Meeting More Wonderful People on the Road

Some other "Wandering Friars"

  My travels are off to an early start this year as I am now completing my third parish mission since finishing my summer ministry in Eagle River.  The pace will slow up a bit for a few weeks as I return to my friary in St. Petersburg and work on the editing of my soon to be released book, The Wandering Friar.

   Speaking of the book and its title my publisher, Tate Publishing, asked me to search the internet to see if there were any other similar titles of books.  While there were no similar books the search provided many hints of the fact that we friars are indeed wanderers or itinerants.  There were any number of inns and hotels named for fictional friars including the well-known friar Tuck.  Most interesting though was a fish and chips place in Suffoeirlk, UK called The Flying and Traveling Friar.  I thought you might enjoy their website and stop in there if you ever travel to England.  Just click on the link: Flying and Travelling Friar

   On the more serious side the three missions that I have done, though taking place in small parishes, have proven to be quite fruitful not only for the parishioners but for myself.  I have met so many wonderful people whose living of the faith is an inspiration to me, including a family here in Brookfiled, MO who have started a successful small business and who also have taken in foster teenagers, troubled teens that others do not want or cannot handle, and provide them with both love and the firm direction that they need.  If I write another book like the one that is awaiting publication their story will certainly be in there.   In these times when issues like pro-life and pro-choice are being bandied about by politicians it strikes me that folks like them are putting their money where their mouth is and truly living the pro-life message.

  The last two weeks spent in central Missouri have also exposed me to life in a different part of our country.  This is an area where farming is big.  It is so interesting as well as both inspiring and heartbreaking to hear the stories of people who till the land for a living.  The drought of the past summer combined with our difficult economy present some real challenges for them.  When we urban and suburban folks go to the supermarket and have to pay more for food we need to realize our connection to these good folks who work hard to grow the crops that provide our food.  This is just another example of the interconnectedness of us all in the Church and in the world.

  Now it's on to St. Anthony Friary and at least the end of the Oct 4 Feast of St. Francis with my brother friars.