Friday October 10 2008 17:53:35 CDT
New JPIC info from Br. Craig Robert
19 December 2005
Brother Craig Robert Miller, OEF, serves as our Peace and Justice
Animator and our liaison to Franciscans International and the
OFM ESC-JPIC Council.
(See our Peace and Justice page.)
Craig Robert sends along this important document, which is
a reflection and invitation from the joint meeting of
the First Order Franciscans (JPE) Justice, Peace, and Ecology (JPIC)
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, and (JPSC) Justice, Peace,
and Safeguarding of Creation ministers in the
United States and Canada held at St. Francis Retreat
House, Easton, Pennsylvania, November 6-11, 2005.
The document is available in both PDF and Word formats.
Click here for the PDF version.
Click here for the Word version.
OEF receiving online donations
9 December 2005
We are now able to receive online contributions via PayPal.
To make donations,
click here
Br. Daniel's Assisi Journal
18 October 2005
Br. Daniel Salomon, n/OEF, recently returned from a pilgrimage to Assisi. He offers here his journey notes from the experience, in a document entitled My Pilgrimage Journal: An Environmentalist In King Arthur’s Court-My Pilgrimage To The Franciscan Holy Sites As An Environmentalist And Animal Rights Person.
Click here to download or read the journal.
Building bridges with SFO members
20 July 2005
Many members of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), the Roman Catholic Third Order, still have not heard about OEF. Our members report mixed experiences when making contact with SFOs in their area, largely because they are simply uninformed about (1) our existence and (2) the mandate they have as SFOs to seek out and establish relationships with "non-Catholic associations inspired by St. Francis."
In the Summer 2004 issue, the SFO newsletter, TAU-USA, ran an article entitled "Our OEF Brothers & Sisters in St. Francis". This is a great introductory piece to share with SFOs in your area as you seek to connect with them, as it comes from their National Fraternity's Ecumenical Committee. It would also be good to point out that SFO is part of the Joint Committee on Franciscan Unity, along with OEF and TSSF. (The Joint Committee will next meet 8-12 August at Saint Francis House in New London, CT.)
To download an image file of the TAU-USA article,
click here.
You may also download a picture of the TAU-USA cover for that issue.
Click here to get the cover.
Election of Minister General coming soon
19 July 2005
Br. Fred Ball, OEF, has begun the final year of his term as Minister General of the Order. He has sent a letter to the Order with information about the election procedure.
Click here to view the complete letter.
In brief:
- The Scribe, Treasurer, and Chaplain serve as the election committee.
- Nominations are made by the Professed and are due by August 10. Please secure the consent of your nominee ahead of time – that will save time in the election process.
- Any professed member is eligible to serve.
- Once the deadline for nominations has passed, the Scribe will mail ballots with brief biographical information to the professed members of the Order.
- Votes by return mail will be due by October 4, the Feast of St. Francis.
- The Minister-elect will be installed and begin her/his term at the Convocation next June.
Tsunami relief update from Br. Kevin McCoy
20 June 2005
Br. Kevin writes:
| |
I was just looking at the OEF web page and saw the Tsunami
relief section. I was wondering if you would mind adding
Church World Service to that section.
I don't know if we're past the point where this is front page
news with everyone, but I do know that the relief and rehabilitation
will continue for years.
CWS is a cooperative ministry of 36 denominations. (We have the same
membership as the National Council of Churches - they're our parent organization.)
|
Church World Service contact information and links to other relief efforts are on our
Tsunami relief
page. Thank you, Kevin!
Congratulations, Sr. Paula Clare!
16 May 2005
May 14th, 2005 marked the end of a 7 year academic journey for Sister Paula
Clare, a professed member of OEF. Sister Paula (a 40-year-old,
non-traditional student at the beginning of this non-traditional journey)
has studied psychology and counseling at a local community college (Rend
Lake College), a Methodist Liberal Arts College (McKendree) and finally,
completed her graduate studies with a Masters of Arts in Counseling
Psychology at Lincoln Christian Seminary in Lincoln, IL. Paula's immediate
family has been very supportive - her greatest "cheerleaders" being her
husband Bud and her sisters Peg and Pam. (pictured below) With this leg of
her academic career over, Paula will continue work as a licensed
professional counselor at Grace Counseling Services.
Paula Clare with her degree
Paula Clare and Bud
Paula Clare with her sisters
2005 Convocation registration information
22 April 2005
The details on Chapter/Convocation 2005 are now posted. Click here for the Convocation page, and to do online registration.
A response to the tsunami disaster
1 January 2005
(See our page on various
relief efforts to learn how you can help!)
As Franciscans whose majority of connectedness comes via this
electronic medium, we feel compelled to speak to the world regarding
the recent tsunami disaster. As Francis felt that all people were his
brothers and sisters, we too feel great sorrow at having lost over
124,000 members of our “worldwide family.” Each man who died was
someone’s son . . . someone’s husband or father. Each woman who drowned
was the daughter of a family who will now have a devastating New Year 2005
without her. Each child missing or dead could have been my child . . .
or yours. Humanity can never, and should never, be the same again.
The earthquake and tsunami were so severe, it is said to have made the
Earth wobble on its axis and permanently altered the regional map. Can
we so easily dismiss or ignore a disaster of such magnitude? We in the
Order of Ecumenical Franciscans believe we can not.
Please join us in the following prayer on behalf of “our” family who
will be forever changed because of the tsunami. In our sorrow we add
our prayers to those being prayed around the world:
For those who died in the sudden, unexpected, onslaught of waves, we
pray that their souls find rest.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the bereaved mothers, fathers, siblings, sons, and daughters, we
ask comfort, though none seems sufficient.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the wounded and diseased, the broken and disenfranchised, and for
those struggling to care for them, we ask strength and courage in the
midst of despair.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those whose means of living were swept away – the hoteliers, the
salesmen, the fishermen, the farmers, the traders – we ask great
generosity from the world.
Lord, hear our prayer.
For those ravaged by internal as well as external storms, Lord, we pray
your peace.
Lord, hear our prayer.
In their distress they call upon You, Lord, by whatever name they know
the Holy One – and so do we.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Amen.
|
