Happy Feast of St. Francis!

My Dear Brother and Sister Associates and Members of the Order of Franciscan Hermits... HAPPY FEAST DAY!  

St. Francis died on October 3, 1226, but we celebrate his Feast Day liturgically each year on October 4th.  I am FILLED with the emotions of JOY and LOVE for him and I'm grateful for the example he gave us, but more especially this year, because YOU are part of our Franciscan Family!!!  

You are such a WONDERFUL group of people who truly care about one another.  We pray each day for our family and friends and share our struggles, sadness and JOY with one another and have come a long way to learn to focus on what UNITES us as Franciscans and Christians, rather than on what Divides us.  Through this, we have not only learned about living the "Greatest Commandment... To LOVE... God... our Neighbors... Ourselves... Our Enemies," but have also witnessed Miracles in the lives of many people we have prayed for each day.  

THANK YOU LORD for Hearing Our Prayers!

We have grown to 1,505 Associates and Members in over 37 Countries worldwide since our official start 15 months ago. That is an AMAZING accomplishment and is certainly a visible sign of the Holy Spirit working within our Community. Let us continue to pray for all of those who need our prayers and let us be living examples of Christ's LOVE to them, just as Francis was.

Each day we should spend some time enriching our Spiritual Lives by studying our Franciscan History, various prayer techniques and learning about the lives of the Saints as Ongoing Formation.  A great place to start is our OFH Formation page at: http://Formation.FranciscanHermits.org. There you will find many inspiring books, videos, and articles.

I encourage you to "Meet Our Members" by visiting our OFH Directory.  (Note: Associates are only listed in our Facebook Group). Perhaps there is someone who lives in your area that you would like to get to know and meet someday. Because we are so spread out, the web seems to be the most practical (and affordable) solution right now, but if you're interesting having a local fraternity, I encourage you to tell your friends in your church or Diocese about the OFH and invite them to Join Us (http://JoinUs.FranciscanHermits.org).  From there you're welcome to meet one another either 1-on-1 or as a group, but this is NOT mandatory. 

Will you join me in the "Peace Prayer" in honor of St. Francis, praying for World Peace?

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
AMEN!

Pax et Bonum Dear Brothers and Sisters... PEACE and GOODNESS...

Br. Paul
Founder and Guardian of the Order of Franciscan Hermits.