Update from our Friars in Japan — Would you like to help? Easter / Spring Events at Graymoor Benefactor Appreciation Day and Dedication Ceremony for the New Visitor Entrance at Graymoor to be held April 14 Graymoor Lecture Series Continues April 25th in NYC St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of Those Suffering from Cancer or other Illness Spring Edition of Graymoor Today Available Online Holiday and Occasion Cards from the Friars

A SEASON OF HOPE SPRINGS FORWARD

Greetings from Fr. Bob ...

Like most of the country, Graymoor has experienced a harsh winter. For me, personally, a barren and cold winter is not God’s landscape. But now it is spring once again at Graymoor. The forsythia are starting to bloom and the trees are budding. Soon the rolling hills around us will be a sea of green and then we look forward to the scent of lilacs on this Holy Mountain.

To add to our joy, this is the month that we celebrate Easter. Once again, people will come to Graymoor for the Easter Vigil. A new spark will be struck from the flint to light the great Easter Candle, new holy water will be blessed and new hosts will be consecrated. After a long and difficult winter, Spring arrives, with the promise of new beginnings.

This is the season of hope. Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, trumpets an incredibly consoling truth. Whoever you are, whatever your pain or problem, anxiety or affliction, frustration or failure, you need never despair. Not that pain goes away, problems are conveniently solved and failure turns to instant success. Simply that the promise of Jesus can come true - “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.” (Jn 16:22)

I believe that this promise can come true, but living hope is not something automatic – for instance, you simply cannot just press "H" on your computer and out comes Christian hope. You received hope at Baptism, but that gift has to grow, be nurtured and for that you have to be close to Christ. In the words of the musical Godspell: “This Lord I pray - to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly.” It is less than Christian to treat Christ only as a God of foxholes, a savior of final exams, someone you can call on when living gets desperate, when human help is helpless.

The God of hope is deep inside you, closer to you than you are to yourself. To live with living hope is to live lovingly with the source of hope, the Jesus who died and rose at Easter precisely to give you hope.

So, my Easter prayer for you is the prayer of Paul for the Christians of Rome – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom 15:13)

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Bob Warren

ST. PEREGRINE, PATRON SAINT OF THOSE SUFFERING FROM CANCER OR OTHER ILLNESS

Sickness and suffering are never easy to bear, whether it’s our own or that of a loved one or friend. We may feel helpless in the face of chronic or terminal illness, or any condition that causes pain – and wonder why God has asked us to bear this cross. It is at these times when we most need to rest in His arms and turn our troubles over to Him.

On May 4th, the friars will offer a Special Novena in honor of the patron saint of those suffering from Cancer or other illness, St. Peregrine.

Learn More about St. Peregrine and Join the May 4th Novena >>

SPRING EDITION OF GRAYMOOR TODAY AVAILABLE ONLINE

Graymoor Today is published three times a year. It includes information about the Friars and their many ministries. Our Spring 2011 issue is now available online.

Click Here to Read >>

HOLIDAY AND OCCASION CARDS FROM THE FRIARS

Our Holiday and all occasion cards offer a beautiful and joy-filled way to remember your loved ones throughout the year. Sending any of these cards will be a reminder of how much you care, and an assurance that they are being remembered in the Friars’ prayers, and will also share the gift of your support of the Friars' work among God's people.

Currently Available Cards:

Easter Cards (including Special Novena Card)

Mothers Day Card and Mass Rememberance

All Occasion Cards

St. Francis Chapel, Graymoor

Franciscan Friars of the Atonement

Headquartered at Graymoor in Garrison, NY, the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement is a Roman Catholic religious community with social, pastoral and ecumenical ministries in the United States, Canada, England, Italy, and Japan.

Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

In the Franciscan tradition of hospitality, Graymoor Spiritual Life Center welcomes individuals and groups of all faiths for spiritual retreats, meetings, conferences and pilgrimages.

Located on a mountaintop overlooking the Hudson River Valley, facilities include overnight accommodations, large dining room, a library, three chapels, as well as meeting/seminar facilities.

Centro Pro Unione
Christian Unity and
Ecumenical Research

The Centro Pro Unione, founded and directed by the Society of the Atonement, is an ecumenical research and action center. Its purpose is to give space for dialogue, to be a place for study, research and information in ecumenism: theological, pastoral, social and spiritual.

Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute

Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute promotes Christian unity and interreligious dialogue in North America through its monthly (except August) journal, Ecumenical Trends, Lecture Series, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity resources.

St. Christopher's Inn
Residential Shelter & Substance Abuse Treatment Center

St. Christopher's Inn is a temporary shelter dedicated to the rehabilitation of men in crisis. Today the Inn shelters over 1,200 men per year, most of whom suffer from alcohol and/or drug addiction.

Our mission is to offer a continuum of quality health care services that facilitate physical, emotional, and spiritual healing by providing chemical dependency treatment, primary health care, and temporary housing.