Franciscan Writings

Franciscan Writings

Author: Dawn M. Nothwehr, OSF

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2023-05-18

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 056769917X

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This book explains key Franciscan values and a hope-filled vision of peace, justice, and sustainability for all of creation. Dawn M. Nothwehr engages with a wide variety of topics such as: ecological sin, environmental destruction, a positive Franciscan soteriological path forward, practical tools necessary for conversion, planet-healing actions, and life-sustaining changes. Part 1 includes two chapters on the Old and New Testament texts frequently utilized by St. Francis and St. Clare that uphold values essential for Franciscan ecotheology. Part 2 features a chapter on St. Francis and one on St. Clare, mapping the distinct major landmarks of their vernacular theologies on creation care. The two chapters of Part 3 first outline the formal Franciscan theology and spirituality of St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, before diving into the Christology and ethics of Blessed John Duns Scotus. In four chapters, Part 4 focuses on major ecological issues with an interdisciplinary approach considering current science, Franciscan theology, ethics, spirituality and praxis. Designed for classroom use, each chapter includes a wide variety of pedagogical features: primary texts, reflection and application, questions for reflection and discussion, suggestions for action, a short prayer and suggestions for further study.


Francis of Assisi and His “Canticle of Brother Sun” Reassessed

Francis of Assisi and His “Canticle of Brother Sun” Reassessed

Author: B. Moloney

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-10-09

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1137361697

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Bringing the skills of a literary historian to the subject, Brian Moloney considers the genesis of Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of Brother Sun to show how it works as a carefully composed work of art. The study examines the saint's life and times, the structure of the poem, the features of its style, and the range of its possible meanings.


Francis: The Journey and the Dream

Francis: The Journey and the Dream

Author: Murray Bodo

Publisher: Franciscan Media

Published: 2022-08-16

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1632534088

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In 1972, a young Franciscan friar named Murray Bodo wrote a unique book about the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis: The Journey and the Dream offered readers a unique combination of lyrical prose and brief, absorbing vignettes that inspired hundreds of thousands of people all over the world to contemplate the life of the famous saint and see him in a new way. Fifty years and over 200,000 copies later, this book still captivates people everywhere, and Fr. Bodo is still writing about St. Francis and the Franciscan way of life. His poetic style continues to draw readers in, and he himself continues to gaze in wonder at the saint who worked nearly his entire life to rebuild the church. This special anniversary edition includes a new preface in which Fr. Bodo reflects on a half century spent immersed in the Franciscan way.


St. Francis of America

St. Francis of America

Author: Patricia Appelbaum

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2015-07-28

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1469623757

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How did a thirteenth-century Italian friar become one of the best-loved saints in America? Around the nation today, St. Francis of Assisi is embraced as the patron saint of animals, beneficently presiding over hundreds of Blessing of the Animals services on October 4, St. Francis's Catholic feast day. Not only Catholics, however, but Protestants and other Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and nonreligious Americans commonly name him as one of their favorite spiritual figures. Drawing on a dazzling array of art, music, drama, film, hymns, and prayers, Patricia Appelbaum explains what happened to make St. Francis so familiar and meaningful to so many Americans. Appelbaum traces popular depictions and interpretations of St. Francis from the time when non-Catholic Americans "discovered" him in the nineteenth century to the present. From poet to activist, 1960s hippie to twenty-first-century messenger to Islam, St. Francis has been envisioned in ways that might have surprised the saint himself. Exploring how each vision of St. Francis has been shaped by its own era, Appelbaum reveals how St. Francis has played a sometimes countercultural but always aspirational role in American culture. St. Francis's American story also displays the zest with which Americans borrow, lend, and share elements of their religious lives in everyday practice.


Soul Stirrings

Soul Stirrings

Author: Jeanne Marie Graham

Publisher: Archway Publishing

Published: 2022-09-07

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 1665721650

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"An engaging, instructive, and nourishing account of the spiritual life as a journey of the soul, an exploration of the intersection of our struggling efforts and God’s abundant grace." -John Welch, O.Carm., founding president of the Carmelite Institute of North America and author of The Carmelite Way: An Ancient Path for Today’s Pilgrim and An Interior Life: Rummaging through the Christian Tradition. Jeanne Marie Graham shows how our lives, directed by our souls, can be imaginative and dynamic catalysts for change in our families, culture, and world. Born from a life of contemplative prayer and theological study, Soul Stirrings: Awakening to the Soul within You draws from psychology, philosophy, science, and the wisdom of spiritual masters from varied religious backgrounds. This book offers old and new practical approaches that can loosen the restrictive grip of the ego and enable our soul’s deepest desires for happiness, creativity, and peace to flourish. Join the author as she shares her journey and the inspiring stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by discovering and listening to their own souls.


Franciscan Field Guide

Franciscan Field Guide

Author: Rosemary Stets

Publisher: Franciscan Media

Published: 2022-11-01

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 1632533979

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Get ready to discover Franciscan flora and fauna! This handy reference book provides a complete overview of the history, major figures and locations, and most influential texts of the Franciscan tradition. From Pica Bernardone to the “Prayer to the Trinity,” Sister Rosemary Stets has compiled an at-your-fingertips guide to the people, places, practices, and prayers that comprise the Franciscan tradition. Whether you’re a new member of the order, a layperson working for a Franciscan organization, or simply someone with a Franciscan heart, you will be inspired by the rich history and deep spirituality of the Franciscan way of life. Franciscan Field Guide includes sections on: The Franciscan family of religious orders and congregations Franciscan gospel values Places, symbols, and topics key to understanding the Franciscan tradition People whose lives shaped the Franciscan story Selected Franciscan writings and sources Franciscan prayers


Aging and Spirituality

Aging and Spirituality

Author: David O. Moberg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-10-12

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1136388524

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Explore the spiritual dimensions of aging through science, theory, and practice! During the later years of life, many people devote energy to a process of spiritual awakening and self-discovery. Yet their family, friends, clergy, and the helping professionals who work with them are not always prepared to understand or deal with the spiritual concerns of their clients. Aging and Spirituality provides a unique, far-reaching overview of this long-neglected field. Divided into four independent but interwoven sections, this landmark book covers the spiritual realm with scientific rigor and deep human understanding. Aging and Spirituality comprehensively surveys the issues of spirituality, from the groundwork of basic definitions to detailed assessments of the role spirituality plays in the lives of the elderly and suggested directions for further research. This book's unique approach combines scholarly research and practical nuts-and-bolts suggestions for service delivery. By drawing from many disciplines and professions, it offers fresh perspectives to even those practitioners already familiar with the most effective spiritual techniques their own field can offer. Aging and Spirituality answers such common questions as: What are the spiritual needs of people later in life? Is there any solid evidence that prayer changes things? How is spirituality related to physical and mental health? Does spirituality matter when people know they are dying? How can we measure spiritual wellness and assess the outcomes of activities intended to enhance it? Will attention to spirituality aggravate or alleviate the losses--of friends, family, health, youth--that so often occur during old age? Aging and Spirituality provides a much-needed resource for health care professionals, clergy, social workers, and counselors working with geriatric clients. By integrating spiritual issues into the theoretical framework of social gerontology, Aging and Spirituality will help you understand the scientific foundations, practical applications, and public policy implications of spirituality for older adults.


Care for Creation

Care for Creation

Author: Ilia Delio

Publisher: Franciscan Media

Published: 2020-03-04

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1616363584

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If we are blowing our Franciscan horn here, it should have been blown much earlier and much louder! This is the wisdom that our world so desires and needs today. We can no longer see ourselves as separate from the 'great chain of being,' and we can no longer see this as a non-religious issue. Francis intuited all of this 800 years ago. —Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico Three of the greatest minds in Franciscan theology, Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Franciscan Keith Douglass Warner, O.F.M., and Pamela Wood, come together to discuss one of the greatest crises of our time—the destruction of the Earth. This book takes both a theological and practical approach to developing a Franciscan spirituality of the earth. Four sections highlight the distinct relationships creation has with the world: incarnation, community, contemplation and conversion. In this meticulously researched book, the authors propose ways in which we can all understand our own roles in relationship to the Earth and ways in which we can make it better. Each section offers reflective action opportunities designed to bring the book's ecological and theological insights into the reader's daily life and nurture a Franciscan spirituality of the earth. Prayers, meditations, spiritual practices and group activities are offered which provide a practical hands-on approach to reconnecting with the earth and acting in right relationship. "Earth, with all its creatures, is in crisis. And responding to this crisis will require every possible resource of our human community. One of the most precious of these resources is the Franciscan tradition. It is a joy to welcome this book as a wise, thoughtful, inspiring and practical contribution to ecological theology, grounded in ancient Christian tradition that sees Earth as our sister and mother. Care for Creation is part of a wider retrieval of Franciscan theology for our new time, but is unique in this blend of three interrelated disciplines, scientifically informed ecology, theology and the practice of reflective action." —From the Foreword by Denis Edwards