St. Francis Countdown: Francis and Friendship

Thomas of Celano tells a story about Francis' availability for and generosity in friendship. It is included here because it illustrates the importance and gratuitousness of true friendship. Brother Riccerio imagines himself unworthy of Francis' love but discovers not only that he is already loved deeply by the Poverello, but, also that such love is neither reward nor recompense, but rather pure gift.

A certain brother, Riccerio by name, a noble by birth but even more noble in his conduct, one who loved God…was led by a pious spirit and a great desire to attain and possess perfectly the favour of holy father Francis; but he feared greatly that St. Francis despised him for some secret reason and therefore made him a stranger to the favour of his affection. That brother thought, in as much as he was a God-fearing man, that whomever St. Francis loved with an intimate love would merit to be worthy of the divine favour; but on the other hand, he to whom St. Francis did not show himself well disposed and kind would, he thought, incur the anger of the heavenly judge. These things that brother revolved in his mind and spoke about frequently within himself, but he did not reveal the secret of his thoughts to anyone.

For the rest, when on a certain day the blessed father was praying in his cell and brother Riccerio had come to that place, disturbed by his usual thoughts, the holy man of God became aware of his coming and of what was going on in his mind. Immediately he sent for him and said to him, "Let no temptation disturb you, son; let no thought exasperate you; for you are very dear to me…Come to me with confidence whenever you wish and talk with me with great familiarity." The brother was filled with the greatest admiration at this; and as a result was even more reverent; and so did he begin to open wide in his trust in the mercy of God.

(Celano, XVIII, 46-47)

St. Francis Countdown: Francis' Conversion

This year's St. Francis Day will be particularly poignant for me, since I am currently the same age as Holy Father Francis was when he began his conversion. I can definitely relate to Francis' initial longings to try to find his place in life. Paradoxically, it was only after he relinquished his self-centred desires that Francis truly "found himself."

Below is an excerpt from Thomas of Celano's account of Francis' conversion:

When the father saw that he could not recall him [Francis] from the journey he had begun, he became obsessed with recovering the money. The man of God [Francis] had desired to spend it on feeding the poor and on the buildings of that place. But the one [Francis] who did not love money could not be deceived even by this appearance of good, and the one who was not bound by any affection for it was not disturbed in any way by its loss. The greatest scorner of the things of earth and the outstanding seeker of heavenly riches had thrown it into the dust on the windowsill. When the money was found, the rage of his angry father was dampened a little and his thirsty greed was quenched a bit by its discovery. Then he led the son to the bishop of the city to make him renounce into the bishop's hands all rights of inheritance and return everything that he [Francis] had. Not only did he not refuse this, but he hastened joyfully and eagerly to do what was demanded.

When he [Francis] was in front of the bishop, he neither delayed nor hesitated, but immediately took off and threw down all his clothes and returned them to his father. He did not even keep his trousers on, and he was completely stripped bare before everyone. The bishop, observing his frame of mind and admiring his fervour and determination, got up and, gathering him in his own arms, covered him with the mantle he was wearing. He clearly understood that this was prompted by God and he knew that the action of the man of God, [Francis] which he had personally observed, contained a mystery. After this he became his helper. Cherishing and comforting him, [Francis] he embraced him in the depths of charity.

When the father saw that he could not recall him [Francis] from the journey he had begun, he became obsessed with recovering the money. The man of God [Francis] had desired to spend it on feeding the poor and on the buildings of that place. But the one [Francis] who did not love money could not be deceived even by this appearance of good, and the one who was not bound by any affection for it was not disturbed in any way by its loss. The greatest scorner of the things of earth and the outstanding seeker of heavenly riches had thrown it into the dust on the windowsill. When the money was found, the rage of his angry father was dampened a little and his thirsty greed was quenched a bit by its discovery. Then he led the son to the bishop of the city to make him renounce into the bishop's hands all rights of inheritance and return everything that he [Francis] had. Not only did he not refuse this, but he hastened joyfully and eagerly to do what was demanded.

When he [Francis] was in front of the bishop, he neither delayed nor hesitated, but immediately took off and threw down all his clothes and returned them to his father. He did not even keep his trousers on, and he was completely stripped bare before everyone. The bishop, observing his frame of mind and admiring his fervour and determination, got up and, gathering him in his own arms, covered him with the mantle he was wearing. He clearly understood that this was prompted by God and he knew that the action of the man of God, [Francis] which he had personally observed, contained a mystery. After this he became his helper. Cherishing and comforting him, [Francis] he embraced him in the depths of charity.
(Celano VI, 14-15)

This famous story of Francis renouncing his father's wealth was captured in the film "Brother Sun, Sister Moon." That particular part of the movie always brings tears to my eyes, as it perfectly captures Francis' affirmation of childlike innocence. Although it is dubbed in Spanish, you can watch this clip from the film on YouTube. Please watch this at your own discretion, since the scene does contain some non-sexual male nudity.

More to come!

St. Francis Countdown!!!

Just as an alarm clock abruptly jars a person out of bed, today I suddenly realized that the feast day of Holy Father Francis is only a little more than a week away. This means that I will need to start "counting down" until October 4th!!!

To kick off the St. Francis Countdown, I'm going to direct you to an excellent and entertaining account of the life of Holy Father Francis. The following excerpt is taken from the well-known "Lives of the Saints." Even though the passage has some archaic verbage, it's a very good overview of St. Francis. The passage can be found on EWTN's website here.

More Francis stuff to come!

Benedict XVI Addresses Poor Clares!

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2007 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in audience the Poor Clares from the convent of the Immaculate Conception at Albano, which is located within the territory of the pontifical villas at Castelgandolfo.

Addressing the nuns, Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude "for your daily support through prayer, and for your intense spiritual participation in the mission of the Pastor of the Universal Church. In the silence of the cloister and in the total and exclusive giving of self to Christ in accordance with the Franciscan charism, you provide a valuable service to the Church."

"The Pope expects you to be burning torches of love, your hands joined in a vigil of incessant prayer, completely detached from the world in order to sustain the ministry of he whom Jesus has called to guide His Church."

"Not always," said the Pope, "is public opinion aware of the silent dedication of people who, like you, seek to put the Gospel into effect 'sine glossa' with simplicity and joy. Nonetheless, you may be sure that the contribution you make to the apostolic and missionary activity of the Church in the world is truly extraordinary, and God will continue to bless you with the gift of many vocations, as He has up to now."

"May St. Francis, St. Clare and the many male and female saints of your order help you to 'persevere faithfully unto the end' in your vocations," the Pope concluded. "May the Virgin of Sorrows grant you the gift of following her divine crucified Son and of embracing with serenity the difficulties and trials of daily life."

A Prayer for Fr. Basil Moreau

Today the Venerable Basil Moreau will finally become Blessed Basil Moreau! Congratulations to all of the wonderful Holy Cross Fathers!

Below is a prayer for Basil Moreau's intercession:

Lord Jesus, Source of all that is good, you inspired Basil Moreau to found the religious family of Holy Cross to continue your mission among the People of God.

May he be for us a model of the apostolic life, an example of fidelity and an inspiration as we strive to be followers of Jesus.

May the Church be moved to proclaim his saintliness for the good of all people. Lord Jesus, you said "Ask and you shall receive."

I dare to come to you to ask that you hear my prayer. It is through the intercession of Father Basil Moreau that I ask...May I learn to imitate his holiness and service and look to him confidently in times of need.

Amen.

Beatification of Fr. Basil Moreau, CSC!

One of the biggest faux pas that a person make is to ask a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, "isn't Notre Dame a Jesuit school?" Even though many Jesuits are great priests, most Domers' would agree that they couldn't have gotten a finer education than from the University run by the Holy Cross Fathers. My return to the Catholic Church was largely influenced by interacting with many wonderful Holy Cross Fathers during my years at a student at Notre Dame.

For years the Congregation of the Holy Cross has promoted the cause for sainthood of their founder, Fr. Basil Moreau. Fr. Moreau's beatification this Friday, September 14th marks the culmination of years of prayer and hard work. It is with great pride that I will be doing a couple of posts on the life and spirituality of Fr. Moreau in the days leading up to his beatification.

Below is an excellent account of Fr. Moreau's life:

The Story of Basil Anthony Marie MoreauFounder of the Brothers, Priests, and Sisters of Holy Cross

"You did not choose me, I chose you". The Congregation of Holy Cross recognize this quotation as the special calling of their Founder, Basil Moreau. Basil was born to Louis Moreau and Louise Pioger, and his name was a providential choice, because the Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, Basil the Great, was to lead his protege' in a path of dedication of spreading the Word of God through education. For more than a century, members of the family of Holy Cross have established, directed, and supported institutions of learning, from maternal schools through Universities in the U.S., Europe, France, Canada, Asia, Africa, and South America.

As a child, Basil was a student of the Pastor of his parish. Always interested in his studies and anxious to learn more, it is said that while he attended the family animals in nearby fields, he always carried his study books. He loved to read and study, and those who knew him described him as an organizer who gathered his companions to participate in games and other activities which he planned. He was the one to teach pious young boys to serve Mass, perhaps an indication of his personal vocation. Impressed with his desire and success in learning, as well as his piety, the Parish priest of Laigné-en-Belin discussed his conviction with Basil's father, and made arrangements for the boy to enter the Minor seminary at Chateau Gontier. Basil and his father made the journey to the seminary on foot, a distance covered today by car in an hour and a half. What genuine interest, courage, and devotion was displayed by father and son!

Basil's spiritual formation and secular instruction continued in the major seminary until ordination in Le Mans in 1821. This was supplemented by two years spent with the Sulpicians in Paris. On his return to the Diocese of Le Mans, he was appointed professor of Philosophy, Dogmatic Theology and Scripture.

The example and teaching of Moreau continue to inspire the religious family of brothers, priests, and sisters of Holy Cross which he founded to serve the people of God. In mid-19th century Le Mans, Moreau (now a diocesan priest) faced the turmoil, uncertainties and danger experienced by the Catholic Church in the aftermath of the French Revolution. He dreamed of establishing a religious family of three separate and autonomous groups (priests, brothers and sisters) united in their work and in spirit and dedicated to service. Modeled on the Holy Family, each branch of the new religious family was dedicated to Jesus, Mary or Joseph.

Father Moreau assumed the direction of the Brothers of St. Joseph when their founder Father Jacques Dujarié became too ill to continue their direction. In addition to this group, Father Moreau began his own society of priests dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In response to the appeals from bishops, Fr. Moreau sent his religious in teams of brothers, priests, and sisters to minister in Algeria and the U.S. (1841), Canada (1847), Italy (1850) and India (1853).

In 1838 he gave a rule of life to a group of devout laywomen. These women assisted the priests and brothers at first by doing domestic work, then in teaching and nursing. These women became the Marianites of Holy Cross. Today, the women of Holy Cross form 3 distinct congregations: Marianites of Holy Cross, Sisters of the Holy Cross, and Sisters of Holy Cross. Men and women religious of Holy Cross minister in Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia, engaged in a variety of ministries fulfilling their commitment to continue the mission of Jesus in the spirit of Fr. Moreau.

1799
Born February 11, 1799 in Laigné-en-Belin, a little village near Le Mans, France. He was the 9th of 14 children; his father was a wine merchant.

1814
Entered the diocesan seminary.

1821
Ordained a priest at age 22.

1835
Taught and served as assistant superior in Le Mans; named leader of the Brothers of St. Joseph founded by Fr. Jacques Dujarié. Founded the society of Auxiliary Priests.

1837
United the brothers and priests into the Association of Holy Cross.

1840
Professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

1844
Received the vows of Leocadie Gascoin and three Marianites.

1857
Received papal approval of the constitutions for the Association, which became the Congregation ofHoly Cross.

1866
Resigned as superior general, but continued an active preaching and retreat ministry.

1872
Celebrated his Golden Jubilee.

1873
Died on January 20 at age 73.

1955
The cause for his beatification was introduced in Rome.