Franciscan Family Connections Ceremony
Members were certified during a ceremony held at the beginning of the Regional Council meeting
on Saturday November 5.
Newly assigned Regional Co-Spiritual Assistants, Susan Simeone, OFS and Bill Neu, OFS conducted the ceremony.
Please welcome and pray for our new certified members in the Franciscan Family Connections program:
To assure Altius moderamen, the First Order/TOR's responsibility to guarantee the Secular Franciscan Order's fidelity to the Franciscan charism, communion with the Church and a life-giving union withing the Franciscan family, The Franciscan Family Connections course has been developed to train Secular Franciscans to become Spiritual Assistants. The Minister Provincial or the Provincial Spiritual Assistant directs the program. Certification for a successfully completed course is issued either by the Minister Provincial or the Provincial Spiritual Assistant.
The term altius moderamen is used by Canon Law in canon 303. It states that: …Associations whose members live in the world but share in the spirit of some religious institute, under the “higher direction” (‘altius moderamen’) of the same institute, and who lead an apostolic life and strive for Christian perfection, are known as third orders, or are called by some other suitable title (e.g. Secular Franciscan Order). Canon 303 The OFS Constitutions And Altius Moderamen: The spiritual and pastoral care of the OFS, entrusted by the Church to the Franciscan First Order and the TOR, is the duty, above all, of their general and provincial ministers. The altius moderamen, of which Canon 303 speaks, belongs to them. The purpose of the altius moderamen is to guarantee the fidelity of the OFS to the Franciscan charism, communion with the Church, and union with the Franciscan family, values which represent a vital commitment for the Secular Franciscans. OFS Constitutions – Article 85.2 The altius moderamen assigned by the Church to public associations (e.g., the OFS), is entrusted to the Franciscan major superiors who share the same Franciscan charism. The OFS is in life-giving union with the whole Franciscan family. cf. OFS Rule #1 cf. OFS Constitutions(2000) - Article 85.2
Julianne Hartzell, OFS
Linda Madrid, OFS
Tom McNamara, OFS and
Linda Ressler, OFS
May God bless them for their service to the Order.