NEWS

“When you needed to connect to spirit, that’s just where you went”, Kacey Morabito Grean shares about Graymoor. Kacey, a WHUD radio host and long-time friend of the Friars has been traveling to Graymor since she was a child.

Going into our travels to Italy, I knew that Assisi would be a highlight. I had heard wonderful things about it from everyone that I knew who had gone there. This compounded with the fact that I was going there with Franciscans and with a special appreciation for it now that I have been living and working with Franciscans for almost a month. What I soon came to realize was that this weekend would be the highlight of my entire experience in Italy.

Today our class met with both the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. It was an incredible experience to see both of these great institutions.

There is great excitement over the Friars recently establishing San Damiano Farm, which gives the opportunity for men suffering from substance abuse to literally plant seeds and witness the fruits (and vegetables!) of their labor.   

Fr. Thomas C. Gumprecht, SA, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, entered into eternal life on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

Five Friars: Fr. Timothy MacDonald, SA, Br. Gerard Hand, SA, Br. Daniel Houde, SA, Br. Louis Marek, SA, and Br. Savio McNeice, SA celebrated their Diamond Jubilee in 2018!  Although Br. Savio passed into eternal life on Sunday, June 10, 2018, the Friars recognized and celebrated him for his years of service to the mission of “At-One-Ment.”

This month, the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center will offer two retreat opportunities for those wishing to enter more deeply into the spirituality behind the “12 Steps” and their use in everyday life.

Fr. Jim Gardiner, SA, was invited to offer his insights as an experienced pilgrimage chaplain to the Holy Land at the Washington Theological Consortium board

The Heritage and Benefactor Appreciation Day on June 7 was an occasion for the benefactors to see more fully the great work they are a part of through their support as well as to pray to St. Anthony for his intercession. Benefactors attended Mass and a reception at the St. Anthony Shrine, a popular pilgrimage spot that has been visited by tens of thousands over the years. For the Friars, many benefactors, and so many men and women who have asked for prayers, St. Anthony is a special patron, a miracle-worker who has aided many pilgrims and supplicants. After Mass, the benefactors attended a luncheon and received an update on the Friars ministries. Some of the ministries in which the Friars serve - such as the Graymoor Books and Gift Center, the pilgrimage spots, the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center, and St. Christopher’s Inn - are located at Graymoor itself, giving the benefactors a chance to see the fruit of their generosity. The Friars recognize that the abundant good work that is accomplished through their many ministries - from helping men suffering from drug addictions to building bridges through ecumenical dialogue - is not due solely to their own labor. Rather, they rely on the prayers and financial support of many others who believe in Servant of God Fr. Paul of Graymoor’s mission of “At-One-Ment”, as well as the intercession of saints such as St. Anthony. St. Anthony, pray for us!