On Saturday, November 4, 2016, Friar Mario Serrano, OFM Conv. was ordained to the priesthood by the Most Reverend John Stowe, OFM Conv., Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky. The ordination took place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church/Ysleta Mission in El Paso, Texas. Many Friars, family, and friends joined in the joyful celebration. Over the next two days, Fr. Mario celebrated Masses of Thanksgiving in Dexter, New Mexico, and in Juarez, Mexico.

Please join us in prayer to the praise and glory of the Most Holy Trinity. May God continue to bless Fr. Mario in his Franciscan service and sacramental ministry. And may Our Lady

of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, continue to intercede for all of us.

       For more photos, please visit the Province Facebook page. (Photos courtesy of Mr. Al Baeza, Fr. Miguel Briseno, OFM Conv., and Friar Tony Martinez, OFM Conv.)

By Friar John Pozhathuparambil, OFM Conv.

What can a group of Franciscan Friars do when they come together? Make a movie, that’s what. The Franciscan Conventuals in India decided to expand on St. Maximilian Kolbe’s vision of using different forms of media to spread the word of Jesus Christ through the Immaculate Mother Mary around the world. They have established a video and film production company, Kolbe Communications, through which they’ve produced their first feature length film, Hero of Auschwitz: The Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe.

(The movie premiere in the US will take place on Sunday, January 29th, 3:00 p.m. in Wyatt Hall at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.)

     St. Kolbe may be known mostly for his act of martyrdom when he gave his life for another prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland in 1941. By the age of 46 Fr. Kolbe had overcome many obstacles including tuberculosis, to achieve many things for the Catholic Church.

When he was only 10 years old he had a vision of Mother Mary Immaculata in which she offered him two crowns: one white to persevere in purity and one red that he should become a martyr. Raymond Kolbe lived the rest of his life in pursuit of both crowns from Mother Mary. He eventually started Mary’s Militia which became the foundation for printing newspapers, magazines, and books about Mother Mary Immaculata. The success of these publications helped Fr. Kolbe establish Franciscan Friaries in Poland (Niepokalanow), Nagasaki, Japan (Mugenzai no Sono), and the seeds of a friary in Kerala, India. Fr. Kolbe helped bring thousands of young men into religious life, and helped spread the word of Jesus Christ through Mother Mary Immaculate to millions in Europe and Japan and India.

The friars in India have kept Fr. Kolbe’s publication efforts alive. Their company, Grey Friars Publications, distributes The Messenger of St. Anthony, publishes Amalolbhava which is a monthly magazine and is a continuation of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia Immaculata in vernacular language. They have also published books on various religious subjects and saints.

On the World Youth Day, 2016, in Krakow, Poland, many youth visited the concentration camp in Auschwitz. This reflects a rise in interest to know more about the life and spirituality of Kolbe. This movie was intended to spread the vision and the life of Kolbe in India and around the world. Jessy Mariya is a long-time friend of the Friars in Kerala. She has produced other documentaries for Franciscan Friars. When she heard the story of Kolbe’s martyrdom she was very interested in pursuing this as a film project. Fr. Leo Payyappilly, Provincial of St. Maximilian Kolbe Province India, met with Jessy Mariya and asked her to write and direct this film, the first to be produced by Kolbe Communications.

Jessy Mariya, Kerala film director, wrote the script to chronicle the life story of St. Maximilian Kolbe. She hired an excellent Kerala film crew with Praveen as the photographer. The cast included professional actors from Kerala, America, as well as dozens of Franciscan Friars, seminarians, novices, and nuns to create Kolbe’s life story on film.

      One Interesting thing is that I was cast to play the lead role of St. Maximilian Kolbe. The only experiences I had were acting as Jesus in an Easter pageant show at St. Paul Parish, Dixie highway. I was really panicked and went to Megan Burnett, the Theatre Program Director at Bellarmine University and a professional actor, to help me as an acting coach for the film. She was then cast to play the role of Kolbe’s mother in the film. Burnett said, “Making a film in India was a surprising and dreamlike opportunity for me,” she said. “Working with Fr. John, Jessy Mariya, and all the crew and cast was a powerful experience. The care and attention to detail given to every aspect of this film will ensure St. Kolbe’s story will be shared with Catholics all over the world.”

During the two weeks of shooting, the film crew shot on at least 12 locations including a 250 year-old home in Cochin, a gypsum deposit site at FACT, the set of Jail, a commercial movie set, the St. Maximilian Kolbe ashram, a field in Kerala, on the streets in Fort Cochin, the Belvedere Novitiate in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, a pharmacy run by Franciscan nuns, the Viani printing press, a brick quarry, and more. The director and photographer used each location to tell St. Kolbe’s story with truth, and beauty, even when the film deals with his time in the concentration camp. Every moment of his life was depicted with great care.

While shooting the concentration camp scenes we were asked to walk on gypsum deposits and a field that was covered with touch-me-not vines which have thorns. I was so blessed to be a part of this beautiful work. And if we friars acted well in the movie, it’s because of God’s blessings and intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Everyone in the movie acted with dedication.

A few things that happened during filming were so amazing. The students were ready to take off their shoes. They said we are doing something, it’s not a movie, we’re trying to experience what Kolbe went through. So we were walking on the thorns, staying in the sunlight, and not much water, and not much food because we had to finish in time, so we were at least six hours in sunlight and on the thorns. And we had to run over the thorns and many were hurt – not big pain but small pain. Then we had to fight for bread in one scene. The prisoners had to eat off the floor. I have never seen a dirty place like that, and the students were putting bread pieces on the floor and trying to eat it. And they were really eating it. I said, “No, look, this is the dirtiest place in the world.” And they said, “No, we are doing something holy here, and we are sacrificing something for Kolbe.” So that was their attitude. They were ready to do anything for the movie. Then I felt each scene, I was not acting as Kolbe, more I was acting as Jesus. I could relate everything with Jesus, his passion, even in the concentration camp I felt how Jesus would have been in the jail, his suffering, people beating him. I got three slaps and kicks, I fell down two times, I was feeling how Jesus would have been suffering, and the last moment Jesus dies lifting his arms on the cross. All this reminded me of Jesus more than Kolbe.

So for me it was not acting. I went through what Kolbe really might have gone through. And many of the students felt it too. And the crew they wanted to know about Kolbe. They really learned about Kolbe. There were Christian, Islamic and Hindu people on the crew. And we always started with a prayer, every day we started with prayer before we started shooting. And they were joining us, the Islamic men and the Hindu men; they were joining us with a prayer. And one of the men is a Hindu and he wanted a cross from Fr. Dominic for his sister. So a lot of good things happened with the crew. And before I came to Megan Burnett for acting help, I never knew how to act, how to stand in front of the camera. I had acted in two Easter Pageant shows. But when I was acting in this movie, I felt like Jesus suffering by his passion. I could feel a divine presence, divine courage, inspiration that I could stand in front of the camera. And I know it’s not me, it’s not me, I ‘m pretty sure it’s Kolbe’s intercession and God’s help.”

Hero of Auschwitz: The Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, produced by Conventual Franciscans India, will be released by November 12, 2016. There will be DVDs available and it will be released on one or more religious channels in Kerala, India.

Pope Francis on Consolation

From Misericordia et Misera

The Apostolic Letter ending the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Another face of mercy is consolation. “Comfort, comfort my people” (Is 40:1) is the heartfelt plea that the prophet continues to make today, so that a word of hope may come to all those who experience suffering and pain. Let us never allow ourselves to be robbed of the hope born of faith in the Risen Lord. True, we are often sorely tested, but we must never lose our certainty of the Lord’s love for us. His mercy finds expression also in the closeness, affection and support that many of our brothers and sisters can offer us at times of sadness and affliction. The drying of tears is one way to break the vicious circle of solitude in which we often find ourselves trapped.

All of us need consolation because no one is spared suffering, pain and misunderstanding. How much pain can be caused by a spiteful remark born of envy, jealousy or anger! What great suffering is caused by the experience of betrayal, violence and abandonment! How much sorrow in the face of the death of a loved one! And yet God is never far from us at these moments of sadness and trouble. A reassuring word, an embrace that makes us feel understood, a caress that makes us feel love, a prayer that makes us stronger… all these things express God’s closeness through the consolation offered by our brothers and sisters.

Sometimes too, silence can be helpful, especially when we cannot find words in response to the questions of those who suffer. A lack of words, however, can be made up for by the compassion of a person who stays at our side, who loves us and who holds out a hand. It is not true that silence is an act of surrender; on the contrary, it is a moment of strength and love. Silence also belongs to our language of consolation, because it becomes a concrete way of sharing in the suffering of a brother or sister…

The Holy Mother of God always looks upon us with her eyes of mercy. She is the first to show us the way and to accompany us in our witness of love. As she is often shown in works of art, the Mother of Mercy gathers us all under the protection of her mantle. Let us trust in her maternal assistance and follow her perennial counsel to look to Jesus, the radiant face of God’s mercy.

Our Lady of Consolation, pray for us.

Last weekend was filled with Franciscan joy. The theme of the celebrations, and for the weekend's liturgies, was Viva Christo Rey -- Long Live Christ the King.

On Saturday evening, Fr. Mario Serrano, OFM Conv. celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Joseph University Parish where he is now an associate pastor. He was ordained a priest on November 4 in El Paso, Texas. Following the 5 pm Mass, a gathering in the parish hall made for an evening of fellowship and pasta.

On Sunday morning, Fr. Martin Day, OFM Conv. celebrated 25 years of priestly ordination. After concelebrating the 11 am Mass with other Conventual Friars, his family and friends gathered at the Red Barn in Terre Haute.

Congratulations to Fr. Mario and Fr. Martin. May God continue to bless you in your service to His people.

(For more photos from the weekend, please visit our Facebook page.)

by Fr. Tom Smith, OFM Conv.

November 30^th was a special evening of appreciation for Holy Cross Retreat Center. Sixteen members of the Definitories from Our Lady of Consolation, St. Joseph Cupertino, and St. Bonaventure Provinces joined with fifty-five other people to recognize the contributions of Carl McGrew and Esther Jasso.

Carl was received as an Affiliate (Honorary Member) of the Province of OLC in recognition of his 19 years of volunteer service to the friars. He has been a leader within the Serra Club, which promotes and helps pay for Franciscan vocation efforts. He has coordinated the installation of irrigation systems and landscaping for the friary at Holy Cross, and more recently has developed the Good Works Volunteers. This is a group of about 15 men and women who give eight hours a week in the spring and fall for all kinds of projects. They built the large cross and liturgical furniture for the new Chapel, developed the landscaping, rosary walk, and labyrinth around the Chapel, remodeled the large conference room, and more recently renovated the atrium of the original hacienda.  Carl’s good nature and organizational skills benefit many people. He and his wife, Claudine, graciously accepted the recognition.

Esther Jasso has worked for the Retreat Center for 32 years. She has been our lead cook for many of those years, preparing delicious meals served with care. She has also taught many of our other cooks the skills of the kitchen and how to treat retreatants well so they want to return. She has now retired and her presence will be missed, yet her impact will be felt for many years to come. Esther received a gold cross with small diamonds and a memorial brick for her and her husband in recognition of her many years of service.

¿Acaso no soy yo tu madre? ¿No estoy aquí? (Am I not your mother? Am I not here?)

The words of the Blessed Mother are as true and as timely today as they were when she spoke them to St. Juan Diego centuries ago on a little hill in Mexico. She is our mother, and she accompanies us on our journey, always pointing us toward her Son.

She is the one who brings us together, those from the “old world” and “new world.” Cultural, language, and political boundaries only seem to separate us. Truly we are all one: we are all Americans, we are all brothers and sisters, we are all members of the Body of Christ.

May we all gather together under the protective mantle of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and seek her intercession as we pray for the unity and peace that is God’s gift to us, if we are willing to receive it.

Homily for the Last Sunday of Advent, December 18, 2016
by Friar Nicholas Wolfla, OFM Conv.

Aside from the Hardy Boys and Brains Benton, I remember the first real novel I read. It was a book about Merlin by Mary Stewart called The Crystal Cave. For an eight year old boy, this was a huge book, that wasn’t dumbed down, that was written for an adult audience (I’ve since re-read it and its two sequels many times). It was wonderful and took me to places that I never thought existed, with people of legend.

After that, I started reading almost anything I could put my hands on. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Treasure Island, The Invisible Man, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Time Machine, Conan, Tarzan, and the list goes on and on and on. To this day I’m likely to read two or more books a week, pure fiction but pure fun.

The one thing that all of these had in common, and still do for me, is that these books opened up the possibilities of what could be. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Gene Roddenberry among others showed me the unknown, showed me what we could be and what we could do, and most importantly engaged us within those realities, many of which have come true. Each of these authors wrote about a hero who braved the unknown and walked through paths untaken; faced dangers, moments of laughter, moments of love, moments of wonder and magic; and ended up in a new place in life, a new life, or a champion of their worlds.

These authors saw what Joseph saw: that to stay in the past, to not embrace the unknown, to idealize the status quo, is not life giving, but is death. Joseph, although betrothed to Mary, was actually considered to have been legally married to her. Her transfer to his clan for living had not yet occurred, but she was considered, for practical purposes, already his property and wife. The dowry would have been exchanged, the promises given, the contracts done – she was his.

Then she has to admit to Joseph that she is pregnant and not only that she tells him that the Father is God, that she is carrying God’s son. You can imagine how that had to go over. And Joseph was faced with one of two possibilities: (1) Denounce her and have her put to death by stoning as prescribed by Judaic Law; or (2) To quietly divorce her, allow her to leave under the cover of night, and begin a new life, under a lie, that her husband was dead or some such thing. Joseph, being the upright and truly righteous man he was, chose the latter. He chose to let her go.

But then a messenger of God came to Joseph and gave him another choice: to either fall back on the status quo and deny the mystery of God; or to enter into the greatest unknown, to put his trust in God, to open his heart fully to that miracle of God’s grace, and walk through the door of adventure, the door of change, and the door of wisdom, to enter that which was unknown and universe-changing, to take the first step on events that forever changed reality.

I imagine Joseph thought about it for a while, realized that the world he grew up in and the reality he knew wasn’t as it should be. That to not choose the unknown would be stagnating and not productively prophetic. So Joseph, like all great heroes of legend, stepped through that door of the unknown, afraid, unsure, terrified if the truth were known, but he began a journey that would bring us Jesus.

You know, I’ve heard many theories of Advent, and they are all true: a time of preparation, a time of making things straight for the King, and a time of anticipation. And I would suggest that it is also a time of fear for us, a time when we have to face the fact that we as a people and as individuals have never been ready for the coming of Christ, and that sometimes we have chosen to stay in the stagnation of the tried and true in our lives instead of embracing the newness and adventure of Christ.

I would suggest that Advent is a time of challenge, where we have to face where we are, and look into the void of where we are called to be. It is a time to examine where we put our trust: is it in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or is it in ourselves and what we know, and where we want to stay? Do we want to simply live out our lives in the humdrum, or take a step into the unknown adventure Jesus calls us to? Do we ignore the changes around us, or do we, with our God, MAKE the changes around us? Do we truly become the heroes in our God-written story, or do we choose to remain a backdrop? Only we can make that choice.

Joseph chose the better part. Joseph chose to leave behind the old, the tried and true, and walk in God’s light, not his own light. Joseph became the foster father of Jesus, and in so doing not only loved him as his God, but loved him also as his own son. Joseph provided the home for the ultimate change in this world. Joseph provided a home for peace, justice, divine love, and divine sacrifice. Joseph entered the unknown. And look what it gave us.

So my question: do we want to live in the past, to continue to live under the rule of “the way its always been?” Or do we want to walk through that doorway? To embrace the adventure? To trust God and His plan for this world? Are we willing to become the loving, just, and righteous heroes of the story God wants of us? Because it is only in doing so that we will sail under the seas, fly through time, defeat the dark lord, bring home the treasure, explore the caves with Injun Joe, and embrace the love, which is the true magic of the season.

For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us...Is 9:5

The light of the Savior's coming dispels the night.

Let all the earth rejoice in everlasting day!

May the joy of Christ's birth be with you.

Peace and all good!

In his January 1, 2017, homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Pope Francis began the New Year by reminding us that “we are a people with a Mother; we are not orphans…Where there is a mother, there is unity, there is belonging, belonging as children.”

Remembering this can prevent the corrosive disease of becoming “spiritual orphans…having a narcissistic heart capable of looking only at its own interests. It grows when we forget that life is a gift we have received – and owe to others – a gift we are called to share in this common home.”

He finished by saying:

Jesus, at the moment of his ultimate self-sacrifice, on the cross, sought to keep nothing for himself, and in handing over his life, he also handed over to us his Mother.  He told Mary: Here is your son; here are your children.  We too want to receive her into our homes, our families, our communities and nations.  We want to meet her maternal gaze.  The gaze that frees us from being orphans; the gaze that reminds us that we are brothers and sisters, that I belong to you, that you belong to me, that we are of the same flesh.  The gaze that teaches us that we have to learn how to care for life in the same way and with the same tenderness that she did: by sowing hope, by sowing a sense of belonging and of fraternity.

On Saturday, January 7th, at 10 a.m., the Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, Bishop of El Paso, Texas, will rededicate the historic Ysleta Mission, home of the present-day Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.

Ysleta Mission is considered to be the first (and oldest) mission established in Texas and the second oldest continually active parish in the United States. The Mission was founded in 1680 by Franciscan Missionaries and the New Mexico governor to provide temporary camps for Spanish and Tigua refugees fleeing from the New Mexico pueblos. In 1682, the Tigua people built a permanent mission from adobe. The mission was flooded in the 1740s and in 1829, and rebuilt each time. It was reconstructed on higher ground in the 1850s.

In 1991, Bishop Raymundo Peña of El Paso transferred the responsibility of the Mission to the Conventual Franciscans. Fr. Miguel Briseño, OFM Conv., is the current pastor.

Mr. Al Baeza shared his beautiful photos from the rededication of the Ysleta Mission on January 7th.
Check them out here:

Though the day was overcast and rainy, many members of Fr. Terence Tobin's family, other friends, and Friars gathered at Mount St. Francis on Saturday, January 14th, for the blessing of the two columbaria that have been constructed at the Mount. Fr. Terence, who passed away in 2015, had chosen to be cremated and is the first Friar to be interred in the Friars' columbarium. There is a second one nearby reserved for family, friends, and benefactors of the Province.

Following Fr. Terence's interment and the singing of one of his favorite hymns, Fr. Jim Kent, Minister Provincial, blessed both structures.

Everyone then gathered for lunch and a chance to share remembrances of Fr. Terence's life and ministry. His family told many wonderful tales about his generosity of spirit, love of puns, and adherence to his vow of poverty. They commented that they could never give him anything - if they gave him a new shirt he would find someone who needed it more than he did and give it away.

Fr. Terence spent more than 50 years as a missionary in Zambia. In spite of the distance, his family remarked that Fr. Pat (as they knew him) had a great relationship with all his nieces and nephews.

Read more about Fr. Terence's life by clicking here.

Although it was founded officially on Christmas Day, 1966, Incarnation of Or Lord Catholic Church celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Sunday, January 15. But as Archbishop Joseph Kurtz reminded those marking the Anniversary at the 11 am Mass, the real Incarnation took place nine months before Christmas. Mary said to the Angel, "Let it be done according to your word," and through the working of the Holy Spirit, the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

The Spirit was moving in the congregation: the Word proclaimed with authority, the joyful singing of the Glory of God, the boisterous sign of Christ's Peace, and the sharing of the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

Concelebrating with Archbishop Kurtz were the Pastor, Fr. Christian Moore, OFM Conv., former Pastor Fr. Jim Mudd of the Archdiocese of Louisville, and Fr. Jim Kent, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of the Conventual Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Consolation.

After Mass, hundreds of parishioners and friends of Incarnation gathered in the Parish Hall for a delicious luncheon. Before and during the luncheon, people walked along the sides of the Hall reviewing pictures from the five decades of parish life.

Conventual Franciscan Friar Fr. Jim Kent discusses his impressions and thoughts on the new book by Mark K. Shriver, Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis. Free-ranging discussion goes from Central America, Franciscan and Jesuit formation, following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, to reconciliation and the importance of pilgrimage.

Fr. Jim Kent discusses the film, and the book, Silence, touching on the themes of Christian faith, witness, and martyrdom. The conversation highlights the struggle of the European missionaries to either renounce their faith or save the lives of the people they serve.

Friar John Bamman is trying to reach youth and spread the word of St. Francis of Assisi in new ways with his work in vocations. He would like to get his car wrapped with 'advertisements' - aimed not only at young people who might be discerning a vocation but for all of us. He wants us to Seek Our Higher Calling - to be the people that God wants us to be.

Would you like to be a partner in this highways and byways ministry? Click here for more information. Or, if you are ready to make a donation, please click here.

Thank you for your support and please continue to pray for all young people as they seek their path, especially those discerning the religious life!

Last year, on February 17, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez. The logo for this special event said it all: “Two Nations One Faith.”

Conventual Franciscan Friars from Our Lady of Consolation Province were on both sides of the border for this historic visit to Juarez.

On the US side, Friars Mario Serrano and Andy Martinez, both serving as campus ministers, celebrated with many students from Our Lady of the Lake University and the University of Texas, El Paso. In Juarez, Friar Tom Smith joined 15 other priests from Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was seated very close to the front, with the sick and infirm.

Fr. Tom was interviewed recently by KFOX14 (El Paso). You can click here to see the interview.

Friar Miguel Briseno, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in El Paso, was at the Sun Bowl Stadium along with thousands of others.

To those gathered there, and to many others listening and watching from a distance, Pope Francis said: “Thank you, brothers and sisters at El Paso, for making us feel like one family, and one and the same Christian community.”

Celebrating Mass at the fairground of Ciudad Juarez, the Pope used the story of Jonah and Nineveh to help us understand the necessity of mercy:

"The king listened to Jonah, the inhabitants of the city responded and penance was decreed. God’s mercy has entered the heart, revealing and showing wherein our certainty and hope lie: there is always the possibility of change, we still have time to transform what is destroying us as a people, what is demeaning our humanity. Mercy encourages us to look to the present, and to trust what is healthy and good beating in every heart. God’s mercy is our shield and our strength."

Please join us in praying for conversion, salvation, and mercy.
Lord, have pity on us, cleanse us from our sins and create in us a pure heart, a new spirit.

Holy Cross Retreat Center in Mesilla Park, New Mexico, is offering four retreats during Lent:

• Franciscan Spirituality of Creation - March 3 to 5 - reflections on the Canticle of Creatures by St. Francis, some selections from "Laudato, Si!" by Pope Francis, and time to experience the beauty of creation at the Retreat Center.
• Contemplative Retreat - March 17 to 19 - opportunities to experience different forms of prayer, including the Rosary Walk and the labyrinth.
• Mary as a Model of Prayer - March 31 to April 2 - focuses on how we can draw on the spirituality and witness of Mary in our own life today?
• Retreat on the Triduum  - April 14 to 15 - understanding the services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil so that we can celebrate them fully.

Call 575 524-3688 or email programs@holycrossretreat.org for more information.

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Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, Minnesota, is offering four Lenten Days of Prayer. Each runs from 9:30 a.m. to about 3:00 p.m.

• Forgiveness: The Essence of the Gospel - March 9 - presented by Br. Bob Roddy, OFM Conv.
• When Forgiveness Seems Impossible - March 16 - presented by Debbie Koop
• Forgiveness of Self - March 23 - presented by Kathy Berken
• Forgiveness and Healing - March 30 - presented by Cindy Geiger

Pre-registration is not required by would be appreciated. Call 952 447-2182 to register.

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The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio, will hold the 7th Annual Ecumenical Choir Concert on Good Friday an Noon.
(Also, the Shrine Cafeteria will once again be offering an all you can eat Lenten Seafood Buffet every Friday from March 3 thru April 4 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.)

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YAFraM is offering a retreat for young adults (ages 24 to 35) at Mount St. Francis, Indiana. The Glow in the Dark Retreat will provide lots of opportunities to escape the pressures of school and work. The weekend will be about disconnecting from the grid and connecting with your peers and God. For more information click here.

Dear Friends,

Today we begin our Lenten journey. For each of the 40 days we will offer a brief Franciscan reflection – many by our Friars, some from Pope Francis, St. Francis, and other Franciscan writers.

To reach each day’s reflection, simply click on the banner photo on the front page (or you may click here.) Enjoy the journey! (Make sure to read tomorrow’s post by Friar Nick Wolfla - Life is Joyful.)

PS – the new reflections will be available at 9:30 a.m. each day and will be up until the following morning at that time.

Beautiful stained glass windows have been installed in the Chapel at Holy Cross Retreat Center, Mesilla Park, New Mexico. The timing is perfect as the Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. 

On March 12th, the statues, stained glass, and stations of the Cross will be blessed. The 2:00 p.m. Mass will be followed by a reception and an open house. Fr. Jim Kent, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial, will be preaching and presiding. Bishop Emeritus Ricardo Ramirez will join in this special event. Please come and celebrate with us!

(FYI - Holy Cross Retreat has confessions at 6:00 p.m. and Mass at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday in the new Chapel.)