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Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter - 2025 June
SPIRITUAL GUARDIAN’S GUIDANCE: CAPUCHIN SAINTS IN JUNE
In an age that prizes prominence and prestige, the lives of Saint Felix of Nicosia and Blessed Nicholas of Gesturi remind us that holiness is found not in titles or power, but in quiet service, prayer, and fidelity to God.
Saint Felix of Nicosia (1715–1787)
Born Filippo Giacomo Amoroso in the Sicilian town of Nicosia, Saint Felix was drawn from an early age to the Capuchin Franciscans, known for their austerity and simplicity. Despite being denied entrance multiple times due to strict requirements, he persisted and was finally accepted at age 28, taking the name Brother Felix.
For over 40 years, he served as the questor—a beggar—for the monastery. With a constant smile, deep humility, and boundless patience, he walked the streets seeking alms not for himself but for the poor and the friars. He endured mockery, insults, and even mistreatment with serene charity. When asked why he did not defend himself, he would simply say, “I am doing penance.”
Known for miraculous healings, wise counsel, and intense devotion to the Passion of Christ, Brother Felix was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. His life was a living homily of humility and silent sanctity.
“God sees everything. That’s enough for me.” – St. Felix of Nicosia
Blessed Nicholas of Gesturi (1882–1958)
Born Giovanni Medda in Sardinia, Blessed Nicholas lost both parents by age five. Raised by relatives and apprenticed as a shepherd and laborer, he entered the Capuchin Order in 1911, taking the name Brother Nicholas.
For many years he lived in obscurity, performing domestic tasks in the friary. But in 1943, he was appointed as the questor in Cagliari, and his quiet witness soon drew attention. Dressed in his brown habit and sandals, he walked the streets in silence, asking for alms, praying his rosary, and blessing passersby.
His presence inspired conversions, comforted the suffering, and brought peace to countless souls. Known for his deep interior life and Eucharistic devotion, Brother Nicholas was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
“He spoke little, but his life was a sermon.” – From the beatification homily
Witnesses to the Gospel of Simplicity
Saint Felix and Blessed Nicholas never preached in pulpits, wrote books, or held high ecclesial office. Their holiness was born in obedience, humility, and love of Christ crucified. They teach us that in the economy of grace, the most hidden acts—done with love—shine brightest before God. In the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, these Capuchin brothers remind us that the world is transformed not by noise, but by saints. –Fr. Joseph Tuscan OFM Cap, CfP Spiritual Guardian
Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
The teen aged son of a Portuguese knight and his noble wife, Fernando Bulhoes entered the Augustinian monastery in Lisbon "to save his soul." After being transferred to Coimbra and being educated as an Augustinian priest, Fernando joined the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi where he was given the religious name of Anthony after Saint Anthony of the Desert. After a period of time, the Franciscans recognized his exhaustive education, deep spirituality, and gift for preaching. Sent to preach the Gospel in regions affected by the Albigensian heresy, Anhony brought many people back to the faith through his clarity, council, and confessional.
Loved by rich and poor alike, Anthony is today remembered as being the saint to pray to for lost articles, because he brought many lost souls to God.
"Actions speak louder than words. Let your words teach and your actions preach." -- Saint Anthony of Padua
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FROM THE ALESSANDRO PRISON MINISTRY: TRUTH IN THE SONG
Human beings have wondered, pondered, and studied the physical realities of time and space for thousands of years, asking the questions of how the universe works and what principles it operates by. In the past century, physicists have discovered that matter and energy are interchangeable. Researchers have reported that what appears to be solid matter is really a form of compressed energy, and is held together by powerful forces that keep the universe from breaking apart in total chaos. When the New Testament was written almost 2,000 years ago, no human being knew these things. Yet the writer of the letter to the Colossians was able to express that physical matter was made from something invisible and that it was necessary for all of it to be held together. This truth was revealed by the One who created the matter, the energy, and the principles that govern the universe - God - revealed to us as a person in Jesus the Christ:
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. -- Colossians 1:15-20
In the first century, the apostle Paul, after his discovery that the invisible God he was persecuting was in fact the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified and rose from the dead a number of years earlier, went on a mission to share this news with the people throughout Asia Minor. Scholars believe that after Paul had visited the city of Colossae circa 55 A.D., he went to Rome and wrote this letter to the Christian community there a few years earlier. A dangerous teaching was threatening the church at Colossae, one that lessened Christ's role and undermined the identity of believers in Christ. These teachers emphasized Christ's relation to the universe that stressed angels connected with astral powers, cultic practices, and rules about ascetic disciplines that distracted from the person and work of God the Son. Due to its poetic rhythm and language, many interpreters see this passage as part of an early Christian hymn where believers profess and celebrate the authority of Christ over all creation.
Paul recognized in v. 15 that Jesus of Nazareth is the image of the invisible God, the Messiah who would redeem all creation, a person that we could relate to, yet omnipotent. Because he is omnipotent and has supreme authority, God the Son is not created. In v. 16, he is referred to as the Creator of all things, particularly the spiritual beings known as thrones, dominions, rulers or authorities, including those who don't serve God. A key verse of this passage that stresses not only Christ's creative power, but also his sustaining power is v. 17 where Paul states that Jesus continuously sustains his creation, preventing it from breaking apart.
Following the statement of Christ's power over all creation, v. 18 points to his lordship over the universal Church, or all who believe in him as the Christ, the Risen Savior who gives purpose to all things. In v. 19, the word "fullness" recounts the use of the similar term in the Hebrew Scriptures where God "filled" him with his glory, for Jesus not only bears God's glory, but all that God is dwells in him. The hymn concludes in v. 20 , stating that Christ rules over all things, spiritual and physical, and everything will be made whole, he has defeated decay and death through the shedding of his blood on the cross, where he offered his life as a sacrifice to accomplish this peace.
From this text, we can glean the following principles:
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Jesus, as God the Son, is the supreme ruler and Lord of all creation - he is eternal, pre-existent, omnipotent - he is God who lives as a person and has secured reconciliation to all who believe in him.
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Through Jesus, God not only gives creation and his creatures being and existence, but also and at every moment upholds and sustains us in his being, enables us to act, and brings us to our final end.
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Man's search for truth about the cosmos over the centuries has been leading him to study, observe, reflect and come to an understanding as to who created the universe, what principles govern it, and for what purpose. 21st century quantum physicists have posited that strong and weak electron forces are in tension with each other to form the universe and have developed a "theory of everything" that would account for all the fundamental forces of nature and the universe.
The apostle Paul and the early church discovered that God the Son is the answer to what and who accounts for how and why all things are held together. This truth is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ who is both the means and the end of creation itself. Jesus is the express image of God's person through whom God made the entire created spheres. It is out of God's pure creative love that the universe is to be redeemed and reconciled - by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Those who come to know the person of Jesus and develop a relationship with him, the members of his body, with him as the head, are able to experience the fullness of creation when his work is complete. Applying the truths of these scriptures and consenting our wills to this love and this truth can bring about peace and understanding, despite the chaos and brokenness that exists in us and around us. We all need to recognize this reality, to receive the love of God and Jesus his Son. His power, whether we admit it or not, is what will fulfill the purpose God has created us for. May we be able to hear the melody of truth in this hymn and join in the song. – Anthony LaCalamita, CfP
NO GREATER LOVE: GETHSEMANE IN THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
In chapter five of the New Testament letter, by an unknown author, to the Hebrews, the Lord’s agony in the Garden and His entire Passion is looked upon as His consecration by the Father as a High Priest. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Heb 5:7-10).
In Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedicts explains that in the Lord’s “prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death” He was exercising His high priesthood. As High Priest, He was praying to the Father and struggling against human nature and Satan on our behalf. Of course, He was not a priest according the order of Aaron, but rather a priest according to the higher order or Melchizedek.
Jesus not only struggled on our behalf, but also won the victory on our behalf. Pope Benedict explains how we can know this. At this point, though, we must move on toward the heart of what the Letter to the Hebrews has to say concerning the prayer of the suffering Lord. The text states that Jesus pleaded with him who had the power to save him from death and that, on account of his godly fear (cf. 5:7), his prayer was granted. But was it granted? He still died on the Cross! For this reason Harnack maintained that the word "not" must have been omitted here, and Bultmann agrees. But an exegesis that turns a text into its opposite is no exegesis. Rather, we must attempt to understand this mysterious form of "granting" so as to come closer to grasping the mystery of our own salvation.
We may distinguish different aspects of this "granting". One possible translation of the text would be: "He was heard and delivered from his fear." This would correspond to Luke's account, which says that an angel came and comforted him (cf. 22:43). It would then refer to the inner strength given to Jesus through prayer, so that he was able to endure the arrest and the Passion resolutely. Yet the text obviously says more: the Father raised him from the night of death and, through the Resurrection, saved him definitively and permanently from death: Jesus dies no more ( cf. Vanhoye, Let Us Confidently Welcome Christ Our High Priest, p. 60). Yet surely the text means even more: the Resurrection is not just Jesus' personal rescue from death. He did not die for himself alone. His was a dying "for others"; it was the conquest of death itself.
Pope Benedict is telling us that the Resurrection of the Lord is the granting of His “prayers and supplications” to the Father for Himself, but also for us. Pope Benedict has pointed out that the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and Resurrection all go together. If any one part is taken away, none of other two make sense. At the Last Supper, the Lord tells us what He was going to do - give His Body and Blood for us. With the Crucifixion, He does what He said He would do at the Last Supper. All this means nothing, however, if His “prayers and supplications” were not accepted by the Father. The proof that they were accepted is the Resurrection. However, as Pope Benedict pointed out above, some Christians believe His prayers were not granted since He did die.
In this way of thinking, the Lord’s “victory” was His noble death. His death was a death which can inspire us to fight against racism, sexism, homophobia, and all the other “evils” which plague our society. His actual bodily Resurrection is not all that important. However, this is not the way that the writer of the letter to the Hebrews saw it. The bodily Resurrection of the Lord was all important. After the Crucifixion of the Lord, the hope of His followers seemed to have been dashed. When two disciples are walking to Emmaus on the evening of Easter Sunday, they tell the “stranger”, who was actually Jesus, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” (Lk 24:19-21) The Apostles who scattered after the arrest of Jesus later died as martyrs for Him. Only His actual bodily Resurrection can explain this.
The letter to the Hebrews presents the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the action of the true High Priest of the higher order of Melchizedek rather than the lower order of Aaron. Why the author does this can be explained by the time and context of the letter. In the 60’s AD, there arose a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule, and in 70 AD the Romans crushed the rebellion and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The letter must have been written before 70 AD since it assumes that the temple is still standing. (Heb 9:1-10) Scholars believe that the letter was written around 67 AD but not too much earlier since it contains ideas from St. Paul’s pastoral letters written from Rome in the early 60’s AD. This was a time when there was already an on and off war going on between the Jews in Jerusalem and Rome. The Christians in Jerusalem had already fled to Pella, east of the Jordan River. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it” (Lk 21:20-21) While the temple worship was still going on, the end of that worship was already in sight.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews was probably writing from Italy to Jews in the Holy Land. While many Jews lived outside the Holy Land, the center of Judaism was the Jerusalem Temple. Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem three times a year for the feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the feast of Tabernacles in early autumn. The animal sacrifices of the Temple were administered by priests, under the High Priest. Priests had to be descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The priests were often Sadducees, who accepted only the Pentateuch, the first five books of scripture, as authoritative. They also denied the resurrection of the body. (Mt 22:23-33, Mk 12:18-27, Lk 20:27-38) The other center of Judaism at the time of Christ was the synagogues, which were centers of Sabbath worship and instruction and could be located anywhere. Rabbis, (teachers) taught the people in the synagogues, and in the New Testament, Jesus did teach in synagogues and was often addressed as “Rabbi”. After the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, the center of Judaism shifted to the synagogue under the direction of the Rabbis. The priestly animal sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple could no longer be carried out. While physical sacrifices of animals in the Jerusalem Temple ended in 70 AD, the actual end of the animal sacrifices occurred almost forty years earlier with the Last Supper, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the letter to the Hebrews was to demonstrate this.
While the question of who wrote the letter to the Hebrews is controversial, the letter was quickly recognized by the Church as divinely inspired and therefore a part of sacred scripture (canonical). The content of the letter is more important than the identity of the author. Jesus had said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” (Mt 5:17-18) The thirteen chapters of the letter to the Hebrews demonstrate an important way in which the Lord did fulfill the law. First, the letter asserts that Jesus is more than a mere man such as Moses and more even than an angel. He is God’s Son, on a level of God. The head of Judaism at that time was the High Priest, but Hebrews asserts that Jesus Christ is the High Priest who is higher than any human High Priest since He is God’s Son.
In the 60’s AD, when Hebrews was thought to be written, Christians had been persecuted by the Jewish authorities in the Holy Land for decades, but in the 60’s Christians started to be persecuted also by Rome under the Emperor Nero. Persecution of Christians by Rome continued until the Emperor Constantine stopped the persecutions with the edict of Milan in 313 AD. Hebrews was written for Christians who had been Jews and converted to Christianity. With the double persecution of Christians, these Christians were tempted to go back to the temple worship in Jerusalem since Judaism was a legal religion in the Roman Empire while Christianity was illegal. Hebrews was meant to show these Jewish Christians how foolish this would be. The temple sacrifice of animals was soon to end and these have not resumed to this day. Jesus is the true High Priest and the Lamb of God who fulfills the purpose of the animal sacrifices. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of His “blood of the covenant”. (Mt 26:28, Mk 14:24, Lk 22,20) In the divinely inspired letter to the Hebrews, the author explains for us what He meant. – Jim Nugent, CfP
ALESSANDRO PRISON MINISTRY SHARING: PRAYER AND TIME
After returning to God and joining the Church in prison, I found that my life was not as small as what you might think an incarcerated life might be. To be sure, there are days it sucks. You feel the fences, the razor wire, the bars...and how they separate you from those you love as well as the hopes and dreams you once had for your life. But in Christ an inner life opens that is so vast.
Meditation: on the liturgy, on scripture, on God -- peels back the layers of this story that we find ourselves in. Finally, way down deep, you find a solidity. It is the basic goodness of God and all he created. And though it is our quest, he comes to meet us. These encounters get me up on my feet to follow in his steps every time.
Contemplative prayer "is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2713) There are times that I have been blessed to feel this. I do not think I could "achieve" it even if I chased it. But to have all that I am, naked in the smallness of my soul, called to be next to the towering blaze of God's love -- and to not be consumed -- but to realize that that love is for me... that is beyond words.
"It is always possible to pray: The time of the Christian is that of the risen Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests may arise." (Catechism 2743) Time in prison (and, I would argue, in life period. But you see it so clearly in prison...) loses meaning. On the walls of one of the first cells I was ever thrown into were written three words: "Time and Pain." Even before returning to God, I meditated on these words.
Dealing with the meaningless of time while incarcerated: where a blood pressure check can cost you hours in a holding cell, where a one hour drive can take seven and a half -- belly-chained and leg shackled -- for "security reasons," life becomes one long, meaningless, repetitive day. Scenery may change. Ridiculous activities change. But it all blends, like real life was frozen the day you got arrested.
When I came back to God, who had been there all along, time started to matter. God is beyond time and circumstance. His presence is the only measure and meaning in our linear, time-bound lives. Prayer and communion with him give life to our days; especially when our days become completely untethered to prior realities and all that I once thought significant.
Even if we believe strongly, we will not receive anything we want. And thank God for that! I think of Saint Margaret of Castello who would pray fervently but always add: "but only if it is what you want, Lord." He knows what is best for us. We do not.
Mark 11:24 DOES mean that if we trust in God he will supply all of our needs from his riches in Glory. But only he knows our needs and only he gets to decide what are riches. –Robert Messer, Novice 1, Alessandro Prison Ministry
HUMOR
Don't tell secrets in the garden. The potatoes have eyes, the corn has ears, and the beanstalk.
There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. Only a fraction of the people will find this funny.
Be grateful that, no matter how much chocolate you eat, your earrings will still fit.
Paddy is in court and, after an eight hour trial, he pleads guilty. Judge says, "Why didn't you plead guilty at first and save the cort all th is time?" Paddy says, "I thought I was innocent until I heard all the evidence."
You know when you buy a bag of salad, and it gets all brown and soggy? Cookies don't do that.
Dorothy said, "Every year, I send my grandchildren and birthday card with a generous check inside, I never hear from them. Never receive a thank you." Ruth replies, "I, too, send my grandchildren a card with a generous check. I hear from them within a week after they receive it. In fact, they each pay me a personal visit." "Wow!" Dorothy responds. "How do you do that?" Ruth smiles. "Very simple solution. I don't sign the check."
Words cannot capture our delight in hearing that Br. Pachomius Hamor is going to profess solemn vows as a Benedictine brother. Br. Pachomius first came to the CFP in 2010 as Patrick Hamor, discerning a vocation and needing a place to stay. He stayed with the CFP in a private home and was the protype of the men now staying at Guadalupe Men’s Vita Dei House as they, too discern future life paths while volunteering to assist the CFP as Patrick did back in 2010. Patrick left the CFP as a Novice 1 to join a Franciscan Frist Order and, from there, to join the Benedictines at St. Martin’s Abbey where he teaches in their college. Please keep Br. Pachomius in your prayers as he prepares for solemn profession of vows!
Please also consider helping Guadalupe Men’s Vita Dei House in raising the funds to replace the roof and gutters (a needed repair). A $20 donation will sponsor 1/1000 of the cost of this renovation. Close to half the needed funds has been raised. Can you make a tax-deductible donation to help reach the halfway mark? The five men currently residing at the house (a sixth is planning a visit to discern moving in) will be so grateful for your generosity. Your fully tax-deductible donation can be made on line on the "New Roof Needed" Link at www.GuadalupeVDH.com or mailed to CFP Renovations Fund, 1702 Lumbard Street, Fort Wayne IN 46803 USA God bless you!
OUR RULE: CONSECRATION TO MARY
At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary, the mother of Jesus, seems to rule the roost here and perhaps did so for the previous 30 years as well. At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary is the focal point along with Christ.
After three days of celebrating, Mary tells her Son: “They have no wine.” Jesus does not get the hint: “What wouldst thou have me do, woman? My hour has not yet come.” But Mary, undaunted by the “woman” term, doesn’t need to respond. She has already told him to take care of this shortage of wine. So she instructs the attendants: “Do whatever He tells you.” Jesus obeys the woman who taught Him to be obedient, even unto death to His Father in Heaven, just like she was obedient at the Annunciation, even though she had taken a vow of virginity. She doesn't have to tell her Son twice. So she tells the wine attendants, who are well-trained to obey.
Mary all along knew she was Theotokos, Mother of God, but her duty in life was not to coddle the Son of God but teach Him the Word of God, like her Magnificat based upon a prayer in Genesis, as well as His alphabet, soteriology and numbers. Joseph, too, was chosen to teach Him a trade as well as humility and obedience.
Mary was and still is for us a model of devotion and holiness. That's why we in CfP consecrate our lives to this remarkable woman. –William Lawbaugh, Novice 1