St. Pio Franciscan Fraternity
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Contact Us
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Kas Pelckas7pelcgmail.com
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Lynn Bonanymamamia_57msn.com
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WHO WE ARE
We are a Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) canonically established June 10th 2016 in North Bay, Ontario. Secular Franciscans are people who seek to follow Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis (and St. Clare), who made Christ their inspiration and the centre of their lives. Living the Gospel 24-7 is our goal. ‘From Gospel to LIFE and from life to GOSPEL.’We take our name from St. Pio who was a holy and gifted Franciscan priest. We presently have 14 active members and 3 candidates studying and discerning their vocation to the SFO.
OUR INSPIRATION
Over 800 years ago in Assisi, Italy, a man named Francis was praying in front of the San Damiano Cross, which hung in the small San Damiano Church. Francis heard Jesus say to him: “Rebuild My Church”. Francis chose the life of Christ as his guide and people began following Francis embracing Franciscan values of simplicity, joy, hope, peace and love.
THE ORDER
The worldwide Secular Franciscan Order is approved by the Church. It has a Rule of life. Our Order has fraternities at the local, regional, national and international levels with duly elected councils. Secular Orders consist of married and single members of the Catholic Church. Diocesan clergy can also be members. So, our Fraternity of St. Pio is a Secular Franciscan Fraternity. The full Franciscan family consists of priests, religious and laity.
FRATERNITY – WHERE WE MEET
The Fraternity is the privileged place where we as professed sisters and brothers in Christ, develop our sense of Church, Franciscan spirituality and ministry. We seek to encounter the living person of Jesus Christ in each other, in Scripture and Liturgical prayer, and in the Sacraments.
OUR SPIRITUALITY – THE FRANCISCAN CHARISM
Franciscan Spirituality is centred on the Gospel. We endeavour to live out the Franciscan spirit of poverty, simplicity, service and joy which runs through the whole Franciscan family; (that is, the First Order – priests and brothers; Second Order – the Poor Clares, cloistered nuns; Third Order Regular - brothers and sisters; and the Seculars, who used to be called the Third Order). Our spirituality includes ongoing personal conversion, peace and penance, Gospel living – and Social Justice through the witness of our lives, and identifying with the poor and needy, and promoting social justice in response to the call to the mission of the Church.
WHAT WE DO
Individually we are active in our parishes, partaking of the Sacraments, follow and study the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, and strive for holiness in the ordinary tasks of everyday life.
INVITATION
If you are searching for a way to deepen your Baptism, deepen your relationship with Jesus and give witness to the life and teachings of Jesus, the Holy Spirit may be inviting you to consider a vocation as a Secular Franciscan. If interested, you must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church, be willing to accept that belonging to the Secular Franciscan Order means a life-long commitment to the Franciscan way of life and be at least 18 years of age.
