Today, along with being the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ rule by Pope Honorius III, is the annual feast of all the saints of the Franciscan order!
 
Although we mark the feast of All Saints on November 1st, most Catholics probably aren’t aware that we, as Franciscans, have a special celebration this day as we near the month’s end.  
My work at this time, as we remember the dead and celebrate the holy members of our order, has been very appropriate.  
 
Yesterday, I finished digitalizing one of our gems: the book of our province’s history compiled by Sr. Patricia Forrest entitled Prairie Praise.  Now, we have an electronic copy which we can easily search for names or topics, and which can easily be shared.  
 
As I was nearing the end of this project, Sr. Donna came in with a brown box, asking me to re-type the cards contained in it.  
 
A card is made for each Sister in our community, detailing her important dates and details of her various assignments in religious' life.  Over time, many cards had been amended in handwriting and could use freshening up.  Also, having these  on computer, as well, will be adventagous in the future.  
 
I am happy to be able to help the community in these ways, but equally so, for this opportunity to immerse myself in our history.  
 
It is wonderful to be reminded of all that our Sisters have done over the many years of their collective religious lives.  It is an inspiration and impetus for me, whose years in community pale in comparison to theirs.  
 
I trust that these Sisters who have gone before us, and all the saints of the Seraphic Order, will intercede for us.  
 
We need their prayers.  

After weeks of working on this project (off and on), I am happy to announce that our next issue of The Franciscan Review​ is now out, that is sent to the printers.  
​You can view it here!

November 11th has long been known as “Armistice Day” or, in this country, Veterans Day, and rightly so.  It is the anniversary of the end of the first world war, in which countless lives were lost.  
 
Another connection making the eleventh day of the eleventh month a fitting time to honor those who have risked their lives for their country in military service is that the saint whose feast we mark was, himself, a soldier.  
 
Saint Martin of Tours considered himself a soldier for Christ, and would eventually resign from military service to embrace the monastic life.
 
A less-known fact about his feast day is that, in times past, it was seen as the beginning of a more penitential time in preparation for Christmas.  Just as, before Easter, we prepare by roughly forty days of fasting, prayer, and alms-giving, people would prepare for the Lord’s birth in a somewhat similar manner in late fall and early winter.  The time beginning on November 11th, St. Martin’s Day, became known as “St. Martin’s Lent.”  
 
This reminds me of St. Francis, who also could be called a soldier for Christ, as he would undergo periods of fasting outside of those prescribed by the universal Church.  He would fast between the feast of the Assumption (August 15) and the feast of St. Michael (September 29).
 
Even if you and I never engage in military service, we, too, can be soldiers for Christ like St. Paul who “fought the good fight.”  
 
A large part of this battle is against our own selves and our sinful desires.  
 
We can look to saints like Martin and Francis for inspiration and prayer as we seek to serve our King, whether by offering our fasting, forgiveness, faithfulness or friendship.