Español / Engish: My Short Reflection on the Immaculate Conception (English y Español)

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“The angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Hail, favored one!  The Lord is with you. . . . Do not be afraid for you have found favor with God’ . . .  And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word’.”  (Luke 1:28, 30 and 38)    “love”  ‘Love’

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  On this day, we affirm our belief that Mary was spared by God from any stain of sin from the first moment of her conception.  We believe that she was free from the effects of original sin during every moment of her life.  We believe that she was never without the fullness of grace.  We believe that in every moment of her life she enjoyed a perfect and living relationship of friendship with our God. 

This privilege was not given to Mary by God because of any merit of her own, but rather because she was chosen to be the Mother of Our Lord Jesus.  We must not forget that the purpose and significance of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is that it gives honor and respect to Jesus.  Jesus is the reason for the Immaculate Conception.  

God the Father reverenced his Son by providing him with a mother who was uncorrupted by the effects of original sin.  Mary, for her part, responded to this grace with fidelity and joy.  Mary responded to the call of God with enthusiasm as she embraced her duty as the mother of Jesus.  

We are called to have the same fervor in our response to the call of God in our lives.  Mary is our model.  We are called to follow her example.  

In response to the angel of the Lord, Mary said I am the servant of the Lord.  Let it be done to me as you say.  Let us desire to serve the Lord as Mary has done.  Let us accept the call of God in our lives as she did.  In our response to the call of God, may our lives, like Mary's, give honor and respect to Jesus!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

Mi breve reflexión sobre la Inmaculada Concepción de Santa María en español:

Hoy celebramos la fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción de la Bendita Virgen María.  En este día afirmamos nuestra creencia de que María fué perdonada por Dios de cualquier mancha de pecado desde el primer momento de su concepción.  Creemos que ella fué libre de los efectos del pecado original durante cada momento de su vida.  Creemos que ella siempre estuvo llena de gracia. Creemos que en cada momento de su vida ella disfrutó de una relación de amistad perfecta y viviente con nuestro Dios.

Este privilegio no le fué dado a María por cualquier mérito propio, al contrario ella fué escogida para ser la Madre de Nuestro Señor Jesús.  No debemos olvidar que el propósito y significancia de la Inmaculada Concepción de María es para darle honor y respeto a Jesús.  Jesús es la razón por la Inmaculada Concepción.  

Dios el Padre,  reverenció su Hijo al proveerle con una madre pura.  María, por su parte, respondió a ésta gracia con fidelidad y alegría.  María  respondió a la llamada de Dios con entusiasmo cuando aceptó su deber como la madre de Jesús.  

Nosotros somos llamados a tener el mismo fervor en nuestra respuesta a la llamada de Dios en nuestras vidas.  María es nuestra modelo.  Nosotros somos llamados a seguir su ejemplo.  

En respuesta al ángel del Señor, María dijo “Yo soy la esclava del Señor.  Hágase en mí que según su palabra.”  Que siempre deseemos de servir al Señor como María ha hecho. Que aceptemos la llamada de Dios en nuestras vidas como ella lo hizo.  En nuestras respuestas a la llamada de Dios, hagamos con nuestras vidas, como María ha hecho para dar honor y respeto a Jesús nuestro Señor!.

Paz y Bien, Fray Teo

To Vote for “Pro-Life” Candidates?

My friends: 

I am 100% “Pro-Life!” 

* As such, I believe I must support political candidates who share my values “most consistently,” and “across the board!”  I believe they must hold the greatest possible “seamless” convictions with regard to all “Pro-Life” issues (and I would argue and agree that such an approach to political support of any candidate involves “very high standards,” but I do live in hope!).

* Even so, I have come to realize that most candidates on the political spectrum (to the right and to left) unfortunately do not share each-and-every one of my convictions.

* As I see it, therefore it seems we can only achieve our long-term “Pro-Life” goals by having great patience in the struggle and by accepting the best electoral outcomes possible, and that are actually available to us today (and in the here and now).   

* The fact is, my “Pro-Life” values include my enthusiastic commitment to the protection, support, and promotion of the dignity of every human life, including the lives of those already living and walking among us who are marginalized, disenfranchised, discriminated against, despised, struggling with illnesses and addictions, incarcerated, and/or who are enslaved by the evils of poverty and despair.  And I wholeheartedly believe every human life matters, from “the womb to the tomb.”

* For me, it’s as simple as that! 

Furthermore . . .

There is no doubt in my mind that my Christian faith guides my understandings of the sacredness and dignity of every human life.  However, I believe these values are also simply in line with “basic human principles” and what might otherwise be called “the natural law.”  I am absolutely sure that even if I were an atheist, I would still have exactly the same “Pro-Life” values and beliefs I have, and have always had!  

I believe we unfortunately live at a time in the U.S.A. when there are virtually no politicians, and for that matter, very few citizens (Democrat, Republican or Independent) who completely share our true “Pro-Life” values of respect for, and the desire to protect the dignity all human lives, from conception to natural death. 

I believe there are times in history when people must first focus their attention and struggles (albeit and perhaps painfully—and maybe unavoidably tragically) on their long range goals and hopes for the perfect society.  This is probably one of those times.  

I believe that if in our “politics” we obsessively and aggressively focus on only one or two “Pro-Life” issues, then we run the risk of paralyzing our overall efforts to achieve the broadest range of possible “Pro-Life” victories.  In the same vein, I believe if we are inflexibly entrenched in “single issue politics,” then we expose ourselves to complete alienation from our “opponents.”  To do so would destroy any chance of working together with such people, and of promoting common interests and societal goals.  Such a negative approach to “politics” on our part would likely make us completely impotent to the possibility of effecting changes to the values and the practices in our society that threaten the dignity of every single human being, from the womb to the tomb.

I also believe those with whom we disagree must never be treated with contempt, animosity, hostility, bitterness and/or hatred (nor any other related type of disrespect).  In fact, I believe we ought to open our minds, our hearts, and our ears to the possibility that we might have something to learn about the perspectives and values our “opponents” hold dear.  Therefore, I believe we must always strive to show deference, esteem, and respect, and never any type of animus, towards our nemeses (after all “it's in giving that we receive”). 

I don't think we are required to agree completely with others (and with the values and/or political views they hold dear) in order to be able to function together and to achieve progress as members of the same civil society!  What comes to my mind here is that old adage, “we can agree to disagree” (and this DOES NOT mean to do so just in the little things, like whether or not we like cream and sugar in our coffee!).  

At this point in time, I believe we must work with and elect those politicians who at least champion the vast majority of our values, beliefs, and causes.  When we win far reaching “Pro-Life” victories today, we can then pray, work, and hope tomorrow will bring more complete and definitive changes in the hearts of minds of those who haven’t yet come to our understandings of the complete sacredness of every human life, even those in utero.  This is how I decide about how I will vote for this or that candidate when I go to my local polling place on election days.

Therefore, I believe I do so as a “Pro-Lifer” who believes in “consistent ” and “seamless” approaches to all questions regarding the value of every human life.  And as I stated above, it’s as simple as that! 

Hence:  Would I vote for a candidate who would staunchly back laws prohibiting abortion, but who at the same time would vote overwhelmingly in support of other types of legislations we clearly understand to be “anti-life?” 

Most likely, not!

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** Such “anti-life” policies and ideas might include some and/or all of the following: 

—Laws permitting state-sponsored death penalties.

—The withdrawal of public funding for health care services for the poor and the needy.

—A reduction in social security benefits for the elderly and disabled.

—The cancelation of social programs designed to help those enslaved by various types of addictions.

—Laws prohibiting the use of taxpayer money that would encourage and support “school choice” for parents.

—Opposition to fair, reasonable, and constitutionally sound “gun control” legislation.

—Increased funding for unnecessary expansion of our military and the production of weapon of mass destruction.

—Elimination of, or reduction of funding for, “welfare” programs that aid impoverished people and families with children. 

—Draconian reductions in subsidies for childcare assistance, education, energy, housing, and  utility expenses of those in great need.

—Attitudes or ways of thinking that promote hatred or prejudicial treatment against those from different ethnic backgrounds, racial communities, age groups, genders, gender identity populations, and/or from among those who have special physical, psychological, or health needs. 

—Legislation that would seek to discriminate against or even criminalize those who do not follow "traditional" understandings of marriage, consensual sexual expressions, and family structures.

—Laws that fail to protect the “religious liberties" and freedoms of expression of each citizen.

 —As well as many other policies and ideas I haven't listed here that might fail to respect and uphold the freedom, dignity, and well-being of all of our citizens . . .

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These are my thoughts about how I would vote for truly “Pro-Life” candidates, and . . . 

my friends, I assure you, I am 100% “Pro-Life!” 

Peace, Friar Timothy

An Irony about Homelessness within the Wealthiest Nations

My friends: 

These are thoughts I was inspired to contemplate and compose after my friend Josephine Siedlecka (who lives in the UK) posted a photo and comment on social media having to do with the unfortunate plight of homeless people living, ‘existing,’ sleeping, and dying on our streets, and the irony of the reality of this problem in the wealthiest of nations.   

I know your angst Josephine.  😞

Over half the inhabitants of our planet are starving, all over the globe the poor and the marginalized are oppressed and/or politically disenfranchised, many people throughout the world are enslaved by untreated illnesses and/or addictions, and while senseless wars rage-on and kill innocent people, the wealthiest of countries constantly continue to spend billions every year strengthening their militaries all the while producing unnecessary armaments and weapons of mass destruction. 

But even so, there are some who live among us who could care less about the plights of their fellow human beings. Many of these such scoundrels have stored-up obscene quantities of “things” as treasures.  They own various amounts and types of nonessential possessions they don’t need or even ever use.  The most pressing concerns of such people seem to be their preoccupation with the gains they’ve made, or the losses they’ve sustained, in their latest investment schemes.  And these wealth-mongers may lose sleep and get headaches when they can't make timely decisions about which luxury home, and/or exotic destination, they would want to visit and use for their next far-flung vacation (and when they take their holidays in such places, they will isolate themselves from the “undesirable locals” by hiding-out on nearby restricted islands, or behind walls and gates that preserve their “privacy,” and protect them from the possibility of being bothered by whatever “riffraff” might otherwise disturb their “peace” and sense of decorum).  

They scorn the presence of homeless “bums” and “degenerates” who beg for pennies and sleep on on our streets, and they won't lift a finger to help them.

But . . . 

“God has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly, has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich has sent away empty.” 

There is hope!!!!  

Let's encourage each other, and the most needy among us, with this message of hope!   Amen! 

Peace, Friar Timothy 

E Pluribus Unum

 

Recently and with great interest (and a bit of concern), I’ve carefully observing the political dramas saturating the news.  Sometimes these reports have causes me some anxiety and even indigestion! 

I really don’t want to get political here, but in our country, and looking ahead to 2024, I do pray for less polarization, more mutual respect, less rancor, more civility, less impertinence, more statesmanship, less bitterness, more magnanimity, and above all less division, and more unity!   

Is this a pipe dream?

The official motto of our great county, the United States of America, is “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of the Many, One!”). 

Let’s hope, as we look to the future, both the donkey and the elephant, with all their now well-known penchants for bravado and enmity against those with whom they disagree, can strive to model more polite and courteous manners of civility in their common quest to “Pursue A More Perfect Union.”  

**I have to be honest: I’m a bit skeptical about this, but will continue to “live in hope!”

Priest of God . . . say this Mass . . .

 

Priest of God

say this Mass

as though it were

Your First Mass

Your Last Mass

Your Only Mass

**On November 12, 2015, I went to Gift of Hope Convent in Baltimore, Maryland, to celebrate the Mass with the sisters and the residents of the home.  That day, I posted the following on social media:

<<I just finished celebrating Mass with the Missionaries of Charity.  I hope I was faithful to the sentiment of the admonition on this plaque located in the sacristy. (see photo)>>

**Today, seven years later on November 12, 2022 I posted the following: 

<<Last year, I faced a few challenges in my personal and ministerial life (in 2021), but one thing I can say with absolute certainty, is that I have ALWAYS been faithful to the sentiments expressed in this well known admonition to priests, and this has been true even on my darkest days.  

I have never once celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with anything but a clear mind, a sense of great devotion, and with gratitude to Jesus our Lord and Savior, who completely shares the Father’s unconditional love for us in every Sacramental celebration of the Eucharist.  

If my saying this is somehow a sin in the area of pride, then I will humbly place my trust in God’s infinite mercy which aims to wipe away every one of our transgressions, and that always seeks to restore us to lives full of Grace—I know and believe this to be a central theme of the Mass we pray and celebrate—something for which I will continue to yearn and to aspire with devotion and thanksgiving, and with the hope of future glory!>>

Unisex Bathroom?

This morning, I was out running a few errands, and while in one of the stores I needed to visit the restroom.  

When I walked in I could hear someone in one of the stalls talking on the phone, and, with what was probably a self-righteous sense of indignation, I thought “really, you’ve gotta do that in here while doing your business!”  I thought the man had a rather loud and high-pitched voice, and that made the whole thing seem even more annoying.  

As I approached the neighboring stall, it dawned on me the person talking likely wasn’t a man, but rather the voice seemed to be that of a woman.  I thought to myself, “wow, it really is true that some people insist on unisex bathrooms.”  I wondered if the “woman” was actually a trans-man, and I thought for a moment that I needed to be more open and accepting of such modern day realities.   “Get with the program Timothy,” I thought to myself!  

At that moment, and from the corner of my eye, I saw another person entering the restroom . . . and she was a very elegantly dressed woman.  It then hit me with a feeling of great embarrassment that in fact I was the one “in the ‘wrong’ rest room!”  

I could only hope the two women in there were as self-reflective as I was when contemplating the situation!  But I no doubt must have turned several shades of red as I quickly headed for the exit, and the elegantly dressed lady looked kindly at me and with a wide smile said “have a nice day sweetheart!”  

Oh my, there’s never a dull moment, and life certainly can at times be very humbling!  

God's LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL! ❤️

**An image of the Crucifixion as seen in the central sanctuary window of the chapel at St Joseph's Nursing Home, Catonsville, Maryland. 

These are my thoughts as I gaze upon this beautiful glimpse into the eternal and timeless event of Calvary . . . 

As a person of faith, and a Christian, something about which I’m very certain is that true LOVE is UNCONDITIONAL! ❤️

If you’re not as sure about this as I am, please simply and seriously spend a few moments contemplating Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, as he hung upon the Holy Cross for us . . . 

I believe the message of the Cross clearly demonstrates the unconditional love that God the Father has for each and every person ever conceived and born into this world . . . 

Jesus extended his arms toward us as he embraced the cross, and as he died to save us from sin, from negativity, from toxicity, from darkness, from hatred, from oppression, from codependency, from addictions, from depression, and from all forms of evil.  He did so even though we are not worthy of such great a gift so freely given!!!!

God is Love! 

And God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL!!!

That means . . . 

. . . it’s given with no strings attached!

. . . it’s given with no limits!

. . . it’s given with no predetermined conditions!

. . . it’s given with no restrictions!

. . . it’s given with no tit for tat!

. . . it’s given with no quid pro quo! 

. . . it’s given with no equivocation! 

. . . it’s given with only an unqualified hope for our true love in return (even if we fail to respond faithfully to that desire)!  

With all of this in mind, I desire to recall Jesus’  words: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another” (John 13:34).

I believe central to this message is our human and our faith-based obligation to show to others the same kind of unconditional love the Father has for each one of us. 

It’s as simple as that! 

AMEN

And so I pray . . . 

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.  Amen.”

Thirty years ago today, October 17, 1992

Thirty years ago today, October 17, 1992, on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and as a Conventual Franciscan Friar, I was ordained to the priesthood at St. Casimir Church, in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

Since that day, and for every single Mass I’ve ever celebrated, and for every Sacrament I’ve ever ministered, I believe I’ve done so with devotion, and with as much humility and lack of hubris as I’m capable of having (with all of my shortcomings and weaknesses).  

The reality of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is the foundation of my faith, and it forms all of my life’s values, passions, and commitments.  This is especially poignant to me as I reflect upon my sense of obligation as a Franciscan minister to respect, to serve, and to champion the needs of the poor, the marginalized, and those struggling with afflictions, addictions, and life-difficulties of any sort.  

In my life and ministry, I desire to join my prayers, and my sense of purpose, with Mary the blessed mother of Our Lord, who proclaimed: 

"By the strength of God's arm, the proud have been scattered in their conceit, the mighty have been cast down from their thrones, the lowly have been lifted, the hungry have been filled with good things, and the rich have been sent away empty!"  (Luke 1:51-53)

I am always conscious that my Franciscan priesthood is shared, and only finds meaning, within the context of my membership within a community of sinners; along with my sisters and brothers, I know I'm an imperfect person, but I am forever thankful to be one among others who have been redeemed and saved by the Lord Jesus Christ! 

And Jesus said: "As I have done, so you must do!" (John 13:15b)

All of this gives meaning to my life, and it drives and inspires me as a Franciscan minister of God's Word and Sacrament! 

Let's continue to pray for one another!  

St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for us! 

Praise God!  

Friar Timothy Patrick Dore, OFM Conv.

October 17, 2022

The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

As we celebrate the great Saint Francis of Assisi, my spiritual Father, I‘d like to share this reflection I wrote for his Feastday (October 4th):

My Sisters and Brothers:

Every year on October 4th, Franciscans and Christians throughout the world celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Of course, this is a very important Feast for me, for my fellow Franciscan Friars, the many communities of Franciscan Sisters, the Secular Franciscan Order, for all who love St. Francis, and for those who have Franciscan hearts who are near and far!  

But what is it about this saint that is so inspiring? 

As I ask myself this question, my thoughts and memories always and immediately take me to a small and very ancient chapel called San Rufino d’Arce that’s located in the Umbrian Valley just outside of St. Francis’ hometown of Assisi, Italy.  I had the chance to visit that chapel and to celebrate Mass there while on a Franciscan Pilgrimage, and during my first visit to Assisi in the summer of 2006.  For me, the Mass in that chapel was a very powerful and amazingly Spirit-filled experience!  From the grounds surrounding the chapel, these days the site of a Franciscan convent, one can gaze upon the medieval city of Assisi that’s located adjacent to the valley and on the nearby mountainside.  The view is stunningly spectacular!  I can’t fully describe how joyfully overcome I was with spiritual and Franciscan emotion when I visited that place!

San Rufino d’Arce is believed to have been one of many chapels in the valley that long-ago served the locals, but that also gave shelter to a large population of people who suffered with the terrible disease of leprosy.  San Rufino d’Arce and another nearby chapel called Santa Maria Maddalena (also known as San Lazzaro d’Arce) were chapels associated with a very large “leper colony” that existed in the area at the time of St. Francis.  Not long after his conversion to the Gospel way of life, St. Francis and his early followers settled in that area and they devoted themselves to ministry and care of those most unfortunate people. And soon thereafter the saint became known to others as “Il Poverello,” or “the little poor man.”  There are other “more famous” Franciscan sites near San Rufino d’Arce as well, such as the primitive Franciscan settlement (now sanctuary) of Rivo Torto, and the chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, known as “the Porziuncula,” or “the Little Portion.”  And because all these places, and what happened at them, were significant in the earliest days and formation of the Franciscan Order, they hold very special significance for all Franciscans.

St. Francis and his spiritual companions believed their response to the Gospel meant they were called to imitate Jesus in every way possible.  This compelled them to be in places like the Umbrian Valley and San Rufino d’Arce as they ministered there and served people with leprosy who were thought of as sinners or who were despised, neglected, or marginalized.  It was commonly believed those afflicted with leprosy had been “punished by God” and their disease an “obvious sign of their sinfulness.”  Those people were completely ostracized, and although they could see the town of Assisi from where they eked out their existences in the valley, they were never permitted to “return home” and to their former ways of lives; they were reduced to utter poverty and thought to be “as good as dead.”  As followers of the example of Jesus in the Gospels, St. Francis and his companions believed they were duty-bound to serve those people who were “most in need.”  I believe this calling was also very deeply grounded in their understanding and response to the great gift of the Eucharist.  At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the Eucharist, that’s to say he gave this Sacrament to his followers.  In the same setting, Jesus also humbled himself as he knelt before the Apostles and he washed their feet, they who no doubt were very unworthy of such a gesture, and he said to them “as I have done, so you must do” (see John 13:15).

To be sure, St. Francis and his companions attended the Mass regularly, and certainly alongside “the poorest of the poor” at San Rufino d’Arce, at Santa Maria Maddalena, and at the Porziuncula. There’s no doubt they passionately praised God as they received Holy Communion, but their fervent response to it, and their sense of obligation to its reality, was in fact to go out from those Eucharistic celebrations and to put their faith into enthusiastic action by “doing what Jesus had done,” and by serving “the least of their sisters and brothers” (often, and literally by “washing their feet”).  This is the reason why my first visit to San Rufino d’Arce and the Mass we celebrated there so incredibly inspired me!

St. Francis: What a perfect model to follow in the Christian life!  That’s why my fellow Franciscans and I celebrate this Feast so joyfully.  My friends, as we celebrate “the little poor man of Assisi,” may we be inspired to follow his example by serving and caring for the “modern day lepers” who may come our way!  Let’s put our Eucharistic faith into action by the way we live our lives out there, beyond the church doors, and in this most complicated world in which we live!  May we too strive to imitate Jesus and serve those who are most in need!   Happy Feast Day!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

The Feast of St. Joseph Cupertino

Today, September 18th, is normally celebrated as the Feast of St. Joseph Cupertino, OFM Conv., the Patron of our the friary in which I currently reside (SJC Friary, 12290 Folly Quarter Road, Howard County, Maryland)!  This year (2022), the feast is superseded by the 25th Sunday in Ordinary time.  

Joseph of Cupertino, OFM Conv., (1603 – 1663) was a Conventual Franciscan Friar born in the town of Cupertino, Apulia, the Kingdom of Naples (now part of Italy) in 1603.  

The saint is honored as a mystic and very simple and holy friar.  Although thought to have had limited intellectual ability, he was known for his great piety and ecstatic visions.  He is said to have levitated while in the state of spiritual ecstasy.  The Franciscan Friars at first reluctantly accepted him for ordination to the priesthood, but/and after difficult years of study, he was ordained in 1628. Renowned for his holiness, he died on September 18, 1663, and was canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767. 

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Although the saint was thought to have had limited intellectual talent, but was blessed with miraculous ability to pass examinations while a seminary student, the saint is now known as the "Patron Saint of Students and Test Takers."  For this reason, the saint is often invoked by students prior to examinations. 

── The Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Success in Examinations: 

O Great Saint Joseph of Cupertino, who while on earth did obtain from God the grace of knowledge during examinations, obtain for me a like favor in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.  Amen.

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This portrait of the saint (pictured above) is displayed prominently in the friary “glass room,” a large and very beautiful conference-style room located on the first floor of the friary (and now mostly used for meetings and workshops by groups coming to the Shrine of St. Anthony).  

The painting (acrylic on canvas) was done by celebrated Polish-American artist Jan Henryk de Rosen (1891 – 1982).  Jan de Rosen notably also created the great “Christ in Majesty” mosaic prominently featured above the main altar in the upper church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.  The de Rosen St. Joseph Cupertino painting was presented to the friary and blessed in 1979, the year of its creation by the artist. 

In the de Rosen painting at St. Joseph Cupertino Friary, the saint is depicted wearing very heavy shoes.  Legend says his confreres obliged him to wear such shoes in an effort to keep him from levitating while celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!  (It didn't work!).

Jan de Rosen was a friend of the renowned Friar Cornelian Dende, OFM Conv., (d. 1996), who commissioned the artist to do the painting for our friary.  

The friary also holds additional works by de Rosa, including a painting of of St. Francis of Assisi extending his blessing upon a friar, and two prints, one of St. Francis receiving the Sacred Stigmata, and another of St. Bonaventure (these are also on display in the “glass room.”). 

Happy Feast of St. Joseph Cupertino! 

See more about Jan de Rosen at the following site:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Henryk_de_Rosen

Learn more about St. Joseph Cupertino at the following site: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_of_Cupertino

Visit the web site of the Shrine of St. Anthony: https://shrineofstanthony.org/

Find me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/frayteo

THIS WILL PREACH . . .

I really love this one.  I found in on social media, but the author is unknown.  It's worth reading to the end . . .

<<  THIS WILL PREACH . . . 

The pastor says they sit front and center. The gay boys. Sometimes they hold hands. And some folks have said he should address the issue. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say. 

And then there’s the man who sneaks in the back door. Fresh off the street. After the service starts. And leaves before altar call. The people sitting close complain about how bad he smells. Of beer and smoke and sweat. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say. 

And then there’s the young mama who wears dirty skin and after the service lets her four children eat all the donuts and drink all the watered-down juice. Some church staff say "they eat like little pigs. Like they haven’t eaten in weeks.” While the mama just stands there and lets them. And the elders say something must be done and addressed to her about it. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say. 

And there’s the whore sitting among the faithful. And everybody knows her. She sits with a painted-up face, cheap perfume, and a broken heart. And those who sit close, well, they all treat her for what they think she is. And at the last church staff meeting, her name came up. Something must be done about her. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say. 

The pastor is a good man. Holy and just. And he wants to do the “right and loving” thing. And he wants to “look like Jesus”. 

And he asks me if I have any thoughts on anything he could say.

Yes, sweet Pastor. I do.

Start with this and say it Louder than any other words: 

“Welcome to Church. This is a place of love and hope and safety and forgiveness. We will be food for the hungry. Living water for the thirsty. We are so glad you are here. You are invited. You are loved. Come on in—we’ve been waiting on you. Welcome here. We are the church.”

Say that. To the called and to the called-out. To the leaders and the greeters. To the dirty and the clean. We are all the same. We are.

May we blow the dust of religion out of our souls and choose affection instead. May our words and actions and reactions be a sanctuary for all. 

Jesus broke many laws (man's law not God's law) to love. So, Jesus, be our voice. Be the only words we should ever speak.>>

-unknown author

The Furnishings in the Saint Joseph Cupertino Friary Chapel

The Furnishings in the Saint Joseph Cupertino Friary Chapel

Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland (see descriptions below . . .)

For many years, the altar, the ambo, and the tabernacle now found in the friary’s second floor “private chapel” (or “oratory”), were used in the main chapel located on the first floor of the St. Joseph Cupertino Friary (now the primary worship space used by the Shrine of Saint Anthony, and open to the public).  

These furnishings in the friars’ chapel are entirely hand-carved from wood, and were imported from Italy.  They were originally placed in the main chapel after an extensive renovation was done there following the Second Vatican Council.   (continued below . . .)

 

They depict friars carrying large stones, a reference to St. Francis and his first friar-followers efforts to literally rebuild churches with stones and mortar.  This was a response to what the saint believed was the early friars calling to “rebuild the church,” a commission he believed he received in a vision while praying before the San Damiano Cross, and in which Jesus said to him “Francis, rebuild my church.”  

The altar, also employing the same stone theme, is engraved with a gold medallion, representing the Eucharistic bread, and is superimposed with a Tau Cross, a symbol often used by the Saint as a “signature” in his writings (and for centuries since used and worn by Franciscans as a sign of their Franciscan spirituality).  

The tabernacle is fashioned as a stone carried by the friars.  It suggests their more significant role as Christ-bearers, taking Jesus into the world, and in that way giving new life and truly “rebuilding” the church.  The loaves and fishes on the face of the tabernacle recall the Gospel account in which Jesus had pity on the 5000 gathered to hear his preaching — the “multiplication of the loaves and fishes” reminds us of Jesus’ passion to serve the poor and the needy, and it is a foreshadowing of the miraculous gift of the Eucharist, the Sacrament which never ends in giving life and the grace of God to the faithful.  

The Ambo is engraved with the words “This is the Rule and Life of the Friars Minor.”  This is a reference to the Rule of St. Francis in which the friars are mandated to follow the Gospel way of life.  The Gospel and other Scripture readings are proclaimed from the Ambo!   (continued below . . .)

Each piece is discretely stamped with a metal seal stating they are “Entirely Hand Carved” by their Italian artisans. 

The friars of the St. Joseph Cupertino Friary community gather each day in their oratory chapel for Morning Prayer, Office of Readings, Common Meditation, Evening Prayer, and Compline (night prayer).  The friars also use the chapel for their Conventual Masses.   (continued below . . .)

**The Shrine chapel downstairs now houses altar furnishings originally used at the now closed St. Hyacinth College and Seminary, Granby, Massachusetts. 

For more information about the Shrine of St. Anthony, see the following web site: https://www.shrineofstanthony.org/ 

For more information about the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Our Lady of the Angels Province (OFM Conv.), see the following web site:  https://www.olaprovince.org/

A stunningly simple yet very thought-provoking 9/11 memorial

 

A stunningly simple yet very thought-provoking 9/11 memorial at the Conventual Franciscan Friary of St. Joseph Cupertino in Howard County, Maryland.

On the friary grounds (on the wooded “Alverna Trail” maintained by the staff and volunteers of the Shrine of St. Anthony), is a stunningly simple yet very thought-provoking memorial to those lost in the United States on 09/11/01.  A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands at the entrance to the trail.

The memorial site, located about 100 feet into woods, includes a steel relic of the NY World Trade Center, a gift to the Franciscan Friars Conventual of the Our Lady of the Angels Province by the the Little Sisters of the Poor of Latham, New York.  

The peace and simplicity and the wooded setting of this prayer-inspiring memorial, so very far from city noises and busy streets, seems quite contrary to the violence and horror of that dreadful day.  This site is simply stunning to behold, and it gives those who visit a comforting and very peaceful place to pray and to reflect as they recall 9/11. 

A nearby marker reads: “Cross made from the rubble of the World Trade Center, New York City.”

Another marker reads: “In remembrance of the lives lost and the lives forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001.”  and . . . 

“At the Cross her station keeping — Our Lady of Sorrows — Pray for us”

“Patron of the Lost — St. Anthony of Padua — Pray for us.”  

**The Alverna Trail is located in an area behind the friary that once was a tree shaded grove, and the picnic site of the Annual St. Anthony Pilgrimage, a friary fund-raiser that was held for many years until the last such “pilgrimage” in the summer of 1986.

For more information about the Shrine of Saint Anthony see https://www.shrineofstanthony.org/

For more information about the Conventual Franciscan Friars, Our Lady of the Angels Province see https://www.olaprovince.org/

Actual Answers to a Sixth Grade History Tests (author unknown)

Actual Answers to a Sixth Grade History tests (author unknown):

1. Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.

2. The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?" 

3. Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada. 

4. Solomom had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines. 

5. The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth. 

6. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name. 

7. Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline. 

8. In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled biscuits, and threw the java. 

9. Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. 

10. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus." 

11. Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them. 

12. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw. 

13. Finally, the Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same offense. 

14. In midevil times most people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile ages was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote literature. 

15. Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head. 

16. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah." 

17. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. And Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100‑foot clipper. 

18. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroicouplet. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet. 

19. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained. 

20. During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. 

21. Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this. 

22. One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. Finally the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis. 

23. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead. 

24. Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms. 

25. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career. 

26. Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltaire invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy. Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the autumn when the apples are falling off the trees. 

27. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German half Italian and half English. He was very large. 

28. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this. 

29. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened and catapulted into Napoleon. Napoleon wanted an heir to inherit his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't have any children. 

30. The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. She was a moral woman who practiced virtue. Her death was the final event which ended her reign. 

31. The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie discovered radio. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers. 

32. The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch‑Duck by an anahist, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

The day my world stood still . . .

The day my world stood still . . . 

This is always a very difficult day for me.  

Forty-five years ago today, and at the very moment I heard an announcement from a radio news report about the death of Elvis, I was in a tent in the camping area of a Maryland State Park (a radio was blaring somewhere in the background).  

I was fourteen years old, and still very short and undeveloped for my age. It was just two-and-a-half weeks before my fifteenth birthday; the first day of classes for my sophomore year of high school was only three weeks away. 

Just moments earlier, I had been coaxed and forced, for the first time in my life, to perform oral sex on someone.  The culprit and predator was a man nearly twice my age.  

He was a “diocesan” seminarian studying for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and had already been regularly sexually molesting me for over a year (something that had started just after I graduated from the eighth grade of my parish school).  

I think he was very happy that things had “progressed” to that level on the eve of August 16, 1977.  He told me I had “a talent” for what had transpired.  

As I heard the news about Elvis, I remember feeling at that precise moment like all I wanted to do was to wash out my mouth with soap, and to take a shower to cleanse my body and soul of it’s “filth.”  

I have PTSD, and this anniversary always “triggers” me.  

But I’m a SURVIVOR!

My Transfers and various parishes (2014 through 2022)

My transfers and various parishes (2014 through 2022):

I posted the following, and the updated comments first on August 13, 2014, and then on August 13, 2022.  Eight years passed between the two entries below . . . 

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Posted on 08/13/2014:

I'M BEING TRANSFERRED!

Greetings all:

Now that the "dust is settling" from our recent Province Chapter, I want to let you know how recent decisions of the Minister Provincial and his Definitory (i.e., his "executive council") have impacted my life; I have no doubt that these decisions will also effect the lives of quite a few people who have been very dear to me for many years.

I'm filled with emotion (and quite a bit of anxiety) as I wish to share with you that I will soon be departing Most Holy Trinity--St. Mary and Brooklyn, New York.

I'm being transferred "up north" to Syracuse, New York and to another friary and parish, at "The Franciscan Church of the Assumption" (see: http: // assumptionchurchsyracuse. org   NOW [2022]: https://assumptionsyr.org/ ).

I've been stationed at Trinity for two separate assignments during the past twenty-two years--first, for seven years during the 1990s, and then more recently, for the past ten years (since June of 2004).  I've spent seventeen years of my life at Trinity, and every one of those years were filled with both wonderful moments and many blessings! 

I love Trinity, Brooklyn and New York City.  Leaving this place again, now for the second time, will no doubt be very difficult for me.  But with that in mind, I am now grateful for the opportunity to move on to a place where I hope to respond faithfully to God's call in my life and to minister to God's people in a new and challenging ministry.  That being said, I know the transition will not be easy.

I hope to have time, before my departure from Brooklyn on September 1, 2014, to say good-bye personally to the many people who have enriched my life for so many years at Trinity.  Words cannot express how grateful and blessed I feel to have had all of you as such a wonderful part of my life and ministry.

Please pray for me!

Peace . . . and Praise God!
Timothy

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Posted on 08/13/2022:

Wow!  How time does fly!  Eight years ago I was being transferred from Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary in Brooklyn, New York to Assumption Church, Syracuse, New York. 

So many highs and lows since then . . . 

Since August of 2014, I've been blessed, and am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, to serve as the Pastor of six parishes (most of them simultaneously): Assumption, Syracuse (‘14-‘15), St. Ann and St. Wenceslaus, Baltimore City (‘15-‘18), and St. Michael, Annunciation, and St. Clement, Baltimore County (‘18-‘22).

How blessed I’ve been to journey for a time with so many wonderful and faith-filled people in each of those parishes!

Seventeen years of my life were spent at Trinity in Brooklyn (‘92-‘99 and ‘04-‘14); MHT-STM still holds a very central place in my heart!!! ❤️

Praise God!

Timothy

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