This week, on October 4, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. In honor of his feast, I will be giving a presentation of Francis’ worldview on Monday, September 30, at 7:00 pm; all are welcome. It is customary for Franciscans to remember Francis’ death, his passing, or in Latin, his “Transitus.” This year that service will take place at the Felician Sisters Chapel, 36800 Schoolcraft, on the evening before, October 3, also at 7:00 pm; all are welcome! Blessing of Pets will take place Saturday, October 5, 11:00 am in the prayer garden.
I thought this might be a good time to share a little bit more about the daily life of the friars. Our goal, as our Rule states, is “live the Gospel,” and we hope that happens in the context of our daily life and ministry.
We gather each morning in our chapel for Morning Prayer at 7:30 am. Each of us has usually taken some time for breakfast and private personal prayer before that gathering. Days are filled with ministry in the parish and the Franciscan Outreach Program. We return each evening for Evening Prayer at 5:00 pm. After prayer, we chat a bit before supper. The evenings are often filled with meetings, or when it is free, some time for reading or homily preparation. We gather again most evenings at 9:00 pm to share and process the day for about a half hour.
We break our routine a bit on Saturday and Sunday morning, when we pray the Divine Office in private. Sometimes we might have Mass together in our chapel on Saturday morning, just the friars, for a friar who has recently passed away.
We are blessed with a cook for the evening meal, Tammy Neznek, Monday through Friday. Br. Phil, Br. Eric, and Fr. Jeff take turns cooking the evening meal on Saturdays and Sundays, and we often make a big breakfast on Saturday mornings! Fr. Jeremy is our expert dishwasher. Lunches are usually leftovers after the noon mass or Saturday confessions.
We meet once a month (2nd Friday of the month 9:00 am) for about an hour of sharing and discussion in our “Friary Chapter.” During this gathering we update each other on significant events in our lives, and then talk about any necessary friary or provincial business.
We take the 3rd Friday of the month as a Day of Prayer and Recollection. We sometimes stay home, but many times we enjoy the hospitality of our Capuchin brothers at St. Bonaventure Monastery. They give each of us a private room to use for the day and invite us to lunch and supper. We are free to use the grounds and chapel. We often meet after lunch to discuss some Franciscan document or article on spirituality.
In the house, I serve as the “Guardian,” meaning I coordinate life in the friary and minister to the other friars. Br. Phil is the “Vicar,” and takes care of things if I am away. To support ourselves, I receive the stipend that is set by the Archdiocese for pastors; Fr. Jeremy, working half time, receives half. Br. Phil’s is supported from the Province retirement fund. Br. Eric’s and Br. Ed’s needs are provided for from our Franciscan Province. I keep the books, and we send in quarterly contributions to assist in providing for our administration, elderly, and training of new members. We are grateful to be here among you in this parish, and we would be thrilled if any young man from the parish might be interested in joining our Franciscan life.
Fr. Jeff