CAN I KNOW TRUTH? (Ch 2, 1: Ukraine as a Martyred People; Pope Francis is Accused of Russophobia)
The Church in the World “Do not be afraid, Mary” (Lk 1:30). “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38)
Mary’s free decision to be the Mother of the Savior of the world turned fear to joy. She would hear her Son say many times to his disciples: Do not be afraid! She would witness the growing power of hostility and rejection built around her Son until the hour of the Cross when he was dying like a failure. “Woman, behold your Son!” (Jn 19:26). She would receive a new mission to become a mother in a new way: the mother of all who believe in her Son Jesus and wish to follow him. The joy of the Resurrection touched her heart and united her in a new way to the disciples. The Immaculate became the way to her Son’s Kingdom, the Star of the Sea.
Fear underlies the darkness of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With the Mother of hope, we remember that during Vatican II the Church in the world finally became the real central problem! In a letter[1] dated 7 October 2022, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI gives an opportunity to redress Vatican II. His three encyclicals: God is Love (2005), Saved in Hope (2007) and Charity in Justice (2009) offer a summation of his hope for the Church in the world as the real central problem. The Immaculate’s new mission and realization of this change at Vatican II is visible in an interview of Pope Francis on 28 November. “When I speak of Ukraine, I speak of martyred people. …There is someone who martyrs them. …I have much information on the cruelty of the troops that come… Chechens, Buryats, etc. …It is well known who I’m condemning. It’s not necessary that I state the name and surname.”[2]
The hostility and rejection around Jesus until the hour of the Cross is not over. Maria Zajarova, spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Russian Federation, said that Pope Francis’ statement is beyond Russophobic. The Russian Ambassador to the Holy See, Alexander Avdeev, presented a formal complaint on behalf of his country that the Pope insinuates that Russian military men committed alleged atrocities in the course of the special military operations in Ukraine. The leader of the Chechen Parliament, Majomed Daudov, said: “I don’t know how the Pontiff justified his statements, but there is not a single fact that indicates that the representatives of our nations have committed a war crime.”[3] Americans are attentive to the news media since the fabricated motive and unjust invasion. They think critically.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and attempts to justify it shout out. What do Americans think about the trauma of communism today? On 24 February I thought Communist inspired injustices in Europe were over. My naivete evaporated in a flash. I remembered what I had been studying.[4] Many Ukrainians said: “We were shocked, but not surprised.”[5] A dehumanized past as the Holodomor in 1932-33[6] has not healed deep wounds but has become weaponized.
While thinking about the Mother of the Savior at the foot of the Cross, think of the concept of the attack on Christendom in the mid nineteenth century. Christendom in the works of Kierkegaard, a Danish Lutheran, reflected the modern form of Christianity now infected with secularity. That meant forgetting Christ (and for us Catholics, his Mother) as constitutive of Christianity. Christ was being edited out and replaced by worldly wisdom. Christ was no longer a challenge to the comfortable nineteenth century situation. With Christ out of the picture, the culture was returning to being like the pagans of old. They sought wisdom wherever they might find it, possibly in the New Testament. Kierkegaard described the attack upon Christendom in the mode of a prophetic critique, one that was able to discern what is genuine and counterfeit.
Kierkegaard’s criticism of the Danish appropriation of European culture was to embarrass would-be pretenders in high culture. He despised the Danish epigones of Hegel [7] who did not believe in Christian afterlife. Marxism’s roots are here. Lenin, Stalin and others built their interpretation of Marxism into a totalitarian Soviet bloc, and no country could leave it. The reversal in 1989 never brought the perpetrators of atrocities to justice. The secret police established by Lenin were never disbanded. Stalin’s reestablishment of the Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1943 gave him control. As de facto dictator, Putin has made Russia a terror state again starting with the annexation of Crimea and the Ukraine conflict. He changed the name, but the underlying terror is renewed in plain sight. The invasion of Ukraine and attempts to validate it now target Pope Francis who has offered to mediate the conflict.
The attack against Pope Francis who constantly speaks to peace is wrong. Lies awaken trauma too difficult for older victims to express. After the end of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991, the destruction of moral judgment remained. The rules of the game means to outwit the enemy by breaking any and all rules. Moral atrophy was spawned and has not left.
May the Mother of hope, the Star of the Sea shine upon us and guide us. Since Vatican II, a new situation has arisen for the Church, a process of the Church awakening in souls, not a preordained process. Crises in the Church and world as the Ukraine-Russian conflict, hide attempts to bleach out Christ, his Mother and her new mission from the Cross. Crises contribute to fear and doubt in a traumatized world. Quick interpretations often miss the mark. The victims of Communism shout warnings about totalitarianism! We listen to Christ: Do not be afraid!
Fr. Ed Ondrako, OFM Conv., Univ. of Notre Dame, eondrako@alumni.nd.edu
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[1] Pope Benedict, XVI, Letter to the President of Franciscan University of Steubenville, 7 October 2022. The occasion was an International Symposium dealing with his ecclesiology. [2] Interview, America Magazine. 28 November 2022. [3]Zenit, 30 November 2022. [4] Between 1980 and 1994 I was privileged to do extensive study at Syracuse University. In 1989 and 1990, I visited and spoke with several people in what was then Czechoslovakia. [5] Clemens Sedmak, A. James McAdams, eds, The Trauma of Communism (Lviv: The Catholic University Press, 2022), 9. The Nanovic Institute at Notre Dame offers free copies. nanovic.nd.edu [6]Holodomor is the artificial starvation of Ukrainians by Stalin and massive loss of life. [7] Hegel is the early nineteenth century thinker who remains in the forefront today.
Fr. Edward J. Ondrako, OFM Conventual
Research Fellow Pontifical Faculty of St. Bonaventure, Rome
Visiting Scholar, McGrath Institute for Church Life
University of Notre Dame
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ December 8, 2022
Our friars living and serving in Hamburg, NY hosted members of the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo, to remember Józef Sławiński, the Polish artist and sculptor whose works include the sgraffito decorating of the main entrance to the St. Francis of Assisi Friary (St. Francis Drive, Hamburg, NY) and the reredosin the Friary Chapel. Fr. Charles Jagodzinski, OFM Conv., who vividly remembers the artist working in the friary, presided at the Mass. Afterward, the art club attendees toured the chapel, shared stories with the friars, and even had the opportunity to see the signature of then-Archbishop Karol Józef Wojtyła of Kraków (Saint John Paul II), from his September 17, 1969, visit to the friary (below).
Friar Michael & some of the Board Members and the Center’s Executive Director – Mr. Jeffrey Griffin (at right)
On December 1, 2022, Our Lady of the Angels Minister Provincial, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. was awarded the Spirit of St Francis Award at the Voices from the Heart Gala: A Stary Night. This Annual Gala is the Franciscan Center of Baltimore’s signature event held each Fall, celebrating those who built and supported them, and of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children they have served together for over 54 years. Funds raised from the event allow The Franciscan Center to continue to serve their clients, students and neighbors through the tough winter months.
Top Row: Matthew Jones (Outreach Coordinator & Farmer ~ Little Portion Farm), Kelly Neale (AmeriCorps Volunteer ~ Little Portion Farm), Friar Michael, Fr. Donald Grzymski, OFM Conv. (President ~ Archbishop Curley High School) Bottom Row: Fr. Dennis Grumsey, OFM Conv. (Pastor ~ AOB Pastorate including St. Casimir and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Churches), Fr. Bart Karwacki, OFM Conv. (Guardian of St. Casimir Friary), Br. Ed Handy, OFM Conv. (St. Casimir Friary), and Fr. Jacob Carazo, OFM Conv. (a friar of the St. Joseph of Cupertino Province in California, who serves as Assistant Formation Director of our St. Bonaventure Friary Post-Novitiate)
“…Father Emmanuel Acquaye, a chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, thinks soccer and Advent go together like candy canes and Christmas trees. ‘I love it,’’ said Father Acquaye, a native of Ghana who played as a goaltender through high school before coming to the U.S. in 2013. ‘I think Advent and the World Cup are a natural fit. Advent is all about the joy of waiting for the arrival of the Lord, and the World Cup is all about joy. When you enter that stadium or turn on that TV, you forget about religious ideologies and politics and it’s just the joy of the game. …It’s like walking into heaven. Soccer finds a way to cut through differences and bring people together…'”
Friar Michael reflects on his November 2022 trip to the Amazon and his visit with Friar Erick Marin Carballo, OFM Conv., who serves on a team of itinerant missionary disciples in the Amazon.
If you live in the Syracuse, NY area and you have never tried Fat Friar Cookies, you are in for a real “treat!”
This continued tradition, with a recipe & decorated shape perfected about a decade ago by Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Nick Spano, OFM Conv., not only are these Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies deliciously adorable, 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these and the Linzer Tart Cookies goes directly to helping the Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen ministry of our Franciscan Church of the Assumption, to provide nutritious food to those in need in the Syracuse, NY area. Your deadline is December 13th, so get your order in today, before you forget. This special Christmas promotion pick up is on December 22nd, only at the Assumption Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen.
Fat Friar Cookies are also sometimes available at another ministry of Assumption Church ~ The Franciscan Place, a chapel, spiritual sanctuary & religious goods shop, in Syracuse’s Destiny USA Mall. Call ahead to see if they have any in stock.
Side Note: Fr. Nick Spano, OFM Conv. now serves the province as Pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish (Coal Township, PA) and St. Patrick Parish (Trevorton, PA), two of three parishes in Pennsylvania’s Northumberland Coal Region, served by our province friars.
In the Bull of Pope Honorius III, issued November 29, 1223, the Final Rule of our Order was ratified. The Rule was initially outlined and approved by Pope Innocent III, in 1209, but as the Order grew in those first years, revisions to the initial Rule were needed. After a version prepared in 1221 was seen as too strict, St. Francis of Assisi enlisted the aid of several legal scholars to compose the Final Rule that was approved in 1223. In commemoration of that day, all the saints of the Franciscan (Seraphic) Order are remembered each November 29th. In September of 1224, two years prior to his death, while praying on Mount La Verna, St. Francis received the marks of our Lord’s Passion in his hands, feet and side; a miracle known as the Stigmata, after composing and praying “The Praises of God” (see below). Written on a parchment which is signed and also contains a blessing from St. Francis to brother Leo, it is conserved as a relic in the Basilica of St. Francis, in Assisi. In the Life of St. Francis, Saint Bonaventure states, “while Francis was praying on the mountainside, he beheld a Seraph having six wings, flaming and resplendent, coming down from the heights of heaven. When in his flight most swift he had reached the space of air nigh the man of God, there appeared betwixt the wings the Figure of a Man crucified, having his hands and feet stretched forth in the shape of a Cross and fastened unto a Cross. Two wings were raised above His head, twain were spread forth to fly, while twain hid His whole body.” (pg. 139 Vision of the Seraph) Later in the work, St. Bonaventure speaks of the Fulfillment of the Visions (pg. 146-147), “Now finally that vision that was vouchsafed thee toward the end of they life, – to wit the exalted likeness of the Seraph, and the lowly Image of Christ shewn in one, – kindly thee inwardly and marking thee outwardly as another Angel ascending from the sunrising, having the seal of the Living God in thee, – giveth a confirmation of faith unto those visions aforesaid, and likewise receiveth from them a witness unto its own truth.”
According to tradition, St. Francis of Assisi prayed the following prayer:
“O Lord Jesus Christ, two favors I beg of you before I die. The first is that I may, as far as it is possible, feel in my soul and in my body the suffering in which you, O gentle Jesus, sustained in your bitter passion. And the second favor is that I, as far as it is possible, may receive in my heart that excessive charity by which you, the Son of God, were inflamed, and which actuated you willingly to suffer so much for us sinners.”
St. Francis was in intense prayer when the Lord appeared as a Seraph, whose flaming, resplendent wings mimic God’s intense love as it was shared by Christ, as is portrayed in the sanctuary space of our Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD), in the reproduction mural by Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Joseph Dorniak, OFM Conv. (see photo), reminiscent of Giotto di Bondone’s St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, a fresco (c. 1300) in the upper church of the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi. The word seraphic is often used to describe St. Francis of Assisi and his passion for God. In turn it is affiliated with the Franciscan Order, whose members strive to live the charism of our Seraphic Father and founder. This is why it is also referred to as the Seraphic Order. We are comprised of the First Order – priests and brothers professing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as members of one of three independent branches (OFM, OFM Conv. and OFM Cap.) as well as the Second Order – cloistered nuns professing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience belonging to the Order of St. Clare (OSC) the Poor Clares (PC), and those members of the Third Order – religious and lay men and women performing works of teaching, charity, and social service known as the priests, brothers and sisters of the Third Order Regular (TOR) & the lay men and women of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS).
The Praises of God
You are holy Lord God Who does wonderful things.
You are strong. You are great. You are the most high.
You are the almighty king. You holy Father,
King of heaven and earth.
You are three and one, the Lord God of gods;
You are the good, all good, the highest good,
Lord God living and true.
You are love, charity; You are wisdom, You are humility,
You are patience, You are beauty, You are meekness,
You are security, You are rest,
You are gladness and joy, You are our hope, You are justice,
You are moderation, You are all our riches to sufficiency.
You are beauty, You are meekness,
You are the protector, You are our custodian and defender,
You are strength, You are refreshment. You are our hope,
You are our faith, You are our charity,
You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life:
Great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior.
Let us pray:
Prayer after Meditation
Receive, most merciful God,
by the prayers and merits of the blessed Mary ever Virgin,
of our blessed father Francis,
and of all the Saints,
the service of our submission;
and if we have done anything worthy of praise,
graciously look down upon it;
and what has been done negligently, mercifully pardon.
God,
You live and reign in perfect Trinity,
world without end.
Amen.
Image “borrowed” from our Province’s Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody friars, living in St. Francis Friary, in Wexford, Ireland
Our Lady of the Angels Province has two Shrine Ministries: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site (Fonda, NY) and The Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD). The Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site promotes healing, encourages environmental stewardship, and facilitates peace for all people by offering the natural, cultural, and spiritual resources at this sacred site. It is also the site on which St. Kateri lived from 166-1677 and the place where she was Baptized. The Shrine of St. Anthony has been home to many friars and has served as a student residence, a house of philosophy, and a novitiate. The historic property includes prayer paths, a Grotto of Lourdes, an outdoor Stations of the Cross, as well as the Carrollton Hall Historic Site – Manor House.
On Saturday, November 19, 2022, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site sponsored an Advent Wreath Making Workshop. If you would like to support the Shrine through the holidays, starting on November 28, 2022, they launched their second online fundraiser auction. Holiday 2022 Auction
Upcoming Events at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site
For more info, call 518-853-3646 or email: info@katerishrine.org
December 10, 2022, 12-4:00 p.m. Christmas sales in Gift Shop
December 10, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Candles and Carols Service by the Crucifix
December 11, 2022, 12-4:00 p.m. Christmas sales in Gift Shop
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On Saturday, November 26, 2022, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., the rooms of The Shrine of St. Anthony were filled with families and friends, as the friars of St. Joseph Cupertino Friary hosted the Annual Advent Family Festival. Joined by the student friars of St. Bonaventure Friary (Silver Spring) and their formators, the event featured hayrides, a build your own Advent wreath workshop, snacks and cider, a bon fire and even photos with St. Nicholas ~ joyfully portrayed by student friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv. – pictured with Fr. Jacob Carazo, OFM Conv. – Assistant Formation Director and student friar Sebastian De Backer, OFM Conv. Good will offerings were accepted at this free event, and the gift shop was open.
Upcoming Events at The Shrine of St. Anthony For more info, call 410-531-2800 or email: info@shrineofstanthony.org
Franciscan Place Chapel & Gift Shop at Destiny USA, & Fr. Stephen Frenier, OFM Conv. (at right), who also resides in the same friary, along with five more friars, serving in the Syracuse area.
In addition to celebrating Mass and facilitating the sacraments for the Catholic community at SU, Fr. Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. and the Catholic Center provides many opportunities for enrichment and service, such as the weekly “Thursday Night Dinners,” when the students and greater community gather for Mass (above), free dinner & dessert, and fellowship. On the last Thursday of each month, the evening concludes with a Service Initiative, such as making sandwiches for the clients served by Assumption Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen (an outreach of our Syracuse, NY pastoral ministry – Assumption Church) and by the Samaritan Center on W State Street, in Syracuse. This month, the Sandwich Ministry (below) took place on the 3rd Thursday, since the last Thursday in November is Thanksgiving in the USA.
Members of the Junior Catholic Leadership Course*, of our Baltimore, MD high school ministry ~ Archbishop Curley High School, under the direction of Fr. Chris Dudek, OFM Conv. (pictured above at right), delivered food collected through the school’s FYM Thanksgiving Food Drive, to the Franciscan Center of Baltimore, a ministry began by the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore in 1891, which also is the recipient of the produce grown on our Little Portion Farm.
*Excerpt from page 10 of the Course Description Catalogue 2022-2023: JUNIOR CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP 1 Credit This course will attempt to form students as authentic Franciscan ministers both currently in our Curley community, and in the future as part of one’s community, parish and family. The year will begin by discussing various existential questions of human nature such as happiness, grace, freedom, conscience and faith. Students will learn how to approach these various topics in their own lives and how to employ various basic peer ministry strategies. The course will then analyze practical applications of these fundamental principles. These will include discussions about human dignity, the sacramental life, virtue, sexuality, mercy, death, and grief. The students will be challenged to relate these various topics to their lives and find ways where they can authentically minister to their peers. Special attention will be made to show how Saint Francis and Franciscan Spirituality can speak to the various topics discussed and be a model of a radical living of the Christian life. Students will be expected to help plan and execute various FYM or school-wide activities. This course will fulfill the junior religion requirement and all students will receive honors credit from this course. This course requires previous involvement in the FYM program and requires approval of the director of campus ministry and one’s teacher.
CAN I KNOW TRUTH?
According to tradition, St. Francis of Assisi prayed the following prayer:
On Saturday, November 26, 2022, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., the rooms of The Shrine of St. Anthony were filled with families and friends, as the friars of St. Joseph Cupertino Friary hosted the Annual Advent Family Festival. Joined by the student friars of St. Bonaventure Friary (Silver Spring) and their formators, the event featured hayrides, a build your own Advent wreath workshop, snacks and cider, a bon fire and even photos with St. Nicholas ~ joyfully portrayed by student friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv. – pictured with Fr. Jacob Carazo, OFM Conv. – Assistant Formation Director and student friar Sebastian De Backer, OFM Conv. Good will offerings were accepted at this free event, and the gift shop was open.
