Newsletter: Divine Mercy Region Secular Franciscan Order

Lower Michigan and Toledo, Ohio March 2017

Our Spring Gathering is Coming Up Soon!

In this edition:

Our Spring Gathering is

Coming Up Soon!

God and the Created

Cosmos

From Br. Loren

What Does Our Rule

Say?

Five Little Letters

JPIC Update

Regional Calendar

A Call Within a Call

Financial Update

Around the Region

Contact Us

Our Spring Gathering is April 22nd at the Center for Ministry in

Saginaw. Ministers or their delegates will be coming but all are

invited. If you need a registration form, please see your local

Fraternity Minister.

We have a nice agenda coming together. Ministers, please invite

treasurers to attend. Our regional treasurer, Fran Walker OFS, will

have some helpful information for them in the afternoon. See page

7 for more information from Fran.

We will be making hygiene kits for Mike Carsten's ministry to the

homeless, like we did last year. If you'd like to participate, please

send items to include. Needed items are:

toothbrushes & toothpaste

band-aids and tissue

hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo

deodorant, wet wipes, lip balm

lotion, washcloths, socks, nail clippers, disposable razors

Small individually

wrapped packages

are best.

“When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,

the moon and the stars which you arranged,

what is man that you keep him in mind,

mortal man that you care for him?” ( Ps 8:3-4)

All throughout the history of the human race, we have looked to the cosmos. The cosmic calendar has been used

to regulate and guide us in the essentials of life -- when to plant, when to harvest, when to migrate to a warmer

climate -- and in the history of world religion, the cosmos has given us a liturgical calendar. The cosmos marks

the times when we celebrate the mysteries of God. To give a real Christian interpretation to the use of the cosmic

calendar, I’d like to offer an observation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Spirit of the Liturgy, a book written by

Joseph Ratzinger, has a great chapter on time and space and its relationship to the liturgy we celebrate. In it, he

gives an example of how the Church connects the cosmic calendar to our celebration of Christ.

Continued on page 7...

God and the Created Cosmos

2

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We all know the story. In 1219,

while Christian crusaders from

Europe were besieging the Egyptian

port city of Damietta, Francis of

Assisi ventured forth to meet the

Muslim sultan of Egypt, Malik al-

Kamil. If Saint Francis’ intention was to convert

the sultan from Islam to Christianity, he failed. If,

however, his intention was to establish a

relationship of mutual trust and respect across

ethnic and religious boundaries, he succeeded

admirably. The two men grew to respect each other

and the sincerity with which each followed his own

faith. Indeed, scholars see Islamic influences in

Francis’ later prayer life.

The story is not just a charming vignette from the

past. It is still relevant today. From the time of

Saint Francis onward, the Order of Friars Minor has

interacted with Muslims in the Holy Land. The

friars’ presence there began to be formalized around

1300. Any relationship of seven hundred years is

bound to have had its low points. Occasional

misunderstandings aside, some severe, the friars

continue to live and serve in Egypt, Israel, Jordan,

and Palestine, where they minister to Arab

Christians and Muslims alike.

Given the heated rhetoric swirling around our

country, American Catholics, Franciscans in

particular, might do well to reflect on these words

from the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on

the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian

Religions (1965), Paragraph 3:

“The Church regards the Muslims with esteem.

They adore the one God, living and subsisting in

himself: merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of

heaven and earth, who has spoken to men and

women. They take pains to submit wholeheartedly

to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham,

with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in

linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do

not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere him as a

prophet. They also honor Mary, his virgin Mother;

at times they even call on her with devotion. In

addition, they await the day of judgment when God

will render their deserts to all those who have been

raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the

moral life and worship God, especially through

prayer, almsgiving and fasting.”

“Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels

and hostilities have arisen between Christians and

Muslims, this sacred synod urges all to forget the

past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding

and to preserve as well as to promote together for

the benefit of all humankind social justice and

moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.”

Peace and every blessing,

Br. Loren Connell, OFM

Regional Spiritual Assistant

What Does Our Rule Say?1

Given the increase in friction that we're seeing

between different groups of people in today's

society, what responsibility do we have as

Franciscans?

Our Rule says, in particular:

Art. 13: As the Father sees in every person the

features of his Son, the firstborn of many brothers

and sisters, so the Secular Franciscans with a gentle

and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the

Lord and an image of Christ...

Art. 15: Let them individually and collectively be

at the forefront of promoting justice by the

testimony of their human lives and their courageous

initiatives. Especially in the field of public life,

they should make definite choices in harmony with

their faith.

Art. 19: Mindful that they are bearers of peace

which must be built up unceasingly, they should

seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony

through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the

divine seed in everyone and in the transforming

power of love and pardon.

Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance,

they should strive to bring joy and hope to others.

1 Inspired by Mike Carsten OFS, Chasing the Wild

Goose, https://ofsmike.blog/2017/03/07/u-s-catholics-

the-ofs-and-islam/

3

Five Little Letters

Peace -- five little letters that mean so much. In

the Gospel, Jesus tells us why:

"You must then set no bounds to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets none to his." 2

While being faithful to the Gospel, Franciscans

pursue peace and mutual understanding. This is

true whenever the situation we are facing is one

where Christian love is needed -- whether we are

thinking about forgiveness or whether we are

interacting with someone who is different from

how we are.

This aspect of the Franciscan way of life goes all

the way back to Francis himself.

"God of peace, may we become instruments of your peace, in our thoughts, in our words and in our actions. We ask this through Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen."

May the Lord give you peace.3

_______________ 2Matthew 5:48b.

3 Inspired by an article by Rosemary Hannaford OFS,

Fall 2005 Divine Mercy Region Newsletter.

In the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent,

we heard about Jesus in the desert. The devil saw

that Jesus was hungry and tempted Him to use His

power to turn the stones into bread. In reply, Jesus

said, “One does not live on bread alone, but on

every word that comes forth from the mouth of

God."4 Rather than exploit power, Jesus chose

humility and obedience to the Father. Through

Jesus’ words we are reminded that we live

through the Word Made Flesh, breathed forth

from the mouth of God.

Humility is part of our Franciscan Rule -- our very

Way of Life -- which reminds us that, like Jesus in

the desert, we are not to be motivated by the

power and appetites of ourselves or this world, but

instead motivated by the dynamic power of the

Gospel. We are called to “conform our thoughts

and deeds to those of Christ by means of that

radical interior change which the gospel calls

conversion. Human frailty makes it necessary that

this conversion be carried out daily." 5

Continued on the next page...

________________ 4 Matthew 4:4.

5Art. 7, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order.

JPIC Update

2017 Regional Calendar

April 22, 2017 Spring Gathering Center for Ministry

Saginaw, Michigan

August 4-6, 2017 Annual Ministers Meeting St. Francis Retreat Center

DeWitt, Michigan

October 28, 2017 Annual Day of Formation Center for Ministry

Saginaw, Michigan

4

Only in conversion,

brought about by

our openness to God

and His ways in our

lives, can we put

JPIC into practice...

Only in conversion, brought about by our openness

to God and His ways in our lives, can we put JPIC

(Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation) into

practice and animate the world around us.

All of this sounds good on paper, but what about

actually living it in a society that is so divided on so

many issues?

As an example, let’s take a look at one of the most

important moral issues of our time -- the dignity of

human life. On the USCCB website, we find, “The

Catholic Church proclaims that human life is

the foundation of a moral vision for

society. This belief is the foundation

of all the principles of our social

teaching. We believe that every

person is precious, that people

are more important than

things..." 6

Standing up for life is not an

optional or passive act. While

we know that life is a beautiful

gift, a culture of death is constantly

being promoted all around us.

As a sidewalk counselor outside our local abortion

clinic, I am faced with many facets of the culture of

death. While peacefully offering assistance to

women and men seeking abortion, I am often met

with resistance from others promoting “choice.” As

a disciple of Christ and a Franciscan, I wonder

every time I’m there, “Would Jesus show up and

ignore His children, even when they are in

opposition to the truth?” But in the Gospel, we are

shown how Jesus ate with sinners and prostitutes,

so I simply can't go stand on the sidewalk without

saying hello, introducing myself and learning

peoples' names. This is part of seeing the "divine

seed"7 in everyone and believing they too, “bear

the imprint of the Most High.”8 Most of the time

people are caught off-guard by the kindness. But

after all, if I were meeting these same people at the

grocery store, I would greet them with a smile and

light conversation, so why should I treat them

differently because they believe abortion is a

6 Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching,

http://www.usccb.org/ 7 Art. 19, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order

8 Art. 18, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order

woman’s right and don’t fully understand the

dignity of every person?

When the Holy Spirit allows, I try to engage in

dialogue, seeking some common ground. When

people are open to God’s presence in each other,

“seeking first to understand rather than be

understood,”9 a door can open for peaceful

dialogue. True, it's difficult and requires humility,

more than I find humanly possible. Yet, taking the

desire to convert someone to my way of thinking

off the table, it’s amazing the peace God brings and

the doors He opens. And even when the

door isn’t open to dialogue, it can be

open to peaceful prayer and

courtesy to our neighbors.

So often, the world moves us

to see only two sides of a

moral issue: We are either

Pro-this or Pro-that. In

labeling one another, we

become blind to the persons

behind the labels. We

Christians can be just as quick to

label others, yet we are called to a

higher standard because we are supposed

to know better than to view people as obstacles or

problems in themselves. For instance, I have yet to

meet someone who believes abortion should be

legal because they think murder is acceptable.

There is always a story of brokenness behind their

beliefs about abortion. I know, because at one time

I didn't understand either.

It wasn’t until I met Mercy Himself and came to

know Jesus’ love personally that I was able to

embrace the teachings of my Catholic faith, striving

to live it out regardless of whether I completely

understood every aspect of the faith. Praise Jesus

for His patience and mercy!

The mercy of God extends to those we meet in all

kinds of places. They are carrying burdens unseen

to our eyes. This provides a perfect stage for living

out JPIC. People hurt by past sins -- or other

injustices in their lives -- sometimes put up walls to

9 A paraphrase from the Peace Prayer of St. Francis

5

the truth in order to protect themselves from further

pain.

In my work on the sidewalk, I've had to die to self

and my own desires in order to minister to others.

This is not to say that I don't share the truth, but I

recognize that prudence and love are necessary. In

loving conversation, we are often able to find

common ground on some things, which is

movement forward.

In a recent conversation on the sidewalk, one

woman warmly asked to shake my hand, saying she

had never encountered anyone willing to talk

peacefully like this. Maybe she had not been open

to dialogue before, but maybe others hadn’t really

been open to her humanity hidden behind a label

either.

Jesus tells us that “if anyone wishes to come after

me, he must deny himself and take up his cross

daily and follow me.”10

Saint Francis showed us

how to do this with perfect joy. Let us show one

another.

May God grant you peace, love and joy in Jesus

through Mary.

St. Francis and St. Clare, pray for us.

Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, Immaculate

Mother of God, Patroness and Queen of the Three

Franciscan Orders, pray for us.

Amy Oatley OFS, JPIC Coordinator

Divine Mercy Region Councilor

10

Luke 9:23

The Editor's Mailbox:

From Margo Dean OFS, Spiritual Assistance

Intern for St. Isidore Fraternity, Grand Rapids:

"Attached is a short article that I encouraged Joe

Bialczyk from the St. Isidore Fraternity to

write... He was writing about some members of

his fraternity in the wind storm last week, but he

did not recognize his own generous heart..."

Here is that short article.

The Story of Generous Hearts

This past Thursday I received a phone call

about 3:40pm from a Fraternity member. It was

Francis Thompson who had lost power to his home,

and was asking if anyone could help him out

because he has a serious disability. My wife and I

had to be on the road an hour later for a council

meeting. I told him that I would make some phone

calls and get back with him as soon as possible. The

very first call I made was to another Franciscan,

Jim Parent. Jim said with no hesitation that he

could stay with him, even overnight, so I picked him

up and brought him over to Jim's home. After the

council meeting I drove back over to his home and

there was still no power. I drove back an hour later

after my wife, Anne, and I offered prayers for his

situation, as he has two cats that he feared would

die because of the cold. I found that the power was

back on. I picked up Francis and brought him back

home.

Joe Bialczak OFS,

Minister, St. Isidore Fraternity, Grand Rapids

To Joe, Anne, Francis, Jim and Margo: Thank you

all for your loving Franciscan hearts and your

generosity in the recent storm.

Most high, glorious God,

enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord,

a correct faith, a certain hope,

and perfect charity, sense and knowledge,

that I may carry out Your true and holy command.

Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi

6

A Call Within A Call

“I have called you by your name.

You are mine because

you are precious in my eyes,

you are honored and I love you.”

Isaiah 43: 1b, 4

Just maybe you are already professed, maybe for

decades, but then again, maybe for just a year.

Perhaps you are seemingly satisfied in your call as a

Secular Franciscan, yet maybe your spirit is a little

restless. Is it possible that God’s voice has gone

absent -- or, thankfully, is the Holy Spirit quietly,

gently, yet persistently nudging you to consider to

go deeper? Perhaps the inspiration came at a

fraternity gathering, or maybe reading an article in

the Tau magazine, or something a person said to

you. Perhaps you really can’t describe to others the

“bump,” the “knowing,” or the Grace that the Holy

Spirit is giving you, or once again calling you.

I was professed in August of 2015 -- just the

beginnings of my life as an official Franciscan (but

between you and me, it started a long, long time

ago). There was and still is so much for me to learn

about our Franciscan charism! It wasn’t long after

my profession that I was asked if I would consider

the position as Formation Minister for my

fraternity. I said, “Yes.” The fraternity voted, and I

was in! I was a bit overwhelmed, but I fortunately

had, and still do, two great mentors on the

formation team.

There is nothing like teaching to enrich my

knowledge about Francis, Clare, and our professed

life, especially in my new life as a Franciscan;

that’s exactly what is happening for me as

Formation Minister. I love it! But something

happened along the way. I attended a Regional

Gathering and in that time there came a presentation

followed by an invitation.

It wasn’t an invitation written to me with my name

on it; nobody came to me personally and said, “This

is for you.” Oh no, this was different. You see, our

Region needs Spiritual Assistants, and there was a

presentation depicting the importance of Spiritual

Assistants and their life in the Franciscan

movement.

Up to this moment, I thought that this was a role

only for the First Order and TOR. I thought wrong.

I was delighted with possibility; however, six

months went by.

October was here in no time, and we came together

for the Regional Formation Gathering. What a great

occasion it was to see my Franciscan brothers and

sisters. We had the opportunity to build

relationships and Franciscan understanding, but also

to learn what is needed in the Order. Once again, I

heard the need for Spiritual Assistants in our

Region. I received the silent yet stirring invitation

to submit my name to the roster of interested

Franciscans.

I submitted my application for the Spiritual

Assistant program. I was accepted, given the

study/reading assignments and a timetable of our

meetings. March 2017 came, and we met in

Saginaw for a weekend that what I will say is the

next most moving venture for me as a Franciscan.

As we shared our reasons for being present, I had to

tell my brothers and sisters that I love my work as a

Formation Minister. I knew that I wanted to learn so

much more about our Franciscan charism; yet, there

was a deeper purpose for my presence. I fell in love

with my brothers and sisters who were present. Do

you know what I mean when I say there was a

connection between all of us? We shared our

experiences, even when difficult, and we asked lots

of questions. It was fraternity at a very deep level,

and we had just met!

What do I say to you? I invite you to consider the

“call within a call.” St. Teresa of Calcutta, on a

train journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling, received

what she named the "call within a call," which

founded the Missionaries of Charity family of

Sisters, Brothers, Fathers, and Co-Workers.

Our life as Franciscans is a dynamic life; it is never-

ending in the pursuit of perfect joy and it is an

unswerving call to action.

You are invited. You are called.

Kathleen Carsten, OFS

Formation Minister

Troubadours of St. Clare, St. Clair Shores

7

Do you have questions on banking issues, tax

payer numbers, how to conduct the annual

fraternity financial audit and other treasurers'

matters? At our Regional Spring Gathering, you

will have the opportunity to get the answers to

your questions. Regional Treasurer Fran Walker

OFS, will be available for a Question & Answer

Session.

God and the Created Cosmos

Continued from page 1...

"The Church celebrates the feast of St. John the

Baptist on June 24, at the time of the summer

solstice. The link between the dates can now be

seen as a liturgical and cosmic expression of the

Baptist’s words: “He (Christ) must increase, but

I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30) The birthday of St.

John the Baptist takes place on the date when the

days begin to shorten, just as the birthday of

Christ takes place when they begin again to

lengthen…it stands in continuity with the synthesis

of cosmos and history.”

Judeo-Christian religion is a religion of time and

space. The events of salvation history and of

God’s intervention, culminating in the

Incarnation, are events of time and history. They

are not mythical, but historical.

Cosmos -- the Universe and all that it contains. I

find the cosmos and the universe fascinating. One

of my favorite pastimes is tuning into the show

“Star Talk” hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the

acclaimed astrophysicist and educator. His show

usually ends with a commentary by another

famous scientist, Bill Nye, whom many will

remember from his TV show “Bill Nye the

Science Guy.” This show makes the physics of

the universe accessible and understandable to non-

physicists, non-mathematicians like me. We exist

in the cosmos that God created and with all that is

created, we praise God.

While I do appreciate the science and their

explanations of the physical universe, I have to

take issue with their "No God" philosophy. In

very subtle ways their show mocks the believer in

God. As they explain the science, down to the

smallest elements of the physical, they often make

comments about those who believe that some

unseen being intelligently designed all of this, and

claim that the science shows that it is just random

chemical mutations that happen over billions of

years.

Mr. Tyson has a TV series called “Cosmos,” an

update of the earlier series by Carl Sagan. In

Episode 2 of that series, Tyson explained the

molecular level of life, and how all the diversity

of life has evolved over time into life we know it

existing today. I do not take issue with his theory

and explanation; in fact, the Catholic Church has

said that evolutionary theory is not incompatible

with God’s creation. Scripture teaches us “Why”

God created, and is not a science book of “How”

God created. What I take exception to, however,

is his explanation that this is all random chance

mutations, and all is natural selection, the survival

of the fittest -- that species that adapt and evolve

better means of survival continue, while those that

do not become extinct and that's all there is to it.

In his view, natural selection and random

chemical mutations form the basis of life, and the

human animal, not excepted, is just the result of

random chemical mutation of DNA over time.

But the human person transcends simple survival

of the fittest! If we truly are simply the fittest

based on evolution, how would you explain the

human act of caring for those who are less fit?

How would you explain the human longing for

that which is beyond the self? How can you

explain the search for God found in all cultures in

the record of anthropology?

There have been attempts in recent human history

to force the survival of the fittest upon us.

Perhaps most famously, Margaret Sanger, the

champion of eugenics, taught that humans should

selectively breed and weed out the weak and less

desirable of the species. Adolph Hitler put her

teaching into practice with his program of

eliminating the less desirable, the Jews, the

Gypsies, the mentally challenged. He put into

practice a vigorous breeding program to create a

master race of healthy, blonde, blue-eyed Arians,

a physical standard that he himself did not meet.

The sick were tossed aside. The less desirable

were murdered in his own attempt at mass

8

extinction and application of the survival of the

fittest.

If all we are is the random mutation of DNA

driven by the survival of the fittest, then why do

we care about the homeless? Why do we care

about the elderly? Why do we care about those

born with less than perfect health? Why do we

strive to create conditions of life worthy of the

dignity of the human person? Why wouldn’t we

just let natural selection take these people out?

Why not let the homeless woman freeze to death

on cold winter night? Why not cast aside the

infant with the birth defect? Why continue to care

for our elderly when dementia makes them

incapable of caring for themselves? Why not just

let them die because they are weak and not the

fittest among us? For that matter, why would we

have institutions such as the Humane Society and

animal rights groups working for the protection of

other species that should just die due to natural

selection?

What physical science cannot explain is why we

do that which transcends the physical. What I see

when the mysteries and wonders of science are

unpacked is a greater appreciation of the awesome

creative power of God. The entire system of

creation where each part is related to and relies on

the other is a master plan, a fantastic architecture

and structure that is planned rather than a random

mutation of chemicals; it is a balanced whole

where the lack of one part of creation renders all

creation incomplete and lacking. Creation

presupposes a creator.

Science tells us that there is a cause for all that

happens. Physics is a science that can explain

cause and reaction. Neil deGrasse Tyson is very

good at taking us back through time in the cosmos

and relating the mechanics of our universe. I am

fascinated by this journey through cosmic time.

On a recent “Star Talk," he was asked, "What is

your favorite unanswered question?" His reply

was that it was the questions not yet asked,

because with each discovery come more

questions. These questions usually involve

getting to the answer of what caused this new

discovery.

While he and his partner, Bill Nye, will

continually deny any divine being, I have to ask

this question since everything has a cause: If you

keep going back further and further in time, you

keep finding the cause that caused the cause.

Eventually, if you keep going back, isn’t there a

point in time where there is a first cause? What

caused the first cause? To me, the uncaused

cause of the first cause is God, the eternal,

uncaused architect of the cosmos.

David Seitz OFS

Minister, Divine Mercy Region

St. Joseph Fraternity, Ann Arbor

A Day of Recollection

St. Joseph Fraternity invites you and your

fraternity members to join us for a "A Day of

Recollection" with Br. Loren Connell OFM

as our featured speaker. The event will be

on Saturday, May 13th from 9:30 am to 4:00

pm at St. Louis Center in Chelsea.

Please bring a brown bag lunch and

beverage. The event will conclude with Br.

Loren celebrating the Sunday Liturgy of the

Mass. Please RSVP (email preferred) by

May 1st. Seating is limited. If you need a

copy of the registration form for this event,

please see your local Fraternity Minister.

Our Mother of Sorrows Fraternity,

Grand Rapids

Spring 2017 Retreat

St. Francis is the example par excellence of what

it means to be “other focused.” As Secular

Franciscans we strive to bring to life that example

in this time and place; however we are challenged

by our own personal biases and “isms.”

We will spend time during this retreat listening to

the Word of God, navigating Church teaching,

engaging in peer learning and seeking “radical

interior change.”

Around Our Region

9

This is being hosted by Our Mother of

Sorrows Fraternity, Grand Rapids. Please

register in advance. If you need a copy of

the registration form for this event, please

see your local Fraternity Minister.

St. Bonaventure Fraternity, Detroit

Upcoming Events

The St. Bonaventure Secular Franciscan Fraternity

invites you and your fraternity members to

participate in the following events:

Sunday, March 19 -- Day of Reflection -- 11:00

am to 3:30 pm -- Michael Hovey, Office

Coordinator for the Office of Ecumenical and

Interfaith Relations for the Archdiocese of

Detroit, will be the speaker. If you plan to attend

the Day of Reflection, please call 313-579-2100,

ext. 136 and leave a message with your name,

phone number and number of individuals who

plan to attend. Please bring a brown bag lunch.

We will provide refreshments.

Sunday, April 30 -- Jubilarian Mass at 1:30 pm at

the St. Bonaventure Main Chapel followed by a

potluck luncheon. At the Mass, we will

recognize those members who are celebrating the

10 and 20 year anniversary of their profession. If

you plan to attend the Mass and dinner, please call

313-579-2100, ext. 136 and leave a message with

your name, phone number and number of

individuals planning to attend the Mass.

Sunday, May 21 -- The St. Bonaventure Secular

Franciscan Fraternity will be celebrating the 130th

anniversary of the founding of our fraternity. We

are planning a Mass and lunch to celebrate this

milestone event in the life of our fraternity. We

are working on finalizing details for this

celebration.

Sunday, July 16 -- Fraternity Picnic at Shelter 2

on Belle Isle. Please bring a dish to pass. If you

plan to attend the picnic, please call 313-579-

2100, ext. 136 and leave a message with your

name, phone number, and number of individuals

planning to attend the picnic.

Lent is here, Lord. Draw me into a closer relationship with you; help me open myself more and more to your grace. Amen.

Divine Mercy Regional Executive Council - Contact Us! David Seitz OFS, Regional Minister -- dmrofsdavid@gmail.com

Jim Graczyk OFS, Regional Vice Minister -- cjcag64@aol.com

Theresa Brown OFS, Secretary -- divinemercy.region@gmail.com

Fran Walker OFS, Treasurer -- fpwofs2015@gmail.com

Michelle Bryk OFS, Formation Minister -- michellebsfo@iserv.net

Linda Solis OFS, Spiritual Assistant Program Coordinator -- lms_48101@yahoo.com

Paul DeWeese OFS, Councilor -- pdeweesemd@gmail.com

Amy Oatley OFS, Councilor, JPIC Coordinator -- aoatleyofs@gmail.com

Jan Kaeding OFS, Councilor, Newsletter Editor -- divineprovidencefraternity@gmail.com

Br. Loren Connell OFM, Spiritual Assistant -- brolocon@gmail.com

Divine Mercy Regional Website: https://divinemercyregion.com/ News, Registration Forms, Calendar and Other Helpful Information

If you have events, news or photos from your

fraternity that you'd like to see here, please

send them to Jan Kaeding OFS, Editor

divineprovidencefraternity@gmail.com.