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Franciscan Focus

Bishop Cullinan recalls sacrifice made by his friend Fr Ragheed Ganni

6/10/2020

Below is a link for Bishop Cullinan's speech on Sunday, May 3rd 2020 recalling Fr. Ragheed Ganni's, sacrifice.
Fr. Ragheed is our own Ghanim Ganni's (ofs RFEC), cousin and was assassinated 13 years ago.

Bishop Phonsie Cullinan of Waterford & Lismore used his Vocations Sunday homily to pay tribute to Iraqi priest Fr Ragheed Ganni, who was shot dead by Islamic extremists in 2007. On Good Shepherd Sunday, Bishop Cullinan recalled how the young priest, who was a fellow student and friend of his at the Irish College in Rome, had given “his blood for his flock”. READ THE STORY

Fr. Ragheed Ganni

Martyred Iraqi priest, who had stayed at the Irish College in Rome, returned to his home country despite the dangers because he felt that "Without their pastor the flock would be lost".

Death of Barbara Ann LeClerc, ofs

5/22/2020

Submitted by Margaret Ann Ashfield -

Barb was professed with me in 1980 and was an
active member of our fraternity until her illness took over her life. I am sure some of the older members of the PEI fraternity will remember her coming with me on the fall retreat. I was told that she always wore her Tau cross. Barb was living at Northwood Nursing Home where she died of covid-19.

For more information: Obiturary

May she rest in eternal peace with our Lord.

Margaret-Anne adds:

Liz Briggs, who also lives there, is not well. Besides her severe dizziness, she now has heart problem was rushed to the hospital with heart attack. Is now home where she lives in her own
apartment at Northwood. She does not have a computer but loves to get a phone call and mail. (1 -902- 425-5478) Address: 2630 Gottingen St. Apt. 904, Halifax B3K 3C6

Sing! Humility and Poverty

4/1/2020

The song is called

"Humility and Poverty"
by Doug Clorey.

It is followed with prayer intentions.

Wishing you peace and all that is good. - Doug and Marion

St Francis of Assisi, PEI, April Newsletter

4/1/2020

Urbi et Orbi Blessing

On March 27, 2020, Pope Francis delivered an extraordinary blessing “To the City and to the World” and prayed for an end to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In his meditation, the Pope reflected on the Gospel of Mark 4:35-41 in which Jesus calms the storm. The analogy to the COVID-19 storm is clear. Pope Francis reflects on the words of Jesus: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” The following is an excerpt from his reflection.

“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”

Lord, your word strikes us and affects us, all of us. In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things, and lured away by haste. We did not stop at your reproach to us, we were not shaken awake by wars or injustice across the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet.....

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Navigating crisis: two blind spots to be aware of:

3/30/2020

by Br Benny Vincent, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant

Let’s be honest! We did see it coming but we never imagined it to be this devastating. Like objects in the mirror, the particulars of this new crisis have become much closer than they appeared a couple of weeks ago. It now overwhelms us to the edge of Not-Knowing-What-to-Expect-Next. The situation is so volatile that we all now must brace ourselves to pivot on a dime. Welcome to the COVID-19 world! As they say, we can never motivate ourselves out of a crisis, what we must do is steer ourselves through it. Consider two blind spots to watch out for on our exodus through this current crisis:

1. Not seeing far enough beyond the crisis - No storm can last forever! Gradually, we will settle back to the normalcy of our daily lives. There will be a post-crisis era. That new normal is already in the making. Certainly, this crisis is not the end of the world, but the beginning of a new one. We do not yet know the shape of the things to come. Some businesses will be gone, never to return but many others will emerge stronger at the end of this crisis. Think of the video conferencing platform Zoom. They are having the best business moment ever! It is the same with

marriages. Some will be shattered and others will just manage to survive. But most of our homes will prevail this crisis courageously and it will make us closer to each other. It is crucial to understand how we see ourselves beyond the crisis. We may not have a detailed plan for it, but it is essential to have a vision about it. It is a bad idea to make long-term plans for life during a crisis and it is much more a worse thing to enter a crisis without a long-term vision about our survival. It is important to see far enough beyond the current crisis. Do we have a faith strong enough to see far enough beyond the crisis?

2. Shallow optimism - Shallow optimism can be a bad idea in a deep crisis. It is even more dangerous than outright pessimism. Let me try to say it differently: Would you feel safe driving above 100 km/hr on a highway in a heavy snowstorm with broken windshield wipers? Granted, there are some people crazy enough to do it. However, most of us will prefer prudence. Shallow optimism is a dangerous motivator. It will motivate us to venture on to that highway of uncertainties, but it will not lead us any further. We will be struck before long! Like any snowstorm, a crisis will certainly limit our

visibility. But it will do even more than that. It will break our windshield wipers – our traditional tools of problem-solving. Each crisis has a way of outmoding long-held practises and certitudes. Participating in the Holy Week liturgy exclusively via online streaming was not at all an option to many of us until a few weeks ago. Look where we are now today! It is the only option available to most of us unless you are a priest! A deep crisis can usher in new standards of social and spiritual practices. Do not be fooled! They are here to stay with full social acceptability. In the church world, online ministries are no longer seen as an add-on luxury of the rich congregations, they are now considered as an integral part of the front door entrance to any active community. It does mean that even those hesitant churches will now start considering adding online ministry services to their roster. But how can we change so fast? Are we flexible enough to accommodate such crazy changes? It seems so!

We cannot trust the momentary adrenaline rush that stems from shallow optimism, but we need the flexibility of hope. The real HOPE! It is a virtue that gives us the courage to prevail anything gracefully. As Christians, we know that we have our eyes fixed on the Resurrected one. His resurrection is the promise of our final triumph. He is our HOPE.

How deep is your Hope as we navigate this crisis?

St Francis of Assisi, PEI, May Newsletter

3/30/2020

Fraternity continues to meet during COVID-19 lockdown

Consecration to Mary in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
On Friday, May 1st, 2020, the Catholic Bishops of Canada will consecrate their individual dioceses or eparchies to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her protection during the Coronavirus pandemic, similar to what other Episcopal Conferences throughout the world have already done. Along with the Bishops, pastors, families, groups, individuals and other faith communities may likewise choose to join the consecration as part of the global effort to unite in faith and prayer in this most difficult time. ...Read More

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...you are all in our thoughts and prayers

3/23/2020

To: Members of St. Francis of Assisi and Brother Leo Fraternities (and all fraternities in our Region)

Dear sisters and brothers,

Below is the link to a short youtube video that Marion and I have created in an effort to remain connected to the fraternity while in a period of self isolation. We are considering doing one of these weekly (for a few weeks) if it can be useful to others; let us know what you think. In the meantime, know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. Wishing you peace and all that is good.

Doug and Marion - from Prince Edward Island

St Francis of Assisi, PEI, March Newsletter

3/1/2020

Embracing Changes in Life

Mary gives Franciscans a model to follow by how she embraced the changes in her life. We too face many changes in our faith. Vatican II, as well as many other events in recent decades, have invited us to new perspectives in our faith.... READ MORE

Mary, Mother of God

Mary gives birth in a barn or stable and the shepherds come to see her Child. They leave singing praises. Mary ponders and reflects and treasures all these things that happen to her. She is our model in so many ways....
....READ MORE

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Queenship of Mary, NS - New Council

2/23/2020

Congratulations to the new Council for the Queenship of Mary Fraternity. The elective chapter was held Saturday, February 22 at St. Anthony's, Dartmouth. The council from left to right are Marie Mah, Secretary; Jim Milton, Treasurer; Debbie Richard, Minister and Dir of Formation; Byron Samson, Vice-Minister, and Brother Nathanael DesRouches, Spiritual Assistant.

St Francis of Assisi, PEI, Feb. Newsletter

2/18/2020

Formation - Prayer
As Jesus was the true worshipper of the Father, so let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.
Let them participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist. Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ.

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