A Story Close to my Heart: A Revelation For the World that has been LONG OVERDUE

I don't need to give much of a dissertation on this one, as the video (clip) below does it much better than I ever could. But I will say this: The next time we find ourselves in prayer or feeling extra charitable, let us NOT forget the poverty and suffering going on in our own backyard. There is a forgotten people in this country of ours, the greatest country in the world, and I am resolved to reverse that fact as much as I possibly can. These are some incredible people who TRULY NEED OUR HELP! I encourage you to watch this clip and hopefully the full 20/20 episode, help in any way that you can, and keep our native brothers and sisters in your thoughts, prayers, and charitable actions. 



³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³ and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
   ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Mesomething to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
   ⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~Matthew 25:31-46

Seminary gave me GUTS

A little story: For the first 7 years of life, I had a very serious case of introversion. It got so bad that I was taken for observation and treatment to a psychologist/counselor. I vividly remember having to talk to a family of puppets named the Johnson Family. Evidently this therapy had a positive affect! HA!  Long story short, my shell was just harder than most people and I finally broke out of it fully around 16 years old! Praised be Jesus Christ! I was finally talking, sharing my opinions, asking questions in class and I just wasn't afraid anymore....when it came to "talking" that is. At age 21, I made one of the best decisions in my life and answered God's call to discern the Catholic Priesthood and enter the Seminary. When I entered, something was tugging at me to try out for the one an only "official" organization on the Seminary campus, The Schola Cantorum (Seminary Choir). WHAT WAS I THINKING? I had never so much as hummed or even whistled in front of ANYBODY in my life. Well, once again, I can wholeheartedly say that God took the reigns and I somehow tried out for the Schola and made it as a 1st Tenor! This surprised the hell out of me! But, I saw it as a blessing and God's will that I share my gift with my brothers and the faithful who come to worship at the Abbey! It took lots convincing from myself and from my mentor, Br. Benedict Robert O.S.B, that I actually had a decent enough voice. It took a full year for me to sing solo and the recordings below humbly showcase what God had given me the opportunity to do! The last video is my personal favorite piece that myself and my Schola brothers sang during a fall semester Mass! Please enjoy!

St. Pio and Our Lady

Praised be Jesus Christ! I realize that this homily is from last September, but I found it very poignant for me at this time in my life as I continue to work on my relationship with and devotion to my Heavenly Mother! This is Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia, Friar and Priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate! I have been following him and his homilies for some time now. He is not the most dynamic speaker, but his words are incredibly authentic and captivating!

 

The Christ in ALL of us...

A thought God laid on my heart today: 

Jesus Christ is in every person, right?  And so many people, our brothers and sisters, in this world are poor, suffering, marginalized... but how many of us "fortunate" individuals actually take even a moment to care! What if it was Jesus in the flesh on the street crippled and suffering? Would we stop??? Is Christ not in every single person?

 

    

Let us see Christ in EVERYONE! The poor, the suffering, the marginalized, our enemies...

First Look at Peter Jackson's "Hobbit"....FINALLY!!!

I...CANNOT....WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Supposedly to be released in 2013...

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in a familiar place we all know, his home Bag End! 

Sir Ian McKellan is back as Gandalf!

The Franciscan Breakdown

Many of you have asked about the Capuchin religious order that I am joining in September and if it is actually Franciscan. The answer is YES and very much so! The Franciscan family is a very large and diverse group. Praised be Jesus Christ for that! The basic breakdown within the Catholic Church is into three orders:

First Order: Male, broken down into 3 groups: 

1) OFM
2) Capuchins (OFMCap)
3) Conventuals (OFMConv)

Second Order: Female, consisting of various groups of Poor Clare Nuns

Third Order: Both male and female.  
There are 2  breakdowns here:

1) Third Order Regular
2) Third Order Secular (Secular Franciscan Order)

Further breakdowns are made into provinces, which are sometimes geographical and sometimes not. Along with this there can be vice-provinces and custodies. There can also be groups outside this structure such as various pious associations, secular institutes and non-canonical groups. There are also some meta-organizations built around Franciscans in a certain country or working in a particular kind of ministry.  There are even some Franciscan groups outside the Catholic Church, like the various groups of Anglican Franciscans.

By far the most diverse part of the Franciscan Family is the Third Order Regular groups. The largest male group is the TOR’s, but there are also other smaller male groups. The female groups are very numerous and widespread, and each is an order unto itself.

(Taken from The Franciscan Institute Library; St. Bonaventure University)

Each one of these orders and groups makes up St. Francis' Family tree and each have their own beautiful and intriguing origins and stories. All worth reading about and studying! I hope this helps to give a basic understanding!  PAX ET BONUM (Peace and All Good)! 

Identity Crisis?

In a world that makes us question so many things - ourselves, our existence, our purpose, the meaning of life....it's no wonder, from time to time, we find ourselves suffering with our own identity. Throughout life, it is so very important in those instances when we experience these identity crisis', to FIRST, do this.....

LOOK at a CRUCIFIX! 

This is our identity. 

SEE it.....RECALL it.....CONTEMPLATE it.....BELIEVE it.....LIVE it! 

Prayer Before the Crucifix

Look down upon me good and gentle Jesus, while before Thy face I humbly kneel and with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment, while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Thy Five Wounds, pondering over them within me and calling to mind the words which David, Thy prophet said of Thee, my Jesus, “They have pierced My Hands and My Feet, they have numbered all My Bones.” [Psalm 21: 17 – 18]

WHOA! Is that Jesus in the middle of the Street?

WOW! Talk about taking it to the streets! In a world that depends so much on tangible, visible, touchable experiences....This is what our world could use more of...Don't forget! You can always meet Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration at a nearby Catholic Church! He is ALWAYS present there in "Visible" form! However, let's also not forget that He is present everywhere and always, forever and ever! Peace and Blessings Y'all!

Post Graduation, Future Plans!

+PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST+

Yesterday I received some very exciting and long-awaited news. Now that things are a bit more certain and set in stone, I feel that it is the right time to let everyone know what I will be doing come September...

Since graduating from my beloved St. Joseph Seminary College, I have discontinued formation with the Diocese of Austin. I am leaving on very good terms with both Bishop Vasquez and the Diocese. I have been formally and officially accepted for entrance into the Capuchin Franciscan religious order, and if all goes according to plan, I will be entering the first formation year called the postulancy in early September. This particular Province (community) of Friars are located in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Black Forest, Colorado; as well as Hay, Victoria, and Lawrence, Kansas. 

The Capuchin Franciscans are another branch of the Franciscans. All Franciscans are followers of the great St. Francis of Assisi and they live their lives radically and authentically according to the Gospel. They take three vows, Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, somewhat similar to a Diocesan Priest. The community is made up of Brothers and Priests, and at this point in my discernement, I still feel very called to the Priesthhod and plan on continuing that path just in this different way. I will be spending 1-2 years as a postulant and then 1 year as a novice in the year they call the "notiviate year" (this particular year, I will be living in Santa Ynez, California). At the start of the novitiate year, is when I will receive the Habit (the Brown robe with the long Capuchin hood)! Until then, I wear normal, everyday, what one might call "civilian" clothing as well as a Franciscan Cross around my neck. After these initial 2-3 years of formation, should I be ready, I will take my first vows as a Friar for the next three or so years. Perpetual/Solemn vows come after that. 

Here is a quick synopsis about the Capuchins from the Province that I will be joining, The Mid-American Province of St. Conrad in Denver, Colorado:

[Capuchins are perhaps most easily recognized by the brown habit and long capuche (hood) for which the Order is named. Renowned as peacemakers and simple, approachable religious, the Capuchin friars have been serving the Church in the United States since the 17th century. Capuchins were among the first missionaries in Maine, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, and all along the Mississippi River. The first pastors of both New York City and St. Louis were Capuchins. Today there are seven regional jurisdictions of Capuchins in the continental United States and others in Puerto Rico and the Marianna and Hawaiian Islands. Usually found in the poorer sections of towns and cities, the Capuchins have a special charism for working among those who are most looked down upon and willingly taking the assignments which others refuse. You will find Capuchins working in soup kitchens and homeless shelters, working as hospital chaplains or in prison ministry. Additionally, you may find Capuchins serving as parish priests or university professors, as preachers and nurses and as missionaries to distant lands. You may even find Capuchins serving in your local shopping mall.

A Capuchin is many things to many people. He is above all else, however, a brother among brothers and a man committed to prayer. Capuchin friars build their life and ministry on these two essential foundations: prayer and fraternity. Centered upon their Eucharistic Lord and supported by a loving devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, personal and community prayer nourishes the friars’ relationship with God and one another and enables them to give fully of themselves to those they serve in ministry. Along with prayer, fraternity is of great importance to a Capuchin friar. This fraternal life provides them with companionship while witnessing their brotherhood to an increasingly isolated and alienated world. The charism, when lived authentically, is a witness to the gospel life in which, after washing the disciples' feet, the Lord exhorts his followers to do the same for others.

The Province of Mid- America was established in 1977, serving Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and most of Illinois, and missions in Puerto Rico and Papua, New Guinea, and more recently, Mexico. Its nine stateside friaries are located in Denver, Black Forest, and Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Hays, Victoria, and Lawrence, Kansas]

 If y'all have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to call, text, e-mail, or message me!

THANK YOU so much in advance for all of your prayers and faithful support! This is a big change and big step in my discernment and formation, but it is one that I feel God is truly calling me to! He truly works in mysterious ways and I will continue to follow with an unyielding faith!