Friar John Gibbons: Rushing Back to Russia

Let’s face it. There are some people we’d all like to ship off to Siberia for a long, long time. Conversely, there are a very few people in this world who would think about going there voluntarily. Our brother, John Gibbons, belongs to the latter category. John, 45, a Franciscan priest of our province originally from the Portland, Oregon area, has actually spent more than four and a half years in Siberia already. He volunteered as part of the Russian Federation (St. Francis Foundation) project, a special international effort established by the Franciscans to serve the Roman Catholic community in the former Soviet Union and to implant the order in both Russia and Kazakhstan. Now he’s about to move again.

I met John this week while he was home briefly on a furlough from his assignment at Annunciation Parish in Arceniev, Siberia, about nine time zones east of Moscow. John was home for a few weeks of r&r to see friars, family and friends, renew his visa, and shift gears for his new assignment on the other side of Russia, as formation director in St. Petersburg.

I asked John how it felt to live in Russia so far, how it was to leave his first assignment, and what he looked forward to in his new ministry. “First of all, “ he said, “it took me about three full years to really get grounded in the Russian language and to know my way around things culturally.” John spent two of those years studying Russian intensively, establishing a solid foundation linguistically with the hope of spending his life ministering to the Russian people. Even though he is a seasoned pilgrim and polyglot— previous sojourns include stays in India, Thailand, and Guatemala—John has had to deal with the demands of cultural adaptation: “The culture shock sometimes comes and goes. It just sneaks up and hits you at odd moments at first”—but now he feels much more at home. Establishing contacts and friendships among the friars and in the community have eased the transition. An enthusiasm for winter sports like skiing and ice skating has helped as well. According to John, however, language, food, and climate are a piece of cake compared with the dubious pleasures of dealing with Russian bureaucracy—layer upon layer upon layer of mind-boggling and frustrating complexity— a carryover from centuries of Tsarist tyranny followed by Communist rule.

It is exactly this perplexing bureaucracy that John has been learned to negotiate successfully during his Siberian sojourn. A spanking new church of The Annunciation in Arceniev, where he served as pastor, stands as eloquent testimony to both the tenacity of the friars and the generosity of Russian parishioners and international donors. The parish serves a small, but very special community of Roman Catholics—in the main, descendants of traditionally Catholic ethnic minorities (Poles, Lithuanians, Ukranians, ethnic Germans) packed off to permanent exile during the Stalinist era. For decades, the Church was underground and the faith was passed on by the babushkas/ grandmas in the absence of clergy.

John reflects on the change in assignment with a sense of equanimity tinged with a bit of sadness at leave-taking: “I had to leave Siberia just after the intensity of Holy Week and Easter liturgies. On top of that, you can imagine how it felt to leave people you come to know and like and love so much.” “But”, he grins and shrugs good naturedly, “It’s all for the sake of the Gospel and the good of the Order!”

John’s new assignment is as formation director for the Franciscan community in the Russian Federation. He will be joining six other friars in the St. Petersburg fraternity, three of whom are students. The students, by the way, are all ethnic Russians who have recently completed their novitiate in Italy. Russian is the lingua franca in this international community, whose members also staff the Franciscan parish of the Sacred Heart, and are involved in varying degrees in social work in the St. Petersburg metropolitan area. “I have no idea of what lies ahead,” John says, but he also states that he feels hopeful and optimistic about his new assignment. A ministry of presence and service is the priority of the Franciscan mission, not proselytism: “Our work is to establish a presence and support for the Roman Catholic community which is already here, but was severely persecuted under Communism,” he stresses. The friars, he emphasizes, are not in competition with our Orthodox brethren. Ideally, John would like to work himself out of a job: “Our ultimate goal is to have Russian priests, brothers, sisters, and lay leaders serving the Russian Catholic community.”

The project of the St. Francis Foundation is one of several international endeavors established by the Order. Others include our Africa Project as well as the Custody of the Holy Land. Although many of the more than 100 Franciscan provinces throughout the world sponsor their own mission efforts, these projects are open to friars regardless of their province or country of origin. Another of our confreres, Father David Gaa, is presently in Kazakhstan. In addition, two friars of the Province of St. Barbara are currently serving in the Holy Land. And in the past, we have had representation in the Africa Project as well.
God go with you, John, in your new assignment! And “благодарю!”

Getting back on track!

Sacramento (April 10) Yesterday, it finally happened. The moment I had been dreading for weeks, even months now. A fellow friar came up to me and with a friendly tap on the back asked, “So, Brother, is your vocations blogspot dead now? I haven’t seen anything new in a long time.”
Grief, shame, embarrassment all rushed to my face at once. Busted!

Well, Brothers, it’s like this. Advent turned into Christmas which led to flu season, then Lent and Holy Week. And of course, there’s no way to get anything done just after Easter. Well, never mind… I think you get the picture.

The truth is, when it comes to this little blog site, I’ve gotten off track. And I’m sorry about that. So. Now’s the time to end the derailment and start over again. So here goes.

Speaking of “tracks”, one of my favorite ways to get back on track spiritually is literally to take to the tracks. The city where I live, Sacramento, has a wonderful commuter train, the Capitol Corridor, run jointly by Amtrak and Caltrans, the California state department of transportation. For exactly thirteen dollars and ten cents (discounted fare), you can take to the rails in perfect comfort— breezing majestically alongside the interstate and down to the Bay Area, just 80 miles and a bit less than two hours away. Okay, so it’s not a bullet train. But it gets you there.

What I like about the Capitol Corridor is everything. It’s double-decker, air-conditioned, quiet, and carpeted. Sort of like a terrestrial Boeing 707, only better. There’s wi-fi service and outlets for your laptop. And, if you grab a morning train, you get a free daily newspaper. Oh, and there’s a café car when you can order drinks and snacks. And for us bicycle aficionados, there’s a bike rack in every car.

But you wanna know the truth? Mostly I really love the peace and quiet. When the world is too much with me, I try to take off on Amtrak, even if it's only for a day trip. Outside of commuting hours, there's plenty of room. And as we begin to pull out from the station, I start to disconnect. It’s wonderful! This little choo-choo train then becomes my private rolling chapel. Really. I can sit back and savor the kind of scenery which you will never ever see from the freeway— the lost and hidden California of a century ago— as rice fields yield to rolling hills that in turn lean into the sparkling waters of the San Francisco Bay. And as some of the craziness of our modern, urban world recedes, God’s world starts to come into better focus.

And I can begin to rest. And reach back into prayer. And the trust that God is present, is guiding us, is healing us, is restoring and renewing us. Whenever and ever we’re willing to get back on track.

I hope you’ve found your place and space to get back on track as well. We all need it. Especially if you’re in the process of vocational discernment, taking the time to realize that we are “human beings”, not just “humans doing” helps to ease and restore both mind and heart. In that way, one can begin to listen more carefully, more deeply, and even more confidently for God’s voice.

So. I’m back. Stay tuned. Next week I’ll be putting up a new entry, with news and views about Franciscan life. Promise. In the meantime, enjoy the ride. And God be with you. Fr. Chuck

Blessings... and a Challenge for the New Year!

Peace and all good! And blessings for the New Year!
AND... a challenge as well. If you are looking to make a New Year's resolution, then here's a suggestion. Put more energy into your discernment process. The following article,"Discernment is a Verb", is a piece I've written for The Way of St. Francis magazine (Jan/Feb, 2008). I hope you will find its practical suggestions helpful in your own faith journey. Good luck and get going!-- Fr. Chuck

What should I do with my life? What is God asking of me? How can I be sure I’m not making a horrendous mistake?

My office phone will ring. A slight hesitation on the other end of the line, and then a quiet voices asks, “Is this the Franciscans?” “Well, yes, how can I help you?” “Well, I’m thinking of becoming one of you.” “Okaaaaay”. Then, we’re off and running.

I’m a vocations coordinator. My job is to help men (21-45, Roman Catholic, single) to know about the Franciscans and themselves, and whether or not God may be leading them to our religious community. During the course of a calendar year, I will personally speak to about 400 inquirers— just a little more than one a day. They may write or phone, or catch me after Mass. Increasingly these days, they’ll check out our website (www.sbfranciscans.org) or our vocations blog (http://friarsidechats.blogspot.com) and then dash off an email. In reality, though, only about one out of every hundred men who contact us will enter our community. So what about the other 99? Are they just chopped liver?

My work experience confirms my deep conviction that God is calling all of us. That everyone has a vocation—to know, love and serve God in this life and to be with God in the next-- as my childhood catechism put it so succinctly. Only a very few people will come to religious life, but the search is the same for us all. “How can I know what God is asking of me?” I don’t have the answers, but I can suggest a process that might help:

Pray. A lot. And on a regular basis. Make a daily appointment to spend time with God—and then keep it. Our Catholic tradition is a treasure trove of spirituality, so find a prayer style that suits you (lectio divina, centering prayer, etc.). And make Eucharist the center of your prayer week.

Shop around. I tell people. Look, the first thing you need to do is to look around. Pretend that you are planning an exotic vacation. Get as many ‘travel brochures’ as you can. Don’t worry about making a decision yet; just dream for once!

Share your secret. Preferably with someone you trust. The people who know us often know us a whole lot better than we suspect. They can give us very good feedback very fast. They know our personalities as well as many (but not all) of our talents, dreams, strengths and weaknesses. When I announced to my family that I wanted to become a Franciscan and a priest, I was shocked. Nobody even blinked. My sisters said, “Oh we knew that all along about you. But we didn’t say anything because we figured you needed to work that out for yourself.” Gee, thanks.

Get some help. Good help. We call this spiritual direction. Advice and accompaniment from someone (a priest, a religious sister or brother, a layperson) who has received specific training in this ministry. It is not a good idea to approach a busy pastor. Or someone who has no knowledge of ministry. The spiritual director will meet with you on a regular basis to listen deeply—very deeply—to what you have to say about yourself, your prayer life, your images and understanding of God, and so on. They won’t tell you what you should do. But they will tell you what you are saying about yourself. And what you keep saying consistently over time. Journaling is an important adjunct to this activity.

Get your hands dirty. If you’re thinking about working with the poor, for example, stop thinking about it. Get out there and work with them. So connect with an organization, preferably a church-based one, that needs volunteers and go for it.

Join a club. Only make sure you are an active member. Community is not for bystanders. Your parish is the perfect place to start.

Jump in! If you don’t put your body where you think your mind and heart ought to be, you’ll never know what God is asking or inviting you to do. Break down your decision into manageable parts… and then take that first step.

When we do these things-- gather information, share our secrets, find some help, get our hands dirty, and jump in-- we cannot fail to learn a great deal about who we are and how God may be calling us.

I repeat. Each of us has a vocation. We are all on a spiritual journey. But when we do the footwork, we cannot fail to grow spiritually and become more confident and secure in our decisions. So, if you haven’t done so already, turn your own discernment into a verb and see what unfolds.

Christmas at Greccio

Pax et bonum! Peace and all good!
May the peace and love and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you this Christmas and every day of your lives. We offer this little story about St. Francis at Greccio—from the Major Legend of St. Francis-- for your reflection and meditation. The tradition of the crèche (or crib) originates with St. Francis and is uniquely Franciscan contribution to the celebration of Christmas. Know that we, your Franciscan brothers, are keeping you in our prayers at this most sacred time as you continue to discern God’s will for you in your hearts and in your lives. Merry Christmas!


“It happened, three years prior to his death, that he (Francis) decided to celebrate at the town of Greccio the memory of the birth of the Child Jesus with the greatest possible solemnity, in order to arouse devotion. So that this would not be considered a type of novelty, he petitioned for and obtained permission from the Supreme Pontiff.
"He had a manger prepared, hay carried in and an ox and an ass led to the spot. The brethren are summoned, the people arrive, the forest amplifies with their cries, and that venerable night is rendered brilliant and solemn by a multitude of bright lights and by resonant and harmonious hymns of praise. The man of God stands before the manger, filled with piety, bathed in tears, and overcome with joy.
"A solemn Mass is celebrated over the manger, with Francis, a levite of Christ, chanting the holy Gospel. Then he preaches to the people standing around him about the birth of the poor King, whom, whenever he means to call him, he called in his tender love, the Babe from Bethlehem.
"A certain virtuous and truthful knight, Sir John of Greccio, who had abandoned worldly military activity out of love of Christ and had become an intimate friend of the man of God, claimed that he saw a beautiful little child asleep in that manger whom the blessed father Francis embraced in both of his arms and seemed to wake it from sleep.
"Not only does the holiness of the witness make credible the vision of the devout knight, but also the truth it expresses proves its validity and the subsequent miracles confirm it. For Francis's example, when considered by the world, is capable of arousing the hearts of those who are sluggish in the faith of Christ.
The hay from the crib was kept by the people and miraculously cured sick animals and drove away different kinds of pestilence. Thus God glorified his servant in every way and demonstrated the efficacy of his holy prayer by the evident signs of wonderful miracles.”



Some questions for reflection:
As I come to this year’s celebration of Christmas, where do I find the Christ Child in my life? ? How is Christ offering himself to me today? Is there anything that inhibits or impedes me from accepting Him? What do I have to give to Him? How can I best find Him in myself? How can I best minister to Him in my brothers and sisters, in our Church? In our world? Without taking on any extra, additional activity, how can I enter more deeply into the meaning of Christmas in my life? (Thanks to Friar Larry Dunphy, ofm).

Fraternity in Motion?!

Che succede?!

As you can see, after almost 800 years, we're still kickin'--sometimes quite literally-- as this leader from the Italian comedy series, "Benedetti al Signore"/ "Praise the Lord!" would seem to indicate. (NOTE: These are real actors, not real friars!)

In Spring, 2004, Italy’s TV Channel 5 launched an hilarious new situation comedy with, believe it or not, two Franciscan ‘friars’ as its main protagonists. Benedetti al Signore/ Praise the Lord! features two improbable actors playing two improbable friars as they confront any number of issues affecting people in the world today. Fra Giaccomo (Ezio Greggio), portrays a newly-arrived novice, although he’s well over the age of 40. A man of the world with a lifetime of experience and a rather unclear past, he is quick to react and respond to situations. On the other hand, Fra Martino (Enzo Iacchetti), his relatively innocent and naïvesidekick and foil, is described as a “natural vocation” who has “always lived in the convent (friary)”.

As you can imagine, the story line takes off from there, with this fraternal odd couple (street smarts vs. heart of gold) get caught up in an ongoing web of misadventure and madcap mayhem. Its producers assure us that, in addition to its humorous aspects,though, the series also deals with a number of “typically real-life social and moral situations” confronted by people in contemporary Italian society.

I can’t vouch for that personally, since the series is not available in the United States. But the leader (above) certainly adds a little, um-- zest!-- to traditional stereotypes. It sure beats the old cookie jar/ Friar Tuck image, don't it.

What exactly does this have to do with vocational discernment? Everything! You don’t absolutely have to have a sense of humor to be a good friar-- but it certainly helps. A lot! Especially if you don't take yourself too seriously and can let the joy and warmth of our loving God shine through.

Why are these two friars smiling?

Because they’ve just been ordained as transitional deacons, that's why. On Friday evening, November 16, our brothers Raul Alejos and Martin Ibarra began their diaconate year at a liturgy presided by Bishop Gilberto Chavez, retired auxiliary bishop of San Diego, and in the presence of friars, family, friends and hundreds of well-wishing members of Mission San Luis Rey parish in Oceanside, California. Our provincial minister, Fr. Mel Jurisich, ofm, as well as the pastor, Fr. Peter Kirwin, ofm concelebrated at a Mass which featured musical accompaniment from the parish’s thriving multicultural community. And of course, a fantastic fiesta followed.

Deacon Raul, 39, (photo, left) is a native of Cerritos, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Fellow deacon, Martin Ibarra, 37, (photo, left below) hails from the town of El Encino, Aguascalientes, Mexico. The journey which brought both of these men to test and ultimately realize their vocations in the Franciscan community is a separate story in and of itself. Suffice it to say, both arrived in the United States as immigrants, and struggled hard with the challenges of making a living, helping their families, and adjusting to a new culture while at the same time maintaining their faith and a deep sense of pride in their culture. These are passionate, yet patient and perservering men. “If you only knew their history!” one friar remarked to an inquiring parishioner. (I do know their history, as a matter of fact. Raul and I were classmates, entering postulancy together in 1993). Even after entering the Order, both he and Martin have had to labor for more than a decade to acquire English language skills, complete initial formation as friars, then finish college and theological studies, before reaching the stage of diaconate as part of the realization of their vocation.

“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” With these words, Bishop Chavez presented both Martin and Raul with a copy of the Gospels to hold and venerate. In doing so, he charged them to immerse themselves into the ministry of proclaiming and preaching the Word which is so essential to the role of the deacon. In fulfilling these functions, our brothers will be following in the footsteps of our seraphic father, Francis of Assisi himself who himself, his official biographer Thomas of Celano informs us, was not a priest, but rather a permanent deacon (“dressed in the vestments of the Levites” (i.e., deacons -ed). Francis delegated to priest-friars those sacramental functions he could not fulfill himself.

Since Raul and Martin are transitional deacons, however, they will be assigned to parochial responsibilities for the coming twelve months as they prepare for priestly ordination. In the past, this transitional period has been regarded by many as a somewhat tedious, even annoying marking of time. But in our province today, deacons are assigned to a mentoring pastor who will work intensely with them as they integrate their theological education with hands on experience in parish life. The preparation really makes a difference.

Raul has been assigned to the parish at Mission San Luis Rey. Martin will be living and working at St. Elizabeth Parish in Oakland, California. Felicidades, hermanos! Congratulations, Brothers! In the words of Beato Junipero Serra, ofm: “Siempre adelante, nunca para atras!/ Always forward, never backward!” Or as Raul would say, “Just keep going.”

In November, We Remember

“The following confrere died on the 12th of February:
In 2006, Friar Edward Dunn. A native of Pennsylvania, he was invested in the habit on September 13, 1975, in Sacramento, California, professing his simple vows in 1976 and solemn vows on September 14, 1980, while stationed with the Las Vegas, Nevada community. Shortly afterwards he spent six months in Central and South America, studying comunidades de base. From that time on he immersed himself both in formation and missionary work, a truly apostolic friar who also had enormous influence in the area of social concerns. Wherever he was assigned he worked tirelessly for the poor and ceaselessly promoted justice for minorities. In 1997 he established an outreach community in San Diego and in 2003, became the assistant formation director of the missionary experience in Mexico. He also served two terms as a definitor of the Province. Due to prolonged illness he was last assigned to Mission San Luis Rey, where he died. 56 years old and 29 years professed. Buried in the friars’ vault. May his soul and the souls of all our departed brethren through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”

Every day, in each of our friaries— either at community prayer or just before dinner—we read from our provincial necrology about the brother/s who died on that day. “Necrology” is a rather bloodless term, isn’t it, for what is not just the listing of our deceased brothers, but rather more like a short biography which is read aloud before the assembled community. It is a wonderful custom in the Franciscan tradition. It’s a way not only of praying for our deceased friars, but also of calling them to mind and including them in our living community.

Often, after the necrology is read, we’ll turn to an older friar and ask: “Did you know that friar? Or were there any stories about him told around the Province?” And quite often, someone will remember the person. Or some personal tale or else an historical nugget culled from their biography. Like the one about the friar who, in the late nineteenth century, was shot-- by an intruder? Or maybe another friar?—at one of the old missions. The plot thickens; no one knows for sure. Or, at least no one is talking.

But it’s not just about the lurid lore and old yarns. Reading about and praying with and for our deceased brethren is a poignant reminder to us of our roots and inheritance. And of our own vulnerability as well. Of the ways in which one lifetime upon another, one generation after the other has formed our uniquely Franciscan family history over the past eight centuries. In the case of our province, our communal memory stretches over a two hundred years (and under four separate national flags) in this part of North America.

Re-membering helps us to see how we are all of one cloth and kin.It makes us aware—acutely so. Not just of our ancestors in faith and community. But of brothers, whether well-known or unmet, who were called to Franciscan life just as we ourselves have been. Men who gave their hearts and souls to living the Gospel and sharing it with their brothers and others. In that living and sharing many of their lives have not been unlike our own, with their own admixture of struggle and doubt; confusion, fear, and loneliness. But also, warmth and joy, mirth and love.

In November, we remember. Brothers like Ed Dunn—a big loveable lug of an Irishman and an extraordinary brother. Warm and welcoming; full of life and wit and song and fun. Good, humanly holy and completely devoted to the poor and marginalized of Latin America. Loved and admired by his Franciscan confreres and many, many others as well. And-- also, a hopeless klutz behind the wheel of a car or at the command of almost any modern tool or invention (like the electric tea kettle he exploded in our Sacramento kitchen by placing it over a flame on the stove!)

May his soul and the souls of all our faithful departed brothers, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.