NEWS

St. Joan of Arc Parish in Toronto, which has been serving the community, bringing the welcome and warmth of Christ to all since its foundation in 1919, will celebrate the beginning of 100 years this month. For the past 20 years, the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement have served as pastoral ministers, promoting an atmosphere of shared stewardship, involving a comprehensive participation in the life and worship of the parish. Fr. Dan Callahan, SA, currently serves as pastor of the parish. “Our parish is inspired by the mission of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement who exist to invite the world to join in the quest for healing and reconciliation,” says Fr. Dan Callahan, SA. The parish mission statement best sums up the goal: Living and Proclaiming the Gospel through Stewardship. All are welcome. The presence of the Friars, and their commitment to reconciliation, can be felt by the spirit of the mission statement and the feeling that “At-One-Ment” is truly the goal for the parish. Fr. Dan, and all the Friars who have served before him, have seen the growth of the parish and served as celebrants for countless Masses, Baptisms, first Communions, and first Confessions. The parish offers five Sunday Masses per week so that all may attend, in addition to daily Mass offered Monday through Friday. Every week following the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass different families, in turn, provide refreshments with coffee and tea, allowing parishioners an opportunity for fellowship and to encourage one another. It is always a joyful gathering reminding all of Acts 2:46 “...they ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” “My experience in the parish is one that calls me to presence to the people, service to the stewardship volunteers, pastoral ministry to all who are in need and making sure the Church provides a welcoming atmosphere. Our pastoral mission is to live and proclaim the gospel and welcome all,” said Fr. Dan. Find out more about St. Joan of Arc Parish at www.joanofarc.ca.

At the invitation of Pope Francis, Fr. Tom Orians, SA, traveled to Rome in April to concelebrate Mass with the Holy Father, along with other Missionaries of Mercy from around the world. In addition to concelebrating Mass, the Missionaries of Mercy, whose original appointment was during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, were invited to meet with Pope Francis for a few days in April for prayer, reflection and teaching on the important role they are filling for the Church. Fr. Tom shared, “The Holy Father informed us ‘that the Christian path is an arduous one, with stones upon which to stumble and banana peels on which to slip.’ I will always remember what great mercy and love we are challenged to share in our journeys as Missionaries of Mercy. He told us, ‘the message that we bear in Christ’s name is that of making peace with God… God needs people to bring the message of his pardon and mercy to the world.’ I was awestruck by his words because they so reminded me of the charism of the community – “At-One-Ment.”” The Missionaries of Mercy have been extended special permission to absolve sins that would normally be reserved for the Holy See. Through the appointment and guidance of these missionaries, Pope Francis shows that forgiveness is truly the heart of Jesus Christ and His Church. The mercy extended through Fr. Tom and his fellow missionaries reminds us that God is always merciful, slow to anger and rich in love. “As a Missionary of Mercy I am able to make Christ’s prayer ‘that all maybe one’ felt in a very real manner through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Pope’s words were so refreshing and inspiring when he reminded us of our need to be like the father in the story of prodigal son. ‘Confessors need to look in the eyes of the penitent, listen to them, and throw open wide their arms to welcome them, so that they can experience the love of the Father.’” At Graymoor, Fr. Tom ministers to the many men and women who attend the retreats and special events at the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. He has learned to see each person individually and how to show each person, unconditional love. His trip is a good reminder for all of us to practice the mercy and love of God through the actions of our daily lives. Jesus, we trust in you!

What is God’s plan for my life? Eight young men and women were seeking answers to this question at the Young Adult Weekend Retreat which took place March 23-25, 2018 at Graymoor. “Many young adults in their 20s and 30s are trying to figure out what God wants them to do with their lives. This retreat helps participants to sort through all of the competing ‘voices’ from our over-stimulated world seeking their attention and hear God’s voice above all else,” according to Paul Krenzelok, Director of Discernment Ministry for Young Adults. Talks by Fr. Bernie, Palka, SA, Sr. Lucinda Patterson, SA and Paul Krenzelok offered practical steps for how to spend time in discernment. The weekend was also rich in prayer with Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and beautiful prayer experiences led by Br. Joe O’Gara, SA, and Br. Paolo Nicosia, SA.   

In the words of participants, here are a few takeaways from the weekend:

• “I will take away the understanding that discernment takes time and that is okay. Taking it day by day and letting God lead the way can be so helpful and powerful!”

• “I am grateful to the Lord for freeing me from the fear of making the wrong decision; we really can’t make a “wrong” decision if we are sincerely striving to follow God’s will.” 

• “Discernment is not something we are called to do occasionally but something we are called to make part of our daily prayer—it must become second nature.”

• “I have a much better grasp of what discernment means and how to work with it in order to let it guide me to where I need to go.”

Our next discernment weekends take place later this year.  Our next Come and Discern Vocation Retreat for young men considering a religious vocation with the Friars occurs October 18-21, 2018. Our next Young Adult Weekend Retreat is December 7-9, 2018.

Fr. Ken Cienik, SA, knows how to help men find spiritual peace in desperate situations. His experience serving as a Navy Chaplain on the battleship USS Wisconsin throughout the Gulf War in Desert Storm will prove invaluable in his new role as Spiritual Counselor at St. Christopher’s Inn

Centro Pro Unione (Center for Unity) is the Friars’ Ecumenical and Interreligious Center located in Rome, Italy. Currently led by Fr. Jim Puglisi, SA, among other initiatives, the Center hosts events that invite people to come to a deeper understanding of Christianity as well as other religions.

Fr. Bill Drobach, SA, began serving as the Friars Novice Director in Assisi in January of this year.

On Friday, February 23, 2018, Minister General Fr. Brian Terry, SA, joined other Catholic leaders from the religious conferences of the U.S. (Conference of Superiors of Men and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious), Mexico, Caribbean and Latin American Confederation of Religious, and Canada crossed borders to meet and journeyed to the border wall at Sasabe, AZ.

On January 24, seventh grade girl teams from around the area participated in this basketball tournament in the hopes of winning the Society of the Atonement Memorial Cup.

Earlier this year, two of the Friars were invited to participate in Catholic radio shows to be interviewed about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.