A Whole New Place

Greetings from the West Coast!

I have officially begun my Postulancy Year with the Franciscan Friars!

Here are the stats to bring you up to speed:

1. Left home 1 week ago (give or take).

2. Spent 5 day son retreat with the Franciscan Brothers - good retreat, good food, good company.

3. During that week - 3 of us were welcomed officially into the Franciscan Community as Postulants. We were presented with the Word of God and a Tau Cross (Franciscan Cross)and welcomed by each member of the community.

4. Week ended with 2 Brothers making their Solemn Vows during a beautiful Mass, followed by a great reception.

5. Our director and the 3 of us Postulants headed West. We had the chance to visit with the Poor Clares and spend a night in a Monastery, (both very interesting).

6. We have arrived at our large home, which includes a chapel, meeting room, sitting room, kitchen and 3 bathrooms (maybe 4 - have to do some more exploring). It has 3 floors and plenty of space.

7. There are 9 of us sharing the house, the duties and the bathrooms! We range in age from 28 - 98.

8. We each have our own good-sized room, which includes a bed, desk, closet, book shelf, and sink.

9. There have been many laughs and adventures already and we live in a beauitful area of the city.

10. Morning Prayer at 7 am and Mass at 7:30 am, Evening Prayer at 5:15 pm.

That gives you a taste of what the last week has looked liked. Lots more to come, as we beginning planing the year out and will be given assignments to work on, not to mention classes begin next week.

Let the adventure continue. God is so good!

Most powerful, holy, lofty, supreme God: You are good, most good, the supreme good! You alone we give praise, glory, thanks honor, and all good! Amen. Amen! So be it. So be it!

Beginning Today: A Prayer for the Journey

Good and Awesome God,

I give You thanks for the gift of life You have blessed me with.

My life is full of so many blessings and gifts.
Thank You for guiding me on this journey and opening me
up to new adventures with You.
 

As I begin my journey with the Franciscans,

I ask your blessing upon my family.

Bless my Mom and Dad,

Bless my siblings and their spouses,
Bless my amazing nephews and nieces.
 
Bless my Grandparents and Godparents,

Bless my Godchildren and their families,

Bless my many relatives and friends.
 
I am so grateful for their love and support,
They have helped me to encounter You,
Your generosity and lavish love.
 
As I enter this Postulancy year,

I pray for strength and courage, I pray for a deepening trust

and I pray to continue to be open to how You are calling me. 

I place all these people and the journey ahead into

Your hands. I am truly in awe and grateful to be
Child of Yours.

Amen.

 

Saint Francis said: The rule of pilgrims is: take shelter under someone else’s roof, thirst after your homeland (heaven) and make you way in peace. This pilgrim is very excited for the next part of the pilgrimage to begin!

Today I begin my Postulancy Year with the Franciscans. We begin with a weeklong retreat, which will end with two of the Franciscans making their final vows. I am about to head out on the road to the retreat house, give some hugs to family (until Christmas), and enter into the journey.

Thank you to all who have been so supportive and have sent me off in such special ways, my heart is full, and I am grateful. I humbly ask for your prayers.

Peace and Joy of the Risen Lord to you all.

Yes I Can Do This!

This week marks the week that ends one chapter in my life and a new one begins. This has happened throughout history over and over again to so many people. It's always easy to comment on this process when it is someone else's life but when it's your own it's tough to keep perspective.

Saying farewell, one last hug from friends and family, as my brother says one last supper, and of course packing up my stuff; deciding what is important to keep, to take, to give away, to deal with later in life has filled my days. Lots has happened to get me to this point, lots has happened this past week alone and lots is happening this week to ensure I'm ready to go into the next chapter.

So I ponder, looking back with lots of smiles and fond memories. I'm hopeful and excited, I'm grateful and humbled. I remain connected to Christ and know that his strength, courage and joy is what fills me and allows me to look ahead.

I have been reminded several times this week in several ways that all things are possible with God. Through the time spent with my nephews and nieces, acts of kindness, a hug from my Mom and others, questions asked, encouragement given, celebrations, quiet moments, words of scripture and reflections from St. Francis I see the journey is possible.

Still as the suitcase gets packed I pause again and I ask myself: 'can I do this?' I wonder if Francis thought the same thing as his dream began to take hold. Then I feel a sense of peace and say I know I can do this, God is alive and is calling me forth and I am continually assured of God's awesome love.

So Yes, I can do this! With the support of family and friends, through  deepening trust, through the gift of a community of brothers and through God's grace, mercy and love, yes, YES I can do this.

Trust in the Lord

At Mass on Sunday the closing song was ‘Trust in Lord’ (a favorite song of my family). It is usually my Mom who cries her way through this song, but it was me that was overcome with emotion as we sang. The words speak of where I am now and my journey ahead.  The refrain says, ‘Trust in the Lord; you shall not tire. Serve you the Lord; you shall not weaken. For the Lord’s own strength will uphold you. You shall renew your life and live.’

I was overcome with how God continues to work in my life and how God has blessed me with so many gifts and talents and skills and opportunities and awesome people. The words helped me to see the journey ahead will be full of blessings.  So I trust in God more and more, for God is so good and longs to lavish us with unending love and mercy! I desire to serve the world, my family, friends and community in joy and faith. For the times when I will be tired or weak, I know that my God will surround and fill me with strength and courage so I can go forth and live. This is how much my God loves me, and loves each one of us. I will continue to trust and hope and live because of this gift. My life will continually be renewed and opened up to all that God unfolds before me.

I am grateful for Saint Francis slowly nudging me, hinting at me and whispering to me about his path that leads to Christ, I am ready for the adventure that awaits and am open to the path that lies ahead, let’s just hope that it includes final vows as a Franciscan!

I am also very grateful for my family, dear friends and the larger community who support me and continue to surround me with prayers and love. As my nieces reminded me ‘my life would suck without you’. So thank you for filling my life with so much, I don’t know if I can express enough what your prayers and support mean to me.

As I prepare to take leave from the comforts of home and familiar faces I share with you the words from a Garth Brooks song that my nieces sang for me at my family celebration…

There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all...
Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Getting ready to sail my vessel into new waters, knowing God is my captain.