Dear friends of Fr. Benedict,
From Trinity Retreat
Friday, June 25, 2004
Last night I introduced you to Good Counsel Homes and tonight I’m
going to introduce you to the St. Francis House, which is my first love. Long
ago I became aware that boys from Children’s Village often had no place
to go when they had completed their treatment. If they were young enough, they
could go into group homes, but if they were older, there was nothing for them.
Therefore, I begged an old house from a Polish parish in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
We’ve had that house since 1967, and now we also have the old rectory,
a much larger building, and the use of other buildings that are no longer used
by the parish.
Over the years hundreds of young men have gotten a start in life from St. Francis
House. At present a layman, Joe Campo, whose work with Youth 2000 is known throughout
the metropolitan area, directs it. The boys from St. Francis House, who are
experts in media, have videotaped some of the television that I have done on
EWTN. If you have enjoyed the friars’ website, it will interest you to
know that the boys of St. Francis House do much of that work under the name
Grassroots Renewal Project. If you’d like to help us with St. Francis
House, our address is www.youth2000ny.com. You can link to franciscanfriars.com
from there.
Let us continue to pray for each other!
Father Benedict
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Your website has truly been a blessing to me and many many others. And its reach has extended beyond those with internet access. To illustrate: my mother lives in Florida and doesn't have a computer. So I've been calling her and reading your mini-missives to her over the phone. One night I loved what you had to say in one of the online videos, so I put the phone to my computer so she could hear your words. My husband laughed at my simultaneous use of old and new technology! Anyway, please keep your hand in the website if at all possible, even if only weekly. We love your words of wisdom! - Mary, Skaneateles, New York
Dear Father Benedict, My heart's thank you for your daily letters. With abiding gratitude. - Mary, Massachusetts
Dearest Fr. Benedict, I'm so happy to know that you are back at Trinity, your home and very much my home and many fond rememberances of my visits there. Continued prayers go your way. I thank God He has brought you this far in the healing process. Please pray for Agnes a Young lady who works for us, who has been diagnosed with cancer. - Mary, Dublin, Ireland
Dear Father Benedict, I am happy to contribute, as per your request, what I would like to see you and the other Friars offer on a daily basis for the faithful who use the Internet. What comes to mind is helping us to grow in faith and in love with our Lord Jesus Christ in the most holy Eucharist. As you well know, our Holy Father has proclaimed the dates Oct.2004 to Oct. 2005 , as the year of the Eucharist. What a great opportunity to call God's people to better embrace this great gift and to teach us to grow closer in love and understanding of what our Church has to say on such a treasure. Also, it would be very helpful to many, myself included, how we can best live our lives in such a chaotic world. Teachings and prayers offered to all will help us to grow as well in holiness and in faith so that we may inmitate Christ all the more. Perhaps talks and reflections on the Ten Commandments and how we may meditate on them when we go to confession or when we do a nightly examination of conscience . Joe about a talk on the benifits of fasting ? Purgatory ? Heaven and Hell? I will gladly take whatever you and your community plan for ua as a whole. May it ultimately lead us all to a closer walk with our Lord Jesus Christ and with His Holy mother, Mary. Thank you for asking us to share our ideas with your most precious community. Sincerely, - Gloria, El Monte, California
Dear Fr. Benedict I think that for some who are stuck
in's ( I hate to use shut in"s")
Maybe somwhere down the road we could pray morning and evening prayer together.
This may be a help for some of the older people who feel left alone. Maybe reciting
the prayers of the church would make us all feel part of the Universality of
the Church. Love - Lorrie, Robbinsville, New Jersey
