Well, I am on my way to the Logan Airport. I fly out this evening for Rome. Our general chapter begins on Tuesday morning with two day retreat, and then the chapter begins deliberations on matters concerning our order. On the eve of Pentecost the Minister General and his vicar will be elected.
Please pray for our order, the Franciscans of the Immaculate and for the chapter fathers, that we will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
I will try to post, if I can. I am bringing a camera. I hope to visit a few places that would be interesting to anyone with the spirit of chivalry. I will be back on May 14. I leave you with a section from the legislation of the friars concerning our Marian Vow. It is the spirit of chivalry:
The constitutive element most specific to the Marian Vow is the “unlimited” character of the consecration to the Immaculate.
In its most obvious and fundamental meaning, “unlimitedness” is the completeness of dedication to and possession by the Immaculate, excluding any limit and reservation, condition and regret of any kind. Gradually, in accord with the original inspiration of the Founder, there takes shape that resemblance to Her who in the Coredemption realized the most perfect unlimited love.
From this it follows that unlimited consecration to the Immaculate includes all other possible offerings and excludes none, nor can it exclude any, in virtue of the very nature of unlimitedness, which does not admit limits of any kind.
Because of this the Marian Vow entails “heroic action and unlimited striving for perfection”. It includes in itself an offer to be a “victim”, even beyond the furthest limit, namely, the immolation that is “martyrdom”. In the Marian Vow is found the most complete and radical offer of self to the Immaculate: She may demand “everything” from Her consecrated, ask any sacrifice and heroism, even that of being consumed as a victim of sacrifice and of immolating one’s life with the violent death of a martyr (cf. Const. 26), after the example of the death of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
That is the ideal. Please pray that we live it.
Ave Maria! Hopefully, I you will hear from me again soon.
Mary Victrix 
We’ll be praying for you all. Do you re-elect these positions each year ? Enjoy some REAL pasta and cannolis for me. (Unless your doctor says you can’t eat these, of course.)
Ave Maria!
Namarie, Ná Elbereth veria le, ná elenath dín síla erin rád o chuil lín. 😉
I’ll be heading to Poland myself. Maybe we’ll cross paths on our journeys!
Father,
We all pray that you do not succumb to the dose of “Montezuma’s revenge” that has hit the Friary Family. Having just experienced the wrath of said Montezuma, I cannot imagine living with that through a plane trip or when away! So far 50% of our family is under the weather, and we are still counting.
BTW Happy Birthday for tomorrow!!! Hope you don’t have to spend it in bed!!!!
Montezuma’s revenge … sounds just awful. I think I’ll stay away from Griswold for awhile. Hopefully the place will be sterilized before all the encampment crew comes or many of us will be experiencing this nightmare. They may not let you men back into the country!
Well, Happy Birthday, Father Angelo, so I see from Knight Errant. Now you REALLY have to have a cannoli. (One with a whole lot of candles on it … ha.)
Sorry all for giving you the “revenge”. This is extremely contagious virus. I think that a Doctor of immunization should do some research, and call it the Skeet…
We are offering up our prayer for your success on this crusade to Rome Father.
Happy Birthday FAM!!
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Father:
Ave Maria! I will offer my Mass tomorrow for your prayer intentions while meeting with the Apostolate of Mother’s for Priest. We will have Mass, Rosary and Holy Hour. I will offer this month’s intention for your work. May your trip bear there much fruit. God Bless and Happy Birthday.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and best wishes, especially the birthday wishes. And a special thank you for spreading the “revenge” after I left the friary. That was very thoughtful of all of you and I assure you I deeply appreciate it.
I did not get a canoli for my birthday, but today for lunch, Fra Giles–yes, that’s right–was instructed to cook American food for lunch. I was asked by the superior of the house, Father Settimio, what American food was. I replied, “I don’t think there is much really, hamburger, I guess. Fra Giles used his imagination and cooked some patties, putting them on some very hearty Italian bread with a think slice of Romano cheese. They dug into the stores and found some mustard and mayonnaise as well. No catchup. That would have been too much to ask.
Be home soon.
Thanks again.
Sounds like an interesting sandwich… with no catchup even, thats not very American. 🙂