|
Franciscans in Action
July-August 2008 e-newsletter
"Preach the Gospel and if necessary use
words." - St. Francis of Assisi
We welcome your feedback and
encourage you to send us stories about Franciscan action
and where you see the spirit of St. Francis at work in the world.
You can email your comments
and stories to Peter Rajchert at peter@franciscans.org.
Australian Franciscans Fight
Injustice
The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary have
been
fighting injustice in Australia since 1941
The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary spend
their lives working for justice, equality, and securing creation. They
intentionally seek out societal outcasts and underscore the inhumane ways
in which they are treated by restoring their dignity. They are close
to many of Australia’s Aboriginal communities, the homeless, the
imprisoned, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Read further...
The Less Glamorous Cabo San
Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
in Mexico suffers from many social problems
Many of us know Cabo San Lucas
in Baja California Sur as a resort town for young wealthy Americans on
spring break. Franciscans know a different more challenging side of Cabo
San Lucas, one full of uncertain migrants searching for jobs.
Read
further...
Bringing Comfort to Earthquake
Victims
in the Congo's Great Lakes Region
Life for people in the
Congo is a daily struggle
What can one offer when one seemingly has nothing physical give?
Many citizens from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa
survive from day to day with only the barest essentials.
Read
further...
The Franciscan Community Center
Brings New Yorkers
Together
New York
City
In an episode
of the 1990s television sitcom “Seinfeld”, which is set in New York City,
the protagonist, Jerry Seinfeld, expresses surprise about belonging to a
community. This comment is supposed to be comedic; in fact, it actually
touches on a very real dilemma in our society. Many of us feel alienated
from the society around us. To put it simply, we just don’t connect with
everybody else. And nowhere is this more prevalent than in megalopolises
like New York City where millions of souls drift past each other and
neighbors do not even know one another’s names. Read
further...
Neighborhood Wellness
Site
Welcomes Everyone in Need of
Help
The Neighborhood Wellness Site in Millvale,
Pennsylvania
When we are young and
healthy, sickness and frailty are far from our minds. We live marathon
lives always chasing some goal just within our reach. When we get older,
life changes. Little things that we used to do without a thought often
become impossible. Take Sister Lorraine Wesolowski’s story about an
elderly woman whose arthritis prevented her from opening the secure top on
her bottle of medication. Opening a bottle of medication is an act most of
us would never think of as a challenge. And yet, to this elderly woman it
was a challenge that could have caused her great harm.
Read
further...
Support for a Mexican Parish From
Peoria,
Illinois
The Immaculate Conception
Church is southeast of Acapulco,
Mexico
The Holy Family Catholic Church in Peoria, Illinois
is a Conventual Franciscan Parish with 52 years of service to various
communities. One of the more important years in Holy Family’s history was
1965, the foundation year of the Parish Council. This organization advises
on the church and local community’s spiritual and physical needs. It
overlooks a number of committees that deal with these needs. One of these
committees concerns the Mexican Mission. Read
further...
The Franciscan Road Trip
Across the
USA
Franciscans are
active all across the United
States
No matter what part of the United States you might
be in, you always have the possibility of visiting a Franciscan holy
place. The Franciscans have been in what is the United States long before
the republic was created. They spread through America
to communities
in spiritual and physcial need. Read further...
We welcome your feedback and encourage
you to send us stories about Franciscan action and where you see the
spirit of St. Francis at work in the world.
You can email your comments
and stories to Peter Rajchert at mailto:peter@franciscans.org |