St. Clare was one of the early followers of St. Francis of Assisi. In 2012 the Franciscan family celebrates the 800th anniversary of Clare’s decision to leave her family for a life of poverty and ministry. Contemporary accounts glow with admiration of her life in the convent of San Damiano in Assisi. She served the […]
What is Perfect Joy?
Raise your hand if you would like to have Perfect Joy. (raising mine…) Life gives us opportunities for Perfect Joy almost daily, however these opportunities, or conditions, may not be what we think. Do we recognize them as gifts…opportunities for Perfect Joy? The following is an excerpt from The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi: Once when walking […]
Earth Day 2012: A Franciscan Perspective
April 22, 2012 marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day. With support across political, social, and economic differences, the first Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 1990, Earth Day mobilized 200 million people in 141 […]
Who was Saint Francis of Assisi? Pope Benedict XVI elaborates on his life.
During a GENERAL AUDIENCE on 27 January 2010 in Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Benedict XVI elaborates on St. Francis of Assisi. The following is an except, you can access the entire text here. “From love for Christ stems love for others and also for all God’s creatures. This is yet another characteristic trait of Francis’ spirituality: the sense […]
This week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The traditional period in the northern hemisphere for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is 18-25 January. Those dates were proposed in 1908 by Paul Wattson to cover the days between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul, and therefore have a symbolic significance. In the southern hemisphere where January is a vacation […]