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Franciscans celebrate 800 years
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The Franciscan Monastery was completed in 1899 and is a combination of Middle-Eastern and Romanesque archtecture. (Photo: Daniel Sone)
Don and Diane Spellman traveled 30 miles from Woodbridge, VA to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Franciscan order and to have their pets blessed – all eight of them. People from around D.C. and the neighboring counties flocked to the 110-year old monastery for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi for themselves and their pets.
The Lopez family from Cali, Columbia kneeling during Mass. (Photo: Daniel Sone)
The previous evening, on the vigil of the 13th century Italian saint’s death, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl celebrated Mass with the Franciscans at their monastery and had a procession through the main sanctuary. “It was beautiful,” Brother John, M.S.C. said.
Franciscan Fr. Jacob-Matthew sprinkles Tom Lydon's
dog, "Durney" (Photo: Daniel Sone)
Today, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, Mass was celebrated by Father Bruce Ansems, a diocesan priest from from Kansas City, KS who lives with the Franciscans during his Canon Law studies at Catholic University of America. His homily used the foundation of a vision St. Francis had he heard a voice asking him to rebuild his church. “Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin,” Father Ansems quoted. The saint took the request literally and began to rebuild the dilapidated church where he heard the voice. However, it was the Catholic Church as whole the voice was referencing. Father Ansems urged the congregation to rebuild their church in their homes.
“It is our families that are the first Church we encounter. Let’s start there,” he said.
He gave an example to the families gathered: that rather than praying for a particular person, a family member, to change to our liking, one should ask God for the relationship with that person to be improved and molded to His liking. “Isn’t it frustrating when we’re praying for someone to change, but it’s not happening quite fast enough and it’s not quite to our liking? Don’t just pray for the person, but pray for the relationship with that person too,” Father Ansems said.
After Communion, the most famous song of perhaps the most famous saint of the Catholic Church, “Prayer of St. Francis”, was sung.
"Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy.
O divine master grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive-
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen."
After the Mass and in the main courtyard of the monastery, Franciscan Father Jacob-Matthew, blessed the pets of those who brought them and handed out medallions for the pets to wear on their collars which bore the image of St. Francis of Assisi. The animals were quite excited and rowdy as they were in such close proximity to one another, dogs and cats. However, once they were sprinkled with the holy water and the intercession of St. Francis was invoked, they seemed to calm. “Wow, it looks like the holy water is calming them,” one on-looker said.
Diane and Don Spellmann hold eight medals of St. Francis of Assisi, three for the dogs (top) and five for the cats (bottom). (Photo: Daniel Sone)
Statues and images of St. Francis of Assisi usually depict the saint with flora and fauna surrounding him in a peaceful manner. These images stemmed from legends about how animals used to gather around him wherever he journeyed, making him the patron saint of animals and ecology. The brown-colored tunics and knotted rope around the waist as well as their simple way of life, worship, and service has made the Franciscan Order and the saint, one of the most well-known in the world. When the order was instituted in 1209 they only had one rule, Luke 18:22.
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