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Sponsorship conference highlights Franciscan heritage and ministries

Brother Bill Short, OFM

Some things you just know, and others you have to figure out. Brother Bill Short, Franciscan Friars, Santa Barbara Province, (OFM) visited La Crosse recently to help a group of about 190 professionals from FSPA-sponsored institutions figure out what it means to be Franciscan. Brother Bill gave a short definition, “It’s not Franciscan if you can’t have lunch with it.” By his definition there were a lot of Franciscans at the 17th annual FSPA Sponsorship Conference on Oct. 20, because just about everyone stayed for lunch.

This year the conference, From Assisi to La Crosse, was framed through a new lens. Sister Jean Moore, director of mission integration, along with the newly-reconfigured mission integration advisory team carried forward many elements of previous conferences, but gave the event a new feel by applying their own style.

Global Awareness Through Experience, GATE, was awarded the Christian Mission Award. Sister Jean surprised everyone, even the GATE staff, when she announced that the mission integration office would be awarding at least two scholarships to GATE programs each year. In addition, GATE was awarded $1,000 to support grass roots initiatives they encounter as part of their programs.

The 2006 Assisi pilgrims presented a highly professional slide show for their response. Several pilgrims narrated the presentation while beautiful images from Assisi were shown. In the presentation the pilgrims reflected on lessons they took from Assisi, Rome and Saints Francis and Clare. The show was all the more remarkable because the pilgrims had only been back in this country for three days.

The keynote by Brother Bill was divided into two sections. In the first half he defined the criteria that make an organization Franciscan. As he spoke Brother Bill continuously referred to the words of Francis. Each discussion was also illustrated by stories from Francis’ life. The use of primary sources to exemplify key Franciscan traits enriched comprehension.

Brother Bill opened the second half of his presentation with a mathematic proportion 3:12::x:y. Many were surely wondering what this proportion had to do with the topic, Making the Translation from 13th Century Values to 21st Century Society. In a measured and deliberate way he explained that the double colon meant, “is related to.” His next example of proportion was chat:chien::cat:dog.

While working through proportion examples he explained that Francis and Clare lived in relationship to their times. He said, “Their’s was a world lit only by fire . . . they responded in that context.” He went on to say that we should not be using the same symbols of Francis and Clare, but rather should be determining what the symbols are for our time.

He cautioned against relying on Franciscan fundamentalism, which is pretending that the past can be imparted uncritically into the present. He added that anachronism, pushing the present into the past, was equally inappropriate. By example he said, “Francis wouldn’t have anything to say about your Web page.”

Brother Bill was adamant that only those who are alive can express Franciscan thought today. Francis and Clare can illuminate us by their example, but they can’t answer the question. He explained that determining a Franciscan response today takes time and thought and requires conversation with people.

Sister Jean Moore, far right, presents the Christian Mission Award to GATE members, from left, Sisters Maria Friedman, Linda Mershon and Cecilia Corcoran; Lindsay McClead, Annie Cushman and Sister Marie Des Jarlais.

Then Brother Bill made time for the participants to work in small groups and translate Franciscan thought into the 21st century. He gave a series of examples from the lives of Francis and Clare and asked the groups to give responses appropriate to our times. The groups considered Francis’ relationship to lepers and some suggested that in our day we ought to be in relationship with those who have AIDS. Next they turned their discussions to determining the equivalent to Clare’s act of washing the feet of her sisters. Eventually, the groups discussed present-day meanings of five different Franciscan scenarios.

In summation Brother Bill outlined tasks for Franciscans today. They included: learn Franciscan heritage, learn our own social reality, find meaning in the heritage and express it in our reality and use languages, images and actions that can be understood today (this includes finding languages that carry meaning for all generations and races.) The goal is to give an account of the hope that is within us today.

Just before the conference ended Ron Paczkowski, representing Franciscan Skemp Healthcare (FSH), announced that FSH wanted to present a gift to FSPA, “borne out of our joy.” He said that FSH has for some time wished to present a gift that gave public recognition to the FSPA for all that they have done. This year FSH decided to fund one of the international gardens being created in Riverside Park. He explained that a public announcement would be made in 2007 when a plaque honoring the FSPA will be placed in the Chinese garden.

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