la pobrecita - Lady Poverty Region

N EWSLETTER OF L ADY P OVERTY R EGION #68
OF THE O RDO F RANCISCANUS S ECULARIS (OFS/SFO)
E STABLISHED O CTOBER 23, 1994
L A P OBRECITA
O CTOBER 1, 2014
V OLUME 17, I SSUE 4
E ILEEN M ANTZ , OFS
E DITOR
M INISTER ’ S R EFLECTION
As I write this reflection on the
eve of the anniversary of my
husband’s embrace with Sister
Death one year ago, I find it
astonishing that a whole year
has passed so quickly – and at
the same time so slowly.
When grieving a loss, all one
can think of at first is that it
can’t possibly be real, that it’s
only a bad dream and one will
wake up and everything will be
“normal” again. And then one
slowly realizes that one can’t
go back to the old “normal”
and that one needs to create a
“new normal.” So, for the past
year, I guess I have been slowly
carving out a “new normal” for
myself and my family. It is not
easy, mainly because one feels
that the need to create the
“new normal” has not come
about as a result of one’s own
choosing but because of circumstances beyond one’s control – and when that happens,
there is resistance and denial.
We don’t want to change our
lives, but we know that we
must. We cannot always have
what we long for – at least not
right away. We don’t always
have a choice in the matter,
but we can choose to trust
God and to have faith that all
will be as it should.
Paul speaks to this in his letter
to the Philippians (1: 20-24,
27) – today’s second reading:
Christ will be magnified in
my body, whether by life or
by death. For to me life is
Christ, and death is gain. If
I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for
me. And I do not know
which I shall choose. I am
caught between the two. I
long to depart this life and
be with Christ, for that is far
better. Yet that I remain in
the flesh is more necessary
for your benefit. Only, con-
duct yourselves in a way
worthy of the gospel of
Christ.
This reading resonated with
me, but especially the first
and last lines: “Christ will
be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by
death;” and, “Only, conduct
yourselves in a way worthy
of the gospel of Christ.” To
me, these lines from Paul
sum up the way we, as Secular Franciscans, live out
our vocation every day of
our lives, according to our
Rule.
The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to
observe the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi who made Christ
the inspiration and the center of his life with God and
people … Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful
reading of the gospel, going
from gospel to life and life to
gospel. (Rule, Article 4)
Correlating these excerpts
from our Rule with Paul’s
reflective thoughts as expressed in his letter to the
Corinthians, we may come
to understand that we are to
live our lives “in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ”
and to engage in “fruitful
labor,” employing the
unique gifts and talents that
God has given us, in such a
way as to “magnify Christ.”
How simple is that? And
yet, how complicated –
because a fruitful life lived
in accordance with the Gospel is not an easy thing to
do. We, as Paul, are torn
between wanting to rest in
the peace of Christ and
knowing that we still have
work to do – that it is not
yet our time to rest. None
of us knows when that time
will come. Only God
knows.
Very soon we will celebrate
the Transitus and the Feast
of our Seraphic Father,
Francis. Let us take as our
inspiration the words he
spoke as he felt himself slipping into the arms of Sister
Death, "I have done what is
mine to do. May Christ
teach you what is yours."
Peace and all good
Pat Serotkin, OFS
Minister, REC
Good morning, good God!
Got a few requests, Lord...
Could you just slow things down a
little
in the week ahead?
Could you fill in the potholes
and smooth out the bumps in my
road?
Could you make things in general
a little less complex and a lot more
simple?
Could you let up on the heavy stuff
and throw me a couple right down
Broadway?
Could you give me the time I need
to actually get a few things done?
Could you give me a chance to pace
myself
and catch my breath?
Could you help me be better
at sorting out the big things from
the small stuff?
Could you take a few things off
my already very full plate?
Could you put a temporary hold
on my in-box?
Overall, could you just chill
and cut me some slack?
And if all this ask asking too much,
Lord,
then how about this?
Could you help me:
see things in perspective,
manage my calendar,
plan time for prayer,
make time to play,
get to bed earlier,
- and not take myself so damn
seriously?
Thanks, Lord, for whatever you can
do
- especially with that last one!
L A P OBRECITA
P AGE 2
A NNUAL C HAPTER 2015 AND O THER N EWS
Lady Poverty Region
Please change in the dates
for the Annual Chapter
on your calendars. The
original dates were listed in
the July La Pobrecita as May
29-31, 2015, the new dates
are June 19-21. Please add
these dates to your calendars
and share them with your
fraternity members. This
Chapter will be important
for all to attend, as we will
be hosting pastoral and fraternal visitors from the Na-
tional Executive Council. Yes, folks, it's time for
a regional visitation again!
A new revision of the directory will be ready to
post on the new website
within the next couple of
weeks.
Happy Anniversary
Lady Poverty Region #68. Twenty
years ago we be-
came a Region of
the Secular Franciscan Order.
Read about our
beginnings on
page 11
REC F ORMATION D IRECTOR O FFERING
On-Going Formation: Gospel to Life
and Life to the Gospels
During the next year, the REC Formation Team is excited to
be offering workshops on Bible Studies. These will be held in
three different Cluster gatherings. Two gatherings have been
set up thus far.
However, any fraternity and its members are invited to
attend these, even if they are not part of that particular cluster. It is our intention to offer one more workshop next
spring for the remaining two clusters: Cluster of Compassion and Cluster of Love. We need a fraternity from one of
these two clusters to host the gathering.
Kathy Barton, OFS, has reserved St. Mary of Grace Parish
Social Hall in Meadville for October 18, for the Cluster of
Goodness, which includes:
There are three different Bible Studies that will be presented. The first one will be Little Rock Scripture Studies. The
second will be Sunday Scripture Studies. The third will be
the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (Scott Hahn) Covenant Love (a Study of the Old Testament.)
Canticles of the Son, Waterford
Holy Cross, Conneaut Lake
Holy Spirit, Greenville
Mary, Queen of Franciscans, Butler
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, New Castle
Likewise, Saint Clare Fraternity has agreed to host the
workshop at SS Cosmas and Damian Auditorium (Wenkler
Hall) in Punxsutawney on November 8 for Cluster of Perfect
Joy which includes:
Mary, Queen of Angels, Altoona
Prince of Peace, N. Cambria
Padre Pio, Cumberland
St. Bonaventure, Loretto
St. Anthony of Padua, Johnstown
St. Clare, Punxsutawney
St. Elizabeth, Loretto
Our goal is to present each of these studies so you become
familiar with what is available. Also, we will show you how
easily these are facilitated.
In addition to the topic of Bible Studies, we will also allocate time for discussions on the FUN Manual.
The REC formation team is excited to present these workshops and we hope that you will make every effort to attend. Let us go from “Gospel to Life and Life to the Gospels.”
Any questions, please call me @ 814 938-2257.
Peace and Joy,
Mary Lou Brown, OFS
REC Formation Director
V OLUMVE 17, I SSUE 4
P AGE 3
E CUMENICAL I NTERFAITH M EETING
Spiritual Leader
The Ecumenical/Interfaith committee of the Secular Franciscan
Order met in Detroit on August
28-30. Attending were chairperson, Anne Mulqueen, OFS, Mike
Carsten, OFS, Delia Banchs,OFS
and Mary Lou Kreider, OFS.
John Szczepanski,OFS was absent. The meeting was held at St
Aloysius Church in downtown
Detroit. Anne presented material for the group to consider to
encourage fraternities to engage
in activities with people of other
faiths.
Some helpful definitions are:
Ecumenism is relations and
prayer with other Christians.
Interfaith is relations with
members of the "Abrahamic
faiths", Jewish, Muslim and
Christian traditions. Interreligious is relations with other
religions such as Hinduism and
Buddhism.
The group was blessed with
opportunities to speak to Muslims in their hotel as the Muslim
Convention was being held in
the area.
for such dialogue with brothers
and sisters of other faith traditions. The opportunity often
presents itself in everyday
activities, such as breakfast in a
hotel.
Recently Mary Lou Kreider
joined Church Women United
in Erie, PA and attended a
Human Rights Celebration
at Luther Memorial Church..
Anne will have an article in
TAU USA soon...
It is the hope of the committee
that fraternities will see the need
Peace,
Mary Lou Kreider, OFS
N EW W EBSITE
Awesome! --- sums up the new Lady Poverty Region website, now in an advanced state of development.
The Region has recognized that we need a website presence to improve communications among the fraternities and
also to attract interest from those who might want to become Secular Franciscans. The medium of a younger generation is not
pen and paper--it is the internet. We need the best site that technology can deliver at an affordable cost. Soon , the new website will be made available to everyone in the Lady Poverty Region as well as the general internet community.
Think of the possibilities! The new website features content format changes to view our website on mobile devices
for easy access and viewing on smart phones and other hand-held devices. Each fraternity will be able to have its own web page,
being able to post news, announcements and events, to name a few.
The site features collaborative workflow, tech talk for the following:
Multiple security levels/roles empower your entire fraternity team to update your website. Authors create, edit and delete
content on assigned pages but cannot publish. Publishers are Authors who can also publish content. Administrators are Publishers with rights to all pages and all administrative features.
Publishers and Administrators are alerted of all unpublished content in the Notification Center--drafts can be published or reverted per page or across the entire website at once.
Constant auto-saving--as you edit the website, your changes are saved for you--constantly and automatically.
Photo Rotator will automatically cycle content with embedded navigation to streamline content access internal or external to
site.
Dynamic feeds from the Vatican and other Catholic News services auto-populate daily.
Michael Cresanta, Lady Poverty Region Treasurer
Glory to Jesus Christ,
The fraternity members will be able to post their own documents. That’s one of the key changes
listed by Mike. Another key features is that each fraternity will have their own pages on the regional website and they will have someone designated as an "author" to post their content. We
no longer are dependent on emails and sending documents. The "authors" will copy there documents directly to the new site!
Stephen Sawczak, Webmaster
Available Mid October
L A P OBRECITA
P AGE 4
J USTICE , P EACE , AND I NTEGRITY OF C REATION
The Family is the original cell
of social life
Franciscan Father, Archbishop
Charles J. Chaput and the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
will be hosting “World Meeting of Families Philadelphia
2015” on September 22-27,
2015. Pope Francis has stated
his intention to attend this
meeting. The theme for this
meeting is Love is Our Mission: The Family fully alive.
So people can prepare for the
meeting they have a Preparatory Catechism – a collection
of what Catholics believe
about human purpose, marriage, and the family. The
World meeting is for people
of all ages at all stages of life.
This Preparatory Catechism is
called “Love is our Mission”.
It is available from Our Sunday Visitor and also on Amazon, in both print and e-book
form. I downloaded the ebook, and it was very reasonably priced. They have divided the catechesis into ten
themes:
1. Created for Joy
2. The Mission of Love
3. The Meaning of Human
Sexuality
4. Two Become One
5. Creating the Future
6. All Love Bears Fruit
7. Light in a Dark World
8. A Home for the Wounded Heart
9. Mother, Teacher, Family: The Nature and Role
of the Church
10. Choosing Life.
Our Secular Franciscan Rule
Chapter II: 17 states: In their
family they should cultivate
the Franciscan spirit of peace,
fidelity, and respect for life,
striving to make of it a sign of
a world already renewed in
Christ. By living the grace of
matrimony, husbands and
wives in particular should
bear witness in the world to
the love of Christ for his
Church. They should joyfully
accompany their children on
their journey by providing a
simple and open Christian
education and being attentive
to the vocation of each child.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2205: The Christian family is a communion of
persons, a sign and image of
the communion of the Father
and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In procreation and education of children it reflects the
Father's work of creation. It
is called to partake of the
prayer and sacrifice of Christ.
Daily prayer and the reading
of the Word of God strengthen it in charity. The Christian
family has an evangelizing and
missionary task. 2207: The
family is the original cell of
social life....
We all know that their has
been a tragic breakdown of
the family in our times and
we all need to look for ways
that each of us, in our way
may strengthen and bring
about the restoration so lacking.
to the website
www.worldmeeting2015.org
. I hope that we might see
each other in Philadelphia.
Pax et Bonum,
Carol Dubeansky OFS
World Meeting Icon
I encourage you to prayerfully
consider making it a priority
to attend the World Meeting
of Families in Philadelphia
next September 22-27, 2015.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to
have a large presence of our
Lady Poverty Region at this
meeting? For many of us, this
might be our only chance to
actually see and be with Pope
Francis in person. To learn
more about the meeting, and
the catechises, and to sign up
for email updates you can go
JPIC P RAYER O PPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
Hello Sisters and Brothers,
I found this study/prayer article from our national JPIC Animator, Carolyn Townes, OFS. It is called 12 Weeks of Franciscan
Peace and it runs from the week of October 3 through the week of December 25. There is a thought for each week ( ex. first
week is "Prayer" with reflection and reflection question for each week). I thought that it would be a good Franciscan meditation for each of us to think about each week preparing for Christmas. Go to St. Katherine Drexel Region www.skdregion.org
Carol Dubeansky OFS
V OLUMVE 17, I SSUE 4
P AGE 5
N ATIONAL Y OU F RA C HAIR U PDATE
edited version of Strategic Plan
for Franciscan Youth. This Fall
we will also have a YouFra Fraternity Handbook and a YouFra
Initial Formation Manual.
On National level, our Youth
and Young Adult Chair Rob
Breen resigned his position suddenly last August.
“D EAR
YOUNG
PEOPLE , LET
YOURSELVES BE
TAKEN OVER BY
THE LIGHT OF
C HRIST , AND
SPREAD THAT
LIGHT
WHEREVER YOU
ARE .”
The search for a replacement has
produced two highly qualified
Mother and Daughter Team as
our new Co-Chairs of Youth and
Young Adults. Sue and Christy
Nelson from Prairie Region. We
welcome them with our support
and our prayers. When National
Council meets this month, they
should be approving the final
JPII
On Regional level, we are working on a Confirmation Vocation
presentation to be in full swing
this Fall. The presentation will
be talking to Confirmation classes about different vocations
especially Religious and Secular
Franciscan. The First phase is to
present the program to Confir-
mation classes within the Cluster
of Goodness. Phase Two would
include the rest of Lady Poverty
Region.
Exciting things are happening in
our organization and the church.
We are called by the church to
take the Gospel to the streets. It
is our responsibility as an Order
to engage our youth because they
are our future and the future of
the church.
May God bless you and your
youth. - Rob Bullman, OFS
A N I NVITATION TO THE T RANSITUS OF S T . F RANCIS
Sts. Francis and Clare
Canticles of the Son fraternity
invite ALL to celebrate the
Transitus of Saint Francis, which
has been held around the world
for 800 years. Come join us at
All Saints Church in Waterford,
PA, on Friday evening, October
3, 2014 at 6 PM. Light snacks
will be served afterward. If interested in attending please contact Mary Lou Kreider at 814796-4150 or Mary Nelson
at814-746-6783 for additional
information, but reservations are
not required.
Peace,
Mary Nelson, OFS
Photo Credit to Benedictine Nuns
at St. Emma Monastery in Greensburg, PA.
“We living see death as the setting of the
sun; The person dying experiences death
as the rising of the Son.”
I NVITATION TO C HRISTMAS P ARTY
St Augustine Fraternity is
hosting a Christmas Celebration on December 21st, 2014
beginning with caroling and
the Evening Prayer at 1 pm in
St Augustine Church (37th StLawrenceville) then dinner
and social at St Augustine
Auditorium. Everyone in the
Lady Poverty Region, their
friends and family are invited
for an afternoon of good
food, good fellowship and
good fun. Please feel free to
contribute a dish for the dinner. We will also have a grab
bag, so, if you want to participate, bring an inexpensive
(under $10) gift.
Peace!
Michael Cresanta,
St Augustine Fraternity
Easter Vigil Sunset
T RANSITUS OF S T . C LARE
IT’S
NOT
TOO
EARLY
TO
PLAN
AHEAD
The Transitus of St. Clare was held by
Holy Cross Fraternity on August 11 at St.
Mary of Grace Church in Meadville, PA.
Over sixty people attended and shared
our meal. Special thanks to Fr. Matt
Kujawinski for presiding over the Adoration and Benediction. Eileen Mantz,
OFS, Mary Everitt, OFS, and Rob Bullman, OFS for reading the readings, and
Minister Kathy Barton for conducting the
special Night Prayer. Also, thanks go out
to everyone who helped with the dinner
that followed.
God Bless
Eileen Mantz, OFS
L A P OBRECITA
P AGE 6
P ASTORAL V ISITATION SS. L OUIS & E LIZABETH F RATERNITY
During the Pastoral and Fraternal Visit to SS Louis & Elizabeth Fraternity (Steubenville), on August 17, Formation
Director Charles “Chuck” Menk leads an ongoing formation session on King St. Louis IX. Minister Robert
Lantz appears at the lower right.
D EAR L ADY P OVERTY R EGION
As many of you know, our
dear sister Mary Annie, OFS,
has done a yeoman's job over
the past decade or more in
serving her fraternity, St.
Francis of Assisi in St. Albans,
WV, as minister, formation
director, and really, all of the
offices. This was because for
many years there were not
enough professed members in
the fraternity to hold an election, nor even a formal visitation. We also want to
acknowledge the equally dedicated service given to this
fraternity by Sister Frances
Kirtley, OFS, who has in the
past and continues now to
serve as their spiritual assistant.
We bless and thank both of
these dedicated women for
their long years of service to
the fraternity and to Lady
Poverty Region!
I now have more good news
to share with you. St. Francis
of Assisi Fraternity has in recent years grown to the point
where there are now ALMOST enough members to
serve as a real council, and
there will be an additional
member professed in December. So, on September 5,
2014, our Regional Formation Director, Mary Lou
Brown, OFS, conducted a
fraternal visitation and election for this wonderfully tenacious fraternity. Because of
their still-small numbers, the
REC made a pastoral decision
to allow two members of
their newly-elected Council
to serve in two positions. Mary Annie, as you
may suspect, declined to be
nominated for any position,
having served in all of them
for so many years. The REC
agreed that Mary deserves a
well-earned rest!
Sisters and brothers, please
join me in congratulating
Leslie, Jeanne, Dennis the
newly-elected Council of St.
Francis of Assisi Fraternity in
St. Albans, West Virginia.
Pat Serotkin, OFS
Minister, REC
P ASTORAL V ISITATION AND E LECTION
St. Francis of Assisi
Fraternity, #111
This fraternity in West Virginia has only seven members: (from left to right ) Pat
Tabor, OFS who is to be professed October 4; Sister
Frances Kirtley, OSF, who is
their Spiritual Assistant;
Leslie Huffman, OFS, newly
elected Secretary/
Treasurer; Mary Annie, OFS, out-going Minister; Denise Hart, OFS, newly elected Minister; Jeanne
McNulty, Vice-Minister /
Formation Director.
Absent was the only other
member, Mary Clare Moses,
OFS, who was unable to attend the meeting.
I was privileged to meet with
them for a Visitation and
Elections on September
6. They may be a small
group, but they are so alive
with the Spirit of Saint Francis!
Peace and Joy,
Mary Lou Brown, OFS
Regional Formation Director
V OLUMVE 17, I SSUE 4
P AGE 7
F EAST OF THE P ORTIUNCULA
The members of the Portiuncula
Fraternity of the Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary met at Franciscan University to appreciate one
of the great treasures there: The
Portiuncula Chapel. The chapel,
completed in1987, is a replica of
one of the first churches near
Assisi that St. Francis repaired
after Jesus commissioned him to
“Go, rebuild my church.” The
Chapel has the privilege of being
designated by the Vatican as a
place where the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence, not
only on the Feast of the Portiuncula, but any day of the year and
the University welcomes visitors
B Y D IANE S TEWART
from near and far to seek the
indulgence. During the academic year many students can be
found there at any time of the
day in Eucharistic Adoration.
Wishing to share this treasure
with others in the region, on
August 2, 2014 the Portiuncula
Fraternity of the Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary invited other
fraternities in Lady Poverty Region to celebrate the Feast of the
Portiuncula with them at Franciscan University. Members of
St. Anthony fraternity in Belle
Vernon, Alverno Fraternity in
Beaver Falls, and Sts. Louise and
Elizabeth Fraternity
in Steubenville also
attended. The day
began with 10:00am
Mass celebrated by
Fr. Gregory Plow,
T.O.R., followed by
a talk by Fr. Dennis
Gang, T.O.R.
Members enjoyed a
time of fellowship
Portiuncula
together at lunch.
The group then went to the Portiuncula where they prayed the
Franciscan Crown Rosary and the Office of Readings for the
feast day, followed by silent adoration. All who attended
seemed to appreciate this time of fellowship and prayer
together.
H OLY C ROSS F RATERNITY E LECTION
Please join me in congratulating
the newly elected (September
16) council members for Holy Cross
fraternity, in Meadville, PA:
Minister Kathy Barton, OFS
Vice Minister BJ Starn, OFS
Secretary Nancy Drago, OFS
Treasurer Martha Lauffer, OFS
Formation Director Delores Litke, OFS
Friar Witness Fr Vit Fiala, OFM
Presider Mary Nelson, OFS.
went very smoothly. Here’s to
another spirit filled and fruitful
three years.
Mary Nelson, OFS
Vice Minister, REC
The elections were well attended and
S T . F RANCIS OF A SSISI , P ITTSBURGH , E LECTION
July 13,2014
Please join me in congratulating the newly-elected Council of St. Francis of Assisi
Fraternity, Pittsburgh:
Newly elected council: (seated, l-r) Cathy Montileone, Councilor; Adelaide Davis,
Secretary. Standing (l-r) Front-Alverna Lober, Formation Director; Barbara Zirngbl,
Treasurer. Back - Frank Chirico, Minister; Michael Santi, Vice Minister. The election was conducted by Michael Cresanta, OFS, Regional Treasurer. Bro. Mike Tripka, TOR, Spiritual Assistant to St. Francis Fraternity, served as the Friar Witness.
BJ, Martha, Kathy, Dee, Nancy
The Process
L A P OBRECITA
P AGE 8
A LVERNO F RATERNITY D AY OF R ECOLLECTION C LUSTER OF L OVE G ATHERING
The Alverno fraternity hosted a Day of Recollection on Saturday July 26, 2014 at St Monica Parish in Beaver Falls PA. It was
well attended, and four of the Cluster of Love fraternities were represented, including Alverno, St Augustine, St Francis Pittsburgh and Stigmata. Fr. John Getsy, OFM, Cap., was the speaker for the day, which was themed “Renewing Our Franciscan Spirit.” We started out the day with a delicious continental breakfast and social time.
The first talk was entitled “Our Franciscan Journey in the Church”. Fr. John began by
jogging our memories back to the game show “To Tell the Truth”, in which three contestants were involved, but only one was bound to tell the truth. At the end they would
ask for the “real” person to stand up. In the same way we have come to know different
stories and fallacies about St Francis, Fr. John asked for the “real St Francis” to stand up.
Truths about St Francis include that he lived in medieval times. It was a different world
than ours; there was a feudal system, frequent revolts, and invasions by barbarians.
Francis was a Catholic Italian. He had a distinct personality and a certain way of expressing himself. There were particular customs and traditions that he was raised in, as
a merchant’s son. Francis became a Saint and he exemplified extraordinary virtue in his
time and place.
Francis wasn’t always a saint, but heard the call of God. Certain incidents in his life brought about inner reflection, and a quiet
time to hear Gods call. He went to war, but came back a different person, after being captured and imprisoned. Francis was
also very appalled and fearful of lepers. But by Gods grace, his heart was changed to love those who he used to fear. God’s
grace took him out of the ordinary to see things in a different way.
The question was now for us to ponder- how do we respond to God’s call in today’s times, and in our world? St Francis did
not start out with the intention to change the world. He only started out to pray and to work as a “lay” penitent. And the Lord
gave him brothers. People gathered around him because he was doing something different, he was different, and that attracted
people to him. We are the people attracted to him now. The Lord showed him what he was to do, and Francis prayed that the
Lord would show us what to do.
We then had a break for lunch and social time. Then we continued with some questions and answers about living our faith in
our world today. Discussions included immigration, evangelization, homosexuality, and knowing our faith. In conclusion we
need to pray to now the pastoral plan for us. It is our duty to build up the Body of Christ in love, and compassion, not in condoning sin, but to let people know the love God has for us in His Son Jesus Christ. Be inviting to people to come to know Jesus
Christ. Isn’t that what St. Francis did?
The day then culminated with a holy hour in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the
sacrament of confession, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the 17th Sunday in
Ordinary Time.
We then gathered together for a delicious chicken dinner and social time. It was a
beautiful day for the Cluster to get to know each other, and share in our Franciscan
calling.
Denise McCarthy, OFS
Secretary, REC
V OLUMVE 17, I SSUE 4
P AGE 9
HISTORY OF LADY POVERTY REGION
The Lady Poverty Region was established as Region #68 of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan OrderUSA on October 23rd, 1994. One of the National Fraternity’s 30 active regions, Lady Poverty Region serves the geographic
area north as far as Waterford, PA, south as far as Charleston, WV, west as far as Steubenville, OH, and east as far as Altoona,
PA. As of December 31, 2011, Lady Poverty Region has 25 Active Fraternities, one Emerging Fraternity, and one Reactivating Fraternity in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. Lady Poverty region has fraternities in seven
dioceses and is bonded to six Franciscan Provinces.
Each local fraternity is assigned a member of the Regional Executive Council as their liaison to address problems,
answer questions, and assist in scheduling elections and visitations. The Council/ Fraternity assignments are listed in the directory.
The region distributes its quarterly newsletter, La Pobrecita, to each local fraternity that is to be made available by
the minister to every fraternity member. The Region has its own website at www.ladypovertyregion.org or at
www.ladypovertyregion.catholicweb.com The region also has a page on Facebook.
OUR BEGINNINGS AS A REGION
Our Provincial connections had served the Order well, but Vatican II and the Pauline Rule of 1978 called for a change
and the regionalization process began throughout the United States. In 1993 a steering committee for the proposed “Western
PA/Tri-State Region” was formed with Janet Givler, Chairperson, Ammon Ripple, Bob Mason, Mary Lou Kreider, Pat Carnino, Sally and Ed Allen. The Provinces represented were: Immaculate Conception #12, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus #17, St.
Augustine #9, Holy Savior #19, St. Anthony of Padua #23 and Immaculate Conception #2.
A name for the proposed region was selected by vote on May 21, 1994 at a Unity Day held at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. “Lady Poverty” was the first choice with “Instruments of Peace” a close second. Donna Marie Kaminsky, SFO was the guest speaker, with a presentation centered of the Trinity.
The steering committee completed governance guidelines and a tentative mission statement. Richard Morton, SFO,
National Minister, presided at the first Chapter of Elections held on June 11, 1995 at St. Francis College of Loretto, PA. Janet
Givler was elected as the first Regional Minister; Richard Fetkovich, Vice Minister; Vivian Weaver, Secretary; Pat Carnino,
Treasurer; Mary Lou Kreider, Formation Director; Richard Givan, Edward Meegan and Gaspar Santos, Councilors. The first
meeting of the Regional Conference of Spiritual Assistants was held on June 19, 1995 with representatives of each obedience:
Fr. John Joseph Gonchar, OFM; Fr. Justin Ratajcak, OFM, Conv; Fr. Gary Stakem, OFM, Cap; and Fr. Kevin Queally, TOR.
UPDATE 2014
The Region has been divided into four Clusters to facilitate an intermediate bonding level between the twenty five active fraternities. The Clusters are: the Cluster of Love, Cluster of Joy, Cluster of Compassion and the Cluster of Goodness.
History
N EWSLETTER OF L ADY P OVERTY R EGION #68
OF THE O RDO F RANCISCANUS S ECULARIS
(OFS/SFO)
Eileen Mantz, OFS, Editor
7752 Vincent Rd.
Cochranton, PA 16314
Phone: 814-425-1405
Fax: 814-425-1328
E-mail: ramadama@windstream.net
W E’ RE
ON THE WEB
L ADYPOVERTYREGION. ORG
PAX ET BONUM
The Secular Franciscan Order
NAFRA Statutes, “ad experimentum”
The Secular Franciscan Order is an “Association of the Christian Faithful”.
More specifically, it is an association whose members lead an apostolic life and
strive for Christian perfection while living in the world and who share the spirit
of some religious institute under the higher direction of the same institute. It is
governed by the universal law of the Church, and by its own: the Rule, the
Constitutions, the Ritual, and the particular statutes. The Constitutions have as
their purpose: to apply the Rule; to indicate concretely the conditions for belonging to the SFO, its government, the organization of life in fraternity, and
its seat. The Secular Franciscan Order is divided into fraternities of various
levels-local regional, national, and international. Each one has its own moral
personality in the Church. These various fraternities are coordinated and united
according to the norm of the Rule and of the Constitutions.
Ordo Franciscanus Secularis (OFS)
Secular Franciscan Order (SFO)
Lady Poverty Region #68
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE LADY POVERTY REGION:
The Lady Poverty Region of the Secular Franciscan Order supports, encourages, and guides the fraternal and evangelical life of the fraternities within it.
VISION STATEMENT OF THE LADY POVERTY REGION:
Through Scripture, Tradition, Prayer, and Liturgy, Lady Poverty Region cultivates the integration of the human, Christian, and Franciscan identity of her
Franciscan family and promotes Apostolic action by encouraging and supporting their efforts for justice, peacemaking and care of creation in the world and
the Church.
(Approved May 17, 2008)
“Conduct yourselves in a
way worthy of the Gospel of
Christ”
The Lord gives us the grace to fulfill any task he puts
before us. If he has called us to be Franciscans for the
Church and the world by observing the gospel, we
are certain that he provides the means to accomplish
this vocation. One of the primary ways that his grace
is manifested to us is through his own presence which
is always present in various forms for us to encounter
and respond to. Through such interaction with the
living and active person of Christ, our relationship
with him becomes more intense, our commitment to
the gospel is deepened, and our three-fold task of
change of heart, community-building, and evangelization become more firmly our way of life.