Provincial Letter- Fall 2005

Dear Friars

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Peace and Good Things!

����������� As we prepare this edition of our Province Newsletter we are nearing the end of our Canonical Visitation by the Minister General and in the midst of preparations for our Provincial Chapter and election of Provincial Leadership.� It is with both thanks and trepidation that I accept a second term as Minister Provincial. �I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Province in such a profound way and I am humbled by the overwhelming support of the friars as we prepare to enter another quadrennium.� It is my hope and prayer that I will prove worthy of such trust and fraternal affection over the next four years and that, together, we will move into our future with hopeful spirits and courageous hearts.

����������� The recent Jubilee celebration at Priestfield, WV was, as always, a wonderful opportunity to come together and revel in the fraternity we share.� The proposed Vision Statement on Fraternal Life that we have been discussing at our Regional Gatherings reflects the quality and depth of our feelings for one another where it speaks about how we enjoy �simply being together.�� This was certainly evident as we came together to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of our Province, as well as those who are marking milestones of ordination during this year.� Our Minister General, Fr. Ilija, remarked on this in every Region he visited and applauded our ability truly to relate to one another as brothers in Francis and in the Lord.� This is, indeed, a firm pillar on which to build our future.

����������� The celebration of the Solemnity of our Father Francis seems an excellent opportunity for each of us to re-commit himself to a deeper living of the life to which we have been called and the vows that bind us to God and one another.� As we celebrate with one another, our brothers and sisters in the Secular Franciscan Order, and all those with whom we work and minister, may we come to know the peace and joy that characterized the life and death of �il Poverello.�

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����������������������������������� Fraternally in St. Francis,

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������������������������������������ (Very Reverend) Anthony M. Criscitelli, TOR

����������������������������������� �Minister Provincial

News Letter�

Providence Regional News

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