Meet the NEW Postulants!

The word is out. We have four (count ‘em) new postulants! And we’re pleased as punch. Meet (left to right) Phillip, Ryan, José, and Mike—the latest members of the formation program of the Province of St. Barbara. After a period of individual discernment varying from six to twelve months, this quartet of candidates was approved for admission to our postulancy program following an intensive screening and rigorous (but hopefully, not totally intimidating) application process. Our Admissions Retreat took place at San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville, California (May 7-8-9), and shortly afterwards, final approval was given by our Provincial Minister, Father Mel Jurisich. So here’s the lineup:

Phillip Polk, 26, is a member of the San Carlos Apache Nation in San Carlos, Arizona. He has known the Franciscan all his life and has been most recently encouraged in his discernment by his pastor, Father Gino Piccoli, ofm. Phillip is presently a fulltime caregiver for his elderly grandparents. He has been in discernment with our province since last September.

Ryan Thornton, 25, hails from Monrovia, California. He comes to the friars after having spent a year as a diocesan seminarian for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Ryan is a recent graduate of Harvard and has a special interest in the work of Franciscan philosopher Dun Scotus.

José Rios Merida, 43, of Oakland, California, is presently working as Clerk of Court for the Superior Court of California in San Francisco. Born in Mexico’s Yucatan, he has spent most of his life in southern California and the Bay Area. In addition to his work, José has been an active participant in our vocations prayer and discernment groups in the Bay Area over the past year.

Michael (Mike) Minton, 44, also of Oakland, is a social worker for an Alameda County agency which inspects and evaluates board and care facilities for disabled adults. A native of Indiana, Mike moved to the Bay Area some five years ago, and is an active member, along with Jose, at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Oakland.

All four candidates will soon enter our postulancy house (aka the Transfiguration Community) in Portland, Oregon, for a nine-month residential program starting the first week of September and ending in early June, 2009. Brother Robert Rodrigues is director of the live-in formation experience, which provides candidates with hands on experience in Franciscan life. Father John dePaemelaere, who lives close by, will assist in the program as well.

The entering postulants will plunge into community living from their very first day, following an intense daily horarium (schedule) which includes morning prayer a/o Eucharist, part-time work outside the community, meal preparation, and various household chores. Evenings are dedicated to classes in a variety of areas which will introduce men to Franciscan life and spirituality. In addition, the men will attend a weekly class in developing communications skills facilitated by a professional counselor, Sister Noreen Orazio, SSMO. Work experience and in-house classes will be supplemented by short-term volunteer ministries in the community at large as well as participation in events organized by the local Franciscan community. The schedule also provides time for personal and group recreation, spiritual direction, and, yes, even a good ol’ Sunday afternoon nap. Contact with family and friends is encouraged within the bounds of the program and the men will have vacation time during the Christmas holiday.

Each candidate will plug into a common template of group experiences aimed at exposing him to a deeper experience of Franciscan community living. In addition, he will also follow a personalized program aimed at facilitating his development as a human, Christian, and Franciscan. This personalized program, tailored to the needs of each individual candidate, is based upon our assessment of each man’s interests, talents, and needs. This assessment grows out of our experience of the man during his time of discernment with us, complemented by the comprehensive psychological testing which is part of the application process. For example, one man may need to work on his language skills, or start a personal plan for improved diet and exercise. Another candidate may be encouraged to attend meetings of (AA) Alcoholics Anonymous or ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics). A third candidate may be encouraged to experiment with volunteer ministry in a new or unfamiliar area for him. And so on. In every case, regular periodic meetings with the program director provide for feedback and evaluation. No one gets lost or falls through the cracks.

This year, the entering postulants will enjoy wonderful new digs at the former convent of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in southeast Portland. The crosstown move will put them in closer contact with local friars at our Ascension fraternity and our House of Welcome. They will also experience the warm welcome and gracious hospitality of the OLS parishioners and their pastor, Fr. Ron Millican, who have gone all out to make the friars feel at home. We haven’t even started our program and already we’ve been completely spoiled. Parish staff and volunteers have already spruced up the seven bedroom facility and provided for repairs and yardwork in anticipation of our move. Many thanks to our new church family at Our Lady of Sorrow!

We welcome our new brothers and wish them all the best in their postulancy experience.
We are grateful for their open and generous hearts and their willingness to trust and follow the Spirit. Let’s all of us keep them in our prayers as they embark on this important new step in their spiritual journey.

North x Northwest: A Retreat for Inquirers

Meet a few of our inquirers: Juan, Patrick, Scott, Zeno, and Joshua. They, along with Corey (not shown) were the participants in our Northwest Vocations Weekend, held just this past Memorial Day weekend (May 23-26) in the Portland/Salem area of Oregon.

Ranging in age from 22 to 37 and coming from a variety of backgrounds (construction worker, student, parish youth minister, public health worker, etc.), these men represent a fairly good cross-section of the kind of men inquiring into Franciscan life at this moment. What this particular group of also have in common is that most of them live in the Pacific Northwest. Others have a special interest in the ESL (English as a Second Language) program at our House of Welcome and Discernment in Portland. The photo above was taken in its small basement chapel, by the way.

The particular focus of this past weekend’s activities was to introduce inquirers to the friars of the Northwest-- their ministries, community life, and prayer. The province of Saint Barbara, by the way, encompasses an enormous geographical area—the entire west coast of the United States, as well as Arizona, Nevada, and a portion of the state of New Mexico. Consequently, each region has a very particular climate—social as well as geographical—that gives both color and nuance to Franciscan life.

With its great physical beauty, mild climate (rain notwithstanding), and unique history, the Pacific Northwest provides a special soil for the cultivation of Franciscan life and ministry. Local folks claim with some pride that it takes a particular kind of gumption and down to earth, independent spirit to thrive in this region. After all, the ancestors of many of the area’s inhabitants were pioneers who crossed the continent to reach the Northwest via the celebrated Lewis & Clark trail. That independent, self- starting instinct is surely reflected in the way the friars live and work up here.

Originally, the friars established parishes in both urban as well as rural areas settled by groups of Catholic immigrants (Irish, German, Dutch, Belgian) that incongruously dot an area otherwise known as the most unchurched part of the United States. Today, our physical presence has shrunk to a major concentration of more than a dozen friars in the Portland/ Salem area, as well as parish in Spokane, Washington.

Fewer in numbers, the friars, are no less brave of heart, as we learned on our three-day road trip through the area. Portland is home to our postulancy house (the Transfiguration Community), our House of Welcome and Discernment (HOWD) for aspirants who are studying English, and our parish, Ascension Catholic Church in the Mount Tabor area of the city’s southeast side.

DAY ONE. We were warmly greeted by our hosts at the House of Welcome—Brother Freddy Rodriguez, Father Larry Gosselin, and our student aspirant, Juan José. Their house in a residential cul de sac near the parish is lovingly referred to as the House of Commons, while up the hill about a mile away is the upper house of the community, aka the House of Lords. The ‘lords’ (Friars Jeff Macnab, Loren Kerkof, Didacus Clavel, Brian Flynn and Armando Lopez) put on a wonderful feast for our visitors as we moved easily into introductions and faith sharing.

DAY TWO. The second day of our Oregon odyssey, we jumped into the house van and drove to Francis Center to meet with friar/director Pat Evard. Father Pat showed us around the facility which provides emergency food and clothing for up to 400 clients each month. The House subsists entirely on volunteer labor and donations; no frills, but lots of Franciscan hospitality and joy. After lunch, we continued on to Salem, the state capital, about an hour from Portland. There we were met by Friar John Luat Nguyen, who lives and works at St. Joseph’s, a downtown parish and the largest faith community in the Portland archdiocese. John Luat helps with both Vietnamese and Anglo communities and does considerable outreach to residents of hospitals and nursing homes in the area. He greeted us with green tea and a plate of his own homemade egg rolls. “You have to pray and pray hard, all the time… no matter what you do,” he urged us.

After our stop in Salem, we paid a brief visit to the Benedictine abbey and seminary at Mount Angel, where our ESL students have participated in the school’s ESL program over the past seven years. Aspirants may spend up to three years developing their language skills and fluency before entering our postulancy program.

The final stop of the day was at St. Mary’s Parish in the little town of Shaw at the edge of the wonderful (“awesome”) Silver Falls State Park. “The Catholics settled here in Shaw,” friar/pastor Ben Innes explained, “while the Baptists set up shop in nearby Aumsville. Shaw was ‘wet’; Aumsville was ‘dry’. Consequently, Aumsville prospered while Shaw nearly went under!” Father Ben, long active in youth ministry in California, returned to Oregon to take care of his elderly mother, who later passed on. Ben has stayed to serve the people of the area and St. Mary’s—contrary to his story—has actually thrived. The 5:30 pm Saturday Mass we attended was packed to the gills. No matter that Father Ben had just been released from the hospital the day before, or that the music director didn’t show—the liturgy went on!—and both Ben and the community gave their blessing (literally) to us visitors.



DAY THREE. Blessings from the people of God were a feature of our Sunday liturgy as well at the newly remodeled sanctuary of Ascension parish back in Portland. Father Larry and I presided at the liturgy, and for me personally, it was a wonderful moment. Nine years ago, I arrived at Ascension as one very green deacon, was ordained in Portland, and ended up spending a total of four years in the parish. It was a graced time and great to see the parish family again. In the church basement after Mass, we lunched on the world’s largest (and spiciest) burritos prepared by members of the parish’s thriving Hispanic community. After a brief rest, we went to The Grotto—a Portland landmark staffed by members of the Servite community as an outdoor sanctuary cum garden open to the general public. Home again a few hours later, we sat with two additional friars—Frs. John de Paemelaere and Tom Frost. “John De” is the energizer bunny of the province—at 89 he is still going strong after a long career as a counselor for Oregon’s Department of Corrections in addition to teaching and parochial responsibilities. Fr. Tom, of Covered Wells, Arizona, was in town to help out with a retreat for lay (secular) Franciscans. Tom has spent nearly twenty-five years on the Tohono O’odham reservation near Tucson.

Our three postulants—Victor, Javier, and Eric—along with Brother Jeff Macnab completed the group. We sat, yakked, dove into several varieties of pizza (veggie, cheese, and everything on it). The discussion was free-flowing and broad. But Brother Jeff really nailed it with his very succinct reflection on the discernment process: “You know, “ he said, “it’s not about being a Franciscan or a Jesuit, or becoming a lay leader, or whatever. It is about searching for Christ. Where and how is God showing me that I must search for and encounter Christ in my life?” A long, thoughtful silence followed.

THE WRAP-UP. At our Monday morning wrap-up session, our inquirers had quite a bit to say. Here are a few representative comments:

--“ Even though I live in the area and have visited a lot of the friars, I was surprised at the amount of activity you Franciscans are involved in here in the Portland area.”

--“I didn’t realize how many friars up here are living on their own in parishes and in independent ministry. And they still have a connection to community, but it’s a different way of being community. It’s not always about living together in one house all the time.”

--“I used to think that if priests or brothers lived by themselves, it was because nobody could stand living with them. But now I see that the work has a lot to do with it, too, and that there are a variety of ways to live out the Franciscan lifestyle.”

--“I get the feeling there’s no pressure to conform or fit into a mold of some kind. It’s like you get to be yourself.”

--“I didn’t know how much work Franciscans can do outside of a parish. For myself, I want to be of use to the great society yet also feel connected to community.”

Rich observations and rich fruit for further discernment. The Franciscan experience in the Northwest is different. No big friaries—just small, homey communities with 3-6 men each. Or several men living independently but checking in with the greater fraternity. A certain independent outlook. And a love and closeness to nature that is part of the Franciscan spirit everywhere.

So. This is just one experience. One weekend retreat. One taste of our life. Stay tuned. There is more coming. And if you want to find out for yourself, well, heck, get in touch with me: cstalleyho@yahoo.com

Warming Up at the Coldest Day in May

For more than twenty years now, the annual Coldest Day in May party — held on the second Saturday of the month— has been a cherished tradition for friars in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Brother Giles community in the Berkeley flatlands is the permanent host for this very special fraternal gathering. And,true to form, the day has almost always managed to live up (or down?) to its reputation. This year the thermometer soared to a high of 64 F, with an average temperature of 56 throughout the day. Add to that, the reliably unpleasant wind gusts from off the Bay, just a couple of miles west of the house, and voila—The Coldest Day in May.

Friars fit and fat alike flocked to this annual feed, lovingly prepared by the likes of Friars David Cobian, Adrian Peelo, and Luis Alberto Guzman. But the friars didn’t come in droves; it’s more like they arrived in overlapping shifts as one session of grazers yielded gradually and gently to the next. There was always plenty—even too much!—to eat, though. For sure, no one left hungry.

The friars at Brother Giles have never been outdone in their hospitality. In addition to the above-mentioned brothers, John Gutierrez (“Gootz”)—the guardian, Tito Garcia, and Dennis Duffy were also on hand to offer welcome. A welcome that we visitors, in turn, were more than happy accept by scarfing up humongous portions of: hot dogs, burgers, veggie burgers, German sausages; homemade potato salad, fruit salad, cole slaw… and the best desserts ever—especially Brother David’s famous Earthquake Cake (chocolate cake topped with flan and drenched in caramel sauce) Ay caramba!

So. The friars came. They ate. They relaxed. They raced for whatever patch of sun they could find. And, they stayed. It was all very simple and uncomplicated. We just had fun by just hanging out. Just being around each other. Just celebrating the rites of spring together. Just being brothers.

This is part of what “fraternity in mission” is about for us. Yes, we take our ministries very seriously, and friars do work hard. Sometimes, too hard. But we also like to play. And it’s just great to get together with the brothers and do just that.The twenty-some friars who attended this year’s event represent a fair cross-section of our men in the San Francisco Bay Area: Fr. Floyd Lotito from St. Boniface in San Francisco’s Tenderloin; Father Finian McGinn, recuperating from surgery and looking better each day; Richard Purcell cracking jokes and navigating with his walker; student friars like Chris Best, Louis Khoury, and Nghia Pham taking a break from their final exams and papers. And, their teachers were there, as well—also taking respite from end of the term stresses: Friar Joe Chinnici and others from the nearby Franciscan School of Theology were on hand.

Oh, and our “boss”, Fr. Mel (the Provincial) was there, too— just back from a meeting in Denver. So was Tom West, our vicar provincial. Ponchie Vasquez brought his mom and her friend, both visiting from Texas. And our new postulant applicants were there, too—Ryan, Mike, Jose, and Phillip—looking none the worse for wear after their admissions interviews (but still in the dark as to whether they’d been accepted or not). Oh, I showed up for a while, as well. I took my bicyle on the train from Sacramento and rode into Dodge before 2.

Brothers together. That’s the way we are and were: old and young and in between. The well and the convalescing. The hungry and the “no thanks, I had a big lunch’. All of us mixing it up and just enjoying being with each other for a few hours in the chilly spring. And in the warmth of the Lord’s love.

So. Maybe we’ll see you there next year! Put it on your calendars. And if you’re in the area, let me know. We’ll have you over for burgers and Earthquake Cake, too. But dress warm. They don’t call it the Coldest Day in May for nothin’.

Brother Jeff is leaving... or is he?

Brother Jeff Shackleton, 45, has been with our community for seven years. Soon, he will need to decide either to renew his temporary vows or else leave our formation program. It’s an agonizing decision for any man who has entered religious life, but Jeff’s situation is illustrative of the ongoing nature of vocational discernment.

Discernment doesn’t stop at the front door of the friary. Trying to understand God’s will is a step by step, day by day process for each and all of us. And it’s a lifelong process, as well. Not a once and for all time commitment. We are human beings, not angels. We make our promises and, with the grace of God, we do our best to keep them. But only the saints among us have anything remotely like a perfect record.

I tell men who are in discernment with us and who decide to apply to our postulancy program: “Please relax. You are not making a decision for the rest of your life. You are making a decision for the next nine months—to enter into one of our houses and live with us in order to try on our way of life and see if it fits.” Sometimes I have to remind the solemnly professed friars of the same thing: “Look, Brothers, we are not considering men for solemn profession at this point. There are bound to be lots of quirks and rough spots in a person’s life, unless he has done a really good job of airbrushing his resume. We are looking to see if a man has the desire, the discipline, and the potential to try his vocation with us.”

At this point it may be instructive to repeat the drill. A man who may be considering a call to religious life contacts us, either in person, by letter or phone, or more increasingly, by email. Our Vocations Office responds, sends him a packet of information and a brief questionnaire. Once a man returns the questionnaire, we set up a “let’s get acquainted” meeting. Or we may invite him to one of our monthly prayer and discernment groups (Los Angeles, Oakland, Berkeley, Phoenix/Tucson, Portland). If he comes to a monthly meeting, we’ll give him a nice dinner, show him around the house, sit with him and the 3-5 other men who may be there as well, and, well, just talk. We make suggestions for things to read, people to see (like a local spiritual director), and things to do (volunteer lay ministry in a parish, social service, etc.) that may help. If a man seems reasonably serious, we will invite him to one of several retreats we offer during the course of the year. Then, usually after a period of anywhere from 6-18 months, he may decide to apply to postulancy—the first phase of our formal formation process.

See? It’s all step by step, poco à poco. That’s the way the Spirit works. Nice and easy. Set a good foundation in prayer, service, spiritual direction, community contact. One step leads naturally to another—gently, firmly, confidently. There should be no drama about this. Drama doesn’t do it. At any point, a man may opt out. That’s just fine. It is not the mark of a failed vocation—it’s a sign that, after having done his footwork, a man may have more clarity and peace about his vocation. And his vocation may not be with us. It is not time wasted; it’s time well spent.

As in the case of our brother Jeff, the discernment continues in a very distinctive way throughout the early years of Franciscan formation—through postulancy, novitiate, and what is called “temporary profession” or “postnovitiate formation.” At the conclusion of his second year with us—the novitiate—a man will make public vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for a period of one year. Here, the process is more formally structured. Most often, a man lives with other men “in formation.” They have common experiences, meet for days of reflection and retreats together. Each man is evaluated periodically-- he meets with his director on a regular basis to discuss how he is growing in his life—as a human being, as a Christian, as a Franciscan. At the conclusion of each “year”, he may opt to renew his vows, re-up for another year. He may decide to leave. Or the community may ask him to leave. Most often, it’s a mutual decision— we try to let a man know where he stands with us. No trap doors.

Again, departing from formation is a decision, not a disgrace. I need to say that because some folks are still walking around with the idea in their heads that if they don’t ‘make it’ in religious life, they have failed as human beings. Often this attitude comes from the expectations we have of ourselves or the expectations of one’s family or community. Which ain’t necessarily the will of God in one’s life.

The third time is a charm. After a man has renewed his vows for three consecutive years (up to a maximum of nine years), he may apply for solemn (lifelong) profession. If he can’t decide after the maximum amount of time, he needs to leave. There is wisdom in this. A man who can’t or won’t make up his mind can drive himself and other people bonkers.

So what about men who are solemnly professed? Don’t some of them leave, too? Is it true that ‘forever’ isn’t ‘forever’ anymore? Well, let’s be honest and look around us. How many people vow to marriage and stay together their entire lifetime? We are part of society, too. Some people burn out. Some may face a midlife crisis. Others may fall in love. We are human beings. So people leave. Some for a while, only to return later on. Others for good.

How does it feel when a friar leaves? It depends on who is leaving, but yes, it can hurt like hell, too. We open our hearts to each other, hope and trust that we will grow old/er together. That we will always have access to each other in the wonderful ways in which the roots of our lives have knitted (and tangled!) themselves together over time. And the ways in which we have come to endure, tolerate, accept, and then even delight in each other’s goofiness. Yep, it can hurt. And so it is with life. You don’t get any dispensation from pain in religious community.

So, Brother Jeff is up for renewal of vows. Whether he or any man decides to stay or leave, we pray that his decision be marked by that deep sense of inner peace which is a sure sign of the Spirit’s presence, protection, and care. And as a community, we are blessed by all the time and energy a man gives to our life and ministry together—whether it be a single day or an entire lifetime.

Over 40? What's age got to do with it?

"Help! I'm over 40! Would your community consider me for acceptance?" Well, it all depends. Our Province will consider candidates for formation between the ages of 21 and 40, without concern for age. For men between the ages of 40 and 45, we will consider candidates on a case by case basis. We would rarely consider a candidate past the age of 45.

How come? Can't God call someone at any age, from any circumstance of life to become a priest, brother, deacon, or lay leader? Isn't there a terrible shortage of clergy and religious anyhow? And besides, isn't "50" the "new 40"?

I don't disagree with these arguments. In fact, if anyone should favor them, it would be someone like myself. After all, I entered community myself at age 43, so I have a natural sympathy/ empathy for older discerners. That having been said, here is how things look from the perspective of most religious communities today:

The general thinking is that entry into religious life requires a major adjustment in one's way of thinking and relating to others. A younger man, it is argued, will have an easier time adjusting to both the novelty and the strains of living in community. An older man, especially one who as maintained a relatively independent lifestyle, may find community life especially stressful. An older candidate may be more used to his privacy. How will he adjust to the give and take of community living? He may find himself with men half his age as his confreres. How is he going to relate to them? A man who has had a job/career may be used to going to the ATM or using his credit card on the spur of the moment for dinner or entertainment. How will he handle living a radically simplified lifestyle in which he may not have absolute control over certain decisions?

Additionally, more is expected from an older candidate. What have been his life experiences? What has he learned from the ups and downs of life? A younger man, naturally, has had less life experience, is more open and receptive to formation in community. And so on.

Again, I don't know if I agree entirely with this line of reasoning. After all, who are we to put limits on God? I keep a folder of inquiries I have received from men over 45 years of age. I call it my "Eleventh Hour" file. It is quite a thick folder by now. A 'sign of the times', perhaps. Is the Lord trying to tell us something here?

Still, the present reality is this: most religious communities in the United States are reluctant to work with older candidates. Period. And it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. (Just for the sake of comparison, some communities in other parts of the world hesitate to accept men over 25!)....

So. What's the older inquirer to do? There are a number of options. If a man is especially drawn to the Franciscan charism, he has the option of joining the Secular Franciscans-- the order for laypeople founded by St. Francis himself to enable people to live Gospel values in the circumstances of their daily lives with the support of other, likeminded women and men. There are Secular fraternities throughout the US and the world, part of a movement of lay spirituality involving more than one million laypeople throughout the world! (Consider that there are fewer than 15,000 friars and about 20,000 Poor Clare Franciscan women in the world)....

Secondly, a man can consider discerning for a diocesan vocation as priest or deacon, if community is not his primary concern.

Thirdly, he can contact some of the (very) few groups who will consider older candidates. I have put together the following list over the past few years. I hope it will be of some help. If you find any errors or have other ideas/suggestions, I would really appreciate your feedback. Email me at friarchat@yahoo.com Thanks. Good luck! And God bless!

Religious Communities of Men which will consider older candidates:

Capuchin Franciscan Friars (OFM.Cap)
Our Lady of Angels Province
1345 Cortez Ave.
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 342-1489
www.beafriar.org
email: beafriar@yahoo.com

The Salvatorians
Society of the Divine Savior
1735 N. Hi-Mount Blvd.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53208
(414) 258-1735-1720
www.sdsvocations.com
email: Scott@salvatorians.com

The Benedictines
Monastery Of The Ascension
541 East–100 South
Jerome, ID 83338
208-324-2377
www.idahomonks.org
Email: frken@idahomonks.org

Missionaries of the Holy Family
Vocations Director: Rev. Camillo Botello, MSF
104 Cas Hills Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78213
Tel: 888/484-9945
www.msf-america.org
email: CBotello@MSF-America.org

Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd
Brother Charles Schreiner, BGS
Villa Mathias
901 Brother Mathias Place
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Tel. 505-243-4238
www.lbgs.org

After Sister Death Comes Brother Tim

“So, Brother. Tell me. What happens after a friar dies?”
I stared expectantly at Brother Timothy. Without blinking, he calmly replied: “Well, I expect that he either goes to heaven or the other place.”

Well, that’s not exactly what I intended by my question. What I really wanted to know is, what happens to a friar’s personal effects—his stuff—when he passes on? If anyone has the answer to that question, it would Brother Timothy Arthur. No, Brother Tim is not our provincial mortician; he is, rather, our provincial archivist. And yes, there is a difference.

We sat in his office at Old Mission Santa Barbara (California). The walls were lines with files and display cases, all neatly organized and carefully arranged. Brother Tim opened a copy of our provincial Statutes, or regulations adapted to local circumstances. For a second, I winced in embarrassment. I hadn’t cracked that particular book since my novitiate, ‘lo these many years ago. Quietly and purposefully, he pointed out the very specific policies and procedures to be implemented in the event of a friar’s death.

It all came back to me. The year was 1998. I was just getting ready to make my solemn profession. A letter arrived from our Provincial Office. I hurried to slice open the envelope, expecting some last-minute instructions for the ceremony. Instead, I found a form letter asking me to designate the kind of music I would like for my funeral (!) and the names of relatives and others to whom I would like to leave my personal belongings after my death. Here I hadn’t even received the golden handshake of solemn profession and I was already within a hair’s breadth of the clammy grasp of Sister Death. Talk about a reality check! Give me a break, guys.

Still, as harsh and unsettling as it may seem at first, the truth is that life and death are side by side. So are their attendant practicalities. Brother Tim patiently explained: After a friar dies, his room is usually sealed by the guardian or himself (the archivist). We look in our files or in those of the deceased to see if he has left any written bequests. We’re not talking about big items here—real estate, pricey jewelry or the like. It’s all remarkably small potatoes. Who do you want to be the recipient of your family photos and other personal memorabilia? What kind of funeral service (songs, readings, etc.) do you want? Where and how would you like to be buried? The truth is that a friar has very little in the way of material possessions—clothes, music, books, maybe a stamp collection or a camera.

It’s all pretty down to earth. Not that the friars necessarily are, though. We’re human beings, too. We don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about death or planning our funerals. We put things off, lose our paperwork, get distracted and wander. Some brothers will leave behind just a few drawers of old and highly used clothing. Others are pack rats extraordinaire, with piles of books, newspapers, and files crammed into every available inch of space in their rooms. Some brothers are meticulous and dutiful—personal papers in apple pie order in a metal storage box in case of fire. But don’t count on it. Not a few of our confreres would require the services of a private detective to find their stuff. And according to Brother Tim, more than one friar has had the novel idea of stashing his passport, wallet, and other personal papers in the bottom of his wastebasket as an ill-advised precaution against theft.

Ready or not, Sister Death will come visiting. And so will someone like Brother Tim—trying in his patient, gentle, and methodical way to respect the brother’s last wishes and at the same time to preserve for future generations something of the material legacy (journals, collections of homilies, publications, correspondence, and the like) that witnesses to a friar’s life and ministry.//

The All Too Frequent Visits of Sister Death

I’ve just returned from attending the funeral of Elda Macnab, 94, the mother of Jeff, one of our friars. Her passing is just the most recent loss in our extended Franciscan family. Since the first of the year, no fewer than six friars from our Province have died, including our beloved brother Emmanuel Muessiggang, just a month shy of his 100th birthday. Add to the list Friars Anthony Bauman, 88; Bart Mitchell, 84; Lester Mitchell, 79; Michel Gagnon, 76, and David Hitchcock, 74. In addition, parents of three of our friars have passed on as well. I've been asking myself latetly: "Hey, what the heck is going on here?"

St. Francis has given us an enduring insight by presenting all of life a metaphorical sibling to each of us. Hence, the endearing titles of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and so on. Last on his list was Sister Death: “Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,” he wrote in his celebrated Canticle of the Creatures in 1225, “from whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.” Death was for Francis no Grim Reaper, no sinister force to be feared and held at bay as long as possible. But rather, in his worldview, Death is part of this life and the natural gateway to eternal life.

Even after 800 years, this is still a difficult insight for many of us to accept and absorb. What is behind this resistance to “Sister” Death, then? Let’s be frank: our high ideals notwithstanding, we are still human beings. We experience fear and suffer loss—especially the loss of people whom we love, cherish and respect. And that loving and losing hurts.

Yes, we friars do love and miss our brothers. We, just as the society as a whole, are now losing our share of the members of the so-called Greatest Generation. These were men whose early lives were shaped by the Great Depression of the Thirties, followed by the tremendous personal and social dislocation of Word War II and the Korean War. Our confreres often came from big Catholic families of immigrant background. And they flocked to monasteries, friaries, and seminaries in great numbers at the end of the war. As friars, they weathered the sweeping changes of Vatican II and upheaval of the Vietnam era. Over time, they saw some of their classmates leave religious life and ministry. They also witnessed the rise, success, and even decline of programs and projects they worked so diligently to initiate and foster.

These ‘good soldiers’ of religious life are leaving us now. They have seen it all and lived through a great many changes in their lifetimes, yet remained faithful to their calling. Yes, we do miss them. But not just because of what they accomplished in ministry, but because of who they were as people. They were and still are our brothers. Thank God for the Communion of Saints. In our Catholic tradition, we believe that we continue to walk with our brothers and sisters who have gone before us. And we continue to rely upon their prayers and friendship.

But for right now: Sister Death, please—um, could you just back off for a little bit, okay? We need some time to breathe, to collect and recollect ourselves. To ask the Spirit: What are you trying to teach us through the passing of our brothers? And where are You leading us from here?//