Franciscan Servants of the Holy Family, Inc.

Sister Doris Engeman

PO Box 7251

Shawnee Mission, KS 66207 816-729-7065 srdoris@aol.com

S e r v a n t N e w s

of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our

sole ruler with his Christ.” What a beautiful image!

And our call to conversion, to prepare and protect that

place within us “where God may walk.”

At NCYC, several hundred teens lined up. For

what? A free gift? Well, yes, in a way. They awaited

the Sacrament of Reconciliation. My volunteer job

was to help direct them to where 60-70 priests were

hearing Confessions, offering the forgiveness and grace

of God. The line kept forming, and moving. It was a

blessing to witness this, as they prepared that “place

where God may walk.”

On the feast of Christ the King, Pope Benedict

XVI spoke on the regal power of Jesus: “It is not that of

the kings and the great of this world, it is the divine

power to give eternal life to free us from evil, to defeat

the dominion of death. It is the power of love, which

knows how to derive good from evil, soften a hardened

heart, bring peace to the bitterest conflict, turn the

thickest darkness into hope.”

“Choosing Christ,” our Holy Father said, “does

not guarantee success according to the criteria of this

world, but ensures that peace and joy that only He can

give." This peace and joy offers us a little taste of the

Kingdom of God here on earth.

It is easy to get distracted by what’s happening

around us. Jesus came so many years ago, to walk

among us, and soon He comes anew, to walk with us,

and to seek that place within us “where God may

walk.” With His grace, let us prepare that place.

O come, O come, Emmanuel, come reign in

us and reign in our families!

Sister Doris

Dear family and friends,

Peace and All Good!

“Christ Reigns” was the theme of NCYC

(National Catholic Youth Conference) held in Kan-

sas City, Nov. 19-21. This theme can serve as a

meaningful reflection for this Advent Season, and

our preparation for the great feast of Christmas.

Although time seems to move quickly for

most of us, Advent is a time of waiting and longing.

Already in the midst of the Season, Advent waiting

is a sharing with and remembering our ancestors

who awaited the coming of our Savior and King.

Christ our King reigns over His Kingdom for

which we pray: “thy kingdom come, ...” It is Christ

who “ushered in the Kingdom of heaven on earth,”

and it is He who will bring it to fulfillment when He

returns. In between, we are called to take an active

role in hastening the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Origen, a priest of the early Church, wrote:

“The Kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and

Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they

say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the

kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is

very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is

clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s

kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that

there it may grow and bear fruit and become per-

fect.”

Advent, not unlike Lent, is a time to examine

our lives, to determine who/what reigns in our hearts

and directs our lives. Is it Christ who reigns?

Origen goes on to say that “if we wish God

to reign in us, in no way should sin reign in our mor-

tal body;…” and that “There should be in us a kind

Holy Family, help us grow in holiness and unity.

Dec e mb e r 200 9 +

New!!! Website:

www.kcfranciscans.org

Franciscan Prayer Walk

It was a beautiful, sunny

October 4th, the feast of St.

Francis of Assisi, founder of

all the Franciscan Orders.

This year’s focus was on

another Franciscan, Blessed Junipero Serra,

priest and founder of the California Mission

Churches. We had a peaceful walk along

the Missouri River (okay, after the unexpected

bike race), with meditations based on Serra’s

life and spirituality. The walk at English

Landing Park, in Parkville, MO ended with

a cookout provided by the Knights of

Columbus, Council #7199 .

Beggar’s Box — Needed: 1) Prayer, and 2) The Franciscan Servants of the Holy Family is in need

of a residence, a place to which women can be invited to discern their vocation to consecrated life, and

out of which the Community ministries can be operated. A simple home in a neighborhood, a piece of land, a farmstead, …. If you or someone you know has the ability to make this available in some way, please contact Sister Doris at 816/729-7065 or

srdoris@aol.com. Pray with us to St. Joseph!

The Franciscan Servants is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.

Our Understanding of the Human Person

Sister Doris gave a presentation on “The Person as Gift: Helping Your Children Grow in the Virtue of

Chastity” to parents from two parishes, St. Gertrude’s in Krakow, and St. Ann’s in Clover Bottom, MO on

October 14th. She described the virtue of chastity within the context of love; chastity as a way of loving

that sees the human person as gift, and not as an object. The parent’s role is, as always, to teach by exam-

ple, to help their children understand their own dignity and to counter many of the messages heard and seen

that oppose chastity and charity. Scenes from St. Ann’s, Clover Bottom, MO

(southwest of St. Louis)

A helpful resource for parents in teaching the

virtue of chastity: “The

Truth and Meaning of

Human Sexuality,”

from the Pontifical

Council for the Family.

Vocation Discernment Retreat

How can I discern my vocation? How can I know

God’s Will? These, and many other questions were ad-

dressed at the Vocation Discernment Retreat for ladies ,

directed by Sister Doris on Nov. 14-15.

Every person’s vocation, their Call is: to love. The

three young ladies who attended are considering their re-

sponse to His Call: by offering the gift of herself to an-

other, whether to a man through the Sacrament of mar-

riage, or to Christ through Consecrated (Religious) Life.

Discernment is a way of life, of asking the Holy spirit

to enlighten and guide us in our decision-making, whether

for large or small choices. Please pray for all women and

men discerning God’s Call for their lives.

Ministry of FSHF:

To pray for families, and to help families

grow in holiness and unity.

Sister Doris is available to speak on fam-

ily and marriage-related topics. Invite

her to speak to your Mom’s group, Bible

study, retreat, PTO, parish group.

Year of the Priest

St. Francis encouraged his brothers to show the greatest possible reverence and honor to Jesus Christ in

the Eucharist, and as well, to recognize the great dignity of the priests, through whose ministry we re-

ceive Christ’s Body and Blood. He wrote, in “A Letter to the Entire Order:”

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 a priest. O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread! Look, brothers, at the humility of God

and pour out your hearts before Him! Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him. Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.

Eucharistic Procession: At NCYC, Jesus walked among us, on14th St. in down-

town Kansas City, from the Sprint Cen-

ter to the Convention Center.

A moving sight on 14th Street: As Jesus approached and passed by,

those who lined the street fell silent,

and instinctively fell to their knees.

The beginning of the Eucharistic Proces-sion at NCYC, that numbered over 20,000

teens and adult leaders.

Thank you to our business partners!

The Last Word, Publication and Mailing

Service. Thanks to Mary Goodson for

printing and preparing this newsletter.

For your printing / mailing needs, call

Mary at 816-474-5330 (in North Kansas

City). www.tlwmail.com

The Franciscan Servants of the Holy Family

is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

(tax-exempt) organization.

“The future of the world and of the Church

passes through the family.” - John Paul II

Send your e-mail address!!!

If you would prefer receiving

future issues of this newsletter

via e-mail, send your e-mail

address to srdoris@aol.com.

Please type “newsletter” in

the subject line, so it won’t get

deleted as spam!

www.kcfranciscans.org

Check out the new Website of

the Franciscan Servants of the

Holy Family! It is in its begin-

ning stage, “under construction,”

as the saying goes. We will con-

tinue adding to it. Donations can

be made online as well. Enjoy!

www.kcfranciscans.org

Prayer for Families: Novena Prayer

Join the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Family in praying this prayer

during our Novena to the Holy Family, December 19-27.

Lord God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.

Father, you are love and life. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman,

and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of divine charity,

grant that every family on earth

may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.

Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives

for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.

Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity

and for their growth in truth and love.

Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage,

may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials

through which our families sometimes pass.

Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth,

grant that the Church may faithfully carry out her worldwide mission

in the family and through the family.

We ask this of you, who are Life, Truth, and Love,

with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

-Pope John Paul II