"As a brother would listen..."

by: friar Jason Warrer, OFM Conv.


After Shamokin, we headed to Ellicott City, to the Shrine of St. Anthony.  We helped out at the Festival of St. Anthony on June 8th by setting up and meeting with the pilgrims. Fr. Eric asked us to pray with the pilgrims who came.  One of the brothers and I had a prayer station inside the courtyard, and, during their afternoon breaks, people came and asked us to pray with them.  

For me it was moving; I was able to reconnect with the pilgrims by listening to their needs and pray with them.  Many of the pilgrims were crying, others felt at peace.  It was the Holy Spirit touching them because we both believe and trust in God who is so good and merciful, and we are open to the Holy Spirit.  At the end of the festival, we were tired: we prayed from noon to 4pm and it can be draining, because you give away to the people the energy that God gives us.  It was a good experience to be open to people and reconnect with them and just listen to them as a brother would listen to a sibling.  I enjoyed my time at the festival in talking and meeting with the pilgrims who came and sought Saint Anthony’s intercession.    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Chicken Dance"

Image
by: friar Rich Rome, OFM Conv. One of my favorite TV comedies, Arrested Development, chronicles the antics of the hyper-affluent Bluth family who develop real estate in California.   With one exception, they are all completely (and hilariously) disconnected from the real world.   And the way the show drives that point home is that each character has a unique “chicken dance”.   Whenever one character accuses another of being a chicken, they mockingly perform their version of the dance – none of these versions bear any resemblance to a real chicken ( see gif below ). While some societies for religious or cultural reasons do not eat pork or beef, almost every society eats chicken.   Just about everyone on earth understands what a chicken is like (hence, the comedy of the show).   But how connected are we on where our chicken comes from?   Our time in Ellicott City, MD and Siler City, NC revolved a lot around chickens.   In Maryland, we spent a morning at Mary’s Land
Read more

"To Provide for Creation"

Image
by: friar Jaime Zaragoza, OFM Conv. Our Maryland trip helped us to reconnect with the care of creation at the grass roots level; this was addressed in two areas.  Firstly, at the Chesapeake Bay with "Col. Dennis", and learning about what is required to create an equilibrium in an environment so that it may continue to be resourceful.  Secondly, was on the Little Portion Farm in Ellicott City with Farmer Matt, who showed me the importance of restoring a farm that had been non-organic.  Disconnecting with my normal routine to reconnect with nature has taught me the importance of balance, and I found this in creation. On the Chesapeake Bay with Col. Dennis, I was able to see the importance of reconnecting to our water resources and the different dynamics that make up the equilibrium.  These dynamics evolve around the native blue crabs: if rock fish (AKA striped bass) season is good, the crab season will be bad.  Additionally, the introduction of non-native species, like
Read more

"King of the Mountains"

Image
by: friar Rich Rome, OFM Conv. I don’t think I’ve ever spent a week thinking so much about what is underneath my feet.   It's just something that I easily take for granted, right next to the air we breathe.   E ven though mining operations ceased decades ago, coal still casts a large shadow in Shamokin.   Countless organizations and businesses have the word “anthracite” in their title, an homage to the specific & rare type of hard coal which built the town.   Houses and buildings are proudly painted dark gray or black.   The main altar, blessed sacrament altar, and ambo at Mother Cabrini Church all sit atop plinths of coal.   Gift shops offer pieces as souvenirs (although you can often find a freebie if you root through a gravel pile), but also coal rock candy, coal licorice, and coal bubble gum.   The Heritage Restaurant, which is seeking to honor the culture and history of Shamokin, has a beautiful mural painted on the side of it.   The title of the work is “When Coal wa
Read more