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Example & Action - St. Francis of Assisi, PEI

6/27/2014

The Saint Francis Fraternity, Prince Edward Island in keeping with the charism of our seraphic father, St. Francis, opts for simplicity in action.

Pope Francis' examples

Looking at two examples from Pope Francis that contributed to Times Magazine voting him Person of the Year 2013, this fraternity notices that social justice can be achieved through simple acts:

Pope with Vinicio Riva

November 2013, Pope Francis embraced Vinicio Riva, a man scarred by a genetic disease. Fighting agonizing pain on a daily basis, such an act restored the faith of a man who says he is often mocked in public.

Pope returning from Brazil

Who am I to judge?

Pope Francis maintains the right of the Church to express opinions on homosexuality. That said, he believes that Christians should not judge or ridicule.

St. Francis Fraternity Actions

The St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity has chosen three actions for this month:

1.      Buy PEI grown food

Support PEI producers and our island economy by choosing to ‘buy local.’ Learn more at PEI Flavours.

2.      Consume less water

The average Charlottetown resident, for example, consumes 306 litres of water per day, almost twice as much as a European. In PEI, fresh ground water is not unlimited. Find useful tips at Be Water Friendly.

3.      Read passages 76-109 of Pope Francis' The Joy of the Gospel

This takes us to the end of chapter 2. Fraternity members are encouraged to pick out 3 passages that you think are particularly noteworthy?

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A Canadian charity for the poor and creation

6/17/2014

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The KAMI Foundation for Haiti is an all Canadian charity that began in 2009. Kami's founders, Michel and Kathleen Jobin desired to find a way to help the poorest of the poor in northern Haiti in a place called Terrier Rouge. Michel had spent twenty years working in agriculture-education and building projects in northern Haiti.
Kami's programs provide eco-friendly cooking stoves that are less expensive than burning wood or coal and use available kerosene for fuel. Over 70% of Haiti has been de-forested so having the new efficient cooking stoves is helping maintain the environment. The stoves are manufactured in Haiti which is providing small business opportunities for the poor in Terrier Rouge. 1,500 stoves have been produced to date. One of the programs that Kami has initiated is well underway to replace the kerosene used in the stoves with Jatropha, a non-edible plant that grows easily in even the poorest of soil conditions. The Jatropha plant seeds are used to make a bio-diesel fuel that will replace kerosene and be used for lighting lamps. To date, KAMI has planted with the help of supportive cooperatives 6000 Jatropha plants. The seed cake that is left after the oil has been pressed and extruded is used to make soap and a nitrogen rich soil enhancer. Local Farmers have been encouraged to plant Jatropha and KAMI recently shipped an oil extruder to process the oil and set up a mill in Terrier Rouge.

There is a small group of people in north-west Ontario that are dedicated to assisting Kami with their projects for Haiti. Mount Alverno Fraternity has supported Kami for a few years now and will continue to provide resources for sustaining Kami's projects. One of our fraternity members had the opportunity to visit Terrier-Rouge to help with the stoves and meet the people of Terrier Rouge. Supporting Kami is helping to build communities, sustain the environment, feed families and provide opportunities for the poorest of the poor in Haiti. V. Mees ofs, Mount Alverno Fraternity Caledon Ontario

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What can I do?

6/14/2014

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For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Romans 12: 4-8 (NRSVCE)

At the fraternity level, I think a lot of secular Franciscans find it daunting to embrace and act upon JPIC initiatives. They feel that they are inadequate unless they lead a march or a letter-writing campaign or revise their formation programs. They don't realize that true JPIC living the Gospel consists of small acts in our daily routines:

buying locally,
- buying fair trade,
  - driving a person to a medical appointment,
- participating in local meetings on poverty eradication,
  - reusing shopping bags, etc.

As Dorothy Day said: "Little by little."

Michael Cassidy, St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity PEI.

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Respect and Love our Seniors - Accessibility

6/9/2014

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St. Francis Fraternity, Toronto Senior Advocacy Accessibility Actions include:

Monitor accessibility / treatment of seniors and those living with handicaps using TTC
Contact local politicians and Advocacy groups to state their concern for both groups

Read the Toronto Transit Commission Accessibility

The St. Francis Fraternity, Toronto prays that we, Franciscan Brothers & Sisters, will do likewise, in solidarity with seniors and those living with handicaps using our local public transport systems.

The St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity, Toronto is watching out for Seniors riding the Toronto Transit System as they believe that there are Health & Safety issues that still need addressing as a priority:

In some cases there are long bus and streetcar waits and no seating in bus shelters.
In other cases seniors with handicaps or walking aids such as walkers and canes are requested to unboard and reboard another bus or streetcar which can include a second lengthy wait time.

We must remember that Seniors and Handicapped people have serious illnesses, pain, walking and standing difficulty and should be treated with priority care and consideration.

Thank you to Margaret Maines, St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity, Toronto for keeping us updated on their JPIC goals.

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Example & Action - St. Francis of Assisi, PEI

Pope Francis' examples

St. Francis Fraternity Actions

A Canadian charity for the poor and creation

What can I do?

Respect and Love our Seniors - Accessibility

Fraternity in Action -

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