Brother Fire

With the onset of fall, there is plenty of excitement here at   the Order of Sts. Francis and Clare as we prepare for the   Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th.   It will undoubtedly include the Transitus , typically held on the eve of his Feast Day.   The Transitus is an annual Franciscan devotion remembering Francis’ passing from this life into the Reign of God.   In addition, on October 6 th , the Sunday following the Feast Day, along with one or more church communities here in Charlotte, NC,   the Order will participate in Pet Blessing of the Animals. While Francis of Assisi is well known for his love of all creatures great and small, his influence on Franciscans around the world is his vow to be humbly Christ-like in all things:   his discipline, his spirituality, and especially his prayer life.      For centuries Franciscans have embraced a four-fold pattern of prayer that enables them to partner with Chr...

I love being Catholic. I especially love being a progressive, Independent Catholic. I'm at a synod meeting of our li'l denomination (the United American Catholic Church) and I am so proud of the work that we do. I am reading a couple of different books that talk about what many hate about church -- specifically about the mixed message of churches who talk about mission but don't DO mission. We are a church of doers! My hope is that I can plant, build and grow a church of doers. By the way, the picture above is (from left to right): Bishop Anthony Hash, Father Christopher Ross, myself and Father Tom Shortell.