M
Marie5890
Guest
I will be praying for them both. I had not noticed PuzzleAnne’s absence
- Status
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
He is OK. 
J
JReducation
Guest
Hey folks – I received a message from Luigi and Malt mom asking if I had fallen off the edge of the earth. Thanks for your concern and your prayers. I’m still here.
Keep your prayers coming. The truth is that my plate is very full and my health is not cooperating. I’ve had to put some things on the back burner, such as getting involved in some of the long discussions that we have here. Sometimes, I’m just too tired to think straight.
To be very honest, it’s hard to engage in some threads when you’re tired, if people are throwing tomatoes at you. I’m usually a pretty tough cookie with tough skin. Lately, I have so many things going on that when that happens I choose not to engage rather than push it.
I’m hoping for a redistribution of work, so that I can get more rest and be less tired. It does not look like it’s going to happen until after Labor Day.
I was involved in some interesting threads on the drama of the SSPX coming or not coming back at this time. It’s a subject that is very dear to me, because Church unity and obedience to the Church are dear and near to my heart. As you all know, it’s not an easy crowd in that arena. One has to think on his feet, be thick skinned and have a sense of humor. Those things are not easy these days when I feel worn out much of the time. I found myself getting irritated too often. That’s not good.
I’m trying to get more sleep and to deal with the duties of being a superior. I’m going away for a few days at the end of August. Hopefully, I will get some time to pray and rest.
There are some concerns that need my attention right now. I pray that you will forgive my absence and continue to pray for me. I will certainly try to show my face around here more often so that you don’t worry. I don’t want that to happen either.
Thank you so much for your love and your concern. Please stay in touch. I do answer my PMs. I’ll try to post here and there when time and energy allows for it.
You are all in my prayers.
Always your brother,
Br. JR, FFV
Keep your prayers coming. The truth is that my plate is very full and my health is not cooperating. I’ve had to put some things on the back burner, such as getting involved in some of the long discussions that we have here. Sometimes, I’m just too tired to think straight.
To be very honest, it’s hard to engage in some threads when you’re tired, if people are throwing tomatoes at you. I’m usually a pretty tough cookie with tough skin. Lately, I have so many things going on that when that happens I choose not to engage rather than push it.
I’m hoping for a redistribution of work, so that I can get more rest and be less tired. It does not look like it’s going to happen until after Labor Day.
I was involved in some interesting threads on the drama of the SSPX coming or not coming back at this time. It’s a subject that is very dear to me, because Church unity and obedience to the Church are dear and near to my heart. As you all know, it’s not an easy crowd in that arena. One has to think on his feet, be thick skinned and have a sense of humor. Those things are not easy these days when I feel worn out much of the time. I found myself getting irritated too often. That’s not good.
I’m trying to get more sleep and to deal with the duties of being a superior. I’m going away for a few days at the end of August. Hopefully, I will get some time to pray and rest.
There are some concerns that need my attention right now. I pray that you will forgive my absence and continue to pray for me. I will certainly try to show my face around here more often so that you don’t worry. I don’t want that to happen either.
Thank you so much for your love and your concern. Please stay in touch. I do answer my PMs. I’ll try to post here and there when time and energy allows for it.
You are all in my prayers.
Always your brother,
Br. JR, FFV
O
Oneofthewomen
Guest
Prayers for you Brother!!
Glad to hear you have not fallen off the face of the earth!!
Glad to hear you have not fallen off the face of the earth!!
M
Marie5890
Guest
Glad to hear from you Bro!!! Prayers for you and your community…
Yes please try and get as much rest as you can. There IS a lot on your plate
Yes please try and get as much rest as you can. There IS a lot on your plate
I
Indyann
Guest
Thank you for your response,Brother.
Continued prayers for your health, strength and for the success of your mission.
Continued prayers for your health, strength and for the success of your mission.
M
mfrances
Guest
Prayers for you Brother!!
M
maltmom
Guest
Thanks for checking in. As always, you are in my prayers. I miss your words of wisdom and your sense of humor. Please take care of yourself.Hey folks – I received a message from Luigi and Malt mom asking if I had fallen off the edge of the earth. Thanks for your concern and your prayers. I’m still here.
Keep your prayers coming. The truth is that my plate is very full and my health is not cooperating. I’ve had to put some things on the back burner, such as getting involved in some of the long discussions that we have here. Sometimes, I’m just too tired to think straight.
To be very honest, it’s hard to engage in some threads when you’re tired, if people are throwing tomatoes at you. I’m usually a pretty tough cookie with tough skin. Lately, I have so many things going on that when that happens I choose not to engage rather than push it.
I’m hoping for a redistribution of work, so that I can get more rest and be less tired. It does not look like it’s going to happen until after Labor Day.
I was involved in some interesting threads on the drama of the SSPX coming or not coming back at this time. It’s a subject that is very dear to me, because Church unity and obedience to the Church are dear and near to my heart. As you all know, it’s not an easy crowd in that arena. One has to think on his feet, be thick skinned and have a sense of humor. Those things are not easy these days when I feel worn out much of the time. I found myself getting irritated too often. That’s not good.
I’m trying to get more sleep and to deal with the duties of being a superior. I’m going away for a few days at the end of August. Hopefully, I will get some time to pray and rest.
There are some concerns that need my attention right now. I pray that you will forgive my absence and continue to pray for me. I will certainly try to show my face around here more often so that you don’t worry. I don’t want that to happen either.
Thank you so much for your love and your concern. Please stay in touch. I do answer my PMs. I’ll try to post here and there when time and energy allows for it.
You are all in my prayers.
Always your brother,
Br. JR, FFV
P
Prague
Guest
My prayers and thoughts too. You are missed.
T
TiggerS
Guest
Prayer here too
J
JReducation
Guest
Hi folks!
It’s Saturday morning. Just came out of Matins. It’s about 5:30 am. Gong back in for Lauds at 7:30, mass and rosary after that. Right now, I have a little quiet time. Normally, I read or straighten up my cell at this time. But thought I’d touch base. I truly appreciate all of your concerns.
Business has been picking up since becoming superior general. I led a vocation discernment evening last week for several men, which required a bit of planning. We had a great time. We watched the movie Clare and Francis. If you have not seen it, it’s a must. Historically, it’s pretty accurate. Obviously, the screenwriters have to combine incidents in order to fit it into a two part story. It’s 220 minutes long. It was originally created for TV to be shown in two two-hour segments, with commercials. That would be 240 minutes. You can watch it in one sitting or break it up. We did it in one sitting.
It was a lot of fun. Originally, we were going to feed the men who were coming. When we looked at our fridge, we didn’t have enough food for us or enough money in the bank to buy food. We had to wait for Br.WV to get paid to buy food. We asked the men who were coming to the discernment evening to bring a dish to share, but it had to be made by them. It turned out awesome, because it gave them a real sense of brotherhood and an experience of what we go through everyday, sharing.
Our next class of novices begins on August 14, the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe on the Franciscan calendar. I believe it’s a memorial on the Catholic Calendar and non-existent on the EF calendar. I can’t keep track of all these calendars. St. Max is the patron of Pro-Life. It’s appropriate the that Franciscans of Life be invested in the habit on his feast. I’m working on that too. We have no room. We may have some guys sleeping on the floor in the living room. Oh well, that’s not a big problem. Our formation house is tiny.
Fortunately, the local pastor is very kind to us and allows us free use of one of his classrooms to teach our guys. He respects us very much, even though he asked us to help in his parish and we told him that we can’t, because his parish is middle class and we do not minister to people in the middle class. We used to teach CCD there when the parish had immigrant poor. As of last year, we pulled out. They’ve all got jobs now and have homes. They need Dominicans, but they’re in short supply these days. We’re teaching CCD at another parish this coming Fall.
I’m still trying to decide whether to allow our guys to come back to CAF or not. I’ve temporarily banned all Catholic forums and blogs from our houses. There is too much anti hierarchy, anti religious and anti Vatican rhetoric on these sites. To stand by and say nothing is to lend credibility to all of the negative and destructive rhetoric. To engage in defense usually results in blatant disrespect toward the brothers and other people who stand by them. This is especially discouraging to the young brothers who are starting to feel that the laity either hates them or wants to regulate their lives and thinking. I keep reminding them that a few individuals do not represent the majority of Catholics. They’re just more vocal, not smarter. Every noticed that? The less intelligent people do more talking and speak louder? What gives with that?
The fact is that where we live and work, the people love the religious. We have three different Franciscan branches, Dominican Friars, Trinitarian Friars, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Marianist Brothers, Christian Brothers, De La Salle Brothers, Discalced Carmelite Friars, Jesuits, Redemptorists, Cistercian Monks, Piarists, Vincentians, Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Marist Brothers, Salesians, Passionists, Augustinian Canons and Augustinian Friars and that’s just male religious.
We have over 300 sisters in our diocese from about 6 congregations and one order. It’s the diocesan priests that are short. The beauty of it is that the religious always come to the aid of the diocesan priests and the bishop dearly loves religious men. He does a lot to promote them. He himself is a secular priest, educated by religious.
But around here, the people treat the religious very well and we dearly love each other. The religious say “Jump” and the laity says “How high?” The laity says, “Help!” and the religious say, “What can we do?” I point to the brothers that all those aggressive people on the internet are a minority and would be stoned by the majority of Catholics if they behaved the same way in real time, at least around here. This is just one diocese. I know that there are others like this, especially Boston, which has hundreds of religious.
I think we’re going to be seeing something come down from the top about this. A statement has already come out by the President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, a Capuchin Franciscan, who has said that in the Church, the tradition has always been that the religious lead the laity, the laity supports the religious, but the laity has no voice or say in matters that concern religious nor can the laity do what the religious do as the religious do it. For example, we can all be teachers. However, a teaching sister can teach with a spirit and a God given grace that the lay teacher does not have, because he or she does not have the grace and tradition that comes with the vows. We’ve lost track of these theological concepts. Religious and laity have to recover them.
Already, in Africa, there is going to be a Pan African Congress on the role of the laity and the issue of this relationship between laity and religious will be clarified once and for all, at least in Africa. I don’t know how or when the Holy See wants to do this in North America. But I can can it coming, because the superiors of men are asking for this to be clarified. There is too much confusion. The document on the Apostolate of the Laity was not properly taught. Many lay people overstepped their bounds and many religious and clergy abdicated their roles. Everyone messed up. The document is actually beautiful when one takes the time to study it in the light of tradition. When one takes is out of context, you can read anything you want into it. It was not meant to be read the way that people read it. It’s really sad. I’ve been asked to write a commentary on it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do so. I don’t have the energy or the smarts to do it.
The funniest thing is that I was assaulted on Thursday. I’m a little bruised. I went into a very poor neighborhood. I was in my habit. Three young men thought I belonged to the KKK, because I was wearing a very light grey habit with a hood, which is our summer habit. The winter habit is dark grey. I was delivering some baby items to a poor family. After I cleaned up my bloody nose and got up, I started to laugh. My habit is a mess. It has blood stains and it’s torn. I have no broken bones, just bruises. I’m spending today with a needle and thread, mending my habit. I removed as much of the blood as I could.
My physician is upset, because I’m supposed to stay in bed, sleep longer hours, eat a certain diet. The truth is that I can’t sleep as much as he wants, because there is something about the meds that makes me hyper. The diet is too expensive. I would never eat something that the other brothers cannot have, because we can’t afford it for everyone. Jesus would never do such a thing. I have passed out a few times, but I’m OK. I just get scooped up off the floor or the sidewalk, recover and laugh about it. God has a plan.
Having a health disability cramps my style, because I can only put in a few hours of physical work per month. I have to depend on others to do much of this.
As I said when I “accepted” this position, notice quotation marks, “Deus eligit sultus” (God chooses fools). He seems to have a better sense of humor than most human beings have.
I hope the moderator does not ban me, because this is more like a blog than a post. By the way, we are now accepting married men who wish to be Secular Franciscan Brothers of Life. But you must live in the area or be willing to travel.
Sorry for this long post. I had not shared with you in a while. I’ll try to get back. Have to run to Lauds now. God bless.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
It’s Saturday morning. Just came out of Matins. It’s about 5:30 am. Gong back in for Lauds at 7:30, mass and rosary after that. Right now, I have a little quiet time. Normally, I read or straighten up my cell at this time. But thought I’d touch base. I truly appreciate all of your concerns.
Business has been picking up since becoming superior general. I led a vocation discernment evening last week for several men, which required a bit of planning. We had a great time. We watched the movie Clare and Francis. If you have not seen it, it’s a must. Historically, it’s pretty accurate. Obviously, the screenwriters have to combine incidents in order to fit it into a two part story. It’s 220 minutes long. It was originally created for TV to be shown in two two-hour segments, with commercials. That would be 240 minutes. You can watch it in one sitting or break it up. We did it in one sitting.
It was a lot of fun. Originally, we were going to feed the men who were coming. When we looked at our fridge, we didn’t have enough food for us or enough money in the bank to buy food. We had to wait for Br.WV to get paid to buy food. We asked the men who were coming to the discernment evening to bring a dish to share, but it had to be made by them. It turned out awesome, because it gave them a real sense of brotherhood and an experience of what we go through everyday, sharing.
Our next class of novices begins on August 14, the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe on the Franciscan calendar. I believe it’s a memorial on the Catholic Calendar and non-existent on the EF calendar. I can’t keep track of all these calendars. St. Max is the patron of Pro-Life. It’s appropriate the that Franciscans of Life be invested in the habit on his feast. I’m working on that too. We have no room. We may have some guys sleeping on the floor in the living room. Oh well, that’s not a big problem. Our formation house is tiny.
Fortunately, the local pastor is very kind to us and allows us free use of one of his classrooms to teach our guys. He respects us very much, even though he asked us to help in his parish and we told him that we can’t, because his parish is middle class and we do not minister to people in the middle class. We used to teach CCD there when the parish had immigrant poor. As of last year, we pulled out. They’ve all got jobs now and have homes. They need Dominicans, but they’re in short supply these days. We’re teaching CCD at another parish this coming Fall.
I’m still trying to decide whether to allow our guys to come back to CAF or not. I’ve temporarily banned all Catholic forums and blogs from our houses. There is too much anti hierarchy, anti religious and anti Vatican rhetoric on these sites. To stand by and say nothing is to lend credibility to all of the negative and destructive rhetoric. To engage in defense usually results in blatant disrespect toward the brothers and other people who stand by them. This is especially discouraging to the young brothers who are starting to feel that the laity either hates them or wants to regulate their lives and thinking. I keep reminding them that a few individuals do not represent the majority of Catholics. They’re just more vocal, not smarter. Every noticed that? The less intelligent people do more talking and speak louder? What gives with that?
The fact is that where we live and work, the people love the religious. We have three different Franciscan branches, Dominican Friars, Trinitarian Friars, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Marianist Brothers, Christian Brothers, De La Salle Brothers, Discalced Carmelite Friars, Jesuits, Redemptorists, Cistercian Monks, Piarists, Vincentians, Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Marist Brothers, Salesians, Passionists, Augustinian Canons and Augustinian Friars and that’s just male religious.
We have over 300 sisters in our diocese from about 6 congregations and one order. It’s the diocesan priests that are short. The beauty of it is that the religious always come to the aid of the diocesan priests and the bishop dearly loves religious men. He does a lot to promote them. He himself is a secular priest, educated by religious.
But around here, the people treat the religious very well and we dearly love each other. The religious say “Jump” and the laity says “How high?” The laity says, “Help!” and the religious say, “What can we do?” I point to the brothers that all those aggressive people on the internet are a minority and would be stoned by the majority of Catholics if they behaved the same way in real time, at least around here. This is just one diocese. I know that there are others like this, especially Boston, which has hundreds of religious.
I think we’re going to be seeing something come down from the top about this. A statement has already come out by the President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, a Capuchin Franciscan, who has said that in the Church, the tradition has always been that the religious lead the laity, the laity supports the religious, but the laity has no voice or say in matters that concern religious nor can the laity do what the religious do as the religious do it. For example, we can all be teachers. However, a teaching sister can teach with a spirit and a God given grace that the lay teacher does not have, because he or she does not have the grace and tradition that comes with the vows. We’ve lost track of these theological concepts. Religious and laity have to recover them.
Already, in Africa, there is going to be a Pan African Congress on the role of the laity and the issue of this relationship between laity and religious will be clarified once and for all, at least in Africa. I don’t know how or when the Holy See wants to do this in North America. But I can can it coming, because the superiors of men are asking for this to be clarified. There is too much confusion. The document on the Apostolate of the Laity was not properly taught. Many lay people overstepped their bounds and many religious and clergy abdicated their roles. Everyone messed up. The document is actually beautiful when one takes the time to study it in the light of tradition. When one takes is out of context, you can read anything you want into it. It was not meant to be read the way that people read it. It’s really sad. I’ve been asked to write a commentary on it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do so. I don’t have the energy or the smarts to do it.
The funniest thing is that I was assaulted on Thursday. I’m a little bruised. I went into a very poor neighborhood. I was in my habit. Three young men thought I belonged to the KKK, because I was wearing a very light grey habit with a hood, which is our summer habit. The winter habit is dark grey. I was delivering some baby items to a poor family. After I cleaned up my bloody nose and got up, I started to laugh. My habit is a mess. It has blood stains and it’s torn. I have no broken bones, just bruises. I’m spending today with a needle and thread, mending my habit. I removed as much of the blood as I could.
My physician is upset, because I’m supposed to stay in bed, sleep longer hours, eat a certain diet. The truth is that I can’t sleep as much as he wants, because there is something about the meds that makes me hyper. The diet is too expensive. I would never eat something that the other brothers cannot have, because we can’t afford it for everyone. Jesus would never do such a thing. I have passed out a few times, but I’m OK. I just get scooped up off the floor or the sidewalk, recover and laugh about it. God has a plan.
Having a health disability cramps my style, because I can only put in a few hours of physical work per month. I have to depend on others to do much of this.
As I said when I “accepted” this position, notice quotation marks, “Deus eligit sultus” (God chooses fools). He seems to have a better sense of humor than most human beings have.
I hope the moderator does not ban me, because this is more like a blog than a post. By the way, we are now accepting married men who wish to be Secular Franciscan Brothers of Life. But you must live in the area or be willing to travel.
Sorry for this long post. I had not shared with you in a while. I’ll try to get back. Have to run to Lauds now. God bless.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
L
LilyM
Guest
My goodness, you have been having an eventful time of it! Prayers going up for your health - and for a change of heart for those muggers - what drives people to do something like that, really? 
Your comment about the least intelligent people speaking the most often and loudly gives me much cause for reflection, as I have been a big talker both in my career as a lawyer and on these forums. Perhaps it behooves me to take a bit of a break too, or at least scale back a bit.
God bless.
Your comment about the least intelligent people speaking the most often and loudly gives me much cause for reflection, as I have been a big talker both in my career as a lawyer and on these forums. Perhaps it behooves me to take a bit of a break too, or at least scale back a bit.
God bless.
M
Mrs_Sally
Guest
Thank you for your long post and thoughtfulness. I am always blessed by your posts. God bless you and keep you. I will continue to pray for you.
I
InLight247
Guest
Thank you for your sharing. How true it is that often times the less intelligent do more talking and speak louder. In many occasions, the silent lips are precious like gold; in other occasions, we just have to stand up and defend the truth.
Sorry to hear about your injury. My prayers continue.
S
saveusfromhell
Guest
brother JR its always great to read posts from religious defending the church here. It inspires informs and leads many, it is our loss when they are not here and perhaps a cross for them when they are. in Ireland i regularly encounter more and more anti hierarchy sermons. in makes me doubt or at least wonder. having so having priests brothers and sisters robustly defend the truth is always uplifting.
M
Marie5890
Guest
Bro. JR,
It is so good to hear from you and get an update. Your posts always make me smile AND teach me .
Keeping you and your community, and all religious in prayer.
Am sorry to hear you were assulted, but I suspect that is an occupational hazard you willingly accept.
God Bless.
It is so good to hear from you and get an update. Your posts always make me smile AND teach me .
Keeping you and your community, and all religious in prayer.
Am sorry to hear you were assulted, but I suspect that is an occupational hazard you willingly accept.
God Bless.
S
SwizzleStick
Guest
May God bless and keep you, Brother JR. I thank you for your post. I was humbled and touched by it. I thank you for being a light in the darkness.
R
ringil
Guest
God Bless you Brother,
I will be praying for you. Not that my advice would carry any wait but I would recommend following some of your doctor’s advice regarding your diet as being healthy will help you be a more energetic superior.
I know it’s a difficult matter for the religious though
Thanks for checking in
I will be praying for you. Not that my advice would carry any wait but I would recommend following some of your doctor’s advice regarding your diet as being healthy will help you be a more energetic superior.
I know it’s a difficult matter for the religious though
Thanks for checking in
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
Brother Jay,
I am so sorry for what happened to you. I can, as you know, relate.
Sei sempre nelle mie preghiere, fratello.
I am so sorry for what happened to you.
I can, as you know, relate.Sei sempre nelle mie preghiere, fratello.
E
Elizabeth502
Guest
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Your encounter with crime caught my attention, and your efforts at repairing the damage to your habit. As most females know, the way to remove blood stains from fabric is with cold water (I hope you haven’t used hot) and with soap-soap, as in a natural bar of soap, which works better than laundry detergent. Rub the soap onto the fabric liberally, and then vigorously scrub the fabric on itself where the stain is. (Works better than using a brush on the fabric.) Also, soaking a soap-treated blood stain in cold water for a very long time is helpful.
- Status