Newsletter – December 2013

St. Francis Retreat
549 MISSION VINEYARD ROAD • P.O. BOX 970 • SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CALIFORNIA 95045 • (831) 623-4234 DECEMBER 2013
Christmas: A celebration of the humility of God
Growing up in a Portuguese family one devotion that was important to my family was the Christmas crèche.
I grew up hearing stories from my mother about how when she grew up families would sometimes have
elaborate displays in their homes or on the porches of their homes. These nativity scenes would have candles
on them and fruits and nuts of the earth and wheat placed around the stable to honor this blessed event.
And in our own home my mother would set up a display with candles, and nuts, and fruits and hay, it was
simple but taught me and my siblings that this was no ordinary event but a special one that requires special
preparation in order to honor He who has come and is still to come again. As my nieces and nephews were
born and my mom was now a grandmother whenever the kids visited my parents’ home as preschoolers my
mom would light the candles by the crèche and we would all sing happy birthday to baby Jesus thus handing
on this tradition to a new generation. In fact one of the gifts I have given to my nieces is a nativity scene and
I’ve also given them as wedding gifts to friends and their children.
What some people may or may not know is that the very first Nativity appeared on the scene Christmas Eve
night 1223, in Greccio, Italy. It was St. Francis of Assisi who was inspired to re-create the nativity scene for
the people of Greccio. Francis was concerned that people forgot the reason why Jesus was born and he was
concerned that people were getting caught up in materialism and greed. He felt that people had forgotten
that Jesus came to us not as a rich king but as a poor child. Francis writes to his friend Giovanni, “I want to do
something that will recall the memory of that child who was born in Bethlehem, to see with bodily eyes the
inconveniences of his infancy, how he lay in the manger, and how the ox and ass stood by.”
So outside the town of Greccio Francis finds a cave in order to stage a live but silent scene of that first Christmas.
He fills the cave with hay, brings in a donkey and ox and had a family with a baby play the parts of Jesus, Mary
and Joseph. And then gathering the Friars and the people from the town Francis brings the people to this
cave for them to look upon this scene, where Jesus is born in a humble place among humble animals. Francis
hoped that if the people looked upon this humble picture they would be reminded that if God did not provide
a fancy birth for His Son, that maybe they do not need all the fancy material goods they have.
The Franciscans call this the humility of God, Jesus being born in a humble place of a humble state calling
us to consider what we truly need to be happy and fulfilled in our lives. So as we move through this holiday
season and celebrate Christmas each in our own ways, with our own traditions, let us focus not so much on the
material aspect of the season but let us humbly look for ways in which we can be gift to others as we celebrate
the birth of Jesus.
During this season of preparing for the birth of Christ I would like to invite you to consider making a donation
to the Retreat Center to help us retire our loan for our new building. This loan continues to be a challenge for
us and in some ways limits us in other areas. Please know your gift of any amount is most
welcomed. When writing a check please put in the Memo: For Building Fund. Thank you
in advance for any help you can give us. And on behalf of the Friars and staff of St. Francis
Retreat Center have a Blessed Christmas Season.
Brother Robert Rodrigues, OFM Director St. Francis Retreat
St. francis retreat happenings
Angel from our maintenance staff built a bell tower
on the upper patio so groups would have a larger bell
to call their people back to their retreat/conference
sessions. Our many thanks to Carol Kaplan who donated the bell to the Center. Work on our Koi pond
continues to progress. We now have fencing around
the pond for safety, and some benches so people can
come and enjoy the quiet of the space. Still to come is
a statue of St. Joseph and Child donated by James and
Nancy Rodrigues, new pumps to create waterfalls,
and a possibility of more koi through the kindness
of The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
whom we thank in advanced.
Also with the weather getting colder our maintenance
staff heads indoors to work on projects including
working on our Holy Family Cottages. Our guests
will begin to see some changes coming. Already they
have installed a new fountain in St. Clare’s courtyard.
Check it out next time you are here at the Center. The
fountain, which was donated by Bro. James Swan,
OFM family, has been created by using an old fashioned kitchen sink hand-pump that was on the family
farm. It is in memory of Brother’s father and we thank
them for their kindness.
In Gratitude:
We would like to thank the Kral and Rodrigues families
for donating new kitchen towels for our Holy Family
Cottages. This is a great help and saves on guests using paper towels which is not good for the earth. Just
a reminder: these cottages are for private retreats for
people who need some time away to think, reflect, and
pray, spiritual direction is available upon request.
Our Wish List:
We are still collecting money for our new chapel
chairs. We would like to thank those who have already
donated money to this endeavor. After the first of the
year we will be ordering the first set of chairs to begin to replace the current chairs that can no longer be
fixed. But we still have a ways to go to replace 100
chairs a donation of $75.00 will help us reach our goal.
Thank you for your help in reaching this goal which
will allow for our guests to be comfortable during
mass, prayer and conferences.
Although we are in the seasons of Advent and
Christmas we would just like to give you a heads
up of what’s to come retreat wise. During the
season of Lent we will continue our Wednesday
Lenten practice of breaking open the Sunday
readings during the Lenten season, also during
Holy Week we will have
days of reflection on Holy
Thursday, Good Friday,
and Holy Saturday both
using the First Friday
formats. See Upcoming Retreats.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Vaquero Heritage Days 2014
returns August 22-24th
We look forward to seeing you.
Looking for that Unique and Special Christmas Gift?
Check out our bookstore where you will find of course books, CDs, gifts from El Salvador and Peru, honey made by
the Trappistine Sisters of the Redwoods, and handmade soap. Or give that special someone a Gift Certificate of a
Retreat. Contact Brother James Swan, OFM at 831-623-4234 or [email protected]
UPCOMING RETREATS
First Friday Days of Recollection
9:30 am. - 2:00 pm. (Lunch/noon)
Suggested Donation: $25.00
January 3rd
Surprising, Sustaining GRACE!
Sister Marietta Fahey, SHF
Entering this New Year, we open our
eyes and our hearts to be surprised and
sustained by GOD’s ongoing creative
LOVE! Just as Mary and Joseph, Jesus
in his growing up, Francis and Clare in
their time, we have been and are graced
in ways beyond imagining! This day of
prayer is an opportunity to reflect and
pray about such moments.
February 7th
A Winter Gaze
Brother Jeff Macnab, OFM
St. Valentine brings many images of Love.
Love has many faces and manifests itself
in many situations. Come and reflect on
the nature of “Love” with St. Bernard as
our guide. Bro. Jeff will use St. Bernard to
look at the Love, that God has for us and,
the Love we have for God and each other.
March 7th
A Lenten Day with St. Francis of
Assissi: A story of conversion
Brother Philip Polk, OFM
St. Francis of Assisi was known for his simplicity of life. But prior to his embracing
“Lady Poverty” Francis was attracted to
and lived a life of lavish parties, money,
and having the best his family would give
him. This day will reflect on Francis story of
conversion and how it can shed light on
our own journey of conversion which the
season of Lent invites us to. Conversion
and Change which we hear proclaimed
JANUARY - july 2014
in the Gospels during this season. We will
explore together what this means for our
own spiritual life.
April 4th
Our Lenten Journey Continues
Brother Robert Rodrigues, OFM
As we move closer to Easter the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection we may find
ourselves still pondering what do I need
to let go of in order to fully enter into the
Easter mysteries. This day will help us to
gently reflect upon this question.
May 2nd
All Praise to you my Lord, for
Brother Sun . . .
Brother Michael Minton, OFM
The Church has named St. Francis of Assisi
the patron saint of ecology and we know
from his poem The Canticle of Creation he
had a great love for God’s has created for
us. This day will reflect on the goodness of
what God has created.
June 6th
The Holy Spirit: a dynamic stirring
into flame
Monica Miller
The season of Pentecost celebrates the coming
of the Spirit upon the Church sending God’s
people forth into the world to proclaim the
Good News. The day will reflect upon what the
Holy Spirit may be stirring within you as you respond to the movement of the Spirit in your life.
Lenten Wednesdays of Recollection
9:30- 2:00 pm First Friday Format Suggested
Donation $25.00
March 5,12,19,26 & April 17,18, 19
Using the First Friday Format we will be focusing on the scripture readings for the Sundays of
Lent. This day will include Stations of the Cross.
Triduum: The Great Three Days
9:30 – 2:00 p.m. Suggested donation $25.00
April 17, 18, 19
Using the First Friday Format participants will
be invited into reflections on Holy Thursday,
Good Friday & Holy Saturday in order to more
fully enter into the celebrations in their parishes.
RETREATS
Men’s Retreat:
Walking the Way of St. Francis
January 17 -19, 2014
Brother Jeff Macnab, OFM
St. Francis of Assisi talked about walking in the
footsteps of Jesus. For Francis it meant literally stepping into Jesus footprints in order to
become more like him. This retreat will reflect
on the “Franciscan Way” as a help for my own
spiritual journey as a man.
Married Couples
Retreat: “This is Me for You…”
July 18-20th
(Dr.) Deacon Owen Cummings, Ph.D.
& Cathy Cummings, LCSW, Ph.D.
Using a variety of sources, this retreat
will help participants to reflectively think
through the renewal of their marriage
commitment.
Women’s Retreat:
“God is Good. Good is Beauty.
God is Holy All.
July 25-26
Sister Loretta Schaf, OSF
Come! Refresh your spirit in the Goodness
and Beauty of God. Come! Open your heart
to the Holy One who desires to reveal the
“hidden sweetness” in all that is sacred in
your life.
Retreat rates below, unless otherwise
noted. Commuter rates are available for
some events, call (831) 623-4234.
Call us for information on Private Retreats and Facilities Rentals: (831) 623-4234
RESERVATION FORM
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ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________ STATE _________________ ZIP ___________________________
ROOM PREFERENCE: ( ) SINGLE
( ) DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
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TO MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR A RETREAT, SEND THIS FORM AND $25 DEPOSIT (PER PERSON) TO:
ST. FRANCIS RETREAT / P.O. BOX 970 / SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA. 95045
$220.00 person (Single Occupancy)
$180.00 per person (Double)
unless otherwise noted.
(Limited scholarships are available)
(831) 623-4234 / FAX: (831) 623-9046 / WWW.STFRANCISRETREAT.COM / E-MAIL: [email protected]
SAint francis retreat
EACH OF US
GIVEs IN
DIFFERENT
ways!
Enjoy Mother Nature . . . bird or foul.
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Please consider a “Legacy Gift” to St.
Francis Retreat in your estate-planning.
St. Francis Retreat is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 religious
organization, listed in the Official Catholic Directory.
Your generous gift can help to assure the ongoing service of St. Francis Retreat to the spiritual needs of
retreatants in the future. For more information about
making a Legacy Gift, call Ed Degroot 831-623-4234.
St. Francis Retreat / Legacy Gifts,
P.O. Box 970 / San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
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VOLUNTEER RECEPTIONIST
We need 1 or 2 volunteers to answer
phones and greet people.
Call Ed 831-623-4234 Ext. *811
St. Francis Retreat Inc.
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