Leveling with Life’s Frustrations

I’m annoyed and frustrated. I’m recovering from foot surgery and am supposed to stay off my feet. Two weeks into a five-week sentence of sitting in a chair is feeling ridiculous. Yesterday, the doctor was rather stern reminding me of my restrictions. What does he know? They’re my feet!

Then this morning I went for blood work, fasting in preparation. After waiting for 30 minutes, I was told the orders weren’t delivered, even after I called the doctor’s office last week and gave them instructions on where to send the order and the fax number to the lab.

So, I’ll have to fast another day, beg for a ride because I can’t drive, and go back to the lab for tests that should have been completed today. In addition, my Wi-Fi is acting up, my printer is out of paper, and I don’t have any on hand, and we’re out of coffee. Finally, I forgot about this reflection, which is due today, until just a few minutes ago. I had other plans this morning, and they just went out the window. I should have stayed in bed this morning.

 I know these are minor complications compared to those people who have much more serious issues to contend with, but I find they are still exasperating. No matter how big or small annoyances, frustrations, irritations, exasperations, displeasures are part of life, and they disrupt plans, diminish contentment, a sense of well-being, and rob us of peace of mind and heart.

 St. Francis de Sales wisely and competently addresses the shadow of life’s frustrations and disappointments in the Introduction to a Devout Life. Paraphrasing Part 4, Chapter 13 of the Introduction, he writes: 

We should always attempt to keep equality of heart despite the crazy and annoying occurrences all around us. Although all things turn and change, we should remain constantly immovable, always looking for and aspiring towards God. Let everything be in confusion. Even if our soul is overwhelmed by sorrow or joy, with peace or trouble, with light or darkness, our heart, our spirit, our will must always be directed to our God, its Savior, its only sovereign good. Nothing shall separate us from this holy charity (love) which is found in Jesus Christ.

It is in this advice from St. Francis that peace of mind and heart may be found.

May God be blessed,

Fr. Jack

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

Live + Jesus

As the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque approaches, our minds turn to our Sister who was entrusted with an important mission in the life of the Church: to let people in a world that had grown cold, know of the intense love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for all God’s people.

St. Margaret Mary’s life was scarred by multiple sufferings of body, mind, and heart, both in her early life and within the walls of the Visitation in Paray le Monial. After her father’s premature death, she and her mother suffered intense abuse from relatives with whom they were forced to live. A mysterious illness kept Margaret bedridden for four of her teenage years.

Upon entrance into the Visitation Order, in 1671, Margaret did not fit into the usual mold of a Visitation sister. Her motives in sharing the revelations of the Sacred Heart, which had been entrusted to her heart, were questioned by her superiors and sisters. They saw her conduct contrary to the simplicity of the Visitation. Yet these multiple sufferings were God’s way of preparing the heart of St. Margaret Mary to be the recipient of the love of His Sacred Heart. She was to be his emissary in letting a world that was detached from spiritual values know of the intense love of his Sacred Heart. 

From the earliest years of the foundation of the Visitation Order, our sisters have placed the Sacred Heart at the center of our lives as followers of Jesus. Our Spiritual Directory encourages us, after receiving the Eucharist, to see our Lord as seated in the center of our hearts and to bring before him all our powers and senses, to envision his commands and to promise a faithful response to them. This prayer helps us to live in the presence of God, to accept as coming from His loving Heart the events of our day, and to strive always to live the little virtues of the Sacred Heart, especially gentleness and humility.

My favorite Scriptural passage is in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. (3: 14-21). I paraphrase it a bit.

 “For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. I kneel before the Father so he may grant me, in accord with the riches of his glory, the grace to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in my inner self. Why? So that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith; that rooted and grounded in love, I may have the strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length, the height and depth of God’s love, and to know personally the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge.” It is the love of Christ that will lead me to the very fullness of God and will help me learn anew each day how to live an ever-deeper life of faith.

What is the Sacred Heart of Jesus calling us to in light of today’s world – a world that is torn by division and turmoil on every level?  Our best response is to prayerfully cast our minds and hearts into the Heart of Jesus and to pray earnestly that a quiet acceptance and living of the values of His Sacred Heart may begin to permeate areas of conflict. Prayer is our mightiest weapon.

Sister Mary Berchmans, VHM

Superior of the Georgetown Visitation Monastery

Washington, DC.

Mary and Me

October is the month of the Rosary.  For that reason, it is also the month of Mary.  The mysteries of the rosary depict moments and memories in the paschal mystery of Jesus and, thus, also of his first and best disciple, Mary.

What does Mary mean to me? 

For me, Mary is first and foremost Mother. It’s so easy for me, in recalling the tender, selfless and unconditional love of my own mother, to see Mary in that way too.  How many times did Mom sacrifice her own needs, wants, and desires to meet those of my sisters and me!  I know that Mary must have done the same for his child, Jesus.  I believe –I know—that she does the same now for me and for all who follow her Son.  

From the cross, Jesus entrusts his mother to us and us to his mother.  From that moment on, every Christian has a second mother.  For that reason, each of us is doubly blessed! Just as we honor and cherish our birth mothers, we honor and cherish our second mother as well.  Mothers do anything and sacrifice everything to further the happiness and well-being of their children.   Our Mother Mary does no less for us, her children.

For me, Mary is also “Our Lady of Good Counsel.”  At the wedding celebration in Cana, Mary counseled the stewards to do whatever Jesus asked them to do.  By following her counsel, the bridal couple was spared a major embarrassment of running out of wine.  Mary’s counsel and advice to us is the same as to those wedding stewards: “do whatever Jesus” asks of us.  That counsel is the best roadmap to genuine Christian discipleship and to our call to live Jesus. 

I am intrigued that this “first sign” of Jesus’ public life took place at a happy and very ordinary event of a wedding and that it was brought about by the prompting of his Mother’s touching concern for others.  That “first sign” tells me that Jesus, as the human face of God, intends to be an intimate part of our everyday lives and to be as responsive as any child would be to his mother’s requests and prayers on our behalf.

Cana tells me everything I need to know about the kind of loving God we have in Jesus, as well as the power of his mother’s beautiful love for you and me.

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial, Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Holy Rosary

"Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I invite everyone to rediscover, especially during this month of October, the beauty of the prayer of the rosary, which has nourished the faith of the Christian people through the centuries,”  Pope Francis

Some people are great at thinking on their feet, with on-target comments and observations ready in the moment.    Others of us think of a “comeback” sometime after the moment, maybe while replaying the scene over and over in our head.

Several years ago I was in a class with a woman who made it clear at every chance that she had not enjoyed her time in Catholic school in the 1960s.   In fairness, it was pretty clear that no school experience could have been easy for this woman—-including the adult education setting where I was experiencing her.   Frequently she would lob views about Catholics—-individual or corporate—-from across the room.  I would just let the broadness and unfairness of her assertions be the best refutation.

One statement that stood out was that she learned “nothing, nothing” about the Bible as a child in Catholic school K through 12.  A decade too late, I am ready with a response, just in case I ever see her again.   

I will say, OK, maybe Catholics are not generally known for the ability to quote Old and New Testament chapter and verse.   But, we do have a rich tradition of engagement with scripture.   Just look at our very popular devotion, the rosary.   This prayer focuses on key, vivid moments in the life of Jesus and his Mother. We are encouraged to meditate, to spend time with the Word Become Flesh and his Mother, over and over to encounter them in these scenes. 

Even the vocal prayers come directly from the pages of the gospels (“Our Father who art in heaven” “Hail Mary, full of grace”).   Or, they grew out of faith in the importance of bringing our needs to God and the appropriateness of praying for one another (“Mother of God, pray for us” ).  Or, they are ancient, foundational statements of Christian belief (the Apostles’ Creed or the “Glory Be”).

No doubt we have all encountered people who can quote scripture readily.  I have listened to people who know the Bible so well that its images and phrases effortlessly color their speech.  The color is poetic and rich.  But, so many times I have witnessed this skill directed to bringing text as proof to support a particular assertion.   Christianity devolves to winning arguments and asserting simplistic certainties: religion as a kind of an amateur debating society.   

There is no doubt that knowing the Bible can bring us to Christ.   But, the tradition represented by the rosary is focused on encounter with the Lord whose example and friendship can change and form us.    

Pope Francis puts it very well. “I would like to emphasize the beauty of a simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all, great and small, the educated and those with little education. It is the prayer of the holy rosary. In the rosary we turn to the Virgin Mary so that she may guide us to an ever closer union with her Son Jesus to bring us into conformity with him, to have his sentiments and to behave like him. Indeed, in the rosary while we repeat the Hail Mary we meditate on the mysteries, on the events of Christ’s life, so as to know and love him ever better. The rosary is an effective means for opening ourselves to God, for it helps us to overcome egotism and to bring peace to hearts, in the family, in society and in the world.”

Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS

DeSales Service Works

Camden, NJ

Keep the Light Shining

Fr. Jack and his mother, Florence Loughran, in

Annecy, France. They were celebrating her 76th and his 48th birthday.

This week is my birthday and it’s a big one! I just turned 70! Although, it’s not as big as my mother’s who turns 98 the same day. She’s a pro at this aging stuff.  Like many people, I don’t think of myself as being as old as I am, but that fact remains - I am 70. I don’t have the stamina or even the ambition to do all that I did when I was younger. I even find myself thinking about stepping back from ministry to some degree and lightning my schedule. 

The rub is that I have vowed to be an Oblate for a lifetime, and the life-view of an Oblate is a man passionate and fully engaged in the service of God’s people. Looking back over my life as an Oblate, I can’t say that I’ve always fulfilled that view in my ministry, but I certainly have given a lot of myself to the mission of the Oblates and the church. When I think of stepping back, I find myself thinking of the excitement and joy I had when I first began priestly ministry, and I ask myself, “What happened to all that? Am I being selfish or self-centered with this idea of stepping back?”

At least part of the answer to those questions came in a reflection by Fr. Ron Rohlheiser, OMI in his weekly column.  Published on January 1, 2002, he composed ten commandments for the new year, these commandments are intended as spiritual sustenance, sustaining food, for those who walk the lonely, long road of faith and often find themselves discouraged and running out of gas. They don’t offer a quick fix, but point out the right direction within which we should be walking and where, if we cast our eyes at the right spot, we might find God’s food for the journey. The answer to my aging dilemma is found in his 9th commandment. Rohlheiser writes:

Commandment 9: Accept Aging

“Rely more on the paschal mystery than on cosmetics. All that dies brings rich new life, even our own bodies. Paschal wisdom will do more for your joy than a face-lift. Aging needs to be defined aesthetically. Your soul must be properly aged before it leaves your body, like an old wine-barrel, it takes on a different function and beauty as you age. Aging is an art form.”

Remembering the words of Luke 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” I am mindful of this wonderful, precious gift Christ has given us for a lifetime. It is meant to shine on the darkness of sin and evil as a beacon of healing and hope. God has given each and every one of us a different way to love and serve. The light He’s asking us to shine is Him, not us. He wants us to showcase His love, mercy and might, not our own. There is no such thing as a light that’s too small or too plain. The Gospel encourages us to trust Him to point us to the places that need His light, and He promises to send us with exactly the perfect wattage to show Him to those who need to see. Certainly Christ knows this light will be tempered by our gifts and abilities, and yet effective through his grace regardless of the type or the power of the gifts we have been given. No matter how youthful and full of vigor, or seasoned and weary we may be, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Blessings,

Fr. Jack

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Toledo-Detroit Province

Taking Francis With Me

St. Francis Assisi, whose feast day is celebrated this Monday, is perhaps one of the best known and most beloved Catholic saints.  He’s one of my favorites, and not just because October 4th is my birthday. 

Growing up in a Catholic home, I was regularly reminded of my connection to Francis. As I came to know him better, he became my patron saint. My relationship with Francis started with colorful children’s books featuring him surrounded by animals, a worn statue of him in my room, and stories of “Brother Sun and Sister Moon.”

Of all the saints I met in a decade of parochial school, Francis of Assisi seemed by far, the coolest. As a young man, Francis was considered fun and popular; he was the life of the party with an eye for great adventure.  When the time came, he donned a knight’s armor and fought in a battle, honorably defending his hometown.  Very cool.

Then, like so many of us, his plans took a turn. A battle injury, imprisonment, and illness led to Francis’ transformation. There are many stories of the beloved saint - the voice telling him to “rebuild my church,” the stigmata he experienced at the end of his life, and his connections to animals. 

For me, Francis’ convalescence is the greatest of his stories. For it was there, deep in the serene fields of Assisi, where he truly encountered God, where he learned of beauty found in simple things.  This is where Francis keenly observed God’s creation and learned its critical lessons of peace and humility.  

I take Francis with me on my early morning hikes through the Wissahickon Valley in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.  When the divisions in my community overwhelm me or the arguments in my household stress me, I voyage deep into this quiet, timeless, and ever-changing forest. On every trip, the moment I behold the rocky, wooded path, I feel God’s peace envelop me. Later, when I exit the forest’s edge, I may not hear the voice as Francis did, but I do feel a powerful invitation to take the forest’s peace into my day.  

Being a peacemaker is no easy feat and acting in a peaceful, loving manner can be hard for all of us.  For me, I struggle with being a peacemaker when dealing with my teenage sons, colleagues with different agendas, and neighbors who easily offend.  Those are the times when I think of the forest and hear Francis’ prayer, recalling the tune, “Make Me A Channel of Your Peace.” 

The challenge that Francis presents us in that popular prayer is as relevant today as when he rebuilt the church San Damiano.  His words remind us that in the simple ways we bring God’s peace to our world, we, too are rebuilding His Church. 

In de Sales,

Paula M. Riley

Communications Consultant

St. Vincent de Paul: “I am for God and the poor.”

When you first encounter a place like Camden, NJ, a small city with large issues of poverty, homelessness, addiction—-seeing these issues all out in the open, it is natural to look for solutions.   That was my impulse arriving in Camden in 2008.  So often people would ask for money, a few dollars that would help with this or that situation.   Sure, I can part with some change, a couple of dollars, or 25 bucks to help solve someone’s difficulty.   You don’t have to live in a broken-down, post-industrial city to run into people hustling for money.   At intersections all over America you can drive by people with their hands out, their story summarized on a scrap of brown cardboard. 

You learn pretty quickly here that no amount of money begged or borrowed accomplishes what you hope it would.  A friend states the reality very plainly: “Every penny of money you give someone out here will be used for drugs,” he says.  This friend speaks of what he knows; May 31, 2021, marked nine years clean and sober for him—- after 22 years of active addiction, most of those ripping and running on the streets of Camden.

Following his advice, I began answering requests with the simple statement, “I don’t carry cash.”  Sometimes the person will try for the cash from a different angle, or will beg or manipulate, or will drop me and look for another “helper.”   But sometimes there is a real shift; we can encounter each other as human beings—-instead of a human and a human ATM.   Often we can talk about what is really going on, or point to services in the community that can assist with food, housing, recovery.    

I share all of this because we celebrate St. Vincent de Paul this week.   The church remembers him as someone who points followers of Christ to the care of sisters and brothers brought low by poverty, hunger, addiction, injustice.    St. Vincent was friends with St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane; he was her spiritual director for twenty years.  You can see the influence these Salesian friends had on him.    He wrote, “We must love God…. But let it be in the work of our bodies, in the sweat of our brows.   For very often many acts of love for God, of kindness, of good will,  and other similar inclinations and interior practices of a tender heart, although good and very desirable, are yet very suspect when they do not lead to the practice of effective love.”   Very Salesian: inspired by the love of God, grounded in meditation on Jesus, and very practical as well.

I do not mean to suggest that I have found a simple solution.    I also do not mean to suggest that all “poor people” are the same; there are as many reasons for being on the street as there are people in need.    But together with the saints, impelled by love of Christ, we do make an impact, encountering our neighbors, putting love in action.   Kindness, gentleness, honest human encounters have real power.

Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS

DeSales Service Works

Camden, NJ

DeSales Network Breakfast - October 8th

The Mission of the DeSales Network

To honor the memory of Fr. William Guerin, OSFS, the DeSales Network will offer engagement and social opportunities for spiritual growth for Gospel-minded people in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales to fuel the grace that, in the words of Fr. Guerin, “gets you to heaven."

Join us for our Networking Breakfast on Friday, October 8th at the Union League in Philadelphia. The event begins at 7:37am and the program begins at 8:00am SHARP and ends at 9:00am. This event is available via ZOOM as well.

RSVP here

Ron Selzer, is our featured speaker. He will share his journey and offer insights on living Fr. Guerin's lessons in his life. His talk will focus on transitions in life and the significance of going through them with Christ. Ron is the owner of The Selzer Company, a Northeast Catholic High School alum and author of “Gifts from My Son and Our Father.”

Share the invite with other like-minded professionals.

Ron Selzer is

• Husband/Father/Grandfather

• Author

• Board Chair/ CEO The Selzer Company

• Board Chair/ CEO Blessed Sarnelli Community

• Chair Development Committee Board, Cranaleith Spirituality Center

• Co-Founder Broken Wing Foundation

• Facilitator of Men’s Small Faith Groups

• Overseer of the conversion of Martin of Tours convent to 32 units for mothers and children coming through immigration

• Active member St. Andrew Catholic Church.

Oblates Remember 9/11

Honor Guard at Salesianum School in Delaware honoring the anniversary of 9/11.

This past weekend, our nation commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 Americans died that day, while thousands of others suffered injuries, and people throughout the country faced a traumatic and scary new reality.

The anniversary of 9/11/01 was marked this year with special events, ceremonies, and services to honor those who died and the first responders who continue to keep us safe.

Oblates around the country remembered and reflected on one of the darkest days in our country.

In Philadelphia, Rev. Steve Wetzel, OSFS, was a con-celebrant in a “Blue Mass” to honor the work of all public safety personnel and remember those who gave their last full measure on September 11th. Read a news story covering this event HERE.

In Virginia, Rev. Matt Hillyard, OSFS, reflected on the “scars” of 9/11 but also the call for peace and reconciliation:
“...For those of us who lived through it, especially here in Northern Virginia, it is one of those life experiences we will not forget. Twenty years later, there are many who do not have that experience of the day. Hopefully, it will always be a day of remembrance, reflection, and prayer. We continue to pray for the victims who lost their lives that day and those who tried to save them. We pray for those who continue to mourn their loved ones.   The first followers of Christ witnessed the horror and tragedy of the cross that changed their lives, only to be challenged by the good news of the resurrection. As disciples, we are called to hope, love, and fight for justice even in the face of great injustice.

In Toledo, Rev. Alan Zobler, OSFS, shared memories of his friend, Daniel James “Reds” Gallagher: 

“Full of life. Hilarious. Great sense of humor. Joyful. Friendly. Hard worker. Life of the party. A good man.    A faithful son and brother. An unforgettable soul.  Dan was a year ahead of me in college. After graduating from our Alma Mater (Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales), Reds received his dream job and worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in New York City. 104th Floor of North Tower. He was at work before 8AM each morning.  Dan went to work 20 years ago yesterday. He was just 23 years old.   When I visit New York City, I am privileged to visit his name at the WTC memorial. Just to be there. Just to remember. Just to smile.   Dan, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. And to the thousands of others, we honor and remember you this weekend.  May love continue to transform, heal, and strengthen each one of us. And our world.”

In Delaware, at the first home game of the new football season last Friday night, Rev. Chris Beretta, OSFS, led the packed Abessinio Stadium in a moment of silence and prayer for all who lost their lives on 9/11, including John J. Murray, class of 1986.  The tribute ended with an honor guard of representatives from the Wilmington Fire Department.

Around the country, schools, and parishes staffed by the Oblates dedicated time on Friday night, Saturday morning, and throughout the weekend to remember, reflect, and pray.

Even as the anniversary has come and gone, may the message of peace and healing continue to resonate. Let us make the prayer of St. Francis de Sales part of this process:

“Be at peace.   Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise.  God, whose very own you are, will deliver you out from them.  He will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”

Congrats Deacon Craig!

Craig promising obedience to Bishop Mario Dorsonville, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington.

A little over a month ago, Craig Irwin, OSFS, and Joe Katarsky, OSFS, professed their final vows as Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. You may remember when I reported on this event, I quoted the following from Oblate Fr. Ken McKenna’s homily at this celebration. He said, “Craig and Joe have finally arrived at their trifecta of celebrations: perpetual profession, diaconate ordination, and priestly ordination.  I remember my family — by the time we got to priestly ordination — asking two questions: “Didn’t we just do this?” and “Do we have to buy another gift?”

Craig’s parents in the pew behind him at the ordination.

On September 4th Craig Irwin reached the second stage of that trifecta as he was ordained a deacon at the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC. This was a wonderful celebration, and like the final vow celebration, provided a wonderful opportunity for Oblates from both provinces to come together and reconnect after the long isolation required by the pandemic.. Both events were a shot in the arm for the spirit of fraternity and community life among the Oblates. Many remarked, “It’s been too long since we’ve been together.” 

In anticipation of their ordination to the priesthood, Oblate scholastics are ordained to the diaconate during the final stages of their theological studies. The diaconate role, in which they typically serve for a year, is the final step in their preparation for priestly ordination. Deacons proclaim the Gospel and preach and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of sacraments, they baptize, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services.

Craig gets vested by Rev. Jack Loughran, OSFS, Provincial (left) and Rev. John Extejt, OSFS, Director of Formations.

 Craig will continue to live at the formation house and attend Catholic University this semester and assist part-time at the Oblate parish in Reston, VA, St. John Neumann. In the second semester, he will actually live at the parish and assist full time in preparation for his ordination to priesthood next spring. Joe Katarsky will follow Craig’s process and plans diaconate ordination for this coming spring.

 Please keep both of them and all our men in formation in your prayers, and join us Oblates as we pray for vocations to our way of life. 

Blessings,

Rev. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial, Toledo-Detroit Province

Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Peter Claver’s View of Unidiversity

The Feast Day of Saint Peter Claver leads some among us - perhaps most especially Black Catholics - to reflect on what our patron Saint Francis de Sales described as unidiversity.

The universality of the Body of Christ is a key tenet of our Catholic faith. We also know that we are called to be One Church. But sadly, we live in very splintered and fractious times. Interestingly enough, Peter Claver and Francis de Sales both lived in times of tumult and hostility. The late 16th century was a time in dire need of people of great faith, who could effectively spread the Lord’s Gospel by the unique way each ministered to God’s people. 

For Claver, his call was to literally provide loving care and kindness by tending to both the spiritual need for the sacraments and treating the physical wounds of hundreds of thousands of enslaved men and women (during a 33-year ministry, in present-day Columbia, South America). Because of his efforts to help these poor enslaved souls, Claver risked his own life. For de Sales, his call was to educate and inform a church community in urgent need of reform. One of de Sales’ most enduring messages is that “God sees humanity as a great and varied garden, with each person beautiful in his or her own uniqueness.”  Many who live in the 21st century seem to have forgotten that message, but St. Peter Claver and St. Francis de Sales left templates for how we can still teach this most important lesson. 

Those of us who have opened the doors to our homes or soup kitchens to serve refugees  -- from the storms that consistently batter Haiti or the militant troops that have returned to threaten the people in Afghanistan -- may not risk losing our lives like St. Peter Claver. But by living our lives according to the Beatitudes, we are definitely making a bold and clear statement about unidiversity. And while offering a course to high school seniors about how saints during ages past and from around the world were reformers may not seem like a radical notion, in our times, it is. The saints from times past were either born into aristocratic wealth (like de Sales) or to impoverished families (like Claver). Yet they did not seek to malign those who are different, but instead recognized others’ innate dignity and worth, as members of the Body of Christ.

We live in a world and at a time when it is easier to teach students to memorize all the commandments and quote many encyclicals than it is to find daily examples of Catholics living the Salesian virtues of gentleness, respect, and gratitude. But, our recognition of our students’ unique talents and gifts gives us good reason for optimism and confidence that we will succeed.

Thank you, Saint Peter Claver and Saint Francis de Sales for providing such rich lesson plans.

Mr. Kevin O. Williams

School Minister/Theology Teacher

Father Judge High School, Philadelphia

Further Salesian Reflections on the Assumption of St. Joseph

The Church has only formally declared as dogma the Assumption of Mary, but St. Francis de Sales, a Doctor of the Church, saw the same possibility for St. Joseph, the spouse of Mary and foster father of Jesus.

 A few weeks ago, we looked at the reflections of St. Francis de Sales on the Assumption of St. Joseph in his Treatise on the Love of God, Book 7, chapter 13. Those were not his only reflections on this subject.  

In May of 1621 Pope Gregory XV had ordered that the March 19 feast of St. Joseph henceforth be observed by the universal Church.  On March 19, 1622, the first time this feast was observed by the whole Church, Francis preached an important sermon on the virtues of St. Joseph to the sisters of the Visitation Sisters in Annecy.

Towards the end of this profoundly beautiful sermon, Francis adds: “What more remains for us to say now, except that we cannot doubt at all that this glorious saint has great influence in heaven with Him who so favored him as to raise him there in body and soul…for how could He who had been so obedient to him all through his life, have refused this grace to St. Joseph?” (pages 124-25 of Oblate Father Joseph F. Chorpenning’s Sermon Texts on Saint Joseph by Francis de Sales: Toronto, Peregrina Publishing, 2000; emphasis mine)

St. Joseph does not utter a single word in Scripture.  But, in this same sermon Francis imagines that the silent Joseph now addresses the newly risen Jesus in these words: “My Lord, remember, if it please You, that when You came from heaven to earth, I received You into my house, into my family, and, as soon as You were born, I received You into my arms.  Now that You are returning to heaven, take me with You; I received You into my family, receive me now into Yours…I have carried You in my arms, now carry me upon Yours; and, as I took care to nourish and guide You during the course of Your mortal life, take care of me and lead me into life eternal” (page 125).

Francis then concludes, “how can we doubt that Our Lord caused to rise with Him to heaven in body and soul the glorious St. Joseph….St. Joseph, then, is in heaven in body and soul, there is no doubt” (page 125).

Too often today, we hear of the loss of family values and even, at times, of a lack of appropriate care and respect from adult children toward aging parents, let the words of the parent, Joseph, to his son Jesus in this sermon speak to our hearts and, where necessary, change them.  May the example of this father and this son be imitated in the lives of all parents and children so that what is begun here in our lives as families may be continued forever in the glory of heaven!

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Remembering 9/11 - Twenty Years Later

At 8:45 a.m., our Social Studies chair came into my office to let me know that a plane had gone into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  Just 18 minutes later he returned to tell me another plane exploded into the South Tower, and we were under attack.  I met quickly with the other administrators and addressed the school community using the PA system.  I explained what just transpired, led the school in prayer, and suggested that students and teachers turn on the television and witness a very sad and unprecedented moment in our history.  

 As the day unfolded, we learned about the attack on the Pentagon and the failed attempt to take down the Capitol Building due to the bravery of a few men who by this time had known that we were under attack and were not going to let their hijackers achieve their evil with their plane.  Films since revealed that they selected a secluded place when rushing the cockpit, to save other’s lives.  “No greater love has one than to lay down his life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) 

National Geographic released a six-episode series 9/11: One Day in America.  In the first episode, on seeing the plane go into the South Tower, an eyewitness exclaims “There is no God.”  Many may have uttered the same sentiment, but we know this not to be true.  God was on full display in the various firefighters, police, first responders, and thousands of volunteers who risked everything to save lives.  God was present in all those phone calls made on the planes with the same message of love to their spouses, parents, and relatives.  God was present in the thousands of volunteers who immediately raced to the scene offering their service. God was in the various churches, synagogues, restaurants, and businesses that opened their doors to triage people, to feed them, or to act as temporary morgues. The response was overwhelming and attested to goodness and love winning the day.  

 If God is all good and all that God created is good, how does something like 9/11 happen?  Of all that God created, the only thing God wants back is us.  God could have made us automatons where we move like robots with no option but to obey him.  But love is a choice.  God gives us the freedom to reject this invitation to a relationship.  We call this free will.  Theologically, we say that evil does not exist for God brings all things into existence.  To create evil would be a contradiction to who God is.  What we call evil is good corrupted, distorted, or twisted.  What could possibly be the good distorted in such a tragedy whose memory still tears us apart on this, the 20th anniversary?  Some may conjecture that in attempting to take down the financial center of America al Qaeda was trying to even the power imbalance in the world or to address a problem of greed that they perceived to dominate the USA.  Other reasons may be raised, and my explanation may not satisfy you.  In no way is it meant to excuse away this most horrific violence and show of hatred.  What 9/11 teaches me is how far some are from understanding who God is and our inability to use well and correctly the gift of free will to love, to choose God, to fall madly in love with God that with God as our center, our being, our everything, only good can issue forth.

Hatred along with evil was present before 9/11 and sadly since.  It will continue until we have a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Until he becomes the true center of our life, not much is going to change.   It’s a conviction of the mind and heart that God desires to be in a relationship with us.  There are too many other heartaches and tragedies that come from the imperfection of nature (floods, fires, devastating hurricanes and earthquakes, diseases, physical ailments, and infirmities) that cause such sorrow and loss that are above our control to contain or prevent, why do we spread hatred and evil which we can control and contain?  

 On this anniversary of 9/11 and considering other recent tragedies, let us resolve again and renew our fervor in following the greatest commandment of loving our God with our whole heart, mind, and soul (and our neighbor as well).  Let us not forget that we belong to each other.  May God Bless America and each one of us.

Rev. John Fisher, OSFS

Rector, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden, NJ

Former Principal of Salesianum School, Wilmington, DE

The Excellence of Work

This summer, I decided to return to the city of Pittsburgh for my July vacation.  I have been there twice before, and I continue to be captured by Pittsburgh’s big city feel like that of Philadelphia where I grew up, but also with its mid-West hospitality which I experienced in every encounter I had there.  During my recent visit, I spent a good deal of time wandering through museums, spending a holiday with art and history.  In addition to learning more about Western PA icons like Andy Warhol and Fred Rogers, I was also drawn into the settings of various paintings and photographs of the Steel City, both past and present.  

When I viewed the images of working-class neighborhoods, bridges, and riverways, I could not help but reflect on the many people whose livelihood depended on the products of industrialization so prominent in the Steel City.  I saw steel factories with their smokestacks billowing across the city skylines formed by family homes, churches, and warehouses.  I also viewed illustrations of furnaces in which hot molten iron is poured creating colorful sparks.  

All of this brought to my mind how labor is inherent in the fabric of the streets and workplaces of my native City of Brotherly Love.  Likewise, they are found in similar vestiges of factories and farms across eastern Pennsylvania not so dissimilar to those of Pittsburgh, past and present, which caught my attention.  Most of all, as an Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales, these thoughts reminded me of the times and circumstances in Troyes, France where our Oblate founder Blessed Louis Brisson (1817-1908) lived, ministered, and founded our congregation at the end of the nineteenth century.  One of his first ministries was to educate and care for the young teenage girls who worked in the textile factories.  He established clubs where these young women could safely gather, become educated, and build a community with values counter to the vices experienced in the working rooms and streets of the industrial city.

A man who enjoyed the joys and challenges of labor – whether in his teaching and preaching, or his scientific studies and scientific inventions, Louis Brisson formed a spirituality of work.  This spirituality drew upon his prayerful practice of the Direction of Intention of his patron Saint Francis de Sales as handed down to him via the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary for whom he was chaplain.  Not only did he direct his work – either manual or intellectual – to the glory and praise of God in the present moment, but our founder also saw how such labor reflects the same activity done by a Creator who fashioned the universe.  From the smallest molecular particles to the vast constellations of stars, the created world, of which we are a part, was designed and fashioned by a loving God who desires to save all his creations, especially the human family.  

Seeing work as “excellent” and a “thing of awe and blessedness,” Father Brisson recognized how when we work, we cooperate with God, and such “cooperation in the action of God is sanctifying.”  Not only does our work take on this special character, but it also demonstrates respect and love for the objects of our labor.  In a retreat conference given in 1888, Louis Brisson reminded his Oblate confreres that their daily work “will take on a character so elevated, so complete in its union with God that we will treat all things as holy and sacred and as requiring our attention, our care, and our devotion.”  Thus, there is great value in the daily work we do, no matter what kind of labor that may be.  Reflecting on my Pittsburgh experiences, I see this evident in the manual factory labor of construction materials, the intellectual and social labor of education given through Mister Rogers’s Neighborhood, the artistic labor viewed in Warhol’s commercial art and silkscreens, and the hospitality labor offered in the hotel and restaurants of the city in which I vacationed. 

We began this week reflecting on the dignity of work and labor, so may we continue to recognize the blessedness of our daily labors – small or large, by hand or by mind, and give praise to God for the holiness of His creation of which we contribute to its fashioning and cultivating. May God be blessed!

Bro. Dan Wisniewski, OSFS

Provost

DeSales University

Honoring Labor, Celebrating Brothers

Many countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1 (May Day).    Throughout the 20th century this day became associated with the rise of communism and atheism.   Pope Pius XII wanted to counter this narrative and in 1955 he instituted the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker.   As a carpenter and working man, St. Joseph had traditionally been invoked as a patron of workers.  The Pope therefore proclaimed St. Joseph (rather than Marx) as the best model for working men and women.    

Because of the connection to communism, the U.S. does not observe May 1 as a day to honor workers.  Congress chose the beginning of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the contributions of all laborers in building up our nation. 

On Labor Day the Church in the U.S. suggests that mass be celebrated for the Sanctification of Human Labor, recalling the sanctity of all work.   At mass this day, St. Joseph is often remembered and invoked as a model and inspiration.  He reminds us of the dignity and sacred calling of all workers. 

Because of his lifelong work, his daily devotion to his faith and his constant care for Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph was chosen as the patron saint of religious brothers. The Church in the U.S. expanded on this connection between St. Joseph and the ministry of the vowed life by declaring May 1 as National Religious Brothers Day. It is a day to celebrate the baptismal call and public profession of those men who live the Gospel as brothers in community.

The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales are a community blessed by the presence of brothers and priests.   As we celebrate Labor Day and honor all workers, perhaps we can also recall the work and ministry of those men who have spread the spirit of St. Francis de Sales as religious brothers.  

This summer two of our brothers reached significant milestones.  Brother Joseph Schodowski, OSFS, celebrated 40 years of profession as an Oblate and Brother Dan Wisniewski, OSFS, celebrated 25 years as a professed Oblate.  Congratulations to Brother Joe and Brother Dan!   May they, and all of our Oblate brothers, continue to be an example of how we are all called to “live Jesus” in every work, every vocation, every aspect of our lives.

St. Joseph, the worker, pray for us.

Perpetual Profession of Vows

A little over a week ago, on August 21st, Craig Irwin and Joe Katarsky made their perpetual profession of vows as Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in the Toledo-Detroit Province. The celebration took place at Holy Family Parish, an Oblate parish in Adrian, MI.

It was a great celebration, and one that coincided with a young Oblate in Haiti and two Oblate sisters in Troyes, France also making their perpetual profession on the same day. The date is significant as August 21 was the birthday of St. Francis de Sales in 1567. It was a good day for the Church and for the Oblates.

Joe and Craig have been in the Oblate formation program for around 7 years. They began their time with us as postulants, Joe teaching at Visitation Academy in Washington, DC and Craig teaching at St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo, OH. From there they entered the novitiate and made their first vows in 2015. Then they began their philosophical and theological studies at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Part way through their theological program they spent two years in apostolic internship teaching at St. Francis in Toledo. They returned to Washington a year ago and are nearing the end of their theological studies.

At this point, as Fr. Ken McKenna, OSFS, mentioned in his homily at the profession, “Craig and Joe have finally arrived at their trifecta of celebrations: perpetual profession, diaconate ordination and priestly ordination. I remember my family — by the time we got to priestly ordination — asking two questions: “Didn’t we just do this?” and “Do we have to buy another gift?”

Ken went on to say, “Of the three celebrations, today, for me, is the most moving. To see young men commit their entire life to God — to vow to imitate the poor, chaste and obedient Christ touches the heart and soul and invites us all to reflect on our own living of the Gospel.”

For we Oblates, having young men make this final commitment to the Lord and to the Oblates, is always very moving. In some ways, it validates our own commitment as Oblates and gives us hope and encouragement for our future and the future of the Oblate community in the United States. It also wonderful to see others value the life we have valued and lived, some of us for a long time.

Joe and Craig will now finish their theological studies, be ordained deacons and work in a parish for a period of time, up to a year, and then be ordained priests and begin their priestly ministry as Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I’ve already congratulated them, but do so again. Many blessings Joe and Craig, we all look forward to your years in ministry with us and for the Church.

Please keep Craig and Joe in your prayers as they draw to the end of their program of basic formation as Oblates and enter the life of an ordained minister in the Church. Also, join us in prayer for vocations to our way of life.

Blessings

Rev. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial, Toledo-Detroit Province

Nativity Works!

Alex, one of Nativity Prep’s first graduates,   arrived at the Prep just as I pulled up. Recognizing me, he jumped out of his pick-up truck and enthusiastically greeted me. Since his Nativity graduation,  his high school experience at Tower Hill, and time at the  University of Delaware, Alex has become  a father and owner of his own business. I asked what brought him to Nativity.   He replied,  showing me a check,  “I’m here to drop off a donation.” 

At that moment  I knew why I  returned to Nativity Prep, a middle school providing disadvantaged boys a chance for a better future. Nativity works. Alex’s appearance that day at Nativity with a donation was sure proof.  He was grateful and he wanted to give back. 

Through hard work, longer school hours, and many ups and downs, Nativity students turn their lives around.  With patient guidance from a believing and loving faculty, Nativity students like Alex, soon discover the buried grace-filled moment that propels them on the path of achieving. 

This is that breakthrough moment when every Nativity student begins believing in himself. His attitude changes, good habits blossom, faith in self deepens,  and his disposition empowers him to maximize his God-given gifts. Transformation begins. 

This is why Nativity works. Founded by the Oblates in 2003, Nativity Prep offers every student a team approach education. This involves students, faculty, parents, Oblates, and donors -  together they offer students every opportunity needed to discover and expand their individual gifts. Nativity Prep is a life-giving place where gifts flourish in its classrooms every day.

A  few results:   Nativity alumnus and University of Notre Dame graduate,  Jahaziel  Valenzo, is fulfilling his dream of becoming an Energy Modeler for Alliantgroup.  Now living in Houston, Texas, Jahaziel is a member of this national consulting company. He writes:  I promise to stay in touch with Nativity, which quite frankly, gave me my very first opportunity to succeed and revealed my unlimited potential. Because of this support, the sky’s the limit. 

While here in Wilmington, Malachi Chandler, a 2020 graduate, is presently pursuing his high school diploma at Archmere  Academy, hoping to fulfill his dream of becoming a Graphic Designer. Remembering his days at Nativity, he writes of his teachers even though they were my teachers at Nativity, we were all family.

This past spring as the pandemic gripped our nation, Nativity Prep sent eight happy graduates to various local private secondary schools. Salesianum admitted five.  The above stories of Alex, Jahaziel, Malachi, and our new graduates are all the reasons I returned to Nativity.

Nativity works. It changes lives. Nativity isn’t the full answer to the problems we face, but it is a small piece. Working with the Nativity family, we all can make a difference, one student at a time. It may sound like a slow process -  but Nativity works.

Richard DeLillio, OSFS

First Nativity Prep President (2004-2010)

The Assumption of ….St. Joseph? A Salesian Perspective

Since 1950 when the dogma was solemnly declared, every year the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven on August 15.

Although there is no such solemn teaching or declaration regarding St. Joseph, this did not prevent St. Francis de Sales from seeing the possibility for one.

For instance, in his celebrated Treatise on the Love of God (Book 7, chapter 13), Francis looks to the example of storks for a way of speaking of the assumption of St. Joseph.  There he writes: “Storks provide a true picture of the mutual piety of children for their parents and parents for their children.  They are birds of passage and they carry their aged fathers and mothers on their journeys, just as when they were small their own fathers and mothers had carried them on like occasions.” 

You can see where the saint is going with this example.  Joseph and Mary carried Jesus in their arms when he came to them as a newborn infant and cared for him with tenderness and love throughout his life.  Francis continues, “who can doubt that when this holy father came to the end of his years, he, in turn, was carried by his divine foster Child on his journey from this world into the next, into Abraham’s bosom, from there to be translated into the Son’s own bosom, into glory, on the day of his  Ascension?” 

Francis then places on the lips of St. Joseph these beautiful words to his son, Jesus: “O my Child, as your heavenly Father placed your tender body in my hands on the day you came into the world, so do I place my spirit in your hands on this day of my departure from this world.”  Francis could not imagine a loving son refusing such a prayer from so loving a father! 

During this year we are asked to honor St. Joseph in a special way.  Why not take to prayer the image of the Holy Family now joined once again in the blessedness of their heavenly home as once they shared a simple and loving family life in the village of Nazareth?

When I was a novice, these words were written above the altar: “Go to Jesus through Mary.”  While Francis would certainly espouse that prayer, he would no doubt add a second: “Go to Jesus through Joseph.”  Can Jesus, the son, refuse any request from either parent? 

Pray to Mary; pray to Joseph! 

Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS

Provincial, Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Oblate Bringing Help To Haiti

Watch Philadelphia’s CBS News story on Fr. Tom: Northeast Philadelphia priest working to help Haiti after recent earthquake.

The Oblates are proud of our brother, Fr. Tom Hagan, OSFS, who has been serving the people of Haiti for over three decades. He founded Hands Together in 1986 after bringing college students on a service trip to the poor country. Today, Hands Together runs 15 schools, health care clinics, an elderly outreach and housing program, water well-digging projects, and other food and health programs.

Just as he did after the devastating earthquake in 2010, Fr. Tom will help the people of Haiti mourn their dead and rebuild their lives. Fr. Tom was in the U.S. raising funds for his mission work when the 7.2 magnitude quake hit on August 24th. He is in the process of getting back into the country so he can continue his good work.

The Oblates’ Chablais Mission Fund supports Oblate missionary work in Central America, South America, India, and Africa. To learn more about the Oblates’ mission work, see the recent edition of DeSales World newsletter.

Please pray for the people of Haiti, Fr. Tom and all those working to help in this relief effort.

Still Celebrating St. Jane de Chantal

Last week (Thursday, August 12) the Church celebrated the feast of St. Jane de Chantal.  But for the last fifty years (after the calendar reforms of the Second Vatican Council), her feast has been celebrated on three other dates.   For many years it was celebrated on December 12, August 18, or August 21. 

When we celebrate the feast day of a Saint, it is usually on the day of their death. For St. Jane that would be December 13th.  However, that is the ancient feast of St. Lucy.  Therefore, St. Jane was observed on December 12.

For years, Catholics in Europe observed St. Jane in December while in the Americas we remembered St. Jane on August 21 (which is actually the birthday of St. Francis de Sales). When the calendar changed in 1970, the feast of St. Pius X was moved to August 21.  To accommodate this move, the Church switched St. Jane to August 18.

When the Roman Missal was revised in 2010 and, in order to provide a common day of celebration for the entire Church, August 12 was chosen as the feast of St. Jane de Chantal.

Since we honor St. Jane as a woman who walked faithfully with God in many different vocations, perhaps it is appropriate that we have honored her over the years with many different feast days.  Whenever we celebrate this holy woman, we recognize our own call to follow God in different ways, in different walks of life, and in different seasons of life.                

St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us!