CONCORD — More than 100 Secular Franciscans and others from the Carolinas gathered Nov. 8 to consider the role that Franciscan spirituality can play in today’s society.
The retreat was held at St. James the Greater Church in Concord, hosted by the St. Maximilian Kolbe Franciscan fraternity from Charlotte and the Brother Francis fraternity of Newton. Secular Franciscans from the St. Clare fraternity in Winston-Salem and St. Michael the Archangel in Spartanburg attended, along with parishioners from churches in Concord and Newton.
Capuchin Franciscan Father Remo DiSalvatore, former pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte, led the retreat focused on how the spiritual influence of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare can be lived out in today’s world. Attendees listened to talks, attended Mass, prayed together, went to confession and received prayers for healing.
They learned about key elements of Secular Franciscan spirituality: living in a spirit of ongoing conversion and communion with the Trinitarian God, honoring the spirituality of family and marriage, being an active presence in the Church and the world, evangelical poverty and living with hope and evangelical joy.
As Xiomara Palma, a Secular Franciscan from Newton noted, “This retreat reminded us that the testament of St. Francis is to be humble and available to serve each other with love, and to embrace the poor.”
For professed Secular Franciscans, it was a chance to make and renew friendships and reaffirm their commitment to living out the order’s charism, said Jerome Wagner, a member of the Concord fraternity.
The day offered an important perspective on the work Secular Franciscans can do in sharing the Gospel message in daily life.
“We are not cloistered,” Wagner said. “We do not live behind walls as old monastics used to do. In our homes and families, neighborhood communities and in our businesses, these are places where we can demonstrate things like joy, hope, and a reliance on Jesus.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the Secular Franciscans in the Charlotte area can visit https://tinyurl.com/smkfraternity or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Christina Lee Knauss