A beautiful little piece of news from this side of the ocean:
VATICAN CITY, 18 APR 2009 (VIS) - Today in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace in Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received 3,000 members of the Franciscan Family who recently participated in the "Chapter of the Mats" in Assisi, Italy, commemorating the birth of the Franciscan order on the eighth centenary of the approval of St. Francis' "Protoregula" by Pope Innocent III.
The dozen friars who first followed St. Francis of Assisi, said the Pope, have over the centuries become "a multitude scattered throughout the world. ... And I, as Pastor of the universal Church, wish to thank [God] for the precious gift you yourselves represent for all Christian people. From the brook that sprang up at the base of Monte Subasio, a great river was born which has made a notable contribution to the universal spread of the Gospel".
Francis, the Holy Father continued, "experienced the power of divine grace, as if he had died and been raised again. All his earlier wealth, all his reasons for feeling proud and secure, everything became a 'loss' from the moment he encountered the crucified and risen Christ. At that point abandoning everything became almost a necessity, in order to express the superabundance of the gift he had received".
Pope Benedict then went on to describe the focus of his meeting with the Franciscans as "the Gospel as a rule for life", and he highlighted how St. Francis "viewed himself entirely in the light of the Gospel. This is his appeal. This is his perennial relevance", he said. "Thus the 'Poverello' became a living Gospel, capable of attracting men and women of all times to Christ, especially the young who prefer radical commitment to half measures. Bishop Guido of Assisi, and later Pope Innocent III, recognized evangelical authenticity in the projects of Francis and his companions, and encouraged their efforts, also with a view to the good of the Church".
However, the Pope noted, "Francis could also simply not have come to the Pope. Many religious groups and movements were formed in that period and some of them stood against the Church as an institution, or at least they did not seek her approbation. A polemical attitude towards the hierarchy would certainly have brought Francis many followers. Yet his first thought was to place his own and his companions' development in the hands of the Bishop of Rome, Peter's Successor. This fact demonstrates his true ecclesial spirit. From the beginning he saw the little 'us' he had begun with his first friars as being part of the great 'us' of the one universal Church.
"The Pope recognised and appreciated this", added Benedict XVI. "In fact, he too could have failed to approve Francis' plans. And indeed, we may well imagine that among Innocent III's collaborators some advised him to do just that, perhaps fearing that the little group of friars resembled other heretical and pauperist groups of the period. However, the Roman Pontiff, well-informed by the bishop of Assisi and by Cardinal Giovanni di San Paolo, was able to discern the initiative of the Holy Spirit and welcomed, blessed and encouraged the nascent community of 'Friars Minor'".
"Eight centuries have passed and today you wish to renew your Founder's gesture", the Pope told his audience. "You are all children and heirs of those origins. ... Like Francis and Clare of Assisi, ... always begin again from Christ ... in order to see His face in our brothers and sisters who suffer, and to bring everyone His peace. Be witnesses of the beauty of God, whose praises Francis sang while contemplating the wonders of creation".
"Go forth and continue 'to repair the house' of the Lord Jesus Christ: His Church", cried the Holy Father. "Yet there is another ruin, an even more serious ruin: that of people and of communities", he said.
"Like St. Francis, always begin with yourselves", he concluded. "If you prove capable of renewing yourselves in the spirit of the Gospel, you will continue to help the pastors of the Church to make her face, as the bride of Christ, ever more beautiful. Now as at your beginnings, this is what the Pope expects from you".
AC/ANNIVERSARY FRANCISCAN RULE/... VIS 090420 (710)
Monday, April 20, 2009
FRANCISCANS: CONTINUE TO BEAUTIFY THE FACE OF THE CHURCH
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Easter Vigil Chants
One of the highlights of the Easter Vigil 2009 in Gaming was the beautiful singing and chanting.
I have attached three samples below:
- Fr. Yuri Kolasa chanting in the darkened church
- The Congregation singing the Gloria in the newly lit church
- The kids last Easter chanting their own versio
- n of Easter Hymns.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Imagine….Easter in Gaming
Imagine an Easter where….
* It is warm, sunny, and 70 degrees, almost hot! 
* Where both Eastern and Western Rite Catholics join in mutual celebration and festivity.
* Where a former member of a prominent Ukrainian singing group chanted the Easter eulogies is full force.
* Where the mysticism of a restored 13th century Carthusian church blends with the smell of incense and fresh lilies and other odiferous spring flours to create the most intoxicating smell you have ever experienced.
* Where fasting and solemnity turned into shouts of joy and songs of praise.
* Where students, locals, faculty, staff, consecrated lay, sisters, priests, and people from over 30 countries joined together in worship.
* Where creek jumping is considered a sport and way to celebrate
* Where besides the warm weather, there is snow covering all the mountains and people skied before the Easter Vigil.
If you can imagine all that….you will have some idea of how Easter was celebrated in Spring 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
10 Day Break with pyramids and camels!
For most of the 160 students this semester, Europe was the place to be for their second and final 10 day break. Not so for Sean D’Hoostelaere and Daniel Malneritch. They journeyed to Egypt to see the pyramids—one of the seven wonders of the world-- and explore the countryside, and of course ride camels. While the University recommends that students do not travel to Egypt and other potentially dangerous areas, we do always rejoice when they return safely.
Below are three pictures from their Egypt Adventure:
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Origins of the Austrian Crown Jewel
When I first came to work at the Austrian Program, somebody had coined a saying which really stuck with me: "The Austrian Program is the Crown Jewel in Crown that is Franciscan University.”
After working here 3 years, I couldn’t agree more.
But the question remains, why is the Austrian Program the Crown Jewel? To answer this, we would need a book or perhaps a dissertation; however, I think part of the answer lies in the forefathers of the Kartause: those mysterious Carthusian monks who lived, prayed, and worked here for nearly 400 years!
What are some of the more prominent characteristics of Carthusian spirituality?
In essence, these singular monks strive for perfect renunciation, near continuous silence, contemplation, and in the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, they are “battering the gates of Heaven with stones of prayer.”
Other words associated with this incredible order are: habit; fasting; vigils; discipline; hair-shirts; chastity; poverty; and of course obedience. In essence, they represent signposts throughout the ages: this way to heaven please!
One observer succinctly summed up their lifestyle in this manner: A charterhouse (Carthusian Monastery) is a powerhouse of prayer—bringing God down from heaven, and lifting up the world to heaven. In essence, they are already “halfway to heaven.”
It is true that they are the only religious order never to have been reformed because as many put it bluntly, they have never been deformed.
Indeed, those who have been privileged enough to have visited a Charterhouse of Kartause almost always comment in the same way our students do about the Kartause Gaming. They note the area as:
* A precious place of peace and silence
* A place of Healing
* Heaven on Earth
* An Unforgettable experience
* An Oasis in a crazy world
* “Now I know that I am loved; before I just hoped.”
Now, can you begin to see why the Carthusian history of the Kartause is indispensable from its prominence as the Crown Jewel of Franciscan University? If you can’t, I can assure you that the students who are here or have been here can….!