Little Portion Farm – November 2019 Newsletter
In this week of Thanksgiving, we want to express our deep gratitude to all those who have supported Little Portion Farm in our first year. Whether it be through your donations, your prayers, or your volunteer work, we greatly appreciate you joining our mission to care for our land and serve those in need. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
November, 14, 2019 Article by Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv.
It was one of those cold winter mornings when the wind catches the snow in swirls of white that dance across the parking lot.
October 31, 2019: Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and Province JPIC Chairman, Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. was present during a group reflection held at the Pontifical Faculty Theological St. Bonaventure Seraphicum (Rome), on the 800th anniversary of the meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and the Sultan al-Kamil, and the document on human brotherhood for world peace and common coexistence, signed on February 4, 2019, by Pope Francis and the Great Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. Speakers included author and scholar – Sr. Kathleen Warren, OSF, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture – His Eminence Cardinal Giafranco Ravasi, President of CO.RE.IS – Imam Yahay Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, and Missionary in Syria & Little Sister of Jesus Paola Francesca. Moderate the meeting was the Apostolic Vicar of Beirut – Most Reverend César Essayan, OFM Conv.
The signing of the document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, as well as continued dialogue have opened even more the road to a conviction, as we cannot live together without mutual dialogue, acceptance and respect. “This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.”
Our Lady of the Angels Province Novice, friar Christopher M. Fernández, OFM Conv. (lighter habit) is pictured here with the rest of his Novitiate Class and his Novice Director & friar of St. Bonaventure Province, Br. Joseph Wood, OFM Conv. (at right). St. Bonaventure Province also has a Novice in this class, friar Michael Hintze, OFM Conv., and Our Lady of Consolation Province has three friar Novices – friar Alex Gould, OFM Conv., friar Roberto Macias-Marin, OFM Conv. and friar Joshua Sherls, OFM Conv.
In our desire to offer the novices some local culture, St. Bonaventure Province friar – Br. Joseph Wood, OFM Conv. (Novitiate Director) and Our Lady of the Angles Province friar – Fr. Maurice Richard, OFM Conv. (Novitiate Assistant Director) annually lead a visit to the nearby homestead of the Dana family. The “Dana Adobe,” located in the nearby town of Nipomo, CA was the original 1837 Mexican land grant offered to William Dana, a sea captain from Boston, and a Roman Catholic convert with 21 children. Our novitiate property in Arroyo Grande, CA is located within the 39,000 acre boundary of the former ranch. As the town of Nipomo continues to restore the house and grounds of this Cultural Center, we too have added our assistance in the creation of a pioneer kitchen garden, now known as “The Franciscan Garden.” Inspired by the recent encyclical, “Laudato Si,” and the progress being made at the Little Portion Farm (Ellicott City, MD) our novices are also working beside professionals and volunteers in an appreciation of “caring for creation” through organic horticulture.
In collaboration with the Franciscan Center of Baltimore (the recipient of all the food harvested at our Little Portion Farm ministry – Ellicott City, MD) and our Shrine of St. Anthony, our Little Portion Farm ministry is hosting the first annual Wine at the Shrine!
This family-friendly festival will take place, next door to the farm, on the grounds of the shrine! All proceeds will support the mission of Little Portion Farm and in turn the beneficiary of its harvests – the Franciscan Center of Baltimore.
2019 Wine at the Shrine Festival Date: Sunday, October 13, 2019
1:30pm – 6:00pm
September 16, 2019 article by our province JPIC Chairman – Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv., published by Rome’s Pontificia Facoltà Teologica San Bonaventura Seraphicum.
Little Portion Farm’ Restores Land While Providing Produce For Those In Need: “Those who lovingly work their small expanse fields reap enough not only for ourselves but for others,” Friar Mike said.
On this fourth anniversary, let us reflect on his closing paragraph:
“In expressing my hope that, as a result of wide cooperation, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be inaugurated and develop in the best way possible, I invoke upon this initiative the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, and of Saint Francis of Assisi, whose Canticle of the Creatures inspires so many men and women of goodwill to live in praise of the Creator and with respect for creation. As a pledge of spiritual fruitfulness, I impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, Eminent Brothers, and to all those who share in your ministry.”
Let us heed these words as we continue to develop cooperative care for all creation.
For some more information on our province efforts, visit JPIC!
Parishioners of our Jonesboro – GA pastoral ministry of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, purchased backpacks and filling them with school supplies such as binders, notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil cases, erasers, crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. Their efforts helped to equip a large number of the community’s school children, promoting a positive start to the school year. Included in the backpacks and school supply bags were cards and notes of support, so the students will know that parishioners are praying for a successful school year. The parishioners, staff, volunteers and our friars serving there (Fr. John Koziol, OFM Conv. – Pastor, Fr. Vincent Gluc, OFM Conv. – Parochial Vicar, Fr. Luis Palacios Rodríguez, OFM Conv. – Parochial Vicar, and Fr. Martin Breski, OFM Conv. – Photo Cred), hope this act of giving, you reflect an example of “living” our Catholic Social Teachings and our call to serve others; reaching out to our surrounding communities. Members of the Parish Social Justice Committee and supporting ministries distributed the backpacks and school supplies to children on Thursday, July 25, 2019. They also collected slightly used preschool–high school aged books, for the students to peruse. Each child selected a book to take home. Friar John offered a welcoming and prayer at the start of the distribution event, including a blessing on the students, teachers, staff and volunteers at the area schools, as well as a blessing on the generous donors.
Members of the Parish Youth Group helped facilitate lunch for all of the participants.
1. If “development is the new name for peace,”1 Latin American under-development with its own characteristics in the different countries is an unjust situation which promotes tensions that conspire against peace. We can divide these tensions into three major groups, selected, in each of these, those variables which constitute a positive menace to the peace of our countries by manifesting an unjust situation. When speaking of injustice, we refer to those realities that constitute a sinful situation; this does not mean however, that we are overlooking the fact that at times the misery in our countries can have natural causes which are difficult to overcome. In making this analysis, we do not ignore or fail to give credit to the positive efforts made at every level to build a more just society. We do not include this here because our purpose is to call attention to those aspects which constitute a menace or negation of peace.
PEACE
Parishioners of our Jonesboro – GA pastoral ministry of 
Members of the