Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

Please Help Build the Portiuncula Chapel

2012-02-01T14:49:00.001-06:00

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just download the GoodSearch – Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center toolbar at:

Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!

T

The White Cord of Saint Francis of Assisi

2012-01-29T12:38:00.001-06:00

"Walfred, who lived in Citta della Pieve, a devout and God-fearing man, as was all his household, had a cord with which the blessed Francis had been girded at one time. It happened that in this place many men and not a few women were afflicted with various illnesses and fevers. This man, after dipping the cord in water and mixing some strands of the cord with the water, would give the water to the sick to drink; and thus all of them were healed in Christ's name. These things took place in the absence of Blessed Francis"...

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life

OPEN WIDE THE DOORS !!!

2012-01-24T13:05:00.001-06:00

Take Care Lest You Be Found Sterile

2012-01-23T13:58:00.000-06:00

T

Tomb of the Unborn Child

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Next to the Portiuncula Chapel

"Take care lest, when the dung of worthlessness has been placed at your roots, you be found sterile, for then there will remain nothing but that the axe be put to you. Do not trust entirely the spirit that is in now in you, for man's senses are more prone to evil than to good, even though it may have been considerably separated from it."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Sacrum Commercium

POPE'S OBLIQUE SHOT AT OBAMA

2012-01-19T15:08:00.001-06:00

January 19, 2012

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s address [to read it click here] by Pope Benedict XVI to U.S. Bishops on their “Ad Limina” visit:

Without explicitly naming President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI made it clear today that he sees the administration as a threat to religious liberty. The pope spoke eloquently on the role that religious freedom has played since the founding of America, and of the need for Catholics to follow the natural law. But he also said, “The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues.” Specifically, he called attention to the “grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.”

How do we know that the pope was addressing the Obama administration when he cited the threats emanating from the political sphere? Speaking of his discussions with U.S. bishops, the Holy Father said: “Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.”

Pope Benedict XVI is obviously aware of the public pronouncements of people such as Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, Bishop William Lori, and others. They have rightfully objected to the Obamacare provisions that would mandate Catholic institutions to provide sterilization and contraceptive services (including abortifacients) without any realistic religious exemption, and of the decision to deny funding to a Catholic agency that combats human trafficking simply because the Church opposes abortion. The term “freedom of worship,” which was coined to distinguish it from “freedom of religion,” expresses a highly privatized understanding of religious liberty that does not embrace the public expression of religion. It is the preferred term of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

An Awsome Gift of Human Life

2012-01-19T09:53:00.000-06:00

Father Todd Riebe

Pastor

The Richmond Catholic Community

Richmond, Indiana

"This past week someone shared with me the story of Dana Lu Blessing. I share it with you as we reflect on the awesome gift of human life.

"A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as a doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon, March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24 weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver the couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.

"At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. 'I don't think she's going to make it,' he said as kindly as he could. Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.

"Because Dana's nervous system was essentially "raw" the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so for the first two months of her life her parents couldn't touch or cradle their tiny baby girl. Little by little this miracle child gained weight and strength. Five years later she was a petite and feisty little girl with no signs of physical or mental impairment.

"While her survival was a miracle, another miracle was revealed when Dana was just five years old. One afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ballpark watching her brother play baseball. She suddenly asked her mother, "Do you smell that?" "Yes," Diana responded, "it smells like rain." Dana closed her eyes and asked again, "Do you smell that?" Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're going to get wet. It smells like rain." Dana shook her head and announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest." And off she ran to play with the other children.

"And Dana knew that during those long days and nights of her daughter's first two months of life when her nerves were too sensitive for anyone to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it was His loving scent that she remembered.

"May Dana Lu Blessing never forget that scent and may we never forget God's love for His little ones both born and soon-to-be-born."

In God's love,

Fr. Todd Riebe
Pastor
Richmond Catholic Community

F.L.A. (Franciscan Lay Apostolates)

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-06:00

"Carried away by the force of his preaching, great numbers of people adopted the new rule of penance according to the form instituted by St. Francis which he called the "Order of the Brothers of Penance." The way of penance is common to all those who are on the road to heaven and so this way of life includes members of both sexes, clerics and lay folks, married and single. How meritorious it is in the eyes of God is clear from the numerous miracles worked by some of those who followed it."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter IV

Voting Pro Abortion and Receiving Holy Communion

2012-01-15T08:08:00.000-06:00

The Power To Heal Comes From Humility

2012-01-14T14:51:00.000-06:00

T

Saint Padre Pio

In his love for true humility, St. Francis devoted himself to the lepers and lived with them, waiting on them all, for the love of God. He washed their feet and bound up their sores, drawing off the puss and wiping them clean. He was extraordinarily devoted to them and kissed their wounds, he who was soon to play a part of the worthy Good Samaritan in the Gospel. As a reward, God endowed him with such power to heal that his influence over ills of soul and body were miraculous.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life

Endure With Joy Every Pain And Every Adversity

2012-01-12T13:45:00.000-06:00

T

"St. Francis was once praying in an abandoned church when he was attacked by devils. Francis cried out and said, 'My Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You for the great love and charity which You are showing me, because it is a sign of great love when the Lord punishes His servant well for all his faults in this world, so that he may not be punished for them in the next world. And I am prepared to endure with joy every pain and every adversity which You, my God, wish to send me for my sins.' Then the devils, having been humiliated and defeated by his endurance and patience, went away."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Little Flowers of St. Francis

Alan Colmes: Shame on you!

2012-01-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

T

Holy Obedience

2012-01-10T10:09:00.000-06:00

Monte Casale Friary

A legend from the friary at Monte Casale: Here every year the brethren plant a cabbage in the garden and let it flower to remind them of the time the saint bade two young brothers plant some cabbage plants upside down. One did, but the othe...r knew better and planted his right side up. St. Francis dismissed the second brother, for, he said, it had been a test of obedience, not of planting cabbages.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Mother Teresa: Abortion Destroys Peace

2012-01-09T08:46:00.000-06:00

Thirty-eitht years after the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion on demand, people from across America plan to gather in the nation's capital in January to show their opposition to the ruling. The annual March for Life is expected to draw tens of thousands of people of all ages, faiths, and nationalities.

Given the enormity of the situation, I couldn't help but imagine waking up in the morning to the newspapers headlines:

"Nine American cities completely wiped out! No one left alive in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, St. Louis or Atlanta."

After witnessing America's reaction to 9/11 and its aftermath., it's hard to imagine how angry American's would be if these headlines were true. Men, women and children would be lining up to join the armed forces to strike back at the enemy. But the sad fact is that these headlines are true. As of 1996, 32 million innocent American citizens had been slaughtered, the equivalent of nine major U.S. cities! Who is this enemy, China, Afghanistan, or Iraq? It's inconceivable to imagine the massive firepower it must have taken to inflict such destruction. Was it from atomic bombs, biological warfare or perhaps nerve agents? It was none of these. It was abortion.

Mother Teresa said, "If we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people that killing is wrong? After all, any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people love, but to use whatever violence necessary to get what they want."

Sure, everyone's concerned for the children of India and Africa, where thousands of children are dying of hunger and disease every day. Many people are concerned with the violence in our streets and classrooms as well. These are valid concerns, but all too often these same people aren't the least bit concerned by those being killed by the deliberate decisions of their own mothers. This is the greatest destroyer of peace today - abortion - which brings people to such blindness.

Does abortion destroy peace and cause blindness toward the sick, the hungry and the naked? Of course it does! When life is regarded so lightly and its disposal becomes so trivial, so clinical, so easy. After all, why should people or nations regard human life as noble or dignified if abortion flourishes? Why agonize over indiscriminate deaths in Bosnia, the Sudan, Iraq, or Afghanistan, when babies are being killed far more efficiently and out of sight of TV cameras?

Just imagine, the populations of all those major cities combined - all dead....who is left to cry?

Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage Talk On Spirituality

2012-01-04T11:57:00.001-06:00

A Dog Always Returns To Its Own Vomit

2012-01-04T07:38:00.000-06:00

"There are many religious who, under the pretext of seeing better things than those which their prelates command, look back (Luke 9:62) and return to the vomit of self-will (Proverb 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22). Such as these are murderers because by their bad example they cause many souls to be lost."

Saint Francis of Assisi

The Admonitions

Admonition 3

Cum Grande Humilitate: A Retreat Experience With Father Murray Bodo, O.F.M.

2012-01-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

Fr. Murray Bodo, O.F.M.

Cum grande humilitate! This last verse of St. Francis’ “Canticle of the Creatures” clearly expresses our weekend retreat at Oldenburg with Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM. Cum grande humilitate, translated from the original Umbrian dialect, means “humbly but grandly!”

My first encounter with Fr. Bodo began in 1987 with a copy of his book, “Through the Year With Francis of Assisi: Daily Meditations from His Words and Life.” I had no idea then who Fr. Murray Bodo was or of the importance his writings would one day play in my life. That book has now become a “loose-leaf” edition due to so many years of daily abuse I have inflicted upon it. (I still had no problems with having Father sign that torn, raggedy old book during the retreat.)

Knowing the special place I hold in my heart for Father’s gift of words, every birthday, anniversary and Christmas my wife Karen always surprises me with Fr. Bodo’s latest publication. Needless to say, when we heard Fr. Murray was coming to Oldenburg to give a weekend retreat, we immediately decided it was a perfect gift to give to one another for Christmas. And what a Christmas present it was!

As I sat there at the Oldenburg Franciscan Center, I was mesmerized by the man – the priest – the monk, who, through his writings for the past twenty-four years, had shared with me his most intimate thoughts and visions of Saints Francis and Clare through his magnificent gift of prose. That weekend in Oldenburg, right before my eyes, Father Bodo transformed from being a humble Franciscan Friar to becoming Francesco Bernardone, the son of Pietro Bernardone, a cloth merchant from Assisi. By the end of the weekend, I could see in Father Murray Bodo the man Francesco might have become had he lived another thirty or forty years; kind, considerate, articulate, unassuming, and still burning brightly with that insatiable desire to share a life of intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Deep in the footsteps of Francis and Clare, Father Murray transhumanced our group from high atop the mountains all the way down to our brother lepers deep in the valley. I found his words of encouragement to be warm, gregarious, comforting, and full of charm and wit.

Please have him return to us soon. In the meantime, may we all follow Fr. Bodo’s example and go together as brothers and sisters of Francis and Clare cum grande humilitate, “humbly but grandly” to rebuild His Church

Pace e Bene my brothers and sisters!

Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

Oldenburg Associate

A Tunic That Bears A Likeness Of The Cross

2011-12-29T09:12:00.000-06:00

The tunic worn by St. Francis at the time of his death

"Francis designed for himself a tunic that bore a likeness to the cross, that by means of it he might beat off all temptations of the devil; he designed a very rough tunic so that it might crucify the flesh with all its vices and sins, he designed a very poor tunic, one that would not excite the covetousness of the world."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life
Chapter IX

The Eremitical Way Of Life

2011-12-28T10:16:00.000-06:00

An early Franciscan Skete

"For many change the place of contemplation into a place of idleness and change the eremitical way of life, which was devised for the perfecting of souls, into a cesspool of pleasure. The norm for such hermits of the present time is to live as each one pleases...Would that the hermits of our time would not fall away from the primitive beauty, the praise of the righteousness of which remains forever."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER CXXXVI

The Real Presence in the Eucharist

2011-12-26T10:06:00.001-06:00

The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center talks about the Real Presence in the Eucharist; the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

No Honeyed Words Of Flattery Or Blandishment

2011-12-23T07:33:00.000-06:00

Fra Volantino Verde

"Saint Francis wandered through the cities, villages, and hamlets, and began to preach with increasing perfection, not using learned words of human wisdom, but through the doctrine of virtue of the Holy Spirit most confidently proclaiming the kingdom of God. He was a genuine preacher confirmed by apostolic authority; therefore he spoke no honeyed words of flattery or blandishment; what he preached to others he had already put into practice himself and his teaching of the truth was full of assurance."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of the Three Companions

Chapter XIII

Live For The Benefit Of Our Fellow Men And Women

2011-12-22T09:13:00.000-06:00

Spoleto, Italy

Brother Francis and his companions arrived at the Valley of Spoleto, still full of good dispositions, and there they fell to debating whether they should live among the people or seek refuge in solitude. Francis, who was a true servant of Christ, refused to trust in his own opinion or in the suggestions of his companions; instead, he sought to discover God's will by persevering prayer. Then, enlightened by a revelation from heaven, he realized he was sent by God to win for Christ the souls which the Devil was trying to snatch away. And so he chose to live for the benefit of his fellow men, rather than for himself alone, after the example of Him who was so good as to die for all men.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter IV

Canticum Sola (Canticle of the Creatures) in the Original Umbrian Dialect

2011-12-15T17:38:00.000-06:00

T

The oldest written version of the Canticle of the Creatures in contained in ms 3...88 of the Municipal Library of Assisi (originally in the Sacro Convento of the Basilica of St. Francis) and dates from 1279 A.D.

CANTICUL SOLIS

Altissimu, onnipotente, bon Signore,
tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.
Ad te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.

Laudato sie, mi' Signore, cum tucte le tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate sole,
lo qual'è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora luna e le stelle:
in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate vento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale a le tue creature dài sustentamento.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sor'aqua,
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora nostra matre terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti flori et herba.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo tuo amore
et sostengo infirmitate et tribulatione.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterrano in pace,
ka da te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.

Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora nostra morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le tue sanctissime voluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.

Laudate e benedicete mi' Signore et rengratiate
e serviateli cum grande humilitate.

Having A Gereater Desire To Receive Shame And Insults

2011-12-12T07:23:00.000-06:00

Because St. Francis and his companions had been called by God and chosen to bear the Cross of Christ in their hearts and in their actions and to preach it by their words, they appeared to be and they were crucified men, both in their clothing and their austere life and their deeds and their actions. Therefore, they had a greater desire to receive shame and insults for the love of Christ than the vain honors or respect or praise of the world. On the contrary, they rejoiced in being insulted, and they were made sad by being honored. And so they went through the world as pilgrims and strangers, taking with them nothing but Christ Crucified.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Chapter 5

What A Friend We Have In Jesus !

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-06:00

"If Jesus were to tell a parable today, He could easily use 'Black Friday' as a...n example and we would all understand His point. This past Thangsgiving Day people LEFT THEIR FAMILIES AT THE THANKSGIVING TABLE and armed with determination and, in some cases, pepper spray and knives, set out to get the material goods they wanted to make a 'Happy Holiday' for their families. Many of those same folks will probably LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES ON CHRISTMAS DAY in order to be the first in line to exchange gifts and get the 'after Christmas' bargains! We shouldn't be surprised if more and more stores choose to open on Christmas Day to offer this chance to get a 'head start' on these sales.

Jesus would tell us to have the same determination (minus the pepper spray and knives) to achieve OUR goals. The goal of Advent is to prepare for Christmas in a way that respects the real meaning of Christmas - the birth of the Prince of Peace.

May we be as determined as Black Friday shoppers to make sure that we are present for our Advent services. To arrive at Christmas without having made the spiritual preparation that the Church offers us would be worse than not getting our Christmas shopping done - FAR WORSE!"

Fr. Todd Riebe
Richmond Catholic Community

St. Francis Built The Very First Christmas Crib in Greccio, Italy

2011-12-10T19:18:00.000-06:00

Photo of the actual cave in Greccio, Italy where

St. Francis of Assisi built the very first Christmas Creche

Pace e bene! Peace and all good!

May the peace and love and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you this Christmas and every day of your lives. We offer this little story about St. Francis at Greccio—from the Major Legend of St. Francis-- for your reflection and meditation. The tradition of the crèche (or crib) originates with St. Francis and is uniquely Franciscan contribution to the celebration of Christmas. Know that we, your Franciscan brothers, are keeping you in our prayers at this most sacred time as you continue to discern God’s will for you in your hearts and in your lives. Merry Christmas!

“It happened, three years prior to his death, that he (Francis) decided to celebrate at the town of Greccio the memory of the birth of the Child Jesus with the greatest possible solemnity, in order to arouse devotion. So that this would not be considered a type of novelty, he petitioned for and obtained permission from the Supreme Pontiff.

"He had a manger prepared, hay carried in and an ox and an ass led to the spot. The brethren are summoned, the people arrive, the forest amplifies with their cries, and that venerable night is rendered brilliant and solemn by a multitude of bright lights and by resonant and harmonious hymns of praise. The man of God stands before the manger, filled with piety, bathed in tears, and overcome with joy.

"A solemn Mass is celebrated over the manger, with Francis, a levite of Christ, chanting the holy Gospel. Then he preaches to the people standing around him about the birth of the poor King, whom, whenever he means to call him, he called in his tender love, the Babe from Bethlehem.

"A certain virtuous and truthful knight, Sir John of Greccio, who had abandoned worldly military activity out of love of Christ and had become an intimate friend of the man of God, claimed that he saw a beautiful little child asleep in that manger whom the blessed father Francis embraced in both of his arms and seemed to wake it from sleep.

"Not only does the holiness of the witness make credible the vision of the devout knight, but also the truth it expresses proves its validity and the subsequent miracles confirm it. For Francis's example, when considered by the world, is capable of arousing the hearts of those who are sluggish in the faith of Christ.

The hay from the crib was kept by the people and miraculously cured sick animals and drove away different kinds of pestilence. Thus God glorified his servant in every way and demonstrated the efficacy of his holy prayer by the evident signs of wonderful miracles.”

St. Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life
Chapter XXX

T

Advent Message from the Portiuncula Hermitage

2011-12-09T08:26:00.000-06:00

God Chose An Unborn Child To Announce The Coming Of His Son!

2011-12-08T12:51:00.000-06:00

T

As soon as Mary received the announcement from the angel, she went in haste to her cousin Elizabeth, who was with child. And the unborn child, John the Baptist, rejoiced in Elizabeth's womb. How wonderful it was...Almighty God chose an unborn child to announce the coming of His Son!

This was the first Eucharist: the gift of God's Son establishing Mary as the first altar, the first tabernacle. Mary is the only one able to confirm in complete sincerity, "This is my body!"

Happy Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception!

Pace e Bene!

Chris

Franciscan Spirituality

2011-12-07T11:31:00.000-06:00

Forced To Have Arms

2011-12-06T13:10:00.000-06:00

The brothers often asked the advice of the Bishop, who received Francis with kindness but said: "It seems to me that it is very hard and difficult to possess nothing in the world." To this blessed Francis replied: "My Lord, if we had any possessions we should also be forced to have arms to protect them, since possessions are a cause of disputes and strife, and in many ways we should be hindered from loving God and our neighbor."

Saint Francis of Assisi

Legend of the Three Companions - 35

Cum Grande Humilitate: "Preach Humbly But Grandly!"

2011-11-30T10:02:00.000-06:00

"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

2011-11-29T12:18:00.001-06:00

Final verse of

"Canticle of the Creatures"

written by

St. Francis of Assisi

in the original Umbrian dialect:

Laudato er benedicite, misignore,

et rengratiate et serviate li

"cum grande humilitate."

Translation:

Praise and bless my Lord,

thank Him and serve Him

"Humbly but Grandly"

Portiuncula Hermitage Now Taking "Come to the Quiet" Retreats ON THE ROAD!

2011-11-28T10:54:00.001-06:00

"Holidays Under the Spires" ~ Oldenburg, Indiana, December 3rd

2011-11-14T12:28:00.000-06:00

Swing by the Portiuncula Hermitage "coffee table" on Hauptstrasse for a cup of "Mystic Monk Coffee!" We will be located where the Carriage Rides begin and end. Check out our special brew of "Jingle Bell Java" that is guaranteed to knock your sandals off or curl your habits!

Fra Chris

Eucharistic Healing

2011-11-11T10:07:00.000-06:00

"Only say the word Lord, and I shall be healed"

The Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage, located in Jerusalem, Ohio, Diocese of Steubenville, seeks the awesome power, grace, and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to bring divine healing and peace into your life through intercessory prayer and adoration before our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Simply e-mail your Prayer Requests to: hermitage@parallax.ws

We encourage everyone to participate in our Healing Services and Retreats.

Thank you for visiting.

Pace e Bene!

Fra Chris

Are You "Searching" For Jesus?

2011-11-06T12:43:00.000-06:00

T

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just Click on the GoodSearch Icon below and download the GoodSearch Toolbar – Then type "Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center" into the toolbar:

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!

T

What It Means To Be Catholic

2011-11-06T12:33:00.000-06:00

St. Joseph's Shop in Batesville, Indiana Is Now Offering MYSTIC MONK COFFEE

2011-11-06T07:37:00.000-06:00

St. Joseph's Shop

Northside Avenue

(off 229 behind Dotty's Bulk Basket)

Batesville, Indiana

(812) 932-1286

St. Joseph's Shop is pleased to announce they are selling our

MYSTIC MONK COFFEE

"Could You Not Spend An Hour With Me?"

2011-10-19T13:14:00.001-05:00

How many people have you personally led to Jesus Christ?

2011-10-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

We Seem To Think

2011-10-11T08:31:00.000-05:00

by PETER MAURIN

Saint Francis thought
that to choose the poor
... is just as good
as if one should marry
the most beautiful girl in the world.
We seem to think
that poor people
are social nuisances
and not the Ambassadors of God.
We seem to think
that Lady Poverty
is an ugly girl
and not the beautiful girl
that Saint Francis of Assisi
says she is.
And because we think so,
we refuse to feed the poor
with our superflous goods
and let the politicians
feed the poor
by going around
like pickpockets,
robbing Peter
to pay Paul,
and feeding the poor
by soaking the rich.

T

It's Time For Catholics to WAKE UP!

2011-10-03T15:50:00.000-05:00

October 3, the "Transitus" (Death) of St. Francis of Assisi

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-05:00

At the time of his death, St. Francis was placed thus upon the ground, with his garment and sackcloth laid aside. He raised his face to heaven said to his brothers: "I have done what was mine to do; may Christ teach you what you are to do."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CXLII

Feast Day of St. Theresa of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

2011-10-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

"Draw me, we will run..."

To ask to be drawn is to will intimate union with the object which holds the heart captive. If fire and iron were gifted with reason, and that the latter said to the fire: "Draw me," would not this prove that it desired to become identified with the fire even so far as to share its substance? Well, that is exactly my prayer. I beg of Jesus to draw me into the flames of His Love, to unite me so closely to Himself that He may live and act in me. I feel that the more the fire of love inflames my heart, the more I shall say: "Draw me," the more also will the souls who draw near to mine run swiftly in the fragrant odors of the Well-Beloved.

Saint Theresa
(the "Little Flower")

Story of A Soul

Chapter XI

Vividly Wounded By The Flaming Blade Of Divine Love!

2011-09-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

The soul is singing about the fire of love. In this night of painful contemplation, the soul is ignited! Although the burning in some ways resembles what unfolded in the sensory part of the soul, in other ways it is as different as the soul is from the body. This is the love that blazes in the spirit! In the middle of her dark predicament, the soul feels herself vividly wounded by the flaming blade of divine love!

St. John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

Honor St. Francis of Assisi - Order Your Very Own Franciscan Cincture from Monastery Greetings!

2011-09-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

The Cincture, or White Cord, is a sign of chastity, and has been since the Church's beginning -- and before. Old Testament priests wore cinctures, Consecrated Virgins and religious wear cinctures, and the wearing of cinctures in honor of a particular saint is ancient, first spoken of in the life of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, and carried on by St. Dominic, who wore the cincture in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Certain Confraternities and Archconfraternities (groups of faithful to a religious cause) also wear cinctures as signs of their affiliation and chastity. Franciscans wear a White Cincture called a 'Cintura Bianca' (pronounced Chin-Torah-Bee-Anka) which translated means 'White Rope.' The three knots on the Franciscan Cincture represent Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, the three Conerstones of the Franciscan Order.

To order your very own

White Cord of St. Francis

From

The Portiuncula Hermitage

simply go to

Monastery Greetings

At:

http://www.monasterygreetings.com/prod_detail_list/Franciscan_Cincture

St. Dominic once asked St. Francis of Assisi for his White Cord he wore over his tunic. Dominic, the Founder of the Dominican Order, wore this White Cord under his habit for the remainder of his life in honor of St. Francis, whom he so greatly admired and respected. This White Cord can be worn inside trousers or under a dress without anyone having knowledge that you are doing so.

Elder Beerman Community Days Booklets Benefit BirthRight and the Portiuncula Hermitage

2011-08-06T12:19:00.001-05:00

"Oh, WOW! Look at these fantastic coupons!"

What is Community Day?

Community Day is our annual fundraising event designed to provide Not-for-Profit organizations with a fun and easy way to raise money. Since 1999, the event has raised over $80 Million!

When is it?

Friday, November 11 at 9:00 A.M.

and

Saturday, November 12 at 06:00 A.M.

(Elder-Beerman Stores will stay open late.)

How does it work?

The Portiuncula Hermitage sells a coupon booklet to the public for $5 each, keeping 100% of the proceeds! Each booklet contains coupons valid during our Community Day Two Day Sale beginning with a $10.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more.

What is in each booklet?

All coupons now include Yellow Dot!
1- $10 off on a $10 or more item.
NEW (1) 20%* off shopping pass — use the pass over and over
1- 30% Early bird coupon, valid 7am-10am
7- Bonus buys
3-Web Exclusive Offers

How do we get booklets?

Contact: Chris Dickson or Tom Ringenberg

at the

The Portiuncula Hermitage

Email: hermitage@parallax.ws

Cell Phone: 765.220.1623

Please remember:

the Portiuncula Hermitage

tithes 10% of all their income to

BirthRight

(a loving alternative to Abortion)!

Thank God For Insults!

2011-07-20T11:43:00.000-05:00

If people insult you and refuse to give you or your ministry alms, you should thank God for it, because you will be honoured before the judgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ for these insults. THE SHAME WILL BE IMPUTED TO THOSE WHO CAUSE IT, NOT TO THOSE WHO SUFFER IT! Alms are an inheritance and a right which is due to the poor because our Lord Jesus Christ acquired this inheritance for us.

Saint Francis of Assisi

THE RULE OF 1221

Chapter 9

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

2011-06-29T12:31:00.000-05:00

"Guess who hasn't had their cup of Mystic Monk Coffee yet this morning!"

Fra Chris

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all their commission sales is donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Bag of Mystic Monk Coffee on the Top of this page:

T

Are You "Searching" for Jesus?

2011-06-19T11:46:00.000-05:00

T

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just Click on the GoodSearch Icon below and download the GoodSearch Toolbar – Then type "Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center" into the toolbar:

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK!

Also please remember that the

Portiuncula Hermitage

tithes 10% of our income to

Birthright

(a loving alternative to Abortion)

Pax Et Bonum!

T

Happy Father's Day To All Priests !!!

2011-06-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

"Remember your dignity, then, my friar priests. You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because God is holy (Leviticus 11:44). In this mystery God has honoured you above all other human beings, and so you must love, revere, and honour him more than all others. Surely this is a great pity, a pitiable weakness, to have him present with you like this and be distracted by anything else in the whole world. Our whole being should be seized with fear, the whole world should tremble and heaven rejoice, when Christ the Son of the living God is present on the altar in the hands of the priest. O wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!"

Saint Francis of Assisi

Letter to a General Chapter

Remember Jesus, Close to Your Side!

2011-06-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

"All harm comes to us from not keeping our eyes fixed on You; if we were to look at nothing else but the way, we would soon arrive...Remember Jesus, close to your side...Get used to this practice! Get used to it! I'm not asking you to do anything more than look at Him."

St. Teresa of Avila

Complete Stillness

2011-06-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

The spider weaves its web and then waits in complete stillness. Only from this stillness can it feel even the slightest movement of the web as a small prey flies into it and gets entangled. Likewise our inner hermit, stilling body and soul so that the still and serene spirit might emerge is of paramount importance. Then we can rightly discern whether the thoughts that come to us are ours or from God.

Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage - Meditatio (Meditation Prayer of the Monastics)

2011-06-02T14:12:00.002-05:00

Franciscan Cincture now available through Monastery Greetings

2011-05-25T14:10:00.000-05:00

The Cincture, or White Cord, is a sign of chastity, and has been since the Church's beginning -- and before. Old Testament priests wore cinctures, Consecrated Virgins and religious wear cinctures, and the wearing of cinctures in honor of a particular saint is ancient, first spoken of in the life of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, and carried on by St. Dominic, who wore the cincture in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Certain Confraternities and Archconfraternities (groups of faithful to a religious cause) also wear cinctures as signs of their affiliation and chastity. Franciscans wear a White Cincture called a 'Cintura Bianca' (pronounced Chin-Torah-Bee-Anka) which translated means 'White Rope.' The three knots on the Franciscan Cincture represent Poverty, Chatity and Obedience, the three Conerstones of the Franciscan Order.

To order your very own

White Cord of St. Francis

From

The Portiuncula Hermitage

simply go to

Monastery Greetings

http://www.monasterygreetings.com/prod_detail_list/Franciscan_Cincture

Governor Mike Pence !!!

2011-05-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

T

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) announced today that he is running for Governor of Indiana. Pence is the Author of the Pence Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood, a Bill that President Barack Obama has said he will veto.

Do So With Such Devotion That You Make Others Devout

2011-04-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

Francis burned with a love that came from his whole being for the Sacrament of the Lord's Body, and he was carried away with wonder at the loving condescension and the most condescending love shown there... He frequently received Holy Communion and he did so with such devotion that he made others also devout. Showing toward that Sacrament deserving of all reverence all the reverence he could, he offered a sacrifice to all his members; and receiving the Lamb that was offered, he immolated his own spirit with the fire that burned always upon the altar of his heart.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life

Chapter CLII

St. Antony of the Desert's Advice

2011-04-19T09:34:00.001-05:00

St. Antony of the Desert

251-356 A.D.

To all who came to St. Antony of the Desert he always had this advice: to trust in the Lord, and love Him, to keep themselves from bad thoughts and bodily pleasures, and not to be led astray by the feasting of the stomach, (as it is written in Proverbs), to flee vainglory, to pray always, to sing psalms before sleeping and after, to repeat by heart the commandments of the Scriptures and to remember the deeds of the Saints, that by their example the soul may train itself under the guidance of the Commandments.

Saint Antony of the Desert

The Teacher of Monks

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through the Portiuncula and Donate to Birthright (a Loving Alternative to Abortion)

2011-04-11T09:59:00.001-05:00

"Guess who hasn't had their cup of Mystic Monk Coffee yet this morning!"

Fra Chris

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR, Retires as Chancellor of FUS !!!

2011-04-08T10:55:00.001-05:00

"Well done, good and faithful servant"...

Father Mike, chancellor for 11 years after 26 years as president of Franciscan University, will retire to the Sacred Heart Province motherhouse in Loretto, Pennsylvania, effective June 30, 2011.

Message from Father Mike

"The Lord has given me countless blessings through my years of service at Franciscan University, It has been a remarkable privilege and deep joy to work with so many committed Christian faculty, staff, administrators, and donors in the vitally important ministry of Catholic higher education. While I will miss the daily relationships with our joy-filled students, alumni, and conference-goers on campus and my many friends in the local community, I know that this new phase of my life is also under God’s providential care and I look forward to seeing what he has next for me."

Message from Father Terence Henry, TOR, President of Franciscan University

"We are deeply grateful to Father Mike for all he has done for the renewal of Franciscan University, the renewal of Catholic higher education, and the renewal of the worldwide Church. Father Mike heeded those same words that were spoken to St. Francis of Assisi over 800 years ago, 'Go and rebuild my Church.' And he did so by transforming Franciscan University into an internationally recognized Catholic university,"

Message from Father Christian Oravec, TOR, minister provincial, Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, chairman, Board of Trustees

“On behalf of the province and the trustees, I extend our sincere gratitude to Father Michael for his tireless service as chancellor and president. If anyone deserves to enjoy a peaceful retirement, it is Father Michael, and we wish him all the best.”

Message from Most Reverend R. Daniel Conlon, bishop of Steubenville

"It is hard to imagine Steubenville without Father Michael Scanlan. His role as president and later chancellor of Franciscan University has left an indelible mark on that institution. He has been a champion of civil rights and the common good in the larger community. As the bishop of the local diocese, I am also aware of and grateful for the pastoral care Father Michael has offered many people over the years, especially those involved in the charismatic renewal. I invite all the people of the Diocese of Steubenville to give thanks to God for this faithful servant and to ask blessings upon him."

The impact of Father Mike

In 1956, Father Scanlan graduated from Harvard Law School. He then served as Staff Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force before discerning a call to religious life and entering the Franciscan Third Order Regular in 1957. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1964. After serving his religious order in various assignments including rector of St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, he accepted the office of president at the College of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1974.

Father Scanlan assumed the presidency in the midst of turbulent times, transforming Franciscan over the next 26 years from a small Catholic regional college struggling to keep its doors open into a world-renowned leader in Catholic higher education.

Under Father Scanlan’s leadership, the University’s theology professors became the first at any Catholic college or university in the nation to publicly pledge an Oath of Fidelity to the magisterium.

Franciscan University gained international attention during his tenure for its fidelity to the Catholic Church, integration of faith and reason in academic and residence life programs, and its commitment to excellence in education.

Father Scanlan led the development of the largest undergraduate Theology Program of any U.S. Catholic university and the founding of a Human Life Studies Minor, the only academic program of its kind in the U.S., which trains students to articulate the value of human life from conception to natural death.

Enrollment grew from 1,000 students in the early 1970s to over 2,100 undergraduate and graduate students in 2000, when he turned over the presidency to Father Terence Henry, TOR.

Father Scanlan also founded Catholic summer conference programs for adults and teens in 1975 with a national Catholic charismatic conference for priests and deacons. Today, Franciscan’s summer conferences reach over 40,000 people annually with the good news of authentic Catholic renewal and the New Evangelization.

Father Scanlan is the author of over 16 books and booklets, including Let the Fire Fall and What Does God Want? As a sought-after conference, pilgrimage, and retreat leader, he has reached out to hundreds of thousands of Catholics and other Christians in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.

In October 2009 Franciscan University held a celebration marking Father Scanlan's 50th anniversary as a professed Franciscan. The event included a conference, a Mass of thanksgiving, and a gala reception and dinner, all hosted by Father Henry.

The occasion prompted hundreds of congratulatory messages, many from bishops, cardinals, and other Church leaders. Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, wrote, “When Father Scanlan became the president of what was then known as the College of Steubenville in 1974, it was hardly known outside of the state of Ohio. Now, as Franciscan University, it is known throughout the nation as a place where the Catholic faith is taught in an academically inquisitive and rigorous way, but always true to the magisterium of the Church.”

Proceeds from the celebration benefited the Father Michael Scanlan Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance to students and is one of

Father Scanlan's many legacies.

In the coming weeks, Father Scanlan will be honored for his distinguished service to the University at the Senior Farewell Mass, a faculty and staff gathering, the Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians Conference, the Catholic Charismatic Conference, and other public events.

Father Henry said it is “impossible” to calculate the thousands of lives transformed and souls brought closer to Christ because of Father Scanlan's decades of service.

"Franciscan University's mission springs from the heart of the Church, which has borne so much fruit from Father Michael's endeavors. This fruit can be seen in our graduates who serve the Church in so many outstanding apostolates, in family life, as priests and religious, in business, healthcare, and in their churches and communities."

Palladium-Item: In Memoriam

2011-03-20T13:18:00.000-05:00

In Loving

Memory of My

Dumb, Stupid, Smelly the Dog

2-31-00 to 2-31-05

Faithful Flea Bag

and

Dumpster Diver

I know you sit up there in Dog Heaven all day long waiting for the Palladium-Item to be delivered to your heavenly doorstep just sos you can see if someone has done writ something about yew! Some folks call me dumb and ignernt for thinking the Pal-Item gets delivered to you every day there in heaven, but hey, wots knew about that? Dahyuk!

Everyone wants to no wot I done did with your doggy-bone collection. I tell their envious hides that I done give it away to the Wayne County Museum to grand up and make fertilizer wif it.

Ya'll keep checkin back every time the Palladium gets delivered to you their in heavin cuz I will continue righting this dumb, stupid mindless crap cuz this is the only way for my po little ole hillbilly self to see my name in print...

Pa Kettle

Contemplative Prayer

2011-03-18T11:31:00.000-05:00

Healing Prayer

2011-03-10T12:59:00.000-06:00

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T07:18:00.004-06:00

When the nuns at St. Damian's had come together,to hear the word of God, though no less also to see their father St. Francis, he raised his eyes to heaven, where his heart always was and began to pray to Christ. He then commanded ashes to be brought to him and he made a circle with them around himself on the pavement and sprinkled the rest of them on his head. He remained in the circle in silence. The saint suddenly rose and to the amazement of the nuns recited the Miserere mei Deus in place of a sermon. When he had finished he quickly left. By his actions he taught them that they should regard themselves as ashes...

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life

Chapter CLVII

White Cord of St. Francis of Assisi now available through the Portiuncula Hermitage

2011-03-08T10:48:00.001-06:00

The Cincture, or White Cord, is a sign of chastity, and has been since the Church's beginning -- and before. Old Testament priests wore cinctures, Consecrated Virgins and religious wear cinctures, and the wearing of cinctures in honor of a particular saint is ancient, first spoken of in the life of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, and carried on by St. Dominic, who wore the cincture in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Certain Confraternities and Archconfraternities (groups of faithful to a religious cause) also wear cinctures as signs of their affiliation and chastity. Franciscans wear a White Cincture called a 'Cintura Bianca' (pronounced Chin-Torah-Bee-Anka) which translated means 'White Rope.' The three knots on the Franciscan Cincture represent Poverty, Chatity and Obedience, the three Conerstones of the Franciscan Order.

To order your own

White Cord of St. Francis

The Portiuncula Hermitage

simply go to

Penannce Cilice

http://www.cilice.co.uk/hairshirts.php

The Jesus Prayer

2011-03-02T15:04:00.001-06:00

The Most Inspirational Pro-Life Video Ever Made

2011-02-25T13:58:00.000-06:00

"Come to the Quiet" Retreats - Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

2011-02-14T12:19:00.000-06:00

Rethinking the Pro-Life Movement

2011-02-04T15:16:00.001-06:00

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through the Portiuncula and Donate to Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

2011-02-01T19:54:00.000-06:00

"Guess who hasn't had their cup of Mystic Monk Coffee yet this morning!"

Fra Chris

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all their commission sales is donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To order direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon on the Top of this page:

T

"Come to the Quiet" 2011 Retreat Schedule

2011-01-28T12:53:00.000-06:00

T

"Come to the Quiet”

2011 Retreats

May 20-22

Men Only

June 24-26

Women Only

July 15-17

Men Only

July – Reserved:

Married Couples Only Retreat – TBA

(We are limiting this to only Three Couples)

August – Reserved:

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Grad Students - TBA

September – TBA

Women Only

What is a “Come to the Quiet” Retreat?

A “Come to the Quiet” Retreat is a SILENT RETREAT which means no cell phones, beepers, computers, and no talkingexcept when we come together to pray the Office of the Hours. To befair to the other Retreatants, these rules must be vigorously adheredto. Joining together with God and being able to listen to Him as Hespeaks to us in the Silence of Prayer is the sole purpose for thisretreat.

What is the Schedule:

Fr.Todd will be offering us Reconciliation at St. Andrew's at 11:00 A.M.on Friday and we will be leaving St. Andrew's at 12:00 Noon “SHARP.”There can be no exceptions! Even if you don't plan on receiving theSacrament of Reconciliation, please plan on arriving with the rest ofthe group at 11:00 A.M., so that we don't hold the rest of the groupup! We will close the retreat at Sunday morning Mass at St.Sylverster's Catholic Church in Woodsfield, Ohio.

What should I bring?

Your bible
Any medications you may require
Shaving Kit
Extra change of clothing for Mass on Sunday - Casual (Tan Colored Clothing preferred)
Sleeping bag and pillow
Extra pairs of dry socks and underwear
Towels and washcloths
Extra sweater or jacket in case it gets chilly

What is the Cost?

The cost is $110 per person ($40 non refundable, non-transferable deposit due upon registration).

YourRegistration includes Saturday and Sunday Morning ContinentalBreakfasts, your Saturday evening meal, along with healthy drinks andsnacks throughout the weekend.

Please makes checks payable to:

The Portiuncula Hermitage

% 508 South 16^th Street

Richmond, IN 47374

Occupancy is extremely limited, so please get your Registration in as soon as possible!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name: ____________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

City: _________________________State: _____Zip: ________

Phone: (____) - _____- ______________

Preferred Weekend: First Choice:_____________________

Second Choice:_____________________

-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The White Cord of St. Francis of Assisi

2011-01-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

Come to the Quiet - Retreat Schedule for 2011

2011-01-21T15:16:00.000-06:00

"Come to the Quiet”

2011 Retreat Schedule

May 20-22

Men Only

June 24-26

Women Only

July 15-17

Men Only

July – Reserved:

Married Couples Only Retreat – TBA

(We are limiting this to only Three Couples)

August – Reserved:

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Grad Students - TBA

September – TBA

Women Only

What is a “Come to the Quiet” Retreat?

A “Come to the Quiet” Retreat is a SILENT RETREAT which means no cell phones, beepers, computers, and no talking except when we come together to pray the Office of the Hours. To be fair to the other Retreatants, these rules must be vigorously adhered to. Joining together with God and being able to listen to Him as He speaks to us in the Silence of Prayer is the sole purpose for this retreat.

What is the Schedule:

Fr. Todd will be offering us Reconciliation at St. Andrew's at 11:00 A.M. on Friday and we will be leaving St. Andrew's at 12:00 Noon “SHARP.” There can be no exceptions! Even if you don't plan on receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, please plan on arriving with the rest of the group at 11:00 A.M., so that we don't hold the rest of the group up! We will close the retreat at Sunday morning Mass at St. Sylverster's Catholic Church in Woodsfield, Ohio.

What should I bring?

Your bible
Any medications you may require
Shaving Kit
Extra change of clothing for Mass on Sunday - Casual (Tan Colored Clothing preferred)
Sleeping bag and pillow
Extra pairs of dry socks and underwear
Towels and washcloths
Extra sweater or jacket in case it gets chilly

What is the Cost?

The cost is $110 per person ($40 non refundable, non-transferable deposit due upon registration).

Your Registration includes Saturday and Sunday Morning Continental Breakfasts, your Saturday evening meal, along with healthy drinks and snacks throughout the weekend.

Please makes checks payable to:

The Portiuncula Hermitage

% 508 South 16^th Street

Richmond, IN 47374

Occupancy is extremely limited, so please get your Registration in as soon as possible!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name: ____________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

City: _________________________State: _____Zip: ________

Phone: (____) - _____- ______________

Preferred Weekend: First Choice:_____________________

Second Choice:_____________________

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Saint Anthony of the Desert - the Father of Monks

2011-01-17T06:21:00.000-06:00

Modern-Day St. Anthony's Monastery in Egypt welcomes those seeking God in silence broken only by the whisper of the wind

Saint Anthony, the celebrated Father of Monks, was born in Egypt around the year 250 A.D. After his parents died he distributed his property to the poor and, beginning a life of penance, withdrew into solitude. He attracted disciples and labored on behalf of the Church, giving support to believers during the persecution of Diocletian and assisting Saint Athanasius against the Arians. He died in 356 A.D.