Welcome
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Fall, 2017
Dear Friends,
It has happened again! Students have returned to school. For some parents it comes as a relief since they do not have to be as creative in keeping younger ones occupied as they did during summer break. For others it is bittersweet seeing off their freshman sons and daughters to colleges and universities.
A reality that we encounter with some of the poor and marginalized families that we work with include parents, many of them single parents, who have little money to provide what is necessary for their kids to attend school with the items they need. So many have come to our door asking for school supplies or clothing to replace the clothes their children have outgrown.
The Brothers have been blessed to assist the refugee families from Burma in various ways. While the enculturation of these beautiful families continues, a fear that many younger parents have in sending their children to school is that they may become so influenced by secular culture, they may lose their strong Catholic identity that is so important among this lovely community. Gratefully, there are a few Catholic schools who are doing what they can to assist a few of these families, but funding is still needed for many others.
We are praying for the necessary means to help as many of these families as possible, but we cannot do it without your support. For those of you who have contributed in recent months, thank you. We ask that you consider helping us again. A gift from you now would help us to support these families and sustain us in all our ministries to those in need and in our Franciscan way of life. For those who have not given in a while, we thank you ahead of time for your generosity. As the line in the popular hymn attributed to St. Francis of Assisi goes, "It is in giving that we receive."
May the Lord bless you and all of your loved ones.
Peace and All Good,
Br. Conrad Richardson, fbp Community Servant
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Friday Night at the Friary
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Minnesota faces real challenges; assisted suicide, failing schools, and family poverty to name a few. But Catholics are called to respond. Protect life and human dignity, join Minnesota's Bishops and 1,000 plus Catholics from across the state for a day of inspiration and advocacy at our State Capitol. This is our moment. Let's go! For more information follow this link: https://catholicsatthecapitol.org
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Be sure to read the latest issue of Newsweek magazine. Reporter, Aimee Swartz, has written an outstanding article, shedding a positive light on the Right to Life movement and especially for the medically vulnerable.
At a time when mainstream media so largely focuses on the right to choose abortion and euthanasia, Swartz presents a compelling and thoroughly Pro-Life affirming story about the uncommonly ethical treatment and care received by Maggie Worthen, a college-aged woman who suffered brain trauma, but was successfully rehabilitated to a semi-conscious state by a dedicated team of medical professionals.
Sadly, Worthen’s case is rare. Most brain injured patients who fail to fully recover consciousness after being taken off life support, are often deemed untreatable and therefore do not receive further medical care. While there is evidence that many unconscious patients can and do regain consciousness, if the level of consciousness isn’t deemed significant by medical professionals, insurers, or even the courts of law, that patient is most often denied further medical support. Inevitably, this results in the death of the medically vulnerable patient.
Unfortunately, the same year Worthen was successfully rehabilitated, Teri Schiavo, also brain injured and successfully rehabilitated to a level of semi-consciousness, had a tragic outcome. Despite her responsiveness and positive recovery, her husband won the right in court to stop all medical care and to remove her feeding tube. Schiavo eventually starved to death, though she was healthy and communicating with friends and family.
“Newsweek has done a service to the nation in highlighting the incredible opportunity for patients too regularly deemed to be without hope,” says Bobby Schindler of the Terri Life and Hope Network, a foundation started by Schindler’s family to uphold human dignity through service to the medically vulnerable.
“These concrete signs of improvement are exactly the sort of improvement so many contend is impossible for patients marginalized as "vegetables," and why I'm so pleased that Newsweek is highlighting their struggle,” Schindler added.
To access the Newsweek article and read more about what Bobby Schindler has to say about this important issue, please click here: http://christiannewswire.com/news/6643777825.html
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A bill to legalize assisted suicide in Minnesota, S.F. 1880, has been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature. Join the brothers at the hearing for S.F. 1880 at noon on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, by the Senate Health, Human Services and Housing committee. The hearing will be held in Room 1200 of the new Minnesota Senate Building. The address is 95 University Avenue West, directly across from the Capitol. Click on the following link for more information from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=1667e99563b8367c5af19c4a6&id=9f5f7ba970&e=5fe51b3e8
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