MANTUA – In celebrating the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis, Bishop Joseph A. Williams called on all to imitate the Poverello of Assisi, and “do your part in restoring the beauty and the glory of creation.”
About 150 religious, Secular Franciscans and others attended a Mass on Sept. 26 at Church of the Incarnation to reflect on the life and legacy of the “little poor one” from Assisi. The celebration was held to mark this year’s 800th anniversary of Saint Francis’ death, and during a Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV that concludes on Jan. 10, 2027.
Bishop Williams recalled the words of the “Canticle of the Sun,” the famous poem composed when the 13th century Italian mystic, poet and friar was near the end of his life. The spontaneous, meditative prayer, pouring forth from the heart of Saint Francis, references “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon,” a reminder that all earthly creatures make up one family under God’s care.
As well, the author called for reconciliation and forgiveness, Bishop Williams said: “Praised be to you, my Lord, for those who give pardon for love of you.”
In pardoning, one imitates Christ, “who reconciled all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his Cross,” he continued, echoing Saint Paul.
Although forgiveness with families, friends and neighbors can be difficult at times, Bishop Williams said, one’s willingness to endure pain and hardship “can restore the glory of creation, so that our human family may once again be as brilliant and beautiful as the sun and moon.”
Nodding to the religious and Secular Franciscans in the pews, he praised their work in the reconciliation of the world, “in their living out a harmonious community.”
“Praise God for these, who are conforming their lives for the renewal of the Church,” he added.
Joining Bishop Williams at the altar were Father Stephen J. Rapposelli, parish pastor; Father Shaji Muttathottil, parochial vicar; and Father Joseph Monahan, a Third Order Regular of Saint Francis priest and hospital chaplain at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden. Numerous deacons of the Diocese assisted during Mass.
Bringing Hope
After Holy Communion, Teresa Redder, OFS, a Camden native and regional minister of the Saint Katharine Drexel Secular Franciscan Order in Philadelphia, which includes the two Franciscan fraternities in the Diocese of Camden – Christ the King at Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, and the bilingual (Spanish and English) Divine Mercy at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Absecon – presented the Bishop with a mug commemorating the transitus (passage into eternal life) of Saint Francis, and a colorful quilling of the familiar Franciscan Tau cross.
Calling on all Franciscans to hold fast to the legacy of Saint Francis, she expressed hope that they continue to “see the goodness of God in the wonders of His creation in and around us, [and] serve the Lord with gladness and humility.”
After Mass, as the celebration moved to lunch in Kernan Hall, Redder, a Secular Franciscan for the past 34 years, reflected on the Secular Franciscan Order.
There are 9,000 Secular Franciscans in the country, she said, along with 60 in the Diocese of Camden. Established by Saint Francis, the Secular Franciscan Order is a branch of the worldwide Franciscan family, and made up of those single and married, who bring the Gospel to life where they live and work. Obeying the rule that they spend time with their Franciscan sisters and brothers, members gather regularly to support each other, and pray as one community.
These Secular Franciscans join such religious communities as the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (FMIHM), Glassboro; the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus (FMIJ), Cherry Hill and Woodbury Heights; the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany (OSF), Collingswood and Cherry Hill; and the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR), Atlantic City, in serving the faithful in South Jersey, with a mind of poverty, humility and charity.
Joy in Simplicity
Kathleen Agosto, a minister for the Divine Mercy Fraternity in Absecon, first witnessed the love and support of the Secular Franciscan community in the 1970s, when as a young adult, she encountered familial strife.
Professed in 1977, Agosto, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Lakes, Collings Lakes, continues to “embrace the lifetime commitment to interior conversion, and service to the poor and disenfranchised,” with her ministry to the Spanish-speaking migrant farmworkers in Hammonton.
“We hope people will join [the Secular Franciscans] and help rebuild the Church,” she said.
Sister Josie Leynes, FMIJ, was pleased to be present for the celebration. The native of the Philippines has been a religious sister for 20 years, the last four of which have been as a religion teacher at Saint Margaret Regional School in Woodbury Heights.
“We have nothing of our own, only the joy of serving the people of God,” she said. “I see the joy in the simplicity of life, as Francis taught.”
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