Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Archivist, Sister Caritas Strodthoff, had this to say about the St. Francis Missal available for viewing these days at a Baltimore Museum.
As a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity and a follower of St. Francis, when I read the sentence indicating the actual Gospel passage would be displayed instead of the beautiful illumination pages, I was thrilled at the understanding the person had for Franciscans all over the world. To “follow in the footsteps of St. Francis” always means doing what Francis did: he read Jesus’s Gospel words and then he went out and put them into practice with his life….and sometimes he used words.”
I wish I could come to Baltimore just to view this text which is so basic to our lifestyle…evidence of reality. Could the missal not be brought to other cities for many more of us to view…like to Milwaukee for a Franciscan Federation meeting? What a beautiful gift to the Franciscans…just to be able to view this historical work that changed his life and consequently continues to bring life, love, peace, commitment to people throughout the world! Amen.”
Read the entire article on the Baltimore Museum viewing here.
Assumption of the BVM Province Franciscan Friar Roch Niemier wrote a book, Franciscan Life, Day One: 800 Years 1209-2009: Reflections on the Missal of San Nicolo. It builds on the unique Scripture texts that the whole Franciscan Order relies on for our way of life.
Article Comments:
Sister Anne Marie Lom 02/08/2020 @ 7:11 pm
How wonderful to have our archivist, Sister Caritas Strodhoff, comment on this topic. I, too, marvel at the influence of St. Francis to this very day. He certainly “acted on the Word”. Thank you for this article.
Sister Sharon Paul, O.S.F. 02/09/2020 @ 8:05 pm
Congratulations to the conservators: Abigail Quandt & Cathie Magee, & any others, in preserving & restoring the medieval missal used by St. Francis of Assisi. What research, precision & artistry executed in the completion of this project! THANK YOU! Imagine from the 1200’s to 2020 the Franciscan spirit is still alive and well. DEO GRATIAS!