January 2006
 
May the Lord give you His peace and a blessed new year! Thank God we remain very busy at the C.F.R. vocation office. Sorry for any difficulties in contacting us. I will be on the road often during January and February. Br. Sebastian and Br. Peter will be available.
 
Every January many make a new year's resolution to have a better prayer life. A regular prayer life is an essential element when discerning a religious vocation. This month I will offer a word about the Breviary, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office. Every priest, deacon and religious are obligated to pray the Breviary several times a day. Responding to the encouragement of the Church, many lay people also pray the Breviary. If the Lord is calling you to be a priest and/or religious, this form of prayer will be an integral part of your life. We Friars of the Renewal pray the Breviary together in community 5 times a day. It is the anchor of our daily schedule. On the left the young Fr. Karol Wojtyla prays the Breviary while on a hiking trip (as Pope on the right).
 
A good place to start could be a monthly publication called Magnificat. Magnificat has a shortened version of Morning and Evening Prayer, daily Mass readings and prayers, daily meditations, saint of the day and more. Many people find this publication a great help in establishing a daily prayer schedule. I love this aid to entering into the rich liturgical life of the Church (I am addicted to it!).
If you are ready to pray with the big dogs, there is a 1 volume version of the Breviary, known as the Book of Christian Prayer, found here. Don't forget to get the Liturgy of the Hours Guide, a little booklet to help you find the right pages, etc. Priests and religious pray from the 4 volume version of the Breviary found here.
 
Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI offer teachings on the Psalms found in the Breviary during the weekly Wednesday audiences. You can purchase a book version covering Morning Prayer here. These awesome audiences started on March 28, 2001, and are still continuing as of this writing. Check out the link to read Pope John Paul's introduction to this series of teachings.

I will be away on the following dates during January:
  • 13-15 FOCUS Conference in Denver (info). Br. Peter and others will be at the FOCUS Conference in NJ.
  • 16-18 Hermitage.
  • 20-22 FOCUS Conference in Chicago (info).

  • 22-24 March for Life in Washington D.C. There is a right turn at the end of the March, we always congregate somewhere on that corner. Many friars will be at a Mass on the evening before the March. This Mass is on Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m. at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (info). Many friars will be at a Youth Rally and Mass on the morning of the March. This Mass is on Monday, Jan. 23, 10 a.m. at the MCI Center - come early (info).

  • 26-30 Youth 2000 Retreat in El Paso, TX.

Special Intention

  • Feb. 9-20 in England at our two friaries, London and Bradford.
We will have a vocation weekend retreat at our friary in London,
St. Fidelis Friary, on the weekend of February 17-19, 2006.
Please pray for the men in Europe who are discerning the C.F.R.
way of life!

If you are in Europe and interested, contact Br. John Paul at
St. Fidelis Friary, London, England.


Check it out:
Excellent new Vatican document on homosexuality and the priesthood found here.


We are praying for you and your discernment everyday, especially on Wednesdays. Let us set our hands to the plow in the Lord's vineyard and not look back! I found this image in honor of our fellow christians in China who are suffering because of our faith. Pray for them, especially the Bishops and Priests, maybe we can do more than pray someday in the future...
Thank you for your patience in contacting me - don't give up,
it is not a sign if you are having trouble getting us on the phone!
God bless you,

Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR 
Saint Joseph Friary
523 W. 142nd Street
New York, NY 10031
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