REMEMBERING TO BE THANKFUL …

Greetings from Fr. Bob ...

As I get older, I find I leave little notes around to remind me of the things I have to do - tasks that I would probably forget if it were not for these small pieces of paper, little reminders. God also gives us reminders every now and then.

We have three big ones in November with three special days. The first is All Saints, where we are reminded that we are all members of God's family and called to become saints in our heavenly home. The second, All Souls, reminds us of our loved ones who have gone before us "marked with a sign of faith." At the end of the month, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. A day set aside to count our blessings and a time to ask God to guide and bless our nation.

Thanksgiving Day is a dramatic reminder that America's roots are religious. The people who first came to this land were intensely aware of God's presence and God's providence.

Do you ever take time to make a gratitude list? Take time to just sit down, close your eyes and slowly think over all the good things that God blessed you with - very basic things that we often take for granted, like hearing birds sing, to be able to worship God freely, for family and good friends.

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for. Every flower, every blade of grass are God's gifts to us. Even in times of turmoil and tragedy if we look hard enough we will find God's hand guiding, supporting and giving us the strength and grace to carry on.

Yes, God is always leaving notes around just to remind us of His goodness and love. Notes that tell us that the God who created the universe cares about us. Just open your heart and eyes and read.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Bob Warren

SOCIETY MARKS CENTENNIAL OF RECEPTION INTO CHURCH OF ROME

October 30, 2009 marked a special centennial for the Society of the Atonement. One hundred years ago, the small religious group,
founded by Fr. Paul Wattson and Mother Lurana White at Graymoor as an Episcopalian community in the Franciscan tradition, became the first order since the Reformation to be received corporately by the Holy into full communion with the Church of Rome.

LEARN MORE ABOUT RECEPTION DAY AT GRAYMOOR >>

PAUL WATTSON LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES FEBRUARY 22

The XXXI Paul Wattson Seminar and Lecture will be held at the University of San Francisco on Monday, February 22, 2010 beginning at 3 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Fernando Enns from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, will deliver a lecture entitled: "A Decade to Overcome Violence - 2000 to 2010: An Ecumenical Journey Towards a Common Understanding of Just Peace."

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2010 PAUL WATTSON LECTURE SERIES >>

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

The Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute promotes Christian unity and interreligious dialogue in North America through their 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.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement find both challenge and purpose in active service. We direct thriving social, ecumenical and pastoral ministries spanning three continents.

Our name — “At-One-Ment” — reflects the passion to reconcile Christians and their churches; to unite men and women with God and one another, making them
“at-one.”

If you are a man 19 to 40 years of age, who feels God’s
calling to live a life of faithfulness to the church, our
Vocations Director, Bro. John O’Hara, SA can be reached at 1-800-338-2620, ext. 2126.