MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM AVA, MO

From our 12 foot Christmas tree in the stairwell (with over 100 angel ornaments) to our prayer chapel vested in its Christmas beauty, the Franciscan friars here at Our Lady of the Angels Prayer Fraternity in Ava, MO wish you and your loved ones a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a NEW YEAR in 2011 filled with health and safety, grace and joy, peace and prayer!   

NATIVITY SCENES FROM THE PRAYER FRATERNITY

There are a number of Nativity scenes throughout the friary.  Following in the wonderful tradition of the year 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi gathered the country folk of Greccio in the Rieti Valley in Italy to re-enact that first Christmas night.

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION

(Looking at another of the 8 Christmas creches in the friary, the very familiar images in the crib set the stage for the following Christmas reflection offered by Alice, a friend of the friars.)

 

BETHLEHEM SURPRISE

 

The wonder of the Christmas story is like no other.  For the unlikely characters cast in this story truly transcend human imagination: virgin teen-wife, dreamy-eyed husband, weary innkeeper, heavenly choir, ragtag shepherds, and foreign star-gazers.  But the surprise does not end here, but rather becomes even more ramped up by the spontaneous actions of the players.  Mary and Joseph accept the innkeeper's offer of a bed in a barn.  Shepherds abandon their sheep and run to see a stranger's baby.  Wise men pack up gear and follow a star.  When Baby Jesus was born, ordinary people responded in extraordinary ways.

 

Isn't this story for us today?  To nudge us from our ordinary-comfort zones that we may hear heavenly music and see stars in our eyes.   For when the Christmas choir sings, "Glory to God in the Highest,"  we are called to throw off our earth-bound cares and run with haste to Bethlehem.  To witness the birth of God's extraordinary message:  Christ is born today!

 

Prayer Reflection from your Prayer Fraternity

Prayer reflection & a thought for Advent - 4th Sunday

 

"PRAYER is not asking for what you think you want,

but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine."
                      (Kathleen Norris)

 

 

Fr. George Smiga, writing for the Living with Christ missalette, December issue, offers a reflection for us on the Gospel of Matthew's account of Jesus' birth we read on this Sunday;  it's one further reflection on Kathleen Norris' quote above:

 

"Matthew devotes the majority of his narration not to the main event of Jesus' birth, but to all the unusual circumstances within Jesus' family:  Mary's inexplicable pregnancy, and Joseph's struggle to deal with it.

 

Matthew's approach is instructive to us during the holiday season.  It calls us to look for God in the margins of our activities.

 

Throughout this month we will gather with family and friends.  Our focus will tend to be on the meals, gifts, and customs of the season.  But the people with whom we gather will bring with them their own issues, and many of them will be difficult.   Sickness, hurt, economic hardship, or grief may well be gathered in our homes.  God is calling us to be attentive to such burdens.

 

Like Joseph we must trust that God will be found in strange and uncomfortable places.  Even when circumstances are new and difficult, we must trust they are part of God's plan.  The places we must leave are seldom recoverable.  But God can be found in new places. 

 

Matthew's account of Jesus' birth assures every believer that God is not restricted to main events or routine places.   God is also present in the margins and foreign parts of our lives."

A REFLECTION ABOUT PRAYER

LIFE CHANGES AN UNDERSTANDING OF PRAYER

 

 

Recently a member of our community received a card from a friend who wrote something very profound about prayer.    Reflecting upon experiences in their family, the letter said:  

 

"We have learned to pray differently, not asking to make everything okay, but asking God to help us to accept what he thinks is best for us."

AN ADVENT REFLECTION

(picture is our chapel in simple Advent vesture)

Why do we do these prayers, scriptures, etc. for Advent -- really, for all the seasons of the year?   

 

This Hasidic tale, told by Elie Wiesel, helps us understand why we do these prayers and rituals of our faith -- in Advent, at Christmastime,  during Lent, throughout the Easter season:

 

When the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate.  There he would light a fire,  say a special prayer,  and the miracle would be accomplished and misfortune averted.

Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Magid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say:  "Master of the Universe, listen!   I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayers."   And again the miracle would be accomplished.

Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Lieb of Sasov, in order to shave his people once more, would go into the forest and say:  "I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient."   It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.

Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune.  Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God:  "I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer;  I cannot even find the place in the forest.   All I can do is to tell the story, and that must be sufficient."   And it was sufficient.  God made humankind because God loves stories.

ADVENT -- Visualizing Peace for the New Year

WHAT IS YOUR NEW CHURCH YEAR RESOLUTION?

 

Today begins a NEW CHURCH YEAR;  we know it's the Year of St. Matthew's Gospel;  Cycle  'A';  back at the beginning you might say.

 

When we look at our readings to begin this New Church Year,  Isaiah encourages us to visualize peace and let the ways of God be the guiding force in our lives:

 

     "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;

      one nation shall not raise the sword against another,  nor shall they train for war again.

      Let us walk in the light of the Lord!"    

 

(What would peace look like for you if you visualized it?    Visualize a world of peace!)

 

 

Paul, writing to the Church of Rome, encouraged them and us:

 

     "Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."  

 

 (Works and 'words' of darkness;   put on 'Light' -- who is the true 'Light of the World' that we can put on?) 

 

 

Jesus says in our first hearing of the Gospel of Matthew for the New Church Year:

 

     "Stay awake!   For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.

      You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come."

 

If Advent is a time of waiting for THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD,  what can we do to bring 'light' and not darkness into the world?   If Advent is a time when we hope for THE PRINCE OF PEACE to be born anew;  what does that means for you?  How is that to happen, if not somehow through our lives?   Should we not be about visualizing peace, being committed to peace, be somehow working for peace?

 

Patricia Sanchez, writing in a homily help for Preaching Resources for this First Sunday of Advent, has a reflection for us on something we can do to start the process of 'peace-making';  it starts inside us, disarming the weapons of war we give a home to there:

 

"While most of us may not wield swords and spears, we have sufficient weaponry in our arsenals to destroy one another.  We have words and looks and attitudes that cut deeper than any sword.   We have anger and resentment and prejudices that build unscalable walls and unbreachable barriers between us.   We have pride and selfishness that insist on making our way and our time the top priority in so many situations.   We also have apathy and insensitivity that blind us to the needs of others.  These are the weapons of war that must be disarmed before peace can grow and before our time is spent."

 

HAVE A BLESSED ADVENT AND A GREAT NEW CHURCH YEAR! 

           -- your Franciscan brothers in Ava; we are praying for you....pray for us, too!

Brothers Francis, Leo, and Benjamin

ALWAYS READY TO WELCOME YOU! 

It is always worth letting you know that your time here at our Prayer Fraternity will be amplified by the 'other brothers' who live here.   The front-line of hospitality is always Benji and Frankie (he's to the right of Leo in photo above) who are sure to welcome your vehicle as you come into our parking lot.

During your days with us, whether you are sitting outside on the deck outside your room, making your way to the main building for chapel or the library or for a meal, taking a walk on the grounds on one of the many trails through the woods, or whatever you might be doing, you can trust that you will be visited and accompanied by any one of our three Franciscan brothers who are committed to the hospitality of our place.   Having read thoroughly The Rule of St. Benedict, they know that 'every guest is Christ' and they will treat you accordingly.   

Benji,   Frankie,  and Leo say:    "COME AND SPEND SOME TIME WITH US!"   (translation:   "SPOIL US")

Christ the King - a reflection

 

LET JESUS BE THE 'KING' OF YOUR HEART!

 

As we come to the end of this 2010 Church year, Catholics and Christians all over the world celebrate a wonderful truth of our lives of faith:   "Jesus Christ is the King of our lives".    Patricia Sanchez helps us understand the true nature of Jesus' kingship in the following homiletic reflection;  this appears in 'Preaching Resources';  you can check out that and other resources at CelebrationPublications.org.

 

"Jesus' reign over his disciples is not an imposed dominion, but a warm welcome extended to all who love and admire him as King of their hearts.  As William Bausch affirmed (in his book: Once Upon a Gospel), Jesus was a king like no other, in that he did not have a scepter, but he did have a towel with which he washed his disciples' feet.  Patricia Sanchez goes on to say that Jesus had no standing army, but he did have followers.   He did not sit on a throne, but on the back of a donkey.  He wore no crown of gold, but one of thorns.  He did not use his authority to take life, but to give it.   He did not set boundaries or entertain only the nobility, but he welcomed prostitutes, tax collectors, foreigners and thieves.   He did not exploit people, but spoke sympathetically of widows, prodigals, Samaritans, and the poor.   He did not wield the sword of punishment, but extended mercy and forgiveness.    He did not coerce, but he invited.    He, rather than tax his subjects to pay the debts of his monarchy, laid down his life so that the 'debt' of human sin would be forgiven.   He did not come to conquer, but to save."

 

towards the end of her reflection, Patricia Sanchez offers a final challenge to all of us who are Christians:

 

"We who are the blessed subjects of Jesus as our King are to reflect his image.  We are not to distort that likeness with sin and selfishness or to diminish it with our prejudices and pride.   We are to work hard so that the virtues of our king become our own and (these same virtues in us) become the means by which others will recognize our belonging to him.   Sealed with his love at our baptism, anointed with the oil that consecrates all we are and all we have to his service, we are to live so true to him that others will want to accept his rule and welcome his reign in their hearts." 

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

The following quote from St. Augustine (of Hippo) is intriguing;  we offer it to you for your reflection.

"TRUE, WHOLE PRAYER, IS NOTHING BUT LOVE."

IN PRAYER SEEKING THE KINGDOM

WHERE DO WE FIND THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

In responding to the Pharisees, who are asking him when the Kingdom of God will come, Jesus says in Luke: 17:20:

"For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."    or in other translations:  "For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you."    There is a quote from the Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila, that we see below, that offers good homily material, a thought to ponder for personal prayer, a reflection to begin a meeting, or something for faith sharing with others:

OUR HEARTS ARE HIS KINGDOM

Let us realize that we have within us a most splendid palace built entirely of gold and precious stones -- in short, one that is fit for such a Lord -- and that we are partly responsible for the condition of this building, because there is no structure so beautiful as a soul full of pure virtues, and the more perfect these virtues are, the more brilliantly do the jewels shine.

Within this palace dwells the mighty King who has deigned to become your Father and who is seated on a throne of priceless value, by which I mean your heart.

Had I understood always, as I do now, that so great a King resided in my soul, I should not have left him alone so often, but should have stayed with him sometimes and not have kept his dwelling-place in such disorder.

He does not force our wills but only takes what we give him, but he does not give himself entirely until he sees that we yield ourselves entirely to him.

TRANSITUS and the FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS

Evening of October 3, 2010

 

Franciscans throughout the world gather on the eve of the feast of St. Francis, doing so at least since the 18th century, to celebrate St. Francis' passage from earthly life and death to everlasting glory.   This rite is known as the TRANSITUS, a 'passing over'.   Above, Br. Josef is lighting the candles in the chapel in preparation for the Transitus service which was held at 6:30 pm this past October 3rd here at Our Lady of the Angels Friary.

 

Joining the friar community for the service were monks from Assumption Abbey,  Fr. Leon and the hermit sisters from Nazareth Hermitage, and other friends of the friars.

 

Following the Transitus, the friars and their guests joined in food and refreshments and time to enjoy each other's company.

 

For the feast on October 4th, the friary community journeyed to Republic, MO and joined the sisters of the Little Portion Franciscan Community for an evening meal and Eucharist.   Bishop James Johnston celebrated the Mass.

 

 

Franciscan Prayer Quote -- for St. Francis' feastday

 

 

A HAPPY FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS to all for October 4th:

The following quote appears in the book, FRANCISCAN PRAYER, by Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF.   She talks first about prayer, and then what is characteristic of 'Franciscan' prayer. As we approach this Feast of St. Francis (Oct. 4^th) for 2010, let's feast our Franciscan spirits on Ilia's words in Chapter # 3: 'Prayer and the Spiritual Journey.'   She begins the chapter with these words:

 

"Prayer is about God and our relationship to God. The important questions we ask or the conclusions we draw about prayer center around the "God question," what we say about God or how we understand God's relation to human existence.   The God to whom we pray is the God who gives direction to our lives.   The monastic "rule,"  Lex orandi lex credendi,  holds true, that is, the law of prayer is the law of belief.   If I use distant and remote language to speak of God, then I will imagine that God is distant and remote.   If I use male language to speak to God, then I will imagine that God is male.   If I use language of humility and love to pray to God, then I will believe in a God who is humble and loving.   The God to whom I pray is the God who directs my life; thus, my image of God, the kind of God I believe in, is crucial to the way my journey of prayer proceeds.   Is God essentially engaged with my human experience or disengaged? Is God primarily judge or savior for me?   Do I treat God as ruler or lover?   Is God faithful and interested in my world?"

 

A few paragraphs later she talks about how we as Franciscans view prayer:

 

"The Franciscan journey differs from the Neoplatonic ascent (Neoplatonists feel you need to 'withdraw' from the sensual world in order to contemplate God) because the journey to God is not linear but a journey inwards toward a new relationship with God in which God takes on flesh anew in one's life.   A more appropriate image for the Franciscan journey (different than 'the ladder' for Neoplatonists) is that of 'the spiral', one that goes to the depths of the human person's capacity for God and the capacity of God's love for the human person. The Good News of Jesus Christ, as the Franciscans understood it, is that we do not "go to God" as if God sat in the starry heavens awaiting our arrival; rather, God has "come to us" in the Incarnation.   "The eternal God has humbly bent down," St. Bonaventure writes, "and lifted the dust of our nature into unity with his own person."   We move toward God because God has first moved toward us -- this is the Franciscan path of prayer."

 

"The journey of prayer for Franciscans is the discovery of God at the center of our lives. We pray not to acquire a relationship with God as if acquiring something that did not previously exist.   Rather, we pray to disclose the image of God in which we are created, the God within us, that is, the one in whom we are created and in whom lies the seed of our identity.   We pray so as to discover what we already have - "the incomparable treasure hidden in the field of the world and of the human heart."   We pray not to "ascend" to God, but to "give birth to God," to allow the image in which we are created to become visible.   We pray to bear Christ anew.   In prayer, therefore, we discover what we already have, the potential for the fullness of life, and this life is the life of Christ."

Assumption Abbey - 60th Anniversary - September 24th

 

ABBEY FESTIVITIES CONTINUE:

 

To celebrate the 60^th Anniversary of the Founding of Assumption Abbey  here in the Ozarks, the Trappists held a two-day reunion of former members of the community, celebrating a milestone -- 60 years, and thanking many of the very men who helped in the building of Assumption Abbey over these 60 years.   Former abbots,  James Conner and Mark Scott, were also present for the events.

 

On Thursday, September 23^rd, the festivities began with a Mass, followed by a tour of the monastery, a dinner in the monastery dining room, and an afternoon of conversation sharing memories of the years. Abbot Brendan Freeman, from the founding New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque, IA was the celebrant for the Eucharist of the day.

 

On Friday, September 24^th, the celebration continued with a Mass celebrated by Bishop James Johnston, the bishop of this local Springfield/Cape Girardeau diocese. A festive meal was followed by more activities for the men who had returned for the special moment in the Abbey history.

 

We congratulate our Trappist neighbors on this historic moment in their history, and we pray for many more years of presence here in the Ozarks.

Br. Josef's 25th Jubilee

 

I Made My Vows to the Lord!

 

Our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity on September 19^th celebrated with our Br. Josef Anderlohr his 25^th anniversary of being a Franciscan.   Br. Josef is one of the original four Franciscan friars who began our Prayer Fraternity here.

 

In the context of an Open House from 2 pm to 5 pm, Br. Josef welcomed a number of area friends he has met over the past 5 years, as well as other Franciscans and priests. In the picture above, Br. Josef is seen with a number of friends from the Ava area.

 

What were we celebrating?    25 years of being a Franciscan!     A member of Br. Josef's province, Joseph Rayes, OFM, wrote a book, LIVING RELIGIOUS VOWS: a personal pilgrimage.   We get a glimpse of what we were celebrating in this quote from the book published by St. Anthony Messenger Press:

 

"From the earliest times in the history and tradition of the Church, men and women have come together to profess and concentrate on the Gospel counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a pattern of life.   These vows, promises made to God, shape their lifestyle.   How?    They affect choices, decisions and attitudes in the same way that marriage vows do.   By promising to make God their primary love through the vows of chastity, religious also direct their love and affection.   In the vow of poverty, they promise to live simply, to depend completely on God.    In the vow of obedience they promise to discern God's will with their community rather than alone and to carry out the communal decisions.   In a word, the vows direct seeing, doing, and living so as to lead to that personal and intimate relationship with God that is central to his reign."

 

CONGRATULATIONS  BR.  JOSEF!!!

Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis

STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS  -- September 17th

 

Sept. 17th is a special day for Franciscans as we celebrate the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis.  This day, this feast is a testimony to the power of prayer in the life of St. Francis.   You might say it is testimony to the longing of St. Francis' heart to mirror the love of Jesus in his very own life.    In 1224, on the Mount of  LaVerna, while at prayer,  St. Francis' body was imprinted with the marks of Jesus' wounds.   What is remarkable about this grace in St. Francis' life was how it fulfilled what our Franciscan tradition says was a LIFETIME PRAYER for St. Francis:  

 

"Lord, I ask of you two graces before I die: that I may love others with the depth of love you had for us in dying on the cross for us and that I may experience in my own body some of the pain that you experienced in dying on the cross for us."

 

St. Bonaventure tells us of this moment in Francis' life in his Minor Legend: 

 

Two years before Francis, the faithful servant of Christ, gave his soul back to God, he was alone on the top of Mt. Alverna.  There he had begun a fast of forty days in honor of the Archangel Michael and was immersed more deeply than usual in the delights of heavenly contemplation.  His soul became aglow with the ardor of fervent longing for heaven as he experienced within himself the operations of grace.

 

As he was drawn aloft through ardent longing for God one morning near the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and was praying on the mountainside, he saw what appeared as a seraph with six bright wings gleaming like a fire descending from the heights of heaven.  As this figure approached in swift flight and came near the man of God it appeared not only winged but also crucified.  The sight of it amazed Francis and his soul experienced joy mingled with pain.  He was delighted with the sight of Christ appearing to him so graciously and intimately and yet the awe-inspiring vision of Christ nailed to the cross aroused in his soul a joy of compassionate love.

 

When the vision vanished after a mysterious and intimate conversation it left Francis aglow with seraphic love in his soul.  Externally, however, it left marks on his body like those of the Crucified as if the impression of a seal had been left on heated wax.  The figures of the nails appeared immediately on his hands and feet.  The heads of the nails were inside his hands but on top of his feet with their points extending through to the opposite side.  His right side too showed a blood-red wound as if it had been pierced by a lance, and blood flowed frequently from it.

 

Because of this new and astounding miracle unheard of in times past, Francis came down from the mountain a new man adorned with the sacred stigmata, bearing in his body the image of the Crucified not made by a craftsman in wood or stone, but fashioned in his members by the hand of the living God.

To Pray is to:

TO PRAY

IS TO

LAUGH w-h-i-s-t-l-e

Dance ON HAPPY FEET

Sing! SHOUT

and JUMP! HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE

But it is also to

Whisper WONDER

Stumble in dark places

Cry Scream

or just

hold a tired head in tired hands and wait.....

Prayer

is our tired

reaching out to the ONE who

holds us closer & loves us more

than we could dare imagine

- Greta Schrumm

(The quote above is similar in design, but not identical to a card that is done in fanciful calligraphy, a product of Conception Abbey Press -- the Printery House; we are not sure if you can still purchase it.)

ASSUMPTION ABBEY CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY

September 24, 1950 -- September 24, 2010

60 YEARS!

This month is a significant one for the Trappist monks of Assumption Abbey here in Ava, MO; it's important for us, too, as our Prayer Fraternity is on land we lease from the Trappists.

The Trappists are celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the arrival of the first monks starting the foundation here in the 'hills and hollers' of the Ozarks in southwestern Missouri. As the Anniversary booklet says: "Six monks arrived on September 24, 1950 to begin life in the three-storey fieldstone Swiss chalet house, which Joe Pierson and his sons built during WW II. There was no central heating, no electricity or running water, so the founders had a 'pioneering' winter."

If you go back to our blog for August 19^th (Assumption Abbey Celebrates 60 Years), you can read about the official celebration of the event on the Feast of the Assumption, the patronal feast for the Abbey.

To commemorate the actual date of the arrival of the first monks, the Abbey is hosting a first-ever reunion of former members of the Abbey. Fr. Cyprian, the current Superior of the Abbey, had this to say in his letter of invitation:

"Dear Alumni, one and all -- the Lord be with you.

This year completes the 60 year probation time which Joe Pierson included in his contract of donation of this land and original buildings for a monastic foundation.

A good part of the celebration is the acknowledgement that Assumption Abbey and community wouldn't be here now, if it were not for the time and work which so many men have contributed and given of themselves these past 60 years.

As a way of expressing the Thank You all deserve, we are having a once-in-a-lifetime Alumni Reunion."

This two-day event will take place on September 23^rd and 24^th. As the monks celebrate this important event in their lives, we congratulate them and we ask you to join us in praying in gratitude for the gift they have been to this area for the past 60 years, and pray for God to bless their next 60 years.

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

 

from  St. Isaac of Syria

 

When someone has become aware of the coming of divine help, and that it is this which aids and assists him (her), then at once his (her) heart is filled with faith, and from this he (she) understands that prayer is:

     --  the haven of help,

     --  the fountain of salvation,

     --  a treasury of assurance,

     --  a saving anchor in time of storm,

     --  an illumination to those in darkness,

     --  a staff for the weak,

     --  a shelter in time of trials,

     --  a source of recovery at the time of sickness,

     --  a shield of deliverance in war,  and

     --  an arrow sharpened in the face of enemies.

 

(St. Isaac of Syria lived in the 7th century, for a short time was Bishop of Nineveh before retiring to a monastic way of life.  He is one of the greatest spiritual writers of the Christian East and his influence on the Orthodox Church continues to be profound.   This quote is from The Heart of Compassion, Daily Readings with St. Isaac of Syria, edited by A.M.Allchin and translated from the Syriac by Sebastian Brock.)

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

We may think we have never heard God speaking to us.   But he has been talking to us from the moment he spoke the word that created us....  From our birth to the present, he has been putting thoughts in our minds and desires in our hearts.   So whether we realize it or not, all of our prayer is really a response to God's initiatives.

 

Prayer, then, is an opening to God, who wants to speak with us.   We want to encounter him so that he can engage us in conversation.   If that is to happen, when we pray we must first make ourselves aware of God's presence.  Coming into God's presence is like looking up from reading the newspaper and noticing your best friend has entered the room.  He has been sitting by the fireplace, desiring a visit.  You say his name and acknowledge his presence.  Then you begin to converse with him.

 

(This quote comes from  Everyday Encounters with God,  by Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. and Bert Ghezzi -- it appeared in the Aug. 31st  Living Faith  daily devotional.) 

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

All Christian prayer is basically the experience of being filled with the Spirit, and so, in any talking or thinking about prayer, we should fix the spotlight firmly on the Spirit, not ourselves.   In Romans 8: 26-27, Paul puts it this way: "We do not even know how to pray, but through our inarticulate groans, the Spirit Himself is pleading for us, and God, who searches our inmost being, knows what the Spirit means."

 

This experience of prayer, of being filled with the Spirit, increases our capacity for wonder and our capacity for understanding the transcendent potential of our own being.   There is a sense in which we can say that before prayer our principal conviction about reality is of its limitations.   We see everything in its transient dimension passing away from us.   We feel ourselves caught in the unavoidable cycle of birth and death.   But after prayer, our principal conviction about ourselves and the whole of creation is of the infinite capacity in everything to mediate the wonder and splendor of God.

 

A marvelous thing then happens.   With this growing sense of wonder at God's power within us, there comes an ever-deepening awareness of the harmony, the creative wholeness that we possess, and we begin to feel that we know ourselves for the first time.   But the truly transcendent nature of this discovery is that we do not begin to appreciate our own personal harmony alone, but we begin to experience it as a new capacity for true empathy, a capacity to be at peace with others, and indeed at peace with the whole of creation.

 

(This quote is taken from the book, Word into Silence, by John Main, OSB. The book is published by Continuum Publishing Group -- New York -- 2004. The quote is found on page 13.)

What is your prayer -- for forgiveness?

 

A  METHOD  OF  PRAYER  FOR  FORGIVENESS 

A recent book by Paula Pearce, SFO, published in 2007 by St. Anthony Messenger Press is PRAYERS FROM FRANCISCAN HEARTS.   On page 75 in that book, Sr. Mary Veronica Ceniza, O.S.C., shares a method of praying for the gift of forgiveness.   She shares:

 

"During the singing or recitation of the Our Father in the Divine Office and most especially during Eucharistic celebrations, I silently and sincerely insert the name of the particular person that I need to forgive or that needed to forgive me.  After the phrase, 'forgive us our trespasses as we forgive....',   I attentively insert the name of the person.  I continually repeat this practice.  Then the time just comes when I already feel that I no longer have to do it for I already feel peace in my heart with regard to this person, however near or far from me physically.  I may not have forgotten what and how the incident happened, but my reaction is no longer pain or anger or whatever negative emotion used to follow each time it was remembered.  I have attained the peace my heart desires.   Then later, at any time of the day or night that I pray, I continue to praise God and sincerely bless the person concerned." 

Assumption Abbey celebrates 60 years!!

 

 

60 YEARS OF BEING BLESSED & BEING A BLESSING!!!

 

 

Our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity is situated on property belonging to the Trappist monks at Assumption Abbey near Ava, MO.   We read snippets of the foundation of the Abbey in the 60^th anniversary booklet:

 

It was Joseph Pierson, a newspaperman who started the first overseas edition of the Chicago Tribune at Paris during WWI, and his wife, Josephine (Lily), who offered their 3400 acre property in the rough "hills and hollers" of the Ozarks to New Melleray Abbey (near Dubuque, IA) if they would begin a contemplative monastic foundation there.  Mr. Pierson had seen and was impressed with the ancient monasteries in Europe and had also been inspired by reading Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain.

 

New Melleray Abbey accepted the gift and the first six monks arrived on September 24, 1950 to begin the foundation here. The early monastery was the 3-story hunting chalet that Joseph Pierson and his sons had built on the property during WWII. The name Assumption Abbey was chosen since in the year 1950 Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of Our Lady's Assumption into heaven.

 

Over the course of these 60 years the monks supported themselves first with farming efforts: raising sheep, a dairy, orchards and vineyards.   They soon learned that these Ozark hills were not well suited for such.   Utilizing the sand and gravel found in plentiful supply in the local creek beds, the monks next turned to making concrete blocks.   As that market decreased, they turned their efforts to a very successful venture making fruitcakes.  This continues to be a means of support for the monks today. 

 

This past August 15^th, the Feast of the Assumption, the monks of Assumption Abbey here in Ava, MO not only celebrated their patronal feast, but also celebrated with gratitude the 60^th anniversary of their founding. The retired bishop of Springfield/Cape Girardeau diocese, Bishop John Leibrecht, D.D. was the main celebrant for the Mass.  Present for this special celebration was one of the daughters of Joseph and Lily Pierson, Mrs. Mary Garrick, and two of her sons, Fr. David Garrick and George Garrick, pictured above with the bishop and Fr. Cyprian, the Superior of the Abbey.

 

In his homily at the Mass, Bishop Leibrecht quoted the 1^st reading from the Book of Revelation which spoke of God preparing a place for Mary.   He then spoke of how Mary has prepared and guided and watched over this place, Assumption Abbey, for the past 60 years. He remarked how a place has also been prepared on this property for the hermit sisters at Nazareth Hermitage, one section of the land, as well as our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity which occupies another corner of the property.

 

Bishop Leibrecht spoke of many of the monks he has known in the 20 years that he has been associated with the monks.   He told the story of his first visit to the monastery when he was greeted by Fr. Donald (Hamilton) who threw his arms wide and said: "Welcome to heaven, Bishop!"    More recently, visiting Fr. Donald who now resides in the Ava Nursing Home,  Fr. Donald exclaimed: "Welcome to heaven!"    Bishop Leibrecht encouraged all of us gathered to see the places where we reside as our heaven here on earth.

 

On this 60^th anniversary of the foundation of Assumption Abbey, the Franciscan friars here congratulate our Trappist monks on the peace of heaven they have created here in the Ozark hills.   May God richly bless and guide your next 60 years!

Lutz Woodworks Provide Gift

A wonderful gift was bestowed upon our Prayer Fraternity in early August with a donation of cabinets for the sacristy in the friary and the utility room in the guest wing. Fr. Francis' sister, Betty, her husband, Charles, and their son, Greg, own a commercial cabinet firm, Lutz Woodworks, in Wylie, TX.

 

Last year, while visiting Fr. Francis and our community, Betty and her husband decided it'd be good to add cabinets and a table top with a sacrarium in the sacristy and other cabinets and storage closets in the utility room. The cabinets were made, and then delivered and installed August 9-10.

 

In the picture above is Brad Ford who came with his wife, Rhonda, and did the installation.  We offer a big voice of THANKS to the Lutz's for their gift to our community here. We also thank Brad and Rhonda for sharing our community for a couple days as they installed the cabinets.

　

What is your prayerbook?

A comment overheard from a pastor who was on retreat here recently:

 

"I told the people of the parish as I was leaving that one of my primary prayer books during my retreat was going to be the parish directory.  I also told them that if they weren't in the directory and wanted to be prayed for, they needed to get their names to me ASAP.   Several did!"

 

This is a quite novel idea for prayer on retreat, but offers something for all of us to think about for our daily prayer time and possibly a number of other moments in our lives, etc.  It felt like something that needed to be shared ... a great thought!

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

This PRAYER QUOTE for August is wonderfully written by Patricia Sanchez as part of Preaching Resources for the past 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time -- Cycle C (pertinent readings: Gen 18:20-32, Col 2: 12-14 and Luke 11:1-13).   This homily help is published through Celebration, P.O. Box 411009, Kansas City, MO 64141-1009; you can reach them at the address above, or by the website: www.celebrationpublication.org, or by calling 1-800-333-7373.

 

Why Pray?

 

Why do we pray? This question, asked by believers (and non-believers) throughout the centuries, speaks to one of our most essential human needs.

 

Some argue that if God is omniscient, God already knows all our desires -- so why speak them in prayer? God also knows every human suffering and is aware of every act of violence, injustice, war and hatred, so why do we petition God to help the tragedies of the human condition? God knows the future; therefore, what purpose do we serve by praying about what lies ahead? And God certainly doesn't need our praise, gratitude or repentance, so what good are such prayers?

 

We pray not for God's sake, but for our own. We pray because voicing our praise, expressing our need and offering our thanks and prayers helps us to know who we are before God and all others. We pray not to inform God of anything but to sensitize our own hearts and minds and souls to the many overtures of God, be they large or small. We pray in order to cultivate a disposition of welcome and trust. We pray to acknowledge that we are not the center of the universe. We pray to surrender ourselves to the Creator, who brought us to life, and to our Redeemer, who has saved us from death.

 

We need not be tidy or formal in our praying. No one time is more opportune than another, because God always listens. Pray at midnight; pray at dawn. Pray when you are happy and when you are sad. Pray especially when you are mad and fed up. When Abraham (Gen 18:20-32) prayed for the people of Sidon, he didn't kowtow; he dared to barter with God like a merchant trying to make a sale or a lawyer attempting to win a case. Abraham's familiarity with God was rooted in a relationship that he renewed daily in the conversation we call prayer. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue, and it must be punctuated by many pauses and silences so that we might be open to hearing words and thoughts other than our own.

 

Jesus (Luke 11:1-13) knew that his disciples needed to share in the relationship he had with God, so he taught them the prayer that we continue to pray. Simple, honest and profound, Jesus' prayer welcomes us in and establishes our reliance on God, our trust that God forgives, forgets and continues to love and care for us, in spite of ourselves.

 

We pray because the words we utter in God's presence are the breathing that sustains our lives. We pray because although God is ever present, we must make a conscious effort to center our minds, our hearts and our energies on the nearness of the divine. God is nearer to each of us than our own heartbeat, more precious than our own breath.

 

Why Pray?    Because the day that I cease to pray, I cease to live and to be who I am before God and others.

　

Franciscan Soap Making

Br. Joe Manning, OFM, one of the friars in the core community here at the Franciscan Prayer Fraternity, helps in the support of the Prayer Ministry by making our Franciscan soap products. 

 

There are varieties of soap that are made:

 

    Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey

    Lemon

    Honeysuckle Hollow

    Woodland

    Lavender

    Sage, Sweetgrass, and Cedar

    Lavender and Cedar

    Fragrance Free

    (and seasonal ones at Christmas)

 

The bars contain goat's milk.  All varieties also come in a liquid handsoap form.

 

 To see a video of the process, and samples of the products, click on the link below.

 

 http://animoto.com/play/750twFO3fx037cJ0E3mUMA

 

To purchase and check on costs of these soap products, email Br. Joe at   brojofm@aol.com.

Put 'soap' in your subject line.

 

Visual Tour -- Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

 

Our Lady of the Angels Friary --  WELCOME to our home

 

(Because of a mix-up, you will probably see this section twice - double your pleasure)

　

As you arrive here at Our Lady of the Angels Friary, the home of the Franciscan Prayer Fraternity, you are greeted by a lovely statue of our Blessed Mother, surrounded much of the year by roses.   Behind her, the first building you see is the residence where the friars live, which also contains the chapel, the commons room, the library, the dining room and kitchen, the bedrooms, etc. Attached to the main building on the backside by a covered walk-way and deck are our 3 guest rooms. Another small building nearby has become the hermitage, and the old family guest house has become the place where our Franciscan soap is made.

 

Almost all of the buildings on the property today had been built by a family named 'Volchok' to provide a residence for themselves as well as give them space for offices and warehouses to handle the needs of 'Blessed Herbs, their herb business. In the 60^th anniversary booklet from Assumption Abbey, THE EIGHTH DAY, we read a short paragraph about the family who had lived here before the Franciscans:

 

"The Volchok family (Michael, Martha, and four youngsters) had Fr. Robert (one of the Trappists) as Spiritual Director. They built their house and workshop on a level section of our land about two miles from the Abbey. They felt called to raise their family apart from the world's turmoil. Michael developed a thriving herb business and kept extending their building."

 

The Volchok family left the area in the 90's and for a good 10 years the buildings were largely empty, used occasionally as overflow when the guest quarters at the Abbey were filled. The buildings were also used for high school retreat groups. For a time, Fr. Robert, one of the Trappist hermits, used the Guest House on the property as his hermitage.

 

The Franciscan friars settled here in the summer of 2005 to begin the Prayer Fraternity. In the final chapter of THE EIGHTH DAY, we read about the coming of the Franciscans:

 

"As part of their renewal, the Franciscans in the USA wanted to make available for their friars a prayer fraternity. Francis of Assisi would periodically leave his ministry among people to retire to a place of solitude and prayer. At Abbot Mark's invitation, they decided to remodel and move into the Volchok's buildings. A small community of friars now lives at Our Lady of the Angels Friary, and receives others for a longer or short time of spiritual renewal."

 

The Franciscans have about 70 acres of land leased from the Trappists of Assumption Abbey. In the center of the land are about 4 acres of tillable land and these buildings that you see in these pictures. Today they comprise the Franciscan Prayer Fraternity that we now wish to visit.

 

Before we go on to look at the buildings that make up the Prayer Fraternity here at Our Lady of the Angels, we can say that several members of the original core community visited 28 different potential sites all throughout the Midwest. It became a general consensus that this site was the first that met all the requirements they had looked for. Its beauty and solitude and its rustic, yet comfortable, accommodations all lend to the prayerful environment that they had hoped to have for our new Franciscan Prayer Fraternity.

 

Visual Tour -- Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

Our Lady of the Angels Friary --  Commons Room

 

As you enter the friary/the prayer fraternity, you come into the Commons Room pictured above. This is the area where the friars are able to spend time with guests, where retreatants and other guests can sit quietly during the day reading, waiting for an appointment with a director, or simply a place to pause outside chapel before or after prayer times.

 

Our brother, Pio Jackson, wrote an article about his visit here in an AROUND THE PROVINCE newsletter. (The article appears in an earlier blog entry.) Entitled, 'JPIC Spirituality -- a Hail to Ava', he spoke of his experience of stepping into the Commons Room: "As we entered the house, I was pleasantly surprised to be ushered into what seemed almost another dimension, with a soft, artistic interior that was not luxurious, but invitingly simple and comforting as well as clean and ordered."

 

This area and the chapel area had largely been the sales rooms and offices for the herb business that Michael Volchok had conducted in his home here. With creative planning and the assistance of some local carpenters from the area, the front part of the sales area was transformed into the Commons Room for our Prayer Fraternity.

 

Visual Tour -- Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

 

Our Lady of the Angels Friary -- Chapel

 

On the left side of the Commons Room, through a door that has a relief of Our Lady of the Angels over it, you enter our Chapel area. This area had been part of the sales offices, etc. for the family business with a wall of windows that overlooked the lawn and the herb gardens. Today the Chapel utilizes the windows to welcome in all of God's creation. As one prays in the Chapel, one feels the presence of the 'Holy' in so many ways: in the persons of those gathered to pray, in the worship celebrated there, in the Blessed Sacrament, but also in the experience of God's grandeur and goodness in being surrounded by all creation. The four seasons as God created them in this area of the Ozarks are on immediate and constant display in our Chapel.

 

In the center of the prayer area on the left is the icon of Our Lady of the Angels, celebrating the Blessed Mother's role as the Patroness of the friary and our Prayer Fraternity. (This icon is on the title page of this blog you are now reading.) The image of our Blessed Mother is a replica of a painting of Our Lady of the Angels in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.

 

Because the life of our Prayer Fraternity is built around a prayer schedule that brings the brothers and guests together 5 times a day for prayer, in the Chapel to the left are 8 prayer places. The Liturgy of the Hours is done 4 times a day and because it is celebrated in choirs, the prayer stalls face each other. The daily prayer schedule begins with a 7:00 am Morning Prayer, Mass is celebrated at 8:00 am, Mid-day Prayer follows the Noon meal, Evening Prayer is at 5:30 pm and Night Prayer is at 9:00 pm.

 

In the very center of the Chapel is the Ambo, with the Sacred Scripture on constant display, highlighting the central location of the 'Word of God' in the lives of the community.

 

To the right as one enters, one can see the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, as well as the altar. During Mass, the Liturgy of the Word is celebrated in the prayer stalls; to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the friars and guests gather around the altar. Mass is celebrated daily, except for Wednesdays which is the community day away. Behind the altar is the San Damiano cross, another key icon in the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

 

Pio Jackson, in his article, reflected on the Chapel space: "The small chapel was elegantly arranged with spaces for the individual friar and his liturgical books and strategic and esthetic placing of altar and ambo with the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. In prayer one could contemplate Mother Earth by glancing outside of the spotless windows and muse on the integrity and care of creation as God's gift."

 

This simple, quiet, lovely space in our Prayer Fraternity is available to the friars and to our guests at every hour of the day. Whether gathered with others in prayer or sitting quietly before the Blessed Sacrament and the surrounding beauty of nature, the chapel affords a wonderful place to bring one's life to God.

 

Visual Tour - Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

 

Our Lady of the Angels Friary -- Library

As you enter the friary, and turn right, you enter the Library area. The Library has a very extensive Franciscan collection, but also can boast of great resource materials for our core members and retreatants and guests. It has a number of scripture commentaries and other homily materials. The spiritual classics are there, as well as more contemporary spiritual writers. There are sections on monasticism and religious life. And the list goes on.

 

In a 2007 evaluation of this Franciscan Prayer Fraternity, one of the core members describes with surprise and delight how quickly the library came to be:

 

"Early on we felt it a need to have a good library. We really did not expect to have much of one for several years, but much to our surprise we have a great one already! It is primarily a spiritual library with a large Franciscan section. Each of the four of us who came together here had personal libraries and we brought them together. But many friars from the Sacred Heart and the St. John the Baptist Provinces have also donated books to us, as well as St. Anthony Messenger Press. And so our library has expanded."

 

It's really a very fine library. Guests would easily find an abundance of resource materials to peruse and use during their stay here. There are also a number of audio tapes and cassettes and CD's available for common use.

 

Visual Tour -- Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

Our Lady of the Angels Friary -- Kitchen / Dining room / Bedroom area

As one passes through the Library, a door leads into the friary section of the building. This back section of the building had been the home for the Volchok family and today it continues to be the kitchen and dining room and bedrooms for the friars in the core community here at the Prayer Fraternity. Guests are welcome to use the kitchen as needed during their stay here, but are asked to respect the privacy of the friars living here. Again, windows surround the dining room table and kitchen area making the room very bright and inviting.

 

Pio Jackson in his article remarked: "The dining area held a mid-size table with windows that faced out into the gardens and acreage beyond. It was a table that encouraged meal as sacrament with modern cupboards and kitchen area surrounding it supplied with sensible attractive utensils and other items that promoted a family spirit and a willingness to be together."

 

The friars in the core community take turns in preparing the main meal. The friars eat all 3 of their meals together each day (except for the day off on Wednesday) and guests are invited to join in the table fellowship that happens. Breakfast is usually between Morning Prayer and Mass; the main meal is at noon and the evening meal is immediately after Evening Prayer.

 

On the backside of the friary through the sitting area pictured above is the sleeping residence for the friars; this had been the bedrooms and living room area for the Volchok family. Today the area affords 5 bedrooms and a bath for the core community. A wooden deck surrounds the entire main building (and guest rooms).

Visual Tour -- Franciscan Prayer Fraternity

Our Lady of the Angels Friary --   guest rooms & hermitage

 

On the backside of the main building, connected by a covered walkway and a deck, are the guest quarters. The building originally had been the warehouse where the herbs were processed and stored by the Volchoks. Since coming here, the friars have converted the long building into three guest rooms offering places for guests to stay while on retreat or visiting the Prayer Fraternity. One of the guest apartments is larger and suited for couples. (Pictured above are several of the interiors of the guest rooms)

 

A short distance away is another small building that was turned into the Hermitage. With a deck that faces the woods, it offers the opportunity for even greater solitude and quiet if a guest desires that.

 

All four rooms all fully equipped with a comfortable bed, private bathroom and shower, a lounge chair and table.

 

A recent retreatant had this to say about her stay in the rooms: "The room is lovely.  I loved to sit in my easy chair and look out the window. It was so peaceful, quiet, and prayerful."

POSTULANTS VISIT US

St. John the Baptist Province Postulants visit us

 

From the afternoon of July 19^th into the morning of July 21^st, our friary was blessed with the presence of the new class of postulants from the Province of St. John the Baptist. Annually, the formation directors, Carl Langenderfer and Frank Geers, take a trip with the new postulant class through the Midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri and then down in the Southern states of Louisiana and Texas to familiarize these new candidates with the friars of their province and the various ministries they are engaged in.

 

Our Franciscan Prayer Fraternity is co-sponsored by the Province of St. John the Baptist, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, along with the Province of the Sacred Heart, headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

 

We were thrilled to have the 8 men share our Prayer Fraternity joining in our common prayer, Eucharist, and fraternal life.  They also took time tovisit and meet some of the Trappists at the nearby Assumption Abbey.

 

In the picture above, we see the new class and their directors, standing on our front steps:

 

Front row: Daniel Bircher (Harrisburg, PA) and Eric Seguin (Ottawa, Canada)

 

2^nd row: Jonathan Beer (Hamilton, OH),   Pierce Gibson (Austin, TX),   and Adam Farkas (Richmond, MI)

 

3^rd row: Frank Geers, OFM (Associate Director),    Joseph DiAte (Nashville, TN) and   Carl Langenderfer, OFM (Postulancy Director)

Friars' Day of Recollection for July

Mandalas:

 

Monthly, the friars here at the Prayer Fraternity commit themselves to a Day of Recollection. This is a day set aside to step away from the normal routine of the many details of friar life and ministry, and the friars join together in some sort of 'spiritual day'. This can take a variety of faces from a day of silent prayer with times given to faith sharing the fruits of the day, to guided reflections on any number of topics, to a presentation by an outside speaker, etc. The value of the day is the community's commitment to spending a spiritual day together in a more deeply committed way.

 

The recent July Day of Recollection was given by Br. Joe, one of our community members. With a background in art therapy, he decided to treat us to the experience of working with mandalas as a spiritual reflection tool for our lives.

 

He began the day with some input on 'mandalas as a reflection of the self'. In his remarks he shared that C. G. Jung, the Swiss psychologist, adopted the word, 'mandala', to describe the circle drawings he and his patients did. 'Mandala' means a center, or circumference, or magic circle. Jung associated the mandala with the self, the center of the total personality, and suggested that the mandala shows the natural urge to live out our potential and to fulfill the pattern of our whole personality. This is a natural process that brings to light one's uniqueness and individuality and Jung advocated respectful attention to the symbols of the unconscious as a way to enhance personal growth. Jung saw the spontaneous appearance of mandalas in dreams and imagination and artwork as evidence that individuation is taking place.

 

You can find out more about 'mandalas' by googling the word. Several sample mandalas by the great mystic Hildegard of Bingen are displayed here.)

 

Through the course of the day, the friars created mandalas and then respectfully viewed each others sharing comments and insights gained from the exercise. It was a day of blessing.

 

As a closing thought, a spiritual day, or a day of recollection, is a resource all of us can do well to build into our lives on a regular basis. It is time well spent, whether done as individuals or in community.