Puerto Rico's General Visitation
Moisés Villalta sent along some photos of the General Visitation of the Custody of Puerto Rico that took place from November 27-29. Our Minister Roberto Genuin was accompanied by the General Vicar José Ángel Torres. Along with the photos of the General as he visited the Custody's fraternities, Moi also sent along the text of the homily delivered by Roberto at the conclusion of the visit on the feast of All Saints of the Franciscan Order (and the 800th Anniversary of the Rule of 1223's approbation). That text appears below along with the fraternity photos.
All Saints' Day of the Franciscan Family
I want to concentrate on two aspects specific to this day of All Saints of the Order.
The first of them is the path to holiness.
I find myself in front of a group that has prepared to walk towards holiness, and in which we may possibly have some saint -- even though many times we don't believe it. This is something we have to learn or recover from each other. given that it's very normal to more easily identify what is not so positive in our brothers. We must recover this ability to admire and thank one another for the holiness that exists among us.
The second aspect is Poverty, one of the fundamental aspects of our life.
Last week we had the usual meeting of General Ministers with the Pope -- this time not only with other male Orders, but also with Female ones. On Thursday we had an Audience with the Holy Father. He impressed me with the strength and conviction with which he reminded us, especially the Capuchins, that one of our pillars is Poverty, and we shouldn't forget that.
This should move us a lot as brother Capuchin: reiterating poverty as one of our pillars. We have promised to live in poverty, especially material poverty. Living and eliminating poverty is part and parcel of 
achieving our freedom. Being poor, we become free of ourselves and, free of ourselves, we can freely follow the Lord.
The desire for money or material things has affected our ministry. We continually hear from many brothers: “I am doing this and that” -- focusing on having in order to be able to get something done. Instead, our Rule is one of great freedom and great relationships. Are we looking for our own freedom or to follow the Lord in freedom? Whoever seeks wealth for himself, closes himself in and closes himself to all relationships. They close in on themselves and become closed from all relationships. Closing themselves to others, in the end, brings sadness and isolation.
Brothers, let us walk towards holiness, living in freedom, filling with our spirits with the great satisfaction of being able to say: “I have done what was mine to do.” May doing our part fill us with the Lord’s grace and blessing.
Kip Ledger Shares Spirit in PNG
Kip Ledger returned from our Custody of Papua New Guinea at the beginning of December. He was asked to give some workshops on Franciscan Spirituality to the friars there in November. He reports that he "had a wonderful time with the friars. They were extremely fraternal and hospitable! It was also nice to catch up with Al, Thomas, Tage and Roshan. Roshan wasn't able to attend the assembly, but I did see him in Port Moresby when he was on his way through for a home visit."
Kip also sent along a photo of the new chapel in Mendi and a shot with our brother Thomas Choi . . .
A Zelie's Home at the Padre Pio Prayer Center
We are excited to announce that we are beginning a new ministry to provide housing for pregnant and parenting women in need in the northeast Philadelphia area. The home has the tentative name of A Zelie's Home at the Padre Pio Prayer Center (named after St. Zélie Guérin Martin, mother of St. Therèse the Little Flower, and Padre Pio). We hope to transform a space available to us into a warm and welcoming home for these women, and we need your help.
We are working on a few partnerships in the project. Mostly, we need your help! We are in need of supplies for the rooms, such as cribs, twin beds, nightstands, rocking chairs, and dressers, as well as furnishings for the house, such as a sofa, armchairs, and a table. We will also be needing much financial assistance. As we approach the new year, we hope to begin the hard work of converting the space into a loving home for pregnant and parenting women.
We will keep everyone in the loop as things progress! Please pray for this ministry to be successful and consider how you might be an integral part.
Family and Maternal Health Caucus
at The Cenacle of the Padre Pio Prayer Center!
We are grateful to Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for their family and maternal health initiative in Philadelphia. They are working hard to bring many elected officials together to see the great work that is being done with families and pregnant and parenting women.
So many families made the journey from across Philadelphia to attend workshops and give testimony to the good work of Catholic Social Services.
We Capuchin Franciscans are proud to be a part of this important beautiful ministry.
. . . and we're proud of all your efforts, brothers!
Here's a shot we found of our Cap Corps Volunteers in November . . . our new member of the Finance Office staff, Shea Roberts, is to the right of Margaret McIntyre, the outgoing director of our Volunteers in these years, and Skye Diego, the new Cap Corps Recruiter, is to the left of our Provincial Minister. You can meet our volunteers on the Cap Corps website.
Cap College Kitchen Open for Busy-ness
In November, the blessing of the renovated Kitchen at our DC friary
was a reason for rejoicing and thanksgiving . . .
Vatican City Commemorates Greccio
Phil White alerted us to scenes from the "Greccio Christmas" commemoration in Rome's St. Peter Square . . .
Pope Francis noted that the first Nativity scene in Greccio consisted of only a "crib with the hay, the ox and the donkey."
"Before the Christmas scene, the people who flocked to the place manifested an unspeakable joy, never tasted before," he said. "Then the priest, at the manger, solemnly celebrated the Eucharist, showing the link between the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist. On that occasion, there were no figurines in Greccio: the Nativity scene was created and experienced by those who were present."
Some photos from . . .
. . . Baltimore's St. Ambrose
As faithful as ever, we've gotten photos in these months from Paul Zaborowski who's faithfully chronicled the happenings at St. Ambrose Parish. Here are just a few of the photos that let us in on a devoted and committed parish family.
James Watson, Richard Owens, Raf Angiano, Dave Domanski and Phil Paulson were found in the photos along with Paul and parishioners from St. Ambrose at the National Black Conference meeting that was held in July (it HAS been a while!) . . .
Community Flea Market
Community Day
. . . our Anniversary Celebration in Latrobe, PA
Rigo, Oxford and Tom Weinandy, too
Tom Weinandy visited Rigo Azanwi at Oxford while the former was in England in October. Rigo reported: "We made a stop in Winchester, where we had dinner. And the final photo is the Winchester Cathedral. Tom left the next day to visit with Tommy in Durham [no photo of that one!]. Please share with the brothers."
Speaking of sharing, we had a report of Rigo's trip from the USA in September, and his travelogue described at his new digs, our Capuchin friary at Oxford:
As I approached the friary, I couldn't help but wonder what awaited me behind the door of the friary. With a heart full of excitement, tiredness, and trust in divine providence, I finally reached the friary's doorstep at 1:56 a.m. on Friday, September 16th. Like Maria in The Sound of Music, I rang the doorbell with uncertainty in my heart. What kind of day awaited me in this new land? Brother 
Martin answered the door with a firm handshake, confirming that the British aren't big on hugs. But I went in for a hug, and he couldn't resist. In the days that followed, I acquainted myself with the other friars. We are a diverse group of nine, each with unique stories and backgrounds: friars Martin, the guardian and pastor, Ade, Lucjan, Pradeep and Gordon, along with residents Luis (a Mexican student learning English) and Gustavo (a candidate discerning with the Swiss Province).
A structured prayer routine and a communal meal (lunch being the main meal, breakfast and dinners are DIY) govern our life in the friary. Each day brings its spiritual cadence, providing a sense of purpose and direction.
In my first days in Oxford, I wandered through a city that felt straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Its markets offered a glimpse into the multicultural tapestry of the U.K., with Indian cuisine taking center stage.
If there has been one significant cultural shock, it would be the expense of life in the U.K. From food to travel, the cost of existence requires a recalibration of my financial senses.
. . . As I immerse myself in this new chapter of life, I am reminded of who I am, why I am here, and where I am headed. I am also reminded that the world is full of surprises, and every day in the land of kings and queens is an opportunity for growth, learning, and, of course, a spot of tea.