2025 October | penitents

Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter
October 2025

OCTOBER DATES TO REMEMBER

Compiled by Bryan LaHaise, CFP Affiliate

1st Saint Therese the Little Flower
2nd Guardian Angel's.
4th Saint FRANCIS Of Assisi.
5th, Saint Faustina. 7th, Our Lady of the Rosary.
9th: Our Lady of Champion
12th, Saint Carlo Acutis, Also Our Lady Of Pillar Zaragoza, Spain.
13th, 108th Anniversary of The Miracle of The Sun At Fatima.
15th, Saint Therese of Jesus.
22nd, Saint John Paul II
24th, Saint Anthony Mary Claret.
28th, Saint's Simon And Jude.

INSIGHTS FROM THE SPIRITUAL GUARDIAN

DEVOTION TO THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST: THE HEART OF THE SPIRITUALITY OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

By Rev. Fr. Joseph Tuscan, OFM Cap., CFP Spiritual Guardian

THE HEART OF A FATHER

Pietro di Bernardone dei Moriconi was a gregarious and ambitious merchant in the flourishing commune of Assisi during the high Middle Ages. Belonging to the newly emerging mercantile class, he was among those who sought to break away from the older feudal structures of majores (lords) and minores (serfs). Pietro’s rise exemplified the restless energy of a new social order. On his many business journeys to France to buy fine cloth, he absorbed the refinement of French culture and envisioned upward mobility for his household.

He married a noblewoman of French origin, Pica di Bourlemont (also known as Giovanna), from Provence. She was gentle, refined, and deeply pious. When their first child was born around 1181 or 1182, while Pietro was away in France, Pica had the infant baptized Giovanni. Returning home, Pietro, delighted both by his commercial success and his passion for France, renamed his son “Francesco.”

Pietro longed to elevate his family beyond wealth into nobility, a distinction that in his time could only be granted through military valor or papal recognition. He placed his hopes upon his firstborn son to accomplish this ambition.

THE HEART OF A SON

Francesco grew up as the privileged heir of Pietro’s ambitions. By temperament he was charming, generous, and eager for honor, quickly becoming the leader of Assisi’s youth. He lavished his friends with banquets and festivities, supported by his father’s wealth. Pietro encouraged this, seeing it as an investment in his family’s prestige.

In 1202, war broke out between Assisi and Perugia. Pietro seized the opportunity, equipping Francesco with expensive armor and sending him to battle, hoping for honor and advancement. Instead, Francesco was captured, imprisoned, and subjected to the brutal conditions of medieval confinement. It was there, in the darkness of his cell, that he experienced the first stirrings of God’s call. He later recalled a vision in which Christ asked him: “Francis, who can do more for you, the lord or the servant, the rich man or the poor?”

Released after a year’s captivity, Francesco returned to Assisi weakened in body but profoundly changed in spirit. His youthful dreams of knighthood and worldly honor faded. A decisive break came in 1206, when his father dragged him before Bishop Guido of Assisi in a public quarrel over money. Renouncing his inheritance, Francis stripped himself naked before the bishop and townsfolk, declaring: “From now on I will say freely: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven.’”

As St. Bonaventure would later write in his Major Life of St. Francis:

“Thus the servant of the Most High King was freed from the chains of worldly ambition, and he stood forth naked to follow the naked Christ who was fastened naked upon the cross.”

THE HEART OF A SAINT

From that day forward, Francis embraced his vocation as a minore—one of the “little ones” who trusted entirely in the providence of God. His conversion was marked by penitence for his past vanity and a burning love for Christ crucified and Christ present in the Eucharist.

St. Francis held the Holy Eucharist at the very center of his spiritual life. He once exhorted his brothers:

“Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake, and the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of the priest.”

He saw in the Eucharist the humility of God, the same humility shown in the Incarnation and on the Cross: “Behold, each day He humbles Himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne into the Virgin’s womb; each day He comes to us, and He lets Himself be seen in the lowliness of bread.” (Admonition I).

Francis himself was never ordained a priest, only a deacon, out of reverence for so sublime a mystery. Yet he cherished his liturgical service at the altar, his devotion to the Divine Office, and his obedience to the Church. Above all, he insisted that his brothers be “true Catholics,” in communion with the pope and bishops, so that their poverty and minority would always reflect the poverty of Christ present in the Eucharist.

St. Bonaventure summarized Francis’s eucharistic devotion beautifully: “Toward the sacrament of the Body of the Lord he burned with love in his whole heart, and was lost in wonder at that loving condescension and most generous love. Often he communicated, and with such devotion as to make others devout. He offered the sacrifice of all his members to Christ, and when he received Him, he received with it an overflowing fountain of tears.” (Major Life, IX, 2).

For Francis, the Eucharist was not only worship but also mission. The poverty of Bethlehem and the humility of Calvary became the pattern for his brotherhood. The friars were to live as “lesser brothers,” stripped of ambition, dependent on God, and sent to preach peace.

A PRAYER THAT RESEMBLES FRANCIS

There is a well-known prayer often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, commonly called the “Prayer of St. Francis” or the “Peace Prayer.” Its familiar opening words, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” have inspired countless people across the world. Yet historians remind us that the text is not found in the writings of Francis himself. In fact, the earliest known appearance of the prayer was in 1912, in a small French Catholic magazine, La Clochette (“The Little Bell”), published by Father Esther Bouquerel in Paris. It was simply titled “Prayer for Peace” and bore no author’s name.

Despite its modern origin, the prayer reflects values deeply rooted in Franciscan spirituality: humility, love of neighbor, forgiveness, and self-emptying charity. During the dark years of the First World War, the text began to circulate widely as a source of comfort and encouragement. By the time of the Second World War, it had become even more widespread. Cardinal Francis Spellman, Military Vicar of the U.S. Armed Forces, printed millions of holy cards with the prayer for American soldiers. In 1945, it was even read into the Congressional Record by Senator Albert W. Hawkes as a prayer for national unity and peace.

Its spiritual kinship to Francis is clear. Francis himself once taught his brothers: “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and of service.” Similarly, Brother Giles of Assisi, Francis’s close companion, declared: “Blessed is he who loves and does not therefore desire to be loved.” The Peace Prayer’s themes echo these very Franciscan insights.

Thus, while St. Francis did not compose the text, its spirit truly resembles him. As one friar wisely observed: “One can safely say that although he is not the author, it resembles him and would not have displeased him.” Indeed, its global appeal is perhaps itself a testimony to Francis’s enduring vocation as a herald of peace and brotherhood.

REFERENCES

Augustine Thompson, O.P., Francis of Assisi: A New Biography
Joshua C. Benson, Ph.D., St. Francis of Assisi: A Meditation on His Life and Writings
Madeline Pecora Nugent, CFP, Francesco: A Story of Saint Francis of Assisi
Christian Renoux, The Origin of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis
Deacon Greg Kandra, Spoiler alert: St. Francis of Assisi did not write the “Prayer of St. Francis” (2018)
Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure

(This article also in OSV magazine “The Priest,” October 2025)

CONFRATERNITY PHOTO ALBUM: ODE TO FREIDA THE FURNACE

Yet, sadly enough, the time has come for you to leave us, Freida the Furnace.

So we’ll tip our hats to you for never letting us turn blue

And we’re forever grateful for all the things you did go, Freida the Furnace.

And just before we say bye-bye, we remember how you always kept us high and dry.

Forever warmin’ forever charmin’

So long, Freida the Furnace. Bye-bye to Freida the Furnace

And hellooo to Faye! Can you hear that trumpet playin’ to welcome Faye the Furnace!

Now that Faye is peacefully installed in Annunciation House, the Confraternity continues to collect the remaining almost $5000 to replace Ralph the old roof on Guadalupe Men’s Vita Dei House and welcome Robert the new Roof to take Ralph’s place. Tax deductible donations for the roof replacement can be mailed to the CFP Renovations Fund, 1702 Lumbard Street Fort Wayne IN 46803 USA. God bless you abundantly!

Freida the Furnace had served Annunciation Women’s Vita Dei House during the last of her 37 years, but her demise came during the summer of 2025. Through generous benefactors, including some of you reading this, enough was collected to bid farewell to Freida and to welcome Faye the new furnace.

Thanks to all who helped to bring heat to the women residents in the Confraternity of Penitents Annunciation Women’s Vita Dei House in Fort Wayne.

Ode to Freida the Furnace (and Hello to Faye!)

by Dave Vaughn CFP Affiliate and resident of Guadalupe Men’s Vita Dei House.

This is an ode to Freida the Furnace

For 37 years, you’ve been with us

Warming us when the weather outside’s stormin’

Keepin’ us from sneezin’, wheezin’ and catchin’ double pneumonia

O, Freida, we always felt so comfy with your warm air blowin’

Snug as a bug in a rug.

And it was almost like you were givin’ us a big, big hug

Whenever we heard your engine revvin’ up

Goin’ chuga, luga, luga, lug

But golly, Freida, you were the bestest furnace ever

NO GREATER LOVE: WHAT IS TRUTH?

When Jesus was standing before Pontius Pilate, He tells him, “My kingship is not of this world.” (Jn 19:36) Pilate then says to Jesus, “So you are a king?” (Jn 18:37) Jesus replies to Pilate, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” (Jn 18:37) Pilate then replies to Jesus with a question. “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38) Here, Jesus is linking Himself to truth. At the last supper, Jesus tells His disciples, “And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” (Jn 14:3-4) St. Thomas does not understand what the Lord is saying so he asks Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5) Jesus replies to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (Jn 14:6) The apostles heard Jesus “bear witness to the truth” and thus were “of the truth”. They knew that Jesus was sent by the Father, and thus He gave them the Truth of the Father. Of course, Pilate was a pagan who knew nothing of “the Father”, therefore, he could only ask “What is truth?”

How do we come to know truth, and how do we approach it? Some people take a “scientific” approach to truth. We can only hold as truth what we can scientifically verify by experiment. This approach is seriously incomplete. There are “levels of being” which are lower than ourselves such as animals, plants, microorganisms, viruses, molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, and perhaps even things that are more fundamental in nature. These things can be studied and analyzed by humans. These studies, no matter how successful, cannot give us the whole truth. Those who believe that scientific study can bring us the whole truth assume in faith that there does not exist higher levels of being than ourselves, such as spirits, demons, angels, or God since they cannot be verified by scientific experiment. We cannot “study” these higher levels of being since we cannot even know about them unless it is revealed to us. Those who do not accept as authoritative Divine Revelation cannot know the whole truth even of the natural world below us. What is the meaning of creation? What is the purpose of human life? What is the purpose of human sexuality? They can come up with answers to these questions, but they are only human answers which can be easily disputed and even refuted. If there are no levels of being above us, then there is no “ultimate authority” over all conflicting human authorities. Pope Benedict explains this to us quite clearly in Jesus of Nazareth. Let us say plainly: the unredeemed state of the world consists precisely in the failure to understand the meaning of creation, in the failure to recognize truth; as a result, the rule of pragmatism is imposed, by which the strong arm of the powerful becomes the god of this world. Human power can even trample common sense and truth if it is useful to do so.

Pontius Pilate possibly did recognize the higher levels of being since, when he learned that Jesus was accused of calling Himself the Son of God, he was alarmed. “When Pilate heard these words, he was even more afraid.” (Jn 19:8) Unlike Pilate, the modern tyrants of this world seem not to be afraid of or concerned about the supernatural. They assume that things which are not yet known about the world, such as how exactly life came into being billions of years ago, will eventually become known. They cannot see that some things about the world cannot be known by us since they originate from above us and the world and have not yet and may never be revealed to us. The things of God and Divine Revelation are private matters which must be kept behind the doors of churches and other places of worship. In the “Secular City” one is free to go to church and worship God, but believers must stay out of politics and the public square or else operate in public life and in the world as if God and Divine Revelation do not exist. Many “Christian” politicians have taken the second option.

Behind this way of thinking is the idea that Divine Revelation does not originate authoritatively from “above” us but rather from “within” us, in other words, “your truth and my truth”. Teachers and theologians who think this way can assert traditional Christian doctrines like the Divinity of Christ or the Trinity but preface the statement with words like “for us” or “for Christians”. Thus, the official doctrines of the Church are not openly denied but instead reinterpreted for the purpose of meeting the needs of “modern humanity”. Even moral absolutes must go since they offend against the needs of modern, western, technological, humanity for autonomy. The ultimate question for us is where do we find truth. Do we find it in scientific observation or within ourselves or do we find it somewhere else?

When Jesus was speaking with the Jews in the Jerusalem Temple, He tells them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” (Jn 8:23) By this time, Israel had put aside open idolatry, such as the worship of pagan gods, or a golden calf, high places, or sacred poles. Yet, this worldly way of thinking remained among many. The Gospels record many miracles, called “signs” in John’s Gospel, which helped convince many who saw them or heard of them to become believers in the Lord. Yet some were not convinced. When Jesus had given sight to a man born blind in Jerusalem, the man told the Jewish authorities, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (Jn 9:32:33) The Jewish authorities tell this man, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” (Jn 9:34) After Jesus had raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, we learn, “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.” (Jn 11:45-46) Those who had seen the same thing came to different conclusions about what those events meant.

Believing Jews at the time of Christ and down to the present believe that the Mosaic Law was God’s ultimate revelation to humanity. This was God’s ultimate truth. However, the prophets often spoke of more to come. Jesus claimed that He was the “more” that was coming. Pope Benedict tells us about Jesus and God’s truth. In the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, the subject matter is Jesus' kingship and, hence, the kingship, the “kingdom", of God. In the course of this same conversation,OUr it becomes abundantly clear that there is no discontinuity between Jesus' Galilean teaching-the proclamation of the kingdom of God-and his Jerusalem teaching. The center of the message, all the way to the Cross-all the way to the inscription above the Cross-is the kingdom of God, the new kingship represented by Jesus. And this kingship is centered on truth. The kingship proclaimed by Jesus, at first in parables and then at the end quite openly before the earthly judge, is none other than the kingship of truth. The inauguration of this kingship is man's true liberation.

At the same-time it becomes· clear that between the pre-Resurrection focus on the kingdom of' God and the post-Resurrection focus on faith in Jesus Christ as Son of God there is no contradiction. In Christ, God-the Truth-entered the world. Christology is the concrete form acquired by the proclamation of God's kingdom. Pope Benedict is referring to the fact that in the Synoptic Gospels, Mathew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus often speaks of the “Kingdom of God”, which is spoken about as something which is outside of Himself, while the last Gospel, John’s Gospel, the book of Acts, and the New Testament letters speak more of Christology, of who Jesus Christ was, what He did, and the meaning of His Mission. Modern theologians have asserted that the Church has distorted Jesus’ “original” message of “the kingdom” into Christology, the focus on Jesus Christ Himself. However, a kingdom needs a king and that King is Jesus Christ. The focus of Jesus’ kingship is Truth. He is not a king based on political power or military might. Jesus was anointed as King by God Himself at His Baptism. (Mt 3:13-17, Mk :9-11, Lk 3:21-22, Jn 1:31-34) Since Truth is not determined by military might or political power but by God, the Kingship of Jesus Christ comes from God. Of course, this is very offensive to many modern people who would prefer that truth would come from political power which then could change according to the “needs of the time”. They would prefer that what Pope Benedict calls “God-the Truth” stay out of the world.

Here, it is important to see the relationship between truth and freedom. One of God’s gifts to us is the gift of free will. This gift is not the gift of deciding the truth of what is good and what is evil. God informs us of this through the Church, Scripture, Tradition, and in many other ways. The choice God gives us is the choice to follow Truth, what Pope Benedict calls “God-the Truth”, or lies. Unfortunately, lies can be very attractive to us. Our first parents chose to follow the attractive lie of the serpent rather than the Truth of God. Yet the truth is there for us. When Pontius Pilate asked “What is truth?”, the answer was standing before him. – Jim Nugent, CfP

OUR RULE OF LIFE: DAILY MASS

Question: In the CFP Rule and Constitutions, is there a requirement to go to Mass every day, or just during St. Martin's Fast and Great Lent?

Answer: Looking at the interplay of the Rule and the Constitutions, I don't find a requirement in the Rule to attend Daily Mass (Art. 12, Rule). However, there was a requirement to attend Matins (Office of Readings) daily. In the original Rule, there was an additional requirement to attend Daily Mass in addition to Matins during St. Martin's Fast and Great Lent.

In the Constitution, this is modified because of the suppression of Matins and replaced by a requirement to attend Mass daily. There is an exception for people whose work schedule or family obligations (like raising small children or caring for elderly parents) or distance to travel to a Daily Mass prevents them from doing so -- they can pray one decade of the Rosary instead. A more special effort to attend Daily Mass is to be made during Great Lent and Little Lent (the Fast of Saint Martin).

More explanation: Some members feel that one decade of the Rosary is not an adequate substitute for Daily Mass, because they can pray a single decade in less that five minutes whereas Daily Mass typically runs 30-40 minutes. So why only a decade? Because those who can’t attend Daily Mass due to work or family constraints would find it just as difficult to spend 30-40 minutes in prayer in addition to the CFP Prayers and the Divine Office and Rosary (whatever their prayer option is) Praying the decade reminds them that they are doing this because they cannot attend Mass. They should attempt to pray that single decade reverently and attentively as best they can in their situation. If they can spend more time in prayer, that’s wonderful! But for those who can’t, the decade will suffice. –Joel Whitaker CFP

HUMOR

Instead of repaying my student loan, I’m returning my diploma. It didn’t work.
Put the politicians on minimum wage and watch how fast things change.
Satan’s engineers: Let’s hear it for Smokey who invented a roll of tape that actually has no starting edge.

CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS HOLY ANGELS GIFT SHOP

HAND CRAFTED ROSE SCENTED FRANCISCAN ROSARY MADE BY RESIDENT OF ANNUNCIATION WOMEN’S VITA DEI HOUSE.

St. Francis Rosary with San Damiano Cross - Rosewood Beads with lovely scent - includes gift bag . San Damiano Crucifix with Peace Prayer of St. Francis on the back. St. Francis Medal, and St. Francis Our Father medals with a different portion of the Peace Prayer on each medal. A stunning, unique, and prayerful Rosary. $19.95, Hand crafted in commemoration of this legend:

Outside the basilica is the Roselo, or Rose Garden. Here, you will find a very special type of rose: one without any thorns! Legend has it that in this location, Saint Francis himself rolled naked amongst the thorn bushes, in order to combat doubt and temptation. It is then said that on contact with the Saint’s body, thorn-less roses began to bloom, and they still do to this day! These special flowers can only be found in this particular rose garden, and are named Rosa Canina Assisiensis. On the wall of the courtyard you can see a mural of St. Francis, surrounded by the modest Porziuncola chapel, olive groves and of course, thorn-less red roses.

Order from CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop, 1702 Lumbard Street, Fort Wayne IN 46803 USA on this link. All purchases from the CFP H oly Angels Gift Shop go to support the Confraternity of Penitents in its mission to spread the message of conversion worldwide. Over 8000 products at www.cfpholyangels.com God bless you for your support!

Confraternity of Penitents Newsletter October 2025