The Good News - Summer 2008

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It was one of the most beautiful days I had ever seen, next to the day of my ordination. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the stadium was full, 47,000 full. I walked through a tunnel with two Altoona- Johnstown diocesan priests, on to the left field area that was filled with priests from across the country. In fact, I spoke to priests from as far away as Seattle. As you probably know, it's always a thrill for me to be inside a baseball stadium, and this day I found myself in left field. Some would even say that this was appropriate, for I've been out in left field for quite some time. Now, I'm in left field to concelebrate Mass with the Holy Father in our Nation's Capital, where I spent five wonderful years preparing for the Franciscan Priesthood.

As the Pope-Mobile passed along the warning track and the crowd cheered, I was overcome with emotion. I believe the emotion was two-fold. First,�I felt a tremendous sense of gratitude to God for the beautiful day, the priests and the Sacred Heart Friars that I was�with, and the opportunity to be there. But, I also felt some sadness, as I thought of family members and friars who had died, and all of you. I wish all of you could have been there with me. Still,�I kept telling myself: "I can't believe�I'm celebrating Mass with the Holy Father." I had been to the�closing Mass of the�Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976, and to a Papal Audience with John Paul II in 2001; but, there was something different about today. The difference was in celebrating Mass with Pope Benedict, and feeling that strong sense of solidarity with Him and all 47,000 present.

We continue to face church scandals, difficulties in our own communities, parishes closing and merging, and�priests and religious leaving. And yet, our love for the Holy Father seems to transcend it all. Among the priests and other people I spoke with, there was no�complaining. Occasionally, I expected to hear: "It's too hot; it's too sunny;�there's not enough water; or, these things just take too long." What I did hear was how privileged and honored people felt, in being part of this historic day, being in the same place with Pope Benedict, and celebrating all that is good about our Catholic faith and unity.

The two parts of his homily that will stay with me are these: First, when he confirmed God's grace and peace upon us, and the hope that comes with the Resurrection and Easter joy. I was so excited by his words, that I immediately responded, "And also with you," much to the delight of my fellow priests. And second, when he said that "the American people have always valued the virtue of hope, and have preserved their confidence in times of trial. To a great extent, the renewal of the church in America depends on the renewal of the practice of penance, and the growth in holiness which the sacrament both inspires and accomplishes." As Brothers in the Third Order of Penance, I hope we all feel encouraged by these words, as we witness through our lives, our fraternal living, and our ministries.

Truly, this was a special day in my life, and I pray in the life of the Church as well. As I share these words with you, I am grateful to my brothers of the Saint Louis Friary, particularly Father Nicholas, whose welcome and hospitality made it possible for me to be a part of this great day. I am also grateful to all of you, for your support and prayers over these many years. As I participated in this special Mass, I shared it with all who have encouraged me, prayed for me, believed in me, and helped me to believe in myself. Certainly, the friars and my family are at the very top of that list. As we continue into the future, I pray that we strive to live the words of our Holy Father Benedict, in celebrating our vocations with the church and each other, and in approaching the challenges of our future with a firm reliance on the power�of faith. May God bless each and every one of you, and know that you are in my prayers always.

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Cultivating Interest in Our Community and Cultivating the Earth:

A Brief Update on the Vocation Ministry and Care for Creation

Fr. Patrick Foley, T.O.R.

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Since spring is finally in �full-swing� here in the Midwest and out East, I thought the theme of �cultivating� might be an appropriate thread to weave together two brief updates on the vocation ministry and the ministry of caring for creation that is beginning to take root in our fraternity. First, on the vocation ministry front, a number of friars in Pennsylvania were recently filmed by Sr. Judy Zielinski and her film crew for the vocation promotion DVD that is currently under production. To give you an idea of how well things went, Judy said that we �hit a home run!� She was extremely pleased with the footage that we got of the friars at the monastery and at the various apostolates that we staff in the Pennsylvania region. I would like to thank all the friars involved for being so generous with your time and hospitality! The filming of this DVD, as you can imagine, is no small undertaking in terms of coordination, execution, and expense. However, what is hopefully being �cultivated� is a concrete and compelling expression of who we are and who we strive to be for the Church and world as embodied in the newly formed mission statement (which serves as the foundation for the DVD). I view this project as an important way of communicating who we are and will do everything I can to distribute this DVD and digital media as widely as possible upon the project�s completion (January, 2009) in order to cultivate interest in our community.

On the theme of the Franciscan charism of caring for creation, I want to highly recommend a recent book by Ilia Delio, O.S.F. and Keith Douglas Warner, O.F.M., entitled �Care for Creation: a Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth.� This book spells out the Franciscan heritage of caring for creation and our fraternity with creation and the role of our tradition in being the vanguard for cultivating a new relationship with the Earth. Very basically, Delio and Warner are calling all people, and Franciscans in particular, to conversion in the way that we see, regard, and interact with creation.

In an attempt to cultivate this spirit of conversion in our own community, a proposal was recently made to the Provincial Council to use part of St. Bernardine�s property to develop a community supported organic garden as a means to communicate the Franciscan heritage of care for creation. In light of the above proposal, I find it ironic that we recently gave permission for the Blair County Community Gardens to begin raising organic produce on our property. Perhaps this is a �precursor� for possibilities that may yet be explored and realized? At our retreat in August there will be a presentation and discussion on how we might develop a community supported garden and a care for creation center, devoted to sharing our values. I would like to invite all of our members to attend this event in order to discuss and reflect upon the proposal as a possibility of cultivating more deliberately our province�s charism of hospitality and our future. Blessings on your summer!

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