The Canticle of Brother Sun

Altissimu, omnipontente, bonsignore,
tue sono le laude
la gloria elhonore
et omne benedictione.

Ad te solo, Altissimo, se Kofano
et nullu homo enne dignu
te mentovare.

A Translation:

Most high, all powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.

Would I Might Wake Saint Francis in You All

VACHEL LINDSEY

Would I might wake Saint Francis in you all,
Brother of birds and trees,
God's Troubadour,
Blinded with weeping for the sad and the poor:
Our wealth undone, all strict Franciscan men,
Come, let us chant the canticle again
Of mother earth and the enduring sun.
God make each soul
The lowly leper's slave:
God make us saints and brave.

La preghiera di San Francesco di Assisi

Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore,

Tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.

Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.

Laudato sie, mi' Signore cum tucte le Tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate Sole,
lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle:
in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate Vento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sor'Acqua.
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per frate Focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.

Laudato si', mi Signore, per quelli che perdonano per lo Tuo amore
et sostengono infrmitate et tribulatione.

Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace,
ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato s' mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le Tue sanctissime voluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.

Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate
e serviateli cum grande humilitate.

Il Cantico delle Creature

Angelo Branduardi

CLICK TO PLAY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYdepwbwbeY&feature=email

Pace Et Bene!    Everyone!

Alms Are An Inheritance From God

If people insult you and refuse to give you alms, you should thank God for it, because you will be honoured before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ for these insults. The shame will be imputed to those who cause it, not to you who suffer it. Alms are an inheritance and a right which is due to the poor because our Lord Jesus Christ acquired this inheritance for us...

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1221
Chapter 9

Saint Francis and the Birds

ROY McFADDEN

Hearing him, the birds came in a crowd,
Wing upon wing, from stone and blade and twig,
From tilted leaf and thorn and lumbering cloud,
Falling from hill, soaring from meadowland,
Wing upon widening wing, until the air
Wrinkled with sound and ran like watery sand
Round the sky's gleaming bowl. Then, like a flower
They swung, hill-blue and tremulous, each wing
A petal palpitating in a shower
Of words, till he beneath felt the stale crust
Of self crinkle and crumble of his words
Assume an independence, pure and cold,
Cageless, immaculate, one with the birds
Fattening their throats in song. Identity
Lost, he stood in swollen ecstasy.

St. Francis And The Sister Swallows

It happened once when St. Francis was preaching in Alviano that he could not be heard because of the chattering of a flock of swallows building their nests there. So St. Francis said to the birds:

"My Sister Swallows, you have had your say. It is now my turn to speak. Be quiet now and listen to the word of the Lord."

Then to the astonishment of the people standing about, the little birds fell silent and did not move until St. Francis finished preaching.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano - First Life

Of The Bird That Rested In Francis' Hands

When the blessed Francis was going across the lake of Rieti to the hermitage of Greccio, he was sitting in a certain little boat. A certain fisherman offered him a waterfowl, that he might rejoice over it in the Lord. The blessed father accepted it joyfully, and opening his hands, he gently told it it was free to fly away. But when it did not wish to leave, but wanted to rest there in his hands as in a nest, the saint raised his eyes and remained in prayer. And returning to himself as from another place after a long while, he gently commanded the bird to go back to its former freedom. So, upon receiving this permission along with a blessing, the bird flew away, showing its joy by a certain movement of the body.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CXXVI

Thank you! St. Nicholas Parish Sunman, Indiana

With heartfelt gratitude I would like to send out a special "Thank you!" to Father Gregory Bramlage and to all his faithful, Spirit-filled Parishoners at St. Nicholas Parish in Sunman, Indiana. You certainly made my visit with you today absolutely fantastic! And the Monks of Wyoming thank you as well!

I will be offering special prayers for the youth of your Parish... and especially for those who plan on attending the Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference this summer, "Go, Stubie!"

Pax Et Bonum!

U.S. Bishops: Reiki Is Dangerous, Superstitious

- In a document released March 25, the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops blasted Reiki, a practice developed in Japan in the late nineteenth century that has gained acceptance in some Catholic retreat centers and other institutions.

After distinguishing between natural medicine and supernatural healing effected by Christ, the bishops conclude:

Reiki therapy finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief. For a Catholic to believe in Reiki therapy presents insoluble problems. In terms of caring for one's physical health or the physical health of others, to employ a technique that has no scientific support (or even plausibility) is generally not prudent.

In terms of caring for one's spiritual health, there are important dangers. To use Reiki one would have to accept at least in an implicit way central elements of the worldview that undergirds Reiki theory, elements that belong neither to Christian faith nor to natural science.

Without justification either from Christian faith or natural science, however, a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man's-land that is neither faith nor science. Superstition corrupts one's worship of God by turning one's religious feeling and practice in a false direction. While sometimes people fall into superstition through ignorance, it is the responsibility of all who teach in the name of the Church to eliminate such ignorance as much as possible.

Since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy. The bishops add, “Some forms of Reiki teach of a need to appeal for the assistance of angelic beings or ‘Reiki spirit guides.’ This introduces the further danger of exposure to malevolent forces or powers.”

Not Concentrating On The Melody Of The Chant

And so I beseech the Minister General, my superior, to see that the Rule is observed inviolably by all, and that the clerics say the Office devoutly, not concentrating on the melody of the chant, but being careful that their words may in harmony with their hearts and and their hearts with God.

Saint Francis of Assisi
LETTER TO A GENERAL CHAPTER

We Must Act Rather Than Teach

The friars under obedience are much edified when their Ministers and preachers gladly devote their time to prayer, and apply themselves to humble and undistinguished tasks. Unless they do this they cannot admonish other friars without embarrassment, injustice, and self-condemnation; for if we follow Christ's example, we must act rather than teach, and our acting and teaching must go together.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 73

Becoming Like A Vessel That Is Destroyed

St. Francis was honored by all and extolled by all, with praiseworthy judgment; and he alone considered himself the most vile among men, he alone despised himself most severely. For often, when he was honored by all, he suffered the deepest sorrow; and rejecting the favor of men, he would see to it that he would be rebuked by someone.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER XIX

The Friars Are Chosen And Sent By God For The Salvation Of All

When he arrived in Florence, blessed Francis found there the Lord Ugolino, Bishop of Ostia, who later became Pope Gregory. The Cardinal asked Francis, "Why have you sent your friars to such distant places to die of hunger and undergo hardships?" Moved by the spirit of prophesy, blessed Francis replied with deep fervor, "My Lord, do you imagine that God has raised up the friars solely for the benefit of these Provinces? I solemly assure you that God has chosen and sent the friars for the benefit and salvation of the souls of all men in this world. They will be welcomed not only in countries of the faithful, but in those of unbelievers as well, and they will win many souls."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 65

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.


The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticoulosly roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.


The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.


The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.


Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all their commission sales is donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the Left Side of this page:

Man's Senses Are More Prone To Evil

Take care lest, when the dung of worthlessness has been placed at your roots, you be found sterile, for then there will remain nothing but that the axe be put to you. Do not trust entirely the spirit that is in now in you, for man's senses are more prone to evil than to good, even though it may have been considerably separated from it.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Sacrum Commercium - 54

When You See A Beggar

"When you see a beggar, you are looking at an image of our Lord and his poor Mother. When you see a sick person, remember the infirmities he bore for us."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER VIII

The Rule Of St. Francis

Because patience is a work of perfection and a proof of virtue, a certain doctor of laws, seeing and reflecting on Brother Bernard's constancy and virtue in not being at all disturbed by any injury or insult for so many days, said to himself: "That man certainly must be a saint." And going up to Brother Bernard he asked him: "Who are you, and why have you come here?"

As his reply, Brother Bernard put his hand in his bosom and brought out the Rule of St. Francis, which he bore in his heart and practiced in his deeds, and gave it to him to read.

And when that judge had read it through, reflecting on its lofty state of perfection, he was utterly amazed, for he was an intelligent man. And turning to his companions, he said with the greatest surprise and admiration: "This certainly is the highest form of religious life I have ever heard of! And therefore this man and his companions are some of the holiest men in the world. So those who insult him are committing a very great sin, for he should be given the highest honors rather than insults, as he is a great and true friend of God!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 5

Simplicity

In those parts of the world where they were unknown and despised they were often insulted, but they were so meek in their devotion to Christ's Gospel that they preferred to remain where they had to endure physical persecution, rather than return where their holiness was recognized and they might become proud of the honor shown them.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER IV

Offer No Resistence To Injury

The friars should not offer resistence to injury; if a man strikes them on the right cheek, they should turn the other cheek also towards him (Matthew 9:3). If a man take away their cloak, they should no grudge him their along with it.

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Rule of 1221
Chapter 14

Working In Harmony With The Clergy

St. Francis spoke thus because the harvest of souls which the friars desire to gather is more readily obtained by working in harmony with the clergy, thereby helping both them and the people, than by antagonizing them, even though they may win the people.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 10

Woe To Those Who Despise Priests

Blessed is that servant of God who has confidence in priests who live according to the laws of the holy Roman Church. Woe to those who despise them.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE ADMONITIONS
Admonition XXVI

There Is No Place For "Class Warfare"

I warn all the friars and exhort them not to condemn or look down on people whom they see wearing soft or gaudy clothes and enjoying luxuries in food or drink; each one should rather condemn and despise himself.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Rule of 1223
Chapter 3

Portiuncula Chapel At Franciscan University of Steubenville Designated By Vatican

STEUBENVILLE - The tiny Portiuncula Chapel at Franciscan University of Steubenville has been designated by the Vatican as a place where the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence - an elimination of the temporal punishment due to sin.

The special designation comes in the form of a decree recently issued by the Vatican office of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The Rev. Terence Henry, T.O.R., university president, called the announcement "an extraordinarily gracious act by the Holy See that will provide an abundant outpouring of God's mercy on the thousands of people who visit the Portiuncula Chapel every year."

The decree holds special significance because of its reference to the pro-life movement and because it is not limited to a single day in the year, as is the case with many plenary indulgences.

According to the decree, the indulgence may be obtained at any of five times during the year: Aug. 2, the feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula; Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi; Jan. 22, the dedication of the Tomb of the Unborn Child located next to the Portiuncula; and on any day during the year of a person's choosing or while completing a "holy pilgrimage" to the Portiuncula with a group.

The plenary indulgence decree was issued by the Office of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which is under the direction of James Francis Cardinal Stafford, the former archbishop of Denver. The request for the decree came through the office of Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of the Diocese of Steubenville in recognition of the Portiuncula's history as a beloved place of prayer and eucharistic adoration.

Completed in 1987, the Portiuncula, or "Port" as it is called by students, is a replica of one of the first churches near Assisi that St. Francis repaired after Jesus commissioned him to "Go, rebuild my Church." During academic semesters, many students go to the Portiuncula for eucharistic adoration, which is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Vatican decree went into effect on Feb. 11 and will remain in effect for seven years.

Conlon officially will promulgate the decree April 24 at the Portiuncula Chapel.

"We are excited that residents in the Ohio Valley can receive this indulgence without traveling far," said Henry.

"We know our students, faculty, staff, the thousands of visitors who come here each summer for retreats and conferences, our graduates who return for alumni events, parents and prospective students and many others will take part in the special graces now available to them here," said Henry.

Allow The Flowers To Announce The Beauty Of The Father

St. Francis forbade the brothers to cut down the whole tree when they cut wood, so that it might have hope of sprouting again. He commanded the gardener to leave the border around the garden undug, so that in their proper times the greenness of the grass and the beauty of flowers might anounce the beauty of the Father of all things. He commanded that a little place be set aside in the garden for sweet-smelling and flowering plants, so that they would bring those who look upon them the memory of the Eternal Sweetness.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CXXIV

Io Fumatori!

Among the lesser created things blessed Francis had an especial love for fire, because of its beauty and usefulness, and would not allow it to be denied its natural function...But so dearly did he love fire that, however pressing the need, he would never put out the flame, whether a lamp or a candle.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 116

Being Lavished With Honors

When honors were lavished upon him and his sanctity was trumpeted, blessed Francis often replied: "I have no guarantee that I will never have sons or daughters." And he added: "If, at a certain moment, the Lord wanted to take away the treasure he has confided in me, what would I have left? A body and a soul; the infidels have just as much. And I must believe that if a robber or an infidel had received as many graces from the Lord as I have, he would be more faithful to God than I am."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 104

I Am The Greatest Of Sinners

A certain brother asked the blessed Francis, saying: "What, Father, is your opinion of yourself?" He replied: "t seems to me that I am the greatest of sinners, for if God had treated any criminal with such great mercy, he would have been ten times more spiritual than I."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER LXXXVI

Mystic Monk Coffee - Helping the Portiuncula Hermitage and Birthright

The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing ten percent of their Mystic Monk Coffee Sales Commissions to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion)!

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

What is the Carmelite Monks' goals in roasting Mystic Monk Coffee? They hope that this new monastic industry will help them to establish their Catholic monastery in the mountains of Wyoming. Catholics everywhere love coffee and why not buy their coffee from Catholic monks who are laboring to take vocations?

Every Catholic monastery has its own manual labor, a way to support itself by its own hands. Then it usually sells what it makes as its monastery gift item. Coffee is unique in that Catholics everywhere drink coffee daily. So this is a monastery gift for every day of the year. Catholics should find this as another way to integrate the church into their daily lives, through Catholic coffee. Every morning as they sip their coffee, why not think of the church and say a morning offering to Christ?

Mystic Monk Coffee is pleased to offer the socially conscious consumer a coffee that respects the value of every human life and the right and dignity of every person, especially the unborn. Fair Trade Organic is a decision to act with social justice.

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.


The Portiuncula Hermitage is committed to tithing ten percent of their Mystic Monk Coffee Sales Commissions to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion)!

Please remember to keep the pre-born in your prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the Left Side of this Page:

Only The Perverse And Obstinate

A person would certainly have to be really perverse and obstinate to refuse to listen to St. Francis' preaching. Even dumb creatures submitted to his miraculous powers and inanimate objects came to his aid when he preached, as if they had life.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER XII

Receiving Christ In The Eucharist

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of God dwelling in him and presumes to receive Him eats and drinks judgement to himself (1Cor. 11:29).

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE ADMONITIONS
Admonition I