Mount LaVerna Fraternity was honored to host the first Virginia Gathering of Secular Franciscan Fraternities on August 9, 2014. It was a great meeting of Secular Franciscans from across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fr. Gregory Kandt, pastor at Church of the Incarnation, was the keynote speaker who gave a great talk about finding the message of Christ in ordinary life. Fr. Gregory also led us in Mass on the Feasts of St. Edith Stein & Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, O.F.S., and the martyrs of the atomic bomb of Nagasaki which Fr. Gregory calls the Holy Day of Martyrs of WWII. We had a tasty lunch catered by Breadworks (a bakery/deli that provides work support for the disabled) and plenty of time for fellowship to share stories about the good ministry work in our communities. There was a talk about encouraging youth and young adults to become involved in the Franciscan way of life through fraternities sponsoring YouFra and Franciscan Earth Corp. We hope to sponsor this annual meeting and many felt it was a good central place for the Virginia fraternities to meet.
Fr. Gregory Kandt was keynote speaker at Virginia Gathering.