I just had the great pleasure and privilege of spending several days as moderator for the annual convocation of the Capuchin Franciscans of St. Augustine Province. These guys have preserved a healthy family spirit and a vigorous and manly piety through a trying time — a time when many communities let these things slip through their fingers. I came to know the Caps through one of my dearest friends, the great ethicist and theologian Father Ronald Lawler. You probably know this Province through one or more of its “celebrity” members: Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop Charles Chaput, Father Angelus Shaughnessy of EWTN, or the U.S. bishops’ main doctrine man, Father Thomas Weinandy. But celebrity status counts for nothing when these men are gathered as a family, and you come to see that the “least” little brothers are often the most esteemed and loved in the family. I was blown away by my days with the Capuchins of St. Augustine Province — who are right now experiencing a sustained vocations boom. If you know men who are discerning a vocation to religious life, point them to a community rich in fraternity, holiness, and service, the Capuchins of St. Augustine Province.
To the Capuchins who asked for a paper copy of my Wednesday talk: I’ve sent my notes to Father Don Lippert, who will make them available to you. Those who want more detail on the topics I discussed can visit these posts on this blog:
Youth When the Church Was Young.
Roman Cruelty, Christian Purity.
You’ll also find some related audio files here.
The Capuchins run a chapel in one of our malls with Mass twice a day and confessions whenever the Mall is open, except Sunday. They are great priests.
what exactly do some comunities let slip through their fingers? and what exactly is a “manly piety”?
I’ve met some religious (both men and women) who say that their orders lost a sense of community, a “family life,” over the course of recent decades. I can understand how this happens, especially as numbers dwindle, the workload increases, and members are away more than they’re home. It can be a problem in domestic families as well as convents and friaries. The house becomes a dormitory for individuals rather than a true community. As for manly piety, all I can say is that there are differences between the sexes. The Catechism says that these differences are soul-deep. A “manly” approach to (or experience of) many different situations will have some significant differences from the “womanly” approach to (or experience of) the same situations. It’s not a bad thing, and not opposed to gender equality or authentic feminism. Vive la difference.
here are some nice audio homilies by Father Angelus Shaughnessy of EWTN
http://www.fatherangelus.excerptsofinri.com/