CapuchinVocations

Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

“Do not go seeking another you. Do not make yourself otherwise than He made you.”

In a world that constantly tells us to reinvent ourselves, Saint Anthony reminds us that holiness begins by becoming who God created us to be.

St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us. 🙏

Day 8 of our Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Intentions: for the worldwide Franciscan family, and the intentions of all praying this novena.

We begin,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen, Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin. You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven, consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good. Hail, His Palace. Hail, His Tabernacle. Hail, His Robe. Hail, His Handmaid. Hail, His Mother. Amen." Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Francis of Assisi.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Today’s Capuchin Constitutions remind us that our vocation is not simply to serve the poor from a distance, but to live as brothers among them.

“We gladly live our life as brothers among the poor, sharing their distress and lowly state with great love.”

Following the example of St. Francis, the friar is called to be present—to listen, accompany, encourage, and share life with those who experience hardship, loneliness, or exclusion. In doing so, our lives become a witness to the Gospel and a sign of God’s desire for justice, unity, and peace.

By doing this we manifest the spirit of our life as lesser brothers and become a leaven of justice, unity, and peace.

— Capuchin Constitutions, Article II, 14