More Questions

Over the past week I have been in and out of a few classrooms in the Catholic Schools in which my ministry is connected to. While visiting these classrooms I have been doing a presentation on Saint Francis and the Franciscans. This has included some images, some history, a great cartoon short about A Day in the Life St. Francis (it's very funny but also captures the message of what Francis was about), we also play a Rebuild the Church relay and have prayed and sang together (thanks to the new awesome Youth Minister that our church hired). Throughout the presentation I have been asked some really great questions and thought I would share a few with you and also the answers.

1. Will you ever be able to come home?
     The answer is yes, I will be able to come home after Christmas for a short while and then again in the summer for some holidays and at other times for special family occasions. Believe me lots of visiting will take place.

2. So is being a Franciscan like a job?
    Not at all, being a Franciscan is a way of life. It is a way of life that embraces St. Francis' love of Jesus and the gospel. It is a way of life that allows me to share my gifts and talents in different forms of work and ministry. You never retire from being a Franciscan.

3. Do you get to keep your car?
    No, I do not get to keep my car, but the community of Brothers with whom I live have a car or two for us to share and use together.

4. What is a religious vow?
     An answer I have found that really makes sense to me and the children I was presenting to I found in a little pamphlet put out by the Redemptorists. It says, "a vow is a type of serious promise made before God. (it's a bit more technical than that, but that sums it up excellently) Brothers, Sisters and religious-community Priests take vows to give their lives to God by living the gospel in poverty, celibacy and obedience."

5. So what is poverty, celibacy and obedience?
    The above mentioned pamphlet gives these great explanations:
    Poverty - we share our goods in common and live a simple life, realizing that we depend on God. All money earned goes to support the community and it's ministries.
    Celibacy - we choose to love and serve God and all God's people, rather than to love one person exclusively. We offer our celibacy as witness and testimony to God's love.
    Obedience - we live in community and try to listen to and follow the will of God by taking part in the community's life, goals, hopes and work.

One of the greatest blessings about my work with our schools has been the great questions from our children and their desire to get to know more about God's superheroes the Saints. I appreciate their enthusiasm, kindness and support. I know I can count on their prayers for the journey ahead.

Chaos & the Cross

Last week I met with my Spiritual Director. She told me to remember to focus on the cross. That statement really struck a chord with me. I believe so often when we think of the cross all we think of is Good Friday, the horror of the cross and how tough it is to carry. I could have easily got caught up in those thoughts but funny how none of those thoughts crossed my mind when that statement was shared with me.

 

Right now chaos is the best word to describe where I am in my journey. I could easily focus on the cross being too heavy, too overly burdensome, too much to deal with, or too painful to ponder. I was sharing with a friend the other day that it feels like when I was a child and was signed up to go to summer camp. I wanted to go to camp, I was excited about, but as I thought about the week ahead I would get very worked up and would find myself on our staircase just outside the bathroom door and would sit there and cry about not wanting to go to go camp. I would position myself there for I knew my Mom would come out of that bathroom and as much I wanted her to say, ‘it’s okay, you don’t have to go.’ She would comfort me and challenge me to look ahead and focus on the positive and adventure and the good of going to camp. That perfectly describes where I am right now in the journey. So instead of focusing on the hardship or horror or pain of the cross I’m working on the focus to be the glory and life-giving nature of the cross.

 

Thomas A Kempis once said: ‘If you carry your cross joyfully, it will carry you.’ That is so true and yes at times it is going to be hard to carry and we will have to face hardships but we are called to carry the cross with joy. We must remember that the cross is our sign of life and we are people of the resurrection. The cross is my hope and my anchor, the cross is my guide and my strength. As I look to the changes and challenges in the months ahead I am trying more fully to embrace the joy-filled cross of Saint Francis and trying to walk more closely in his sandals! For walking in his sandals brings me closer to Jesus and that is always a good thing.

 

Year Ahead Update: It has now been confirmed who my director will be and who the friars are that I will be living with. There is quite the age range in our house, I believe 36 – 96. I am excited for this new aspect of community, hopefully having 2 brothers and a sister growing up and now 2 nephews and 6 nieces will have prepared me a bit for this. I will be guided by some great men in my postulancy year. My director is a young friar who is a priest. I will have a classmate from Venezuela, and one of the friars that will make his final vows in August will also be living in community with me, not mention the guidance of those who have been friars for 30, 40, 50+ years. I have met some of these remarkable men already and feel very encouraged and welcomed. I’m sure the community in which I will live will be a good way to fully experience the path of St. Francis.

 

I ask for your continued prayers in this time of chaos as the journey unfolds.

Why? What? A Haircut?

Over the past week the three most common questions I have been asked are:

1. Why a Franciscan?

2. What is a Brother?

3. Do you have to shave your head?

Good questions… here are my answers.

1. Why a Franciscan?

Some of my reasons why include:

Focus on community.

 

Focus on serving.

Focus on living the gospel.

 

Focus on simplicity.

 

It feels like an extension of family and home.

 

There is an openness and acceptance for who I am and what I offer.

 

My passions, gifts and talents will be called out and utilized to their fullest.

 

There is a desire in me to follow in Francis’ passion to Rebuild the Church.

 

Work with people of faith, who love their faith and seek to deepen their faith.

 

An encountering with Jesus through deeper prayer, Liturgy and the Eucharist.

 

My desire to work with and serve the Liturgy of the Church and Retreats.

 

Francis’ creativity in crafting the Nativity Scene (crèche), the Stations of the Cross

and his love of nature, music and prayer.

 

2. What is a Brother?

Brother Gerry Clyne, ofm  once said: The quick answer is “A brother is a male nun.” People at least have a vague idea of what a Sister is. But a more precise definition would be that a brother is a male religious and one who is not ordained to the priesthood.

Religious are persons who are called by God to follow Christ by devoting their lives to God in prayer and in service to the Church, and to the world through the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience and in communal life.

An article by Bonaventure Scully explains: Brothers have been an integral part of religious life. The brother is distinguished from the secular layperson by his consecration, his participation in a particular community and his participation in a ministry of the Church. Rather than presenting himself for ordination, the brother freely elects this state as his way of participating in the Church’s faith community. This is the brother’s way of responding to a call to live the gospel deeply, radically, publicly and in community.

 

3. Do you have to shave your head?

Well none of the Franciscan Friars I have met have shaved their heads in the style of Saint Francis. This style is known as a tonsure. The tonsure was once ‘it was a sign that a person had entered into a new stage.’ Other religions also use this hair-cutting practice, but it is not as common in the Catholic church anymore.

So my plan is not to shave my head, unless I start going bald! As information on the year ahead is presented there are plans for our group to do some type of a Fundraiser. Hmmm… maybe a head shaving project will generate some funds for a great cause. I know of 2 people already who I’m sure will give money just to see my head shaved. I have very supportive friends and family!  J But as of now, no shaving of head will take place, thank goodness for that!

The Journey: Trusting God

So the reason for finally beginning a blog comes out of a life change that I'm about to embark on, a new path has emerged. Let me explain.

We all have beloved Saints that we are intrigued by and curious about their journey and how they came to rely and trust more and more in God. I am a lover of Saints – I love reading about them, finding pictures or statues of them, reading their quotes, being in awe of their journey and their deep love for Christ and the Church.

There are so many saints that inspire me who have found their way into my ministry and life and have helped me to encounter Christ in a very personal and real way.

One of those Saints is Saint Francis of Assisi, a beloved Saint for many people. I have always been intrigued with Francis and his life, not only did he give us the gift of the Nativity Scene (one of my most favorite things about Christmas) but his radical love for Jesus and his deep joy in proclaiming the gospel is life-giving. His enthusiasm and desire to be a living-witness of Christ, his way that he saw all creation both human and nature as family, and as his followers over the past 800 years have lived with a desire to rebuild the Church has impacted my journey in a very personal way and I was not fully aware that it was doing so.

Saint Francis once said: 'If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. '

 

Over the course of about the past 14 months I have been on a very personal journey, opening myself up more to God working in my life and trusting in God’s awesome love, grace and mercy. 

Through the help of my spiritual director and believe it or not the past 2 VBS’s I have been reminded again and again that with God all is possible or as stated in another way that nothing is impossible with God.

So…

Math was never my strong subject in school, but this equation was the easiest way for me to share this very exciting and life-changing news.

Jesus + Saint Francis of Assisi + The Western Canadian Franciscans = Me.

so what I’m trying to say is…

I have been accepted to join the Western Canadian Franciscans as a postulant (which means the start of the journey on the road to Franciscan Brotherhood). My postulancy year begins on August 19, 2013 and so with the blessing of my pastor I will resign my position as Pastoral Assistant and spend the next year in deeper discernment with the Franciscans.

The past 6 years at Resurrection Parish have been a true blessing for me and it is because of this community and the ministry that I am able to answer this call in my life. I will take many memories with me as I take leave in August and go with a grateful heart for the many dedicated, faithful and inspiring people both young and old that make up this community.  I will look forward to updates about this community.

 

I now look ahead to a very busy next 8 weeks working on details for the ministry I leave behind, training a Youth Ministry Coordinator and celebrating the gift of the Risen Lord that is very much present here in this community.

Thank you, thank you for sharing your gifts and for allowing me to share mine. I ask for your continued prayers and support for the journey ahead as Resurrection will always have a special place in my heart and my prayers.

Again thank you and I am blessed to have been a part of this community.

 

Pdlgrm? Peddlegrum? Pilgrim?

Let me explain my blog title first!

Pdlgrm Path describes me and my journey. It reminds me of my childhood but also launches me forward on the journey.

Pdlgrm is short for Peddlegrum which is child language for Pilgrim. Let me explain.

When I was in Kindergarten, I came home very excited about Thanksgiving and learning about the Pilgrims and Indians. I very excitedly told my Mom all about the Peddlegrums and Indians and how they celebrated! My mother in her very loving way tried to correct me by telling me that they were called Pilgrims not Peddlegrums. In my very confident (stubborn) age 5 way I clearly told my Mom, that no our teacher said they are called Peddlegrums. This went on for a bit over the next few days, until my mother had to go and meet with my Kindergarten teacher and find out if she was loosing it as a young mother or if her 5 year old was just that stubborn! So it looks like I was just that stubborn and wanted to be right about this very exciting new discovery.

Ever since then Peddlegrum (Pdlgrm) has stuck around and the story gets told every Thanksgiving. I even have it as my license plate. I thought it makes a simple statement about what I believe. (The funniest thing is watching people in the rear view mirror trying to figure out what my plates say!) I also view it as a hint into my future. I have often viewed my life as pilgrimage, taking me an on grand adventure, meeting wonderful people, embracing great experiences and moments, growing, deepening my faith and opening myself up to God's awesome love, mercy and graces flowing through my life.

I believe we are all pilgrims on the journey. For me that is exciting and life-giving even when I'm uncertain or doubt or choose not to pack well for the pilgrimage. Being a pilgrim means I am open to the path ahead, the curves and turns, the roadblocks, the long straight paths, the detours and the destinations! God has been shaping one awesome path for me and for that I'm thankful and I look ahead as new paths begin to emerge!

So here is the launch of my blog: Pdlgrm Path and my ponderings, thoughts, prayers, questions and discoveries shared.

You are welcome to join me on the pilgrimage...