(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Summer 2022 Issue #106)

by Carolyn D. Townes, OFS, National Animator

“Mindful that we are bearers of peace, which must be built up unceasingly, we should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon. Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, we should strive to bring joy and hope to others.” OFS Rule, Art. 19

This year has been a year of unspeakable violence – mass shootings, bombings and war, divisions in hearts, minds, and speech. Where has civility gone? What has become of compassion and respect? What has happened to protecting the young, the innocent, the poor, and the marginalized? When did we become so desensitized to the plight of those who are suffering or abandoned? When has caring for our fellow human beings become a political statement instead of an act of good will? And more importantly, why have we allowed this to become the norm?

Once upon a time, a person’s word was their bond, their pledge of honor. It was all that was needed for many transactions in this world – a handshake, a knowing smile, a heartfelt agreement. Those were also the days when everyone looked out for the children – all the children, anyone’s children. And the children knew other eyes were on them – looking out for them, protecting them, watching over them. Except in certain remote places, this is no longer the case. Today, children do not honor mother or father, let alone other elders. And the elders? They are too busy doing what they need to do to survive themselves, so they have no time to look after their own children, let alone someone else’s children.

In those days when a person’s word meant something, there was also more conversation, less debate, and more dialogue. Debate is more about winning and making the other person wrong than about having a healthy dialogue and sharing ideas. Where have those days gone? Why do I need to make you wrong rather than just understand your point of view? When we make others wrong, we do violence to them. We also do ourselves a disservice, because we lose out on the opportunity to learn from them, and thus to grow.

As a grief counselor and a full-time caregiver, I have learned the importance of listening to understand, instead of listening to respond or rebut. The most important thing we can do is listen to another person. We don’t have to have the answers. In fact, more often than not, they already know the answer. They just need to get out of their own heads and talk it out with an empathetic, listening soul. If that is all we give someone who is suffering, we have given the greatest of gifts.

One of my favorite stories about Saint Francis was when he and his brother friar were going to a neighboring town to preach. They walked through the town greeting the people, listening to their stories and hardships, sharing thoughtful words and prayers. By the time they got to the edge of town, the friar questioned Father Francis about preaching. He thought they were going to preach to the townspeople. Father Francis assured his brother that they did – by their actions. The words often attributed to Francis, “Preach the Gospel at all times; and if necessary, use words,” speak to this little story beautifully.

As Franciscans, we are not called to fix our brothers and sisters, but to love and listen to them. When we can love and listen, we allow the Holy Spirit to do whatever fixing is needed. We do not know the heart and mind of another, but the Holy Spirit does. We must be humble enough to allow the space for the Holy Spirit to do the work. That is not our responsibility. This is a liberating feeling. Imagine! I don’t have to have all the answers. I don’t have to fix my brothers and sisters. I don’t have to do the job of the Holy Spirit. All that is mine to do is to love and to listen. May the Lord continue to grant you peace as you be peace to others.

https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/2022/09/19/jpic-when-violence-is-the-way-we-must-choose-and-show-another-way/

Sept. 14, 2022

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

As I come to the end of my term as National Minister, I find myself thinking about all the hopes and dreams I still have for our Order.  Tonight, I am thinking of just one of those hopes – one that has been a priority for our NEC for the past several years – to build stronger bonds and improve communication with our Korean and Spanish-speaking fraternities.

I am thinking of this because early tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading to El Paso, Texas to be with the sisters and brothers of Our Lady of Guadalupe Regional Fraternity – a Region with a good number of Spanish-speaking members.   Tomorrow also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and it’s interesting to me that the beginning of this month-long celebration coincides with the beginning of my trip to El Paso.  But even more, I’m excited about spending time with many OFS sisters and brothers of Hispanic heritage.

It was only this week that I learned about Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, and as I researched it, I was especially struck by this year’s theme: “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”  Beautiful, and so true.

We might adapt this theme, and give it a little more Franciscan flavor — How about “One in Christ: Inclusivity for a Stronger and More Fraternal World”?   We can phrase it in different ways, but it’s the word inclusivity that catches my attention this evening.

Inclusivity is something we need to focus on more and more.  Those who attended our recent Quinquennial experienced inclusivity in ways that were new to our national gatherings.  There were breakout sessions in both Spanish and Korean, interpreters for our hearing impaired members, large print programs, and mobility assistance offered.  Inclusivity was noticeable, and contributed greatly to the success of the Q.  But we must continue to do more. 

Yes, we have made good progress by translating resources and formation books into Spanish and Korean, and we now have fraternity registers available in Spanish, and soon the new “presentation edition” of our OFS Rule will be available in both Spanish and Korean, too.  But there is so much more that we need to do – and that we can do.  I pray our efforts in this area will continue.

Maybe the celebration of “Hispanic Heritage Month” can help all of us think a bit more about inclusivity — and ask ourselves are we doing enough in our fraternities to be inclusive?  How can we bridge that language gap?  How can we be more inclusive?

It’s getting late, and I need to get up early, so let me just close this little reflection by sharing with you this year’s Hispanic Heritage poster, pictured below.  It’s lovely, and I like the caption, “Let’s Connect with our Hispanic Heritage and Community.”   

I’m happy to have the opportunity to do just that this weekend!  Take care, all – and see you soon!

Paz y bien,

Jan Parker OFS,

National Minister, Secular Franciscan Order – USA

secularfranciscansusa.org

14 de septiembre de 2022

Queridísimos hermanos y hermanas,

Al llegar al final de mi mandato como ministra Nacional, me encuentro pensando en todas las esperanzas y sueños que todavía tengo para nuestra Orden. Esta noche estoy pensando en una de esas esperanzas, una que ha sido una prioridad para nuestro NEC en los últimos años: construir lazos más fuertes y mejorar la comunicación con nuestras fraternidades de habla coreana e hispana.

Estoy pensando en esto porque mañana temprano por la mañana me dirigiré a El Paso, Texas para estar con las hermanas y hermanos de la Fraternidad Regional de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, una región con buenos números de miembros de habla hispana. Mañana también marca el comienzo del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, y me parece interesante que el comienzo de esta celebración de un mes coincida con el comienzo de mi viaje a El Paso. Pero aún más, estoy emocionada de pasar tiempo con muchas hermanas y hermanos OFS de herencia hispana.

Recién esta semana me enteré de que este es el Mes de la Mes de herencia hispana, que se lleva a cabo del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, y mientras investigaba, me llamó especialmente la atención el tema de este año: “Unidos: inclusión para una nación más fuerte”.  Hermoso, y tan cierto.

Podríamos adaptar este tema y darle un poco más de sabor franciscano. ¿Qué tal “Uno en Cristo: inclusión para un mundo más fuerte y fraterno”? Podemos expresarlo de diferentes maneras, pero es la palabra inclusión la que me llama la atención esta noche.

La inclusión es algo en lo que debemos centrarnos cada vez más. Aquellos que asistieron a nuestro reciente Quinquenal experimentaron la inclusión de maneras que eran nuevas para nuestras reuniones nacionales. Hubo sesiones grupales en español y coreano, intérpretes para nuestros miembros con discapacidad auditiva, programas en letra grande y asistencia de movilidad ofrecida. La inclusión fue notable y contribuyó en gran medida al éxito del Q. Pero debemos seguir haciendo más.

Sí, hemos hecho un buen progreso en la traducción de recursos y libros de formación al español y coreano, y ahora tenemos registros de fraternidad disponibles en español, y pronto la nueva “edición de presentación” de nuestra Regla OFS también estará disponible en español y coreano.  Pero hay mucho más que debemos hacer, y que podemos hacer. Ruego que nuestros esfuerzos en esta área continúen.

Tal vez la celebración del “Mes de la Herencia Hispana” pueda ayudarnos a todos a pensar un poco más sobre la inclusión — y preguntarnos ¿estamos haciendo lo suficiente en nuestras fraternidades para ser inclusivos? ¿Cómo podemos salvar esa brecha lingüística? ¿Cómo podemos ser más inclusivos?

Se está haciendo tarde y necesito levantarme temprano, así que permítanme cerrar esta pequeña reflexión compartiendo con ustedes el póster de la Herencia Hispana de este año, que se muestra a continuación. Es hermoso, y me gusta la leyenda: “Conectémonos con nuestra comunidad y herencia hispana”.

¡Estoy feliz de tener la oportunidad de hacer precisamente eso este fin de semana! ¡Cuídense todos, y nos vemos pronto!

Paz y bien,

Jan Parker, OFS

Ministra Nacional, Orden Franciscana Seglar – EE.UU.

secularfranciscansusa.org

https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/2022/09/15/inclusivity-strengthens-fraternal-bonds-models-franciscan-love/