternities you’ll meet new friends The Q is a place where the joy never ends
Wonderful speakers have come to address us
What you will share with us, surely will bless us
These are the blessings Quinquennials bring – Our Jubilee Q is a wonderful thing!
Sisters and brothers, we’re all here together You came to Phoenix in spite of the weather! Makes me so happy I just want to sing
A Jubilee Q is a wonderful thing!
So welcome to everyone! Let’s get things started Sisters and brothers and Franciscan hearted
So glad you’re right here and not on a screen! Pick up your song sheet and let us all sing!* Interlude – This is an audience participation song so pick up your song sheet and please sing along
It’s Jubilee time and our theme is conversion We here together on this great excursion
They stand then ask Sisters and Friars to stand
Friars and Sisters, we thank you for coming You help us keep our fraternities humming Spiritual Assistants you get a hurray
A special shout out to our CNSA!
Interlude – ask Tibor to stand
We have a great leader, and his name is Tibor He’s met many Franciscans and here he will see more
Thank you, dear brother, for all that you do We are so glad that you came to this Q
We have 30 Regions, yes 30 you heard right I’d list them all, but we’d be here til midnight Regional Ministers and Councilors too
Stand up and we’ll thank you for all that you do
Applause etc.
What a great dinner yes what a great menu, God bless the staff who are here in this venue. Let’s share the love of God with all we meet Franciscan joy in the halls and the street.
May God be with us as we grow in virtue. One thing I know, He will never desert you.
Let us find peace and the love that God brings Here at the Q may we find all these things.
So many blessings are sure to inspire God’s Holy Spirit will set us on fire.
We’ll find such grace as we celebrate Mass These days may end but God’s love will not pass.
On a dark night, when your hope sinks. And you’re feeling sad
Remember these blessed Quinquennial things.
And then you’ll rejoice — and be glad!
Celebrate Good Times!
(To the tune of the song by the same name.)
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let’s celebrate) Celebrate good times, come on! (Let’s celebrate)
There’s a party goin’ on right here, a celebration of our one hundred years.
We’ve got our good friends, and our laughter too
– We gonna celebrate this JUBILEE Q !
Come on now – Celebration! Let’s all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration! We gonna celebrate and have a good time
We’re finally all together! THE GOSPEL LIFE – That’s our treasure!
Everyone around the world – Come on! – It’s a celebration!
Celebrate our God, come on! – It’s a celebration.
Celebrate our God, come on! – Let’s celebrate
Praise him every morning and night – He is the way. He is the life.
Praise him every morning and night – He is the way. He is the life.
Praise Him for his goodness and might – He is the truth – He is the light.
Praise Him for his goodness and might – He is the truth – He is the light.
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let’s celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on! (It’s a celebration!)
Celebrate good times, Come On!
Innovation and a Lot of Hard Work Brought a More
Inclusive Dimension to the 2022 Quinquennial
The newly formed Accessibility Committee accommodated the needs of more than 200 Franciscans.
The Accessibility Committee’s job list included providing large-print program booklets, information on renting wheelchairs and scooters, locating a place for service animals to relieve themselves outside, and staffing a wheelchair brigade to help transport people who were unable to walk from the Sheraton Hotel to the Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica. Sign language translators made the keynote speeches accessible to the hearing impaired. Volunteers were relied upon to move chairs back and forth multiple times.
The Accessibility Committee is one of the Order’s newest committees, co-
chaired by Janice Benton, OFS and Susan Tabor, OFS. The goals of the committee are:
- To ensure accessibility for attendees of OFS events, such as the 2022
- To identify and make available OFS resources in accessible
- To raise awareness by developing tools to educate and support national committees, regions, and fraternities in recognizing the dignity and gifts of each person, and to take ownership of creating access within their area of
The Quinquennial represented its first major undertaking and was well worth the effort and appreciated, according to attendees.
“The Q was an awesome, awesome experience for me. And our committee was fabulous to work with,” said Susan Tabor, OFS-USA Accessibility Committee co-chair.
Susan went on to report: “All in all, we served a third of the attendees, including those with requests for dietary accommodations.”
“Prior to the Q, we called everyone who had registered a special need request to make sure we understood what was being requested and to determine whether there were additional needs. We also made sure we had all the sign language interpreters in place and that there were materials available in alternative formats. We were really busy beforehand, but when we arrived at the Q, even though we were still busy, it was different, because we were able to rein in extra help where needed.”
“The members of the Q Committee were great to work with and very resourceful. For example, they helped procure essential items through reputable, durable medical equipment vendors. They also worked at getting liturgical information ahead of time so it could be shared with the sign language interpreter, and they were responsible for having the morning prayer text copied in large print and in Braille.
“Thanks to a team of volunteers from fraternities in the Phoenix area, the attendees who were unable to walk from the Sheraton Hotel to St. Mary’s Basilica were transported by wheelchairs. The volunteers made multiple trips in the 106-degree heat.”
“The team was so eager and helpful. We couldn’t have asked for better assistance. Special thanks to Pat Nikolaisen, who coordinated the local volunteers,” said Janice.
The Accessibility Committee had a table at the Quinquennial to help people. They wore badges showing a Tau cross with several access symbols on it. They also displayed a variety of resources, including the Rule in large print and the Rule and Ritual in Braille. A future plan is to continue to prepare formation materials and essential documents of the Order in Braille, large print, and audio and to make them available online for free download.
Fraternities are encouraged to contact the committee for advice on how to assist their members with accessibility need.
Hand-tied Fleece Blanket Project
The service-oriented action of Franciscans was in evidence Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Quinquennial when attendees arrived for the service project. Led by the Franciscan Young Adults (YouFra), members made hand-tied fleece blankets for those in shelters and along the border. Fraternity members brought scissors and Blizzard fleece to the Quinquennial to create the blankets, while others who could not attend donated money to purchase materials.