There is some good news and bad news in the Archdiocese of Washington DC.
Some good news from the Washington comPost:
They tried to live by the ascetic rules Jesus laid out for his 12 disciples: "Take nothing for the journey -- no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic."
After trekking along more than 300 miles of dusty Virginia country roads and suburban highways, six Franciscan friars reached Washington on Tuesday, having seen it all during an offbeat modern-day quest for God.
For six weeks, the brothers walked from Roanoke with only their brown robes, sandals and a belief in the kindness of strangers to feed and shelter them.
The sight of six men in flowing habits, trudging single file on the side of the road, prompted many to pull over and talk, even confess. People on their way to work described their loneliness. College students wanted help figuring out what to do with their lives. Children, mistaking them for the Shaolin monks in movies, ran up to ask the friars if they knew how to beat up bullies.
To read more about these Franciscan's, click here.
Unfortunately, some bad news.
The Knights of Columbus in the DC area have suffered with the destruction by fire of the Bishop Patrick J. Byrne Council No. 3877 hall, said Prince George’s County fire. Fire officials estimated the damage to be about $1 million. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.
Here is the video of the fire taken by the Prince George's Fire Department:
3 comments:
This is a good news article, only. Not half and half. No one died in the council hall fire. You can always rebuild halls. More importantly, the original purpose for the KOC is not compromised.
Now for the Franciscans. This is obviously the work of Peter of Alcantara and Teresa of Avila from their council hall in Heaven. This is Carmelitism and Franciscanism perfectly mixed. I can assure the readers that demons in Virginia were literally bouncing off of these Franciscans like fog bounces off of car headlights.
At the Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts, I met three New York City Franciscans whose vocation was that of reaching out to the homeless. They had to go to the homeless and not wait for the homeless to come to them. These were gray robed Franciscans who didn't even have a homeless shelter. They would take the homeless to existent shelters and welfare offices.
The thing about those guys was that they were friendly to the point of comedy. But, it wasn't a buffoonish humor. Their insights were such that abject poverty didn't overwhelm them. They realized something about this life that others don't. Eventually, they made their way to EWTN and were introduced to Catholic America.
Mr. Wash DC Catholic should do a couple of articles coaxing the Dominicans to do the same thing that the Franciscans did in Virginia --- just like Dominican Louis of Monfort, centuries prior. You know, it was the Franciscans and Dominicans who once rescued the church from tinseltown vanity and self destruction. They can do it again. Looks like the Franciscans already started. Finally!
Yes...the good news was that no one was injured and that the Knights will be able to continue their mission. However, the money that will be needed to rebuild the hall cannot be spent on supporting pro-life activities, support for our clergy and religious, etc.
Time out here. Do you mean to tell me that the hall wasn't insured for either actual cost or replacement value? Knights not having a concept of insurance? The Knight are insurers with approximately $70 billion worth of policies in force. Anyway ...
Perhaps someone should let Catholic America know that there also are the Columbian Squires for lads from 10 to 18, as well as the Squire Roses (at least in Virginia), for young ladies 10 to 18.
The Squire Roses were founded in Virginia in the later 1990s, and at this point in time, there is an attempt to have the organization spread to a few other states. Maybe the Squire Roses need a bit of publicity for their advancement. This organization would be a very good cause commensurate with its ability to keep young ladies out of trouble and away from death-culture zeitgeists.
The Columbian Squires are well established, having 5,000 'circles' throughout North American, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines.
The two youth groups' motto is:
"Squires and Squire Roses - two sides of the same coin."
Post a Comment