Dear Friends in Christ,

Peace to you from the Rectory! Early in the year, Pope Leo XIV made an announcement that impacts everyone who loves St. Francis of Assisi, including us here at St. Philip. On January 10, 2026, he declared the beginning of a Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, marking the 800th anniversary of his death. It is Pope Leo’s hope that during this year “every faithful Christian, following the example of the Saint of Assisi, shall become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.” Given the importance of St. Francis in the life of the Church – and our parish’s connection with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (FSE) – it is fitting that we celebrate this Jubilee Year in various ways and with much joy.

The first way will be our Eat, Drink and Be Catholic event on Sunday, March 22, featuring Fr. Briggs. While his main theme will be the pilgrimage he is currently leading in Poland, Fr. Briggs will also say a few words about his recent retreat in Assisi, Italy where he was able to pray in the city of that great saint and to venerate his bones. Such opportunities for public veneration do not happen very often, so it will be interesting to hear Fr. Briggs’ description of this once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

After Fr. Briggs’ talk on March 22, the first in our lineup, there will be other activities to celebrate the Jubilee, including a movie on St. Francis’ life; a presentation by Sr. Agnese, FSE on the spiritual friendship between St. Clare and St. Francis; a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist living here at St. Philip; and, a tree planting by the parish youth and their families led by Sr. Marie Benedict. These are a few of the events we have planned for the Jubilee Year; a complete list is on the flyer insert in today’s bulletin.

In addition to hosting events throughout the Jubilee year, we will also have a spiritual framework that will guide us interiorly. This framework is something uniquely developed by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist – the Ten Steps of Conversion in Franciscan Life. It is the FSE’s way of looking at the life of St. Francis. These steps are a reminder that conversion is rarely a “one and done” event, but more often a process that matures by steps as our lives unfold. We will feature one of these steps each month starting this month, in the following order: 1. Dispossession (March); 2. Kissing of the Leper (April); 3. Voice of the Crucified: “Repair My Church” (May); 4. Image of the Crucified in Every Person (June); 5. Identification of Nature as Brother and Sister (July); 6. Response of the Brothers – Formation of Community (August); 7. Profound Love of the Eucharist (September); 8. Observance of the Rule and Obedience to the Holy Father (October); 9. Dedication of the Portiuncula (November); 10. The Stigmata – Marked with the Wound of Jesus Christ (December).

By prayerfully following Francis’ steps of conversion, we have the chance to deepen our own path of conversion. The step for this month is Dispossession, when Francis literally stripped himself of his elegant and rich clothes to take on the life of a poor man, whose only treasure was Christ. We can honor Francis’ dispossession by thinking hard on all that holds us back from belonging to Christ, and by asking Francis’ intercession to cast these hindrances aside. In April, we will consider the next step of conversion in Franciscan Life, the Kissing of the Leper. As we ponder what that may mean, let me close with words the Lord specifically gave to St. Francis and his brothers as their greeting to others: “May the Lord give you peace!” St. Philip the Apostle – pray for us!

Yours in Christ, Fr. Donahue