Giving One's Life for Others

Bro. Jason Welle, OFM professed solemn vows as a Friar Minor on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, 15 August 2008. A previous article on this blog went into some details about that event.

What I'd like to invite you to consider is how God calls you -- and me -- to give our lives over, like Jesus, for others.

Bro. Jason Welle, OFM kneeling after the Litany of the Saints at the Solemn Vow ceremony (Photo courtesy of Fr. Brendan Wroblewski, OFM)


Simply put, a Christian vocation teaches us that our lives are not our own! It's all about the Lord Jesus. When we Franciscan Friars profess our vows, according to the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, we are giving ourselves over to the Lord and to the operation of the Holy Spirit. St. Francis taught his friars that the Holy Spirit is the General Minister of the Order of Friars Minor.

Bro. Jason Welle, OFM professing solemn vows into the hands of our Provincial Minister, Fr. Leslie Hoppe, OFM

Professing vows like this hearkens us back to our baptismal commitment, from which all other Christian vows come. It is in the name of the Lord Jesus, believing that he has called us to this path as Friars Minor that we place our trust in God the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Bro. Jason Welle, OFM's Dad and Mom at the celebration of solemn vows.

This is an act of faith. We put our faith in the Lord and his call to live the holy Gospel in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. It is an adventure to give our lives for others -- the Lord, our brothers, the Church and the poor. And all for Jesus!

Franciscan Vocation Directors Meet in Florida

Franciscan friars serving as vocation directors throughout the United States, and also England and Ireland, and who represent the different branches of the Order, gathered for three days from September 17-21, 2007 at Franciscan Center in Tampa, FL. Don't worry, we didn't get a lot of sun! The weather was comfortably warm, but cloudy and damp.

The friars, pictured above, came from the Observant movement (the Friars Minor -- OFM), the Conventuals (OFM Conv), the Capuchins (OFM Cap) as well as the Third Order Regular (TOR) Franciscans and the Society of the Atonement (SA), also called the "Graymoor" Franciscans.

(In the photo above, I am on the far left.)

The Conventuals wear the grey habit, the Capuchins wear the brown habit with attached hood (capuche), the TORs wear the black habit and the Observants (OFM) -- that's our group! -- have the brown habit (light and dark) with the detachable hood. The Graymoor friar has a brown-grey habit.

Fr. Dominic Monti, OFM, a Franciscan historian from New York, gave some great input regarding the vocation ministry. St. Francis called the Holy Spirit the "General Minister" of the Order -- the entire brotherhood depended and still depends on the operation of the Holy Spirit.

St. Francis, in his Testament (written very shortly before his death), reflected on his life and how the Lord guided him throughout his life. He relied completely on the Lord's inspiration and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Francis sought to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Contemporary Franciscans also seek to live the Gospel of the Lord -- but in the 21st century, not the 13th. So, we too must rely on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, to inspire us today and to guide us today in living the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.

The friars were great encouragement for one another, deepening our spiritual bonds through prayer, fellowship, good laughter and stimulating fresh ideas to energize us to joyfully promote our way of life as Franciscan men.