by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Sep 8, 2021 | Friar Reflection
Recently the administration of our Franciscan Province has initiated a “virtual wake service” for our deceased friars, where we friars can offer a reflection on the deceased friar’s life. This is what I wrote for Br. Vianney Justin… I always found Vianney to be one of...
by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Sep 7, 2021 | Weekly-Email
This, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, brings back memories of “Where was I on 9/11. ”Indeed it was one of the worst days in our history as a nation. So many lives lost. We lost one of our very own parishioners that day at the Pentagon, David Laychak. On 9/11 2011, I was...
by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Sep 1, 2021 | Friar Reflection
Pope Francis has done a TV commercial. The Pope recorded the public service announcement for the “It’s Up to You” campaign launched by the U.S.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit Ad Council to increase people’s confidence in COVID-19 vaccines by reminding them that the...
by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Aug 31, 2021 | Friar Reflection
The story from the Gospel tells us that the people of that time believed in Evil Spirits. They also believed that in some way illness, physical or mental was caused by an evil spirit. In either case what we see in today’s Gospel is that Jesus cured the person. Are...
by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Aug 25, 2021 | Friar Reflection
The American historian Howard Zinn offers this insight on what we can learn from the study of history: “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion,...
