A few years of fraternity history of Divine Mercy Fraternity

Our Fraternity: from 1992 to 2004+

In late 1991, Fred Schaeffer attended a St. Helen Charismatic Prayer Group meeting on a Thursday evening. Jean Kurtz came in and asked to speak. She asked if there were any Franciscans present. Fred raised his hand. After the meeting finished, Jean asked Fred if he could help her start a Franciscan fraternity in Vero Beach. Jean wanted to become a Franciscan. The nearest fraternity, at the time, was in Melbourne, but Jean didn't want to travel that far because of health problems. Jean's friend, Corrine McCarthy, SFO, then joined us and the three of us agreed to carry this forward in the Name of Jesus. The first "exploratory" meeting was held in April 1992. As Fred recalls that early meeting between Jean and himself, he is sure that our fraternity was started by and through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thanks you, Lord!

Early History

1992

• APRIL

In April of 1992, a group of people, headed by Corrine McCarthy, SFO, Jean Kurtz (deceased), and, Fred Schaeffer met at the residence of Jean Kurtz, as ‘Friends of St. Francis’, with the intention of finding a way to begin the formation of a group which would eventually become a fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. We had invited Fr. Mike Heine, OFM Conv. (then of John Carroll High School, in Fort Pierce) to come, and we enjoyed his company. We had asked him how to proceed but he was not sure. Corrine McCarthy talked to people at San Pedro (Orlando area), and, visited Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, in Melbourne, Florida. Fred Schaeffer offered to contact the Capuchin Spiritual Assistant of St. Mary Province in New England, and other friars he knew from his Capuchin experience.

• May

Fr. Mike Heine invited us to a Day of Recollection at John Carroll High School, in Ft. Pierce. There were about eight of us.

• November-December

Fred requested and we received permission, from Msgr. Irvine Nugent, Pastor, to meet at St. Helen Parish, in Vero Beach, and met there in November, December of 1992.

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1993

• January-December

We met on January 10th, at St. Helen’s Parish, and on January 13th, Fred Schaeffer mailed a letter to Mr. Ben O’Neal, SFO, then Minister of Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity. In this letter, Fred explained how he had gotten into contact with Fr. Zachary Grant, OFM Cap., and subsequently had been referred to the late Elizabeth Ryder, SFO (then Secretary to NAFRA), who had explained the Regionalization process and she spoke of an emergent Region in Florida. She advised us to contact Larry Herbert. Larry explained various things about Five Franciscan Martyrs Region, what we should do, and to contact Ben O’Neal.

On January 16th, Fred mailed requests to the following churches, asking for the insertion of a parish bulletin notice, suggesting that our February meeting be an organizational meeting of professed Secular Franciscans and others interested in starting a fraternity. The churches where this bulletin notice was requested were: Holy Cross (Vero Beach), St. Sebastian (Sebastian), St. John of the Cross (Vero Beach), St. Helen (Vero Beach), St. Anastasia (Ft. Pierce), and, Our Lady of Guadalupe mission at Fellsmere, Florida.

We met on February 14, 1993 and we discussed the proposed election (as suggested by Ben O’Neal, SFO) slated for April of 1993. More than a dozen people were present.

We met on March 14, 1993, to further prepare for the April meeting. A newsletter was started by Fred Schaeffer. In months previous to March 1993, he had been using postcards as meeting notices and a personal letter-format where applicable. The newsletter was just called "Newsletter."

Ben O’Neal, SFO, representing Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, as sponsor, supervised the election of the following officers: Fred Schaeffer, Minister; Helen Caldarone, Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz, Secretary; and, Cecile Morelli, Treasurer. The meeting was held on April 18, 1993, the day of beatification of Sr. Faustina. Although the name of the fraternity was drawn by lots (secret ballot), it surely is more than coincidence that this fratemity’s name is Divine Mercy A good number of people were present (Secretary has attendance records).

We registered this group with Pam Nagle, SFO, Regional Treasure, opening a checking account at Great Western Bank. We met on the 3rd Sunday of the month by exception, having arranged to meet always on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Formation of inquirers has begun. Fred is taking formation with Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, in Melbourne (since February 1993).

We had a terrific meeting on June 13, 1993. Many are on vacation but there were still nine (9) present. The group has all the characteristics of a happy family.

In August, seven people asked to become candidates. These people have completed the study of chapters 1-6 in "Catch me a Rainbow". The "Rite of Admission" is being planned for the November 1993 meeting.

The November meeting, on the 14th, in the Upper Room took place (due to the amount of visitors) at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center, where the Rite of Admission was celebrated. Ben O’Neal, SFO, Minister of Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, provided the participants with a booklet outlining the Rite and the parts for the candidates and other participants. Besides Ben, Isabel Harvey, SFO, Kathleen Kibbe, SFO, Fr. Mike Heine, OFM Conv., and Fred Schaeffer participated. The candidates were: Eugene and Helen Caldarone, Joe John, Jean Kurtz, Marge and Steve Litcher, Elaine and John Matthews, and Frances ‘Pat’ Riordan. We welcomed Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, who joined us. He has been installed as Parochial Vicar at St. John of the Cross Parish. There were 20 people attending the meeting and seven couldn’t make it.

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1994

• January-December

Fred was in bed with the flu in January. Helen Caldarone opened the meeting, which began at St. Helen’s, and was continued in Helen and Gene’s dining room at their Pelican Lane house, over dinner.

On February 13th, we met at St. John of the Cross Church, on 82nd Avenue, where we met Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, Spiritual Assistant of Five Franciscan Martyrs Region. He and Fr. Richard concelebrated H. Mass for the group, consisting of 29 people. It was a very wonderful day, where Fr. Tom spoke at length about Christopher Columbus, and about the Psalms.

Our March meeting took place on the 13th, at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center, at 2 p.m. Fred made a special effort to get participants to send in articles and notes for the "Newsletter." We met in April but nothing significant occurred.

Since our meeting (2nd Sunday of the month, as usual) fell on Mothers’ Day, attendance was sparser, however, most of us felt it was appropriate to hold a SFO meeting on Mothers’ Day because Mary is our mother as well as the Mother of God.

June. Nothing stands out from this June meeting, except a renewed effort by Fred to teach the participants the finer points of the Liturgy of the Hours and how to pray this wonderful Liturgical prayer. We put a questionnaire in the "Newsletter as Ben O’Neal’s suggestion, asking for guidance regarding scheduling of the proposed professions on October 4, 1994. We had given the candidates a choice of October 4th or October 9th (normal meeting date). The majority chose October 4th, the feast of our Seraphic Father Francis. On June 25th, Larry Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Orlando.

July. Fred, in the July 1994 issue of the "Newsletter," copied those portions of the Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (NAFRA edition), pertinent to Profession or Promise of Evangelical Life.

In August, Fred sent a letter to all Candidates for Profession, dated August 29, 1994. It was a letter "from the heart’ written with lots of guidance by the Holy Spirit.

In the September/October 1994 issue of our "Newsletter," Fred thanked some of the early promoters of the fraternity, and this short note should be made part of this record too:

As we prepare for professions, let us pray most especially for the Franciscans and other friends who had a hand in the formation of this Fraternity, Corrine McCarthy, SFO and her husband Bill, Jean Kurtz, Rose and Bob O’Brien, SFO, Trudy and George Thomas, all were instrumental in getting this fraternity started. Let us pray for Ben O’Neal, SFO, and for Franciscans of Our Lady of Lourdes Secular Franciscan Fraternity, who graciously offered to sponsor us. Ben, Millie Kaminowsky, SFO, Kay Libby, SFO, Isabel Harvey, SFO, and others, participated in our first initiation ceremony and other meetings. Let us say a special ‘Thank You’ to Jesus for the generosity of Msgr. Irvine Nugent, Pastor of St. Helen, Fr. Sean Flynn, Fr. Alfredo Hernandez, and Paul Zedek (DRE) who permitted us to use the CLC for our meetings. We’re blessed to have this wonderful place to meet. Finally, let’s thank Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, Spiritual Assistant to SFO for Five Franciscan Martyrs’ Region, Fr. Mike Heine, OFM Conv., and Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, who continue to be our friends. May the Lord enrich their ministry and give them peace and all that is good.

On October 4, 1994, seven souls were professed: Helen Caldarone, SFO; Eugene Caldarone, SFO; Jean Kurtz, SFO; Elaine Matthews, SFO; John Matthews, SFO; Frances ‘Pat’ Riordan, SFO; and, Fred Schaeffer, SFO. Praise God! Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, celebrated Holy Mass in St. Helen’s Chapel, and the professions were made after the Gospel, and received by Fr. Richard who had been delegated by Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM to receive these Evangelic promises on behalf of Five Franciscan Martyrs’ Province, and the Church. Fr. Richard signed the "Certificate" card. Anticipating the need for a new Chapter, members were asked to let the Council know where they would like to serve. Until this point in time there had been a few hasty Council Meetings, most things having been hashed out in open meeting; Fred urged the members to meet once a month, separate from the monthly meeting, and this will be done at Helen’s house in the last, or next to last week of each month. Shortly after the professions took place.

Except that our meeting in November 1994 was the first meeting at which there was no formation (except for one inquirer), and where all of us, now professed, were together, there is nothing special to report.

December. We held a Council Meeting before the Regular Meeting on December 11th, and had a small social with Christmas in mind. Fred hopes once again "to take the mystery out" of the Liturgy of the Hours. The only way to learn your way around these prayers is to pray them twice a day, morning and evening. The issue of the "Newsletter" was largely devoted to this effort.

1995

• January-December

We met on January 8th at the customary place at St. Helen’s Christian Living Center, Dining Room. Fred urged the group to do something about the office of Treasurer, which should have been filled and had been vacant for some time.

February. A slate of nominations came together, and Fred contacted Ben O’Neal, SFO, who promised to contact Carlos Calderon, SFO, Regional Coordinator, to schedule a Chapter. Shortly afterwards, we heard from Ben that the Chapter had been indefinitely postponed, at least until after Canonical Establishment. Fr. Rock Travnikar, OFM, of the Midwest Franciscan, visiting Fred in Vero Beach, concelebrated Holy Mass for us, with Fr. Richard. It was a wonderful meeting, and an unforgettable day for Fred. Fr. Rock gave Fred an earthenware cup, used as the Communion Cup at this Mass, made by Dave Kobek, then Candidate to OFMs; this cup, used many times since at OFM Vocation functions as the Chalice, was a wonderful symbol of friendship and partnership between the OFM and SFO’s., in general, and Fr. Rock, Fr. Richard, Br. Dave, Fred, and the members of Divine Mercy Fratemity, in particular.

March 12th was the meeting Sunday. Nothing stands out about this meeting except that we met as a happy and close-knit spiritual family.

April’s meeting fell on Palm Sunday, a good way to contemplate the significance in our lives of the events that took place so many years ago, when our brother, and Lord, Jesus, and his Mother Mary, and the Apostles, were on earth and their story unfolded and ended with the Crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection. John and Elaine Matthews, SFO attended a retreat at Our Lady of Florida Monastery in North Palm Beach, given by Secular Franciscans from fraternities in the southem area. We discussed what type of activity or program we might use at future meetings, and urged all to begin an apostolate. The Council is meeting once a month now rather than sporadically.

At our May 14th meeting, Fred appointed, at the request of Council, our new Treasurer: Elaine Matthews, SFO. From this meeting forward, we agreed to begin each meeting at 1:30 p.m., with a 20-30 minute social where coffee, soda, and some other goodies would be made available. We also agreed to try to place an agenda for each meeting, as decided at the monthly Council Meeting, in the "Newsletter." Most of us attended a wonderful event at St Helen’s, the first Mass of Fr. Glen Pothier, who had been ordained just two days before. Fr. Glen has been appointed Parochial Vicar at St. Helen. He also did his intership here and was ordained a Transitional Deacon in 1993, at St. Helen. At the May meeting we showed a video on Mother Teresa.

As a nice change of pace, the June meeting was held at the home of John and Elaine Matthews, followed by a pot-luck dinner. The second half of the Mother Teresa video was shown. The "Newsletter", largely a collection of sharings, teachings, etc., by Fred, as well as little quotations from various books and pamphlets, is steadily growing from two to four sides (pages), but another request was made for stuff authored by the rest of us. Rita Hutchinson, SFO, Minister of Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, phoned Fred that on June 11th, we had been voted in at the Five Franciscan Martyrs’ Regional Fraternity and accordingly, we’re now "Emergent." (a step on the way to Canonical Approbation)

July. Marguerite and Tony Bonner, SFO, friends and winter visitors, write that they had gotten back home safely. Back home is in Barnegat, New Jersey. Fred mailed a letter to Fr. Mark Sangy, OFM Conv., who teaches at John Carroll High School in Ft. Pierce and is Guardian of the group of Conventual friars there, living at St. Clare of Assisi Friary, inviting him or one of his fellow friars to our meetings. We viewed a video on St. Clare during this meeting.

We met on August 13th. Helen and Eugene Caldarone were on vacation; in fact, Fred was ‘house-sitting’ their abode on Pelican Lane. Fred tried to show a video on St. Maximillian Kolbe, however, the video equipment available didn’t do too well. We heard we had been invited to a Day of Recollection sponsored by Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity in Melbourne, on September 16th.

The Day of Recollection, on the September 16th, held at the Campus Ministry All Faiths Center at Florida Tech, was a wonderful experience. We all met Pam Nagle, SFO, Regional Treasurer, of Tampa, who helped us by suggesting a text for proposed bulletin notices. Corrine McCarthy, SFO, helped a lot with this too, mostly in goading Fred on, to ‘do something about’ the ‘no-publish’ situation. Fred later discussed this with Larry Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, since this topic had been under discussion for some time. Larry advised Fred that there were problems in finding a friar province sponsor to provide Altius Moderamen as set forth in Canon Law, and elsewhere. We met, also, on September 10th for our regular meeting, where Gene Caldarone, SFO, presented the beginning of his discussion on Pope John Paul II’s encyclical "The Gospel of Life" (Evangelium Vitae). We’re all praying for Jean Kurtz, SFO, who is convalescing from surgery. We added the Rosary, to our meeting prayers, or at least where possible, the Liturgy of the Hours having preference when pressed for time.

October. The "Newsletter" now has a subheading, part of the wording suggested by Pam in September, which says: "A group of professed Secular Franciscans, seeking to experience the life of the Gospel in fraternity, who are taking their final steps on the journey toward Canonical Establishment." Fred called Larry Herbert a number of times to sort out the stumbling block concerning Canonical Establishment, and learned that National Fraternity put a new procedure into place and that Holy Name Province’s reluctance to admit any new fraternities in Florida, due to lack of ‘friar presence’ may have been influenced by the new procedures. Corrine appropriately termed this "Franciscan Dis-Order." We keep plugging away at it. A number of appointments were made by Fred on behalf of the Council, eyeing growth in the near future: To "Co-Directors of Formation": Eugene Caldarone, SFO, and Pat Riordan, SFO; to "Assisting Formation Team": John Matthews, SFO, and to "Recruitment Director," Corrine McCarthy, SFO. Essentially, now all members at present are welcome to attend Council meetings, if they desire.

Our November 12th meeting featured the continuation of Gene Caldarone’s talk on "The Gospel of Life". We showed the video "Miracles of the Eucharist" and, most importantly, we had a friar visitor Fr. Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv., from St. Clare of Assisi Friary, Fort Pierce. It was a blessing to listen to Fr. Anthony Francis's story. The "Newsletter" has been renamed. We now know it as "The Canticle."

December. "The Canticle" has been completed, in which we announced that the next meeting will be on December 10th. Jean Kurtz, SFO, wrote a nice article on meditation. Council decided on a mixed meeting program with lots of different things, ending with Christmas carols. Fred talked with Larry Herbert, SFO, once more, since there is a glimmer of hope that the Conventuals will pick us up if we complete certain steps. The most necessary step is a Regional Fraternal and Pastoral Visitation which will be on January 14, 1996. Larry Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, and Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM, Regional Spiritual Assistant will be visiting us. We made arrangement for Fr. Tom to overnight with Helen and Gene because of space limitations at St Helen’s Christian Living Center. It appears that there is a retreat going on. Fred discussed this with Paul Zedek, DRE at St. Helen, who is in charge of "room useage", along with Sandy Miller. He feels that we should probably use the Chapel for that meeting, but it is best to see what is available at the time.

Fred began writing this Chronology, which will be continued. This material will be turned over to the Vice-Minister, when Fred leaves in July for Cincinnati. A copy of this Chronology, to date, has been made available to Larry Herbert, Regional Minister, Five Franciscan Martyrs Region, and to the Fraternity’s Council.

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1996

• January-December

Deacon Larry Herbert, SFO, Regional Minister, came down with Father Tom Murphy, OFM, Regional Spiritual Assistant, for a Fraternal and Pastoral visitation on January 14th.

The February 11th meeting was routine. Fred attended the Regional Annual Meeting in the Orlando area where Richard Nagle, SFO, became Regional Minister. What is very important is that our request for Canonical Establishment is back on track and it is expected to be received in July 1996.

Meetings in March and April came and went. So did May, in the rising anticipation of receiving Canonical Approval. This approval was received in writing, on June 9, 1996! So it took 4 years to be "Established" and receive Canonical Approbation. But in the meantime, there would be a change in Fred's life. He left on July 8th to join the OFM's in Ohio, and later Indiana.

In the meantime, Jean Kurtz, SFO, inherited the editorship after Fred Schaeffer had departed and, the following 'chronology' has been pieced together from past newsletters. In August, our friend and spiritual advisor, Fr. Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM. Conv. left to take on another assignment up north.

Due to vacations it is believed the August meeting attendance was rather sparse but in September, on the 8th, the fraternity met again. Fred sent a reflection which was attached to the Canticle.

The October meeting was on the 13th, and the big news was that Trudy and George Thomas were professed that day. This was very significant, because Trudy's health was deteriorating and she desired to be professed so much before the end. Rick and Pam Nagle and Fr. Tom were on hand for the ceremony.

Our next meeting was on November 16th when we welcomed Father Joseph Dorniak, OFM., Conv., as our new Spiritual Assistant. He also teaches at John Carroll High School in nearby Fort Pierce.

At the December 8th meeting, Fred was down for Christmas vacation, and we all got together at Jean's house.

1997

• January-December

The first meeting in 1997 was on January 12th at the home of Elaine and John Matthews, SFO, where Fr. Joe said Mass and after that there was a pot luck meal. Our meeting on February 9th seemed uneventful. We viewed a video on Padre Pio. March 9th meeting came with a call for the annual regional dues (this year $30 per professed member). These fees are worthwhile as they pay for the use of an automobile and travel expensed for the Regional Spiritual Assistant (Fr. Tom) and there is a portion of this money that is submitted by the Regional Treasurer to the National Fraternity. Trudy Thomas, SFO passed away, on February 6, 1997, and was eulogized by her husband, George at the March meeting.

The meeting on April 9th brought a report from Helen Caldarone, SFO, Fraternity Minister covering Annual Reports, Procedures for Elections, a change in the preferred Initial and Ongoing Formation texts (viz. "Fully Mature with the Fullness of Christ" by Fr. Bennett Fonck, OFM.) She also announced an upcoming retreat in St. Augustine (May 9-11), another retreat in September, etc.

The May 11th meeting was routine. At the June 8th meeting, we were told that the next formal elections would be held September 7, 1997. We heard from Fred who would be moving to the OFM Novitiate in Cedar Lake, Indiana, in June.

The July 13th meeting had Deacon Henk Toussaint from San Sebastian Parish in Sebastian, talking to us. The elections have been postponed to October 5th.

As usual, the August meeting was sparsely attended due to ongoing vacations. Nominations for Officers would be taken next month. A very complete writing on the functions of each of the Officer positions, Minister, Vice-Minister, Secretary, Formation Director, and Treasurer was enclosed with the August Canticle.

At the September 14th meeting, a slate of Nominations were agreed upon as follows:

Helen Caldarone, Minister; John Matthews, Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz, Secretary; Pat Riordan, Treasurer; and, Gene Caldarone, Formation Director.

The Chapter of Elections took place on October 5th and the persons on the Slate of Nominations were elected and installed. News came that Fred has received the OFM habit on October 3rd.

The November 9th meeting ended with a picnic in honor of Corrine McCarthy, SFO, who is celebrating thirty years as a Franciscan. She's one of the three co-Founders of our Fraternity.

December 14th was a Christmas party type meeting.

1998

• January-December

The January 1998 meeting took place on the 11th. Fred Schaeffer, SFO returned to Vero Beach on December 7, 1997. The OFM experience did not work out and he was looking for something more contemplative. Fred would be staying at the home of Elaine and John Matthews for a while. We attended (on Jan. 22nd) a meeting at the KofC Hall to coordinate voluntary work at the local Soup Kitchen (The Source) where 13,000 meals a year are served.

At the February 8th meeting, Fred helped out by covering Chapter 5 of the formation text. Pat Reardon underwent surgery on Jan. 12th and is recuperating.

At the March 8th meeting nothing special happened. The April meeting was moved because of Easter, to April 5th. Fred left again to join the monks of adoration, in Massachusetts, a monastic contemplative community, on March 31st.

The May meeting was moved, too, because of Mother's Day on the one hand, and a Regional Meeting on the other. We received a note from Pat Riordan, SFO., that she was all healed and returned to work on April 13th.

In June, our meeting on the 14th the whole fraternity turned out to help at The Source to donate and prepare the meal. Corrine McCarthy, SFO., moved back up north and now lived at Kittery, Maine., and Fred reported that he's very happy at his new monastery in Massachusetts.

The July meeting was held on the 12th at Jean Kurtz's home. The August 9th meeting was held at Gene and Helen's house. Elaine Matthews, SFO, is retiring in June. Corrinne is settling up north but still has health problems, vertigo.

The September 13th meeting was routine, as was October's meeting on the 11th. The members are putting in time at The Source on various days. Many wonderful teachings and reflections from Fred are attached to this year's newsletters. These should and will be republished in the future.

At the November 8th meeting, Gene gave a talk on False Spirituality. At our meeting in December (13th), we're planning to sign up for more dates to help out at The Source, as a Fraternity apostolate.

1999

• January-December

The January 10th meeting was routine. Father Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv., sent us a nice Christmas letter which was promptly attached to each copy of The Canticle. In February, at our meeting on the 14th, Candidate formation would begin again. On March 14th, Franciscan Father Ray Oosdyke gave a talk. Tony Bonner, SFO., one of our winter visitors with his wife, Marguerite, is very ill and has been in and out of the hospital. They asked for prayers.

Jean gave a talk on Blessed Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion at the April 11th meeting and at 3:00 pm the chaplet was chanted by all. At the May 9th meeting, Jack DeMello, SFO., from Cape Cod gave a talk. In this month, Jerry Carey married Arlene. Tony Bonner passed away.

The June 13th meeting was uneventful. The July meeting was held at Jean Kurtz's home and Donna would give a talk on St. Leopold Mandich, a Franciscan Saint she's been studying in her travels in Europe, and specifically Italy. The August meeting was held at the Caldarone home where our friend, Deacon Henk gave a talk.

September 12th was the date of profession for Jerry Carey, attended by Fr. Tom, Deacon Ric and Pam Nagle, SFO. Fred Schaeffer wrote that he ended his Novitiate on August 28th and was now a full-fledged, but very junior, monk.

The October meeting on the 10th brought a talk by John Matthews on Visitation House. We learned that Fr. Richard (now Fr. John Mary, OFM) was reassigned to Cypress. November 14th meeting was a quiet meeting. We were saddened by the passing of Fr. Sean Flynn, of St. Helen's parish where we hold our meetings.

Father Ray gave a talk at our December 12th meeting. The year closed with a whimper.

2000

• January-December

Our January 2000 issue of the Canticle came with an exhortation by Helen Caldarone, SFO, Fraternity Minister, for us, the professed members to always wear a symbol of the Order to evangelize that we're Franciscans. She suggested we wear a Tau cross or pin, or ring. Since we, as lay Franciscans, don't wear a cloth habit, the Tau insignia is, in fact, our habit. Also, Brother Frederick arranged for another website for the Fraternity.

February 13th meeting featured another talk by Father Ray (Ongoing Formation) and a talk on healing by John Matthews, SFO. Helen mentioned that at our January meeting with all the snowbird Franciscans back here, we almost ran out of chairs to seat them all.

March 12th was the profession day of Donna DiMesa. It was held at St. John of the Cross parish. A day of recollection is scheduled for April 1st, a Saturday, to be conducted by the Regional team.

April 9th brought a talk by Donna on St. Francis, and Father Ray participated again. The day of Recollection on April 1st was very successful. Father Tom celebrated Holy Mass as part of the Recollection day.

Donna talked on the Tau symbol and its meaning and Helen led us in the Crown Rosary at the May 14th meeting. June 11th's meeting was chaired by John Matthews, SFO, since the Caldarones were expected to be away.

Helen Caldarone, SFO., Fraternity Minister, took over the editing of The Canticle with the July 2000 issue because Jean was moving. On the 9th, there was a nice Ongoing Formation program and a teaching by Gene Caldarone on "The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin."

The August 13th meeting included a report on a reception held for Fred Schaeffer (Brother Frederick) who was able to visit Vero Beach for a short vacation. It was a wonderful get-together. A day of recollection was held in Melbourne on August 12th.

On September 10th, a Chapter of Elections was held, where Jerry Carey, SFO became the new Treasurer, and Jennie Donlin, SFO, our new Secretary. Other officers remained the same.

On November 29, 2000, Jean Kurtz, SFO, passed away. She was one of the founding members of the fraternity and will be sorely missed. She led a very holy life.

On November 18th, most of the Franciscans of our fraternity made a pilgrimage to St. Ignatius Cathedral in Palm Beach to receive the Millennium Indulgence.

At the December 10th., meeting, Jim Catrambone was Admitted to Candidacy.

2001

• January-December

On January 14, 2000, Carmela LaMattina was Admitted to Candidacy. Also, at that meeting, the fraternity agreed to begin a Pledge Drive to raise funds for the purchase of a St. Anthony of Padua statue to be donated to the new church of St. John of the Cross, upon completion of construction.

Helen and Gene Caldarone, SFO., attended a Formation Conference in Melbourne with ministers from several fraternities of the East-Central Florida area present, as well as Peace & Justice officers from the Five Franciscan Martyrs' Regional Council.

In May 2001, Treasurer Gerry Carey reports that the statue funds has $1000 in it!

June 13, 2001, the feastday of St. Anthony of Padua, a Day of Recollection was held at Holy Cross parish in Vero Beach.

On July 8th, a Ritual of Welcoming was held for Peggy Rysdyke, who became an Inquirer. At each of the monthly meetings, the fraternity is using "Fully Mature in the Fullness of Christ," by Friar Benet Fonck, OFM., as a formation text.

September: Due to renovations of St. Helen's Christian Living Center, our meeting room will hence forth be in the "South Room," later known as the "Emmaus Room." It is believed this meeting location will work out much better than the previous because there are some lockable cabinets in that room for our library and meeting supplies.

We celebrated the Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4th) with a Day of Reflection. This information was sent to the various local parishes so that it could be included in their bulletins.

On November 11th, a Rite of Admission was held for Andrea Cardoza.

2002

• January-December

The Rite of Profession for Jim Catrambone and Carmela LaMattina, was held on January 5th, 2002, at St. Lucie Church in Port St. Lucie, thanks to Monsignor Burke's generosity. The newly professed attend Holy Mass at St. Lucie Church. Father Tom Murphy, OFM presided over the Rite of Profession and celebrated Holy Mass, there.

At our regular monthly meeting (Jan. 13th), the Rite of Admission was held for Marguerite "Peggy" Rysdyke.

On Sunday, May 19, 2002, the Rite of Profession for Caroline DiGennaro was held by Father John Crowley, Pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish. Caroline is sacristan at this parish.

Per capital dues ($35) are now due for anyone professed before (or a member of our fraternity before) 12/31/01. Sarah Hardy, and Jack & Susan Solloway have volunteered to work with the Peace and Justice Commission (Sarah), the Work Commission (Jack) and the Family Commission (Susan). 

There was a wonderful surprise at the July 2002 meeting: Fred Schaeffer, SFO., one of the founders of the Fraternity, and its first minister, has returned (on July 2nd) and requested to be reinstated in the Fraternity. After five years as a contemplative monastic, Fred returned due to health reasons. He bought a manufactured home in Vero Beach and will again be very active at St. Helen's parish. Fred offered to be Webmaster for the fraternity since he had started a new website with our fraternity in mind (but also for his own evangelization apostolate). He's also our Librarian. Effective with the November issue of the Canticle Fred will again be editor at the request of Helen who is Fraternity Minister, who can use a break, workload wise.

In November-December 2002, Fred was appointed Ecology Commissioner and Jim Catrambone volunteered to be Youth Commissioner. Corrine McCarthy, SFO, one of our three founding members, enrolled the Fraternity into a one-year membership to share in the prayers of the Poor Clares. Julie McHugh was admitted to SFO as a Candidate in a beautiful ceremony in November.

We rejoiced in the election of Encarnacion del Pozo who was elected SFO General Minister.

The year ended with a Christmas party at the Caldarones after the December meeting. Their hospitality, as always, was outstanding!

2003

• January-December

We began to focus (already) on a 10/4/03 celebration to be held at St. John of the Cross. We wanted something really big and were prepared to invite a Franciscan "of note" to make it a treasured event. Donna Haro volunteered to lead the project and small committees were gradually established to handle various aspects of the event.

Our Minister, Helen Caldarone placed much emphasis on the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.

The highlight of February was a visit by Fr. Richard LaCorte, our former Spiritual Assistant, currently assigned to the Diocese of Fargo, ND in the town of Lidgerwood.

Gene Caldarone re-introduced us to our Fraternity Ministry - monthly donations to the poor via St. Helen's Neighborhood Apostolate Pantry. He suggested we might eat fewer times in restaurants and use the savings to purchase canned goods for the Pantry. St. Helen's Pantry feeds many poor people in the outlying areas of Vero Beach, such as Gifford and Winter Beach but also in Vero Beach itself.

Also in February, John & Elaine Matthews and Fred Schaeffer attended a Chapter of Mats at San Pedro Center in Winter Park, Florida, which covered new 4-volume set, Saint Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, written/edited by Br. Bill Short, OFM, Fr. Wayne Hellman, OFM Conv., and Fr. Regis Armstrong, OFM Cap. Unfortunately, Fr. Regis was ill but the other two Franciscans were there and it was very interesting. Our March 2003 issue of the Canticle (elsewhere on this site) has a report on that Chapter.

Also, the meeting time on the 2nd Sunday of each month, was changed to 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm to alleviate parking problems incurred at St. Helen's due to the Noon Mass.

At the April meeting, we had a ceremony marking the half-way point in Peter Askin's candidacy. We also reviewed Donna's progress for the Oct. 4th event.

On May 3rd, 2003, at St. Lucie Church (Port St. Lucie, Florida), we celebrated the Profession of Andrea Cardoza, and Peggy Rysdyke to full membership in the Fraternity. Fr. Tom Murphy was present and it was a grand celebration.

May 2003 was a joyful meeting moved to the third Sunday in May to allow mothers to celebrate Mothers Day on the 2nd Sunday with their families.

In June, Jennie Donlin volunteered to take care of our library. We prayed much for world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Since July and August are months where members are often away on vacation, there was nothing special about the meetings except that attendance was high and our meetings are always animated. There are no dull meetings in our Fraternity!

In September 2003 we tried something different. Using Fr. Benedict Groeschel's "Oratory of Divine Love" format, we're using this and the corresponding SFO Rule article for ongoing formation for professed members. That was actually vary interesting.

Our October 2003 meeting was the time for the Visitation of the Regional Council. Fr. Tom Murphy, OFM celebrated Holy Mass in the Chapel of St. Helen's Christian Living Center for us all, and Pam & Deacon Ric Nagle, SFO, were here also representing Carlos Calderon, SFO (Regional Minister) who was unable to be here due to a family emergency. As always, it was a very amicable, typical Franciscan, meeting and it is always great to have Fr. Tom, and the Nagles with us.

Our October 4th, 2003, program in pictures

Our Fraternity is 10+ years old! Our first meeting took place in April 1992, but the meeting at which we elected Officers and named the Fraternity took place on April 18, 1993. At that meeting, our brother, Ben O’Neal, SFO, representing Our Lady of Lourdes Fraternity, as sponsor, supervised the election of the following officers: Fred Schaeffer, Minister; Helen Caldarone, Vice-Minister; Jean Kurtz (RIP), Secretary; and, Cecile Morelli, Treasurer. The meeting was held on April 18, 1993, the day of beatification of Sr. Faustina. Although the name of the fraternity was drawn by lots (secret ballot), it surely is more than coincidence that this fraternity’s name is Divine Mercy Secular Franciscan Fraternity.

We thank God for all the Grace we have experienced for our fraternity is healthy and vibrant. Most of us realize that the deceased co-founder Jean Kurtz, SFO, and also Trudy Thomas, SFO, continue to contribute to our Fraternity in their intercessory prayer from Heaven. Their earthly journey has ended but their journey with Jesus for all time is ongoing.

The November 2003 meeting came and went. We prayed that God appoint us a Spiritual Assistant, and we prayed for Julie, Fr. Brian et al. (See below)

On November 16th, at St. Lucie Parish in Port St. Lucie, Fr. Brian Horgan, Pastor, presiding, Julie McHugh became our 21st Professed Member. Her profession took place in a regularly scheduled Mass and we are extremely grateful to Fr. Brian for his generosity, in defraying expenses for the reception that followed. It is always very special when those being professed are shared with an entire congregation. This does not happen frequently. Thank you, Julie for your generosity and prayer. We welcome you are our sister in Saint Francis.

The December 2003 meeting and Christmas party was held at the home of Eugene and Helen Caldarone, SFO in Vero Beach. Although we have not mentioned it, the Inquirers and Candidates meet always a half hour before any meeting do follow through with their studies of the Order and our way of life. And this month was no exception. A slate of Officers was presented by Nominating Committee Chairperson Peggy Rysdyke, SFO. A Chapter of Elections is scheduled for the January 2004 meeting. Then, Donna Haro, SFO, gave a wonderful talk on "Miracles." She really dug into the history of Miraculous occurrences and also spoke of the well known Eucharistic Miracles in Italy in earlier centuries. The Christmas goodies followed and before breaking up we prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, Evening Prayer, in common. A Merry, Holy Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year as well.

2004

• January (Chapter of Elections)

We received a nice Christmas card from Marguerite Bonner, SFO, a seasonal resident who frequently attended meetings from the very beginning of our fraternity. She writes: "Hi Folks, I'm undecided about getting down to Florida this year. I have my house up for sale. If it sells, it'll help make up my mind. I enjoyed being with you at the meetings and quite happy with the success and growth of the chapter. Good luck and God Bless you all. Then we received a card from Nick and Dorothy Todorich, SFO, who are also seasonal residents who have visited with us from time to time. They write: "We're spending our first winter in 9 years in Pa. The M.S. Society asked me to come back to work. So I decided to help out." Dorothy speaks of Nick's health problems. Please pray for them, they are our brothers and sisters in Saint Francis.

The following Officers were elected: Helen Caldarone, SFO, Minister (3rd term); Fred Schaeffer, SFO, Vice Minister; Jennie Donlin, SFO, Secretary; Sarah Hardy, SFO, Treasurer. For the first time in our Fraternity, the Director of Formation (Gene Caldarone, SFO) became an elected position, as are the two Councillors-at-Large (George Thomas, SFO and Marguerite Rysdyke, SFO)

February. Ceremony of Introduction and Welcoming (See RITUAL p9-10) for Skip and Hope Leet took place. In March, many of us watched "Perspectives" (Mar. 21st and 28th, 2004), sponsored by St. Helen Parish on Vero Beach's Local Channel 10 - WWCI-TV. Helen Calderone & John Matthews appeared on the first show, Helen & Fred Schaeffer on the second.

The March and April meetings did not present anything special. The final “Perspectives” show was aired in April, with Donna and Fred. These shows are all about our Fraternity and the SFO!

In early July 2004, we welcome back Fr. Richard P. LaCorte, SFO within our midst, our Spiritual Assistant. Since he was professed in Barrenspot, St. Croix, USVI as an Isolated Tertiary on April 24, 1981 and therefore, at this time is not connected to any fraternity, we asked Pam Nagle, and through her Fr. Tom, if Fr. Richard would be allowed to join our Fraternity. Normally a Spiritual Assistant is not encouraged to be a member of the fraternity he serves, but in his case an exception was made and so, since July 13, 2004, he is no longer “Isolated.” We all need the support of our Franciscan communities and so we’re glad. We praise God for His Grace in finding us a Spiritual Assistant and dear friend. Fr. Richard received the Profession of the original founding members on October 4, 1994 in the name of the Church and the Franciscan Order. Fr. Tom wasn’t able to be present that day.

We were supposed to have a Day of Recollection September 8th at San Pedro, but Mother Nature had other plans. On September 5, 2004, a Category 2 Hurricane (“Frances”) came ashore at Sewall’s Point – Vero Beach was in the Northeastern Quadrant and so we were hit hard. As if this wasn’t enough, two weeks later, on September 21st, Hurricane Jeanne, a Category 3 type, also making landfall at Sewall’s Point, did considerably more damage. Damage went from the Palm Beaches all the way into Brevard County and points North and East. In Indian River County about 8000 people became homeless, and many thousands lost employment. During August and September combined, four large hurricanes hit our State of Florida. We met in August by we do not recall anything special. All our members suffered some damage. Several lost their homes. The September meeting was held but was poorly attended for obvious reasons.

October 2004, we were all present at the meeting. Fr. Richard talked about St. Thèrèse of Lisieux, in particular about her writings on Purgatory. He had a printout for all of us, and Fred placed it on the website, as well. It was a very convivial meeting where we followed our usual format of business and talks before the refreshment break, and the Liturgy of the Hours and/or other prayers in the Chapel of the Christian Living Center, after the break. We look forward to the Profession of Ed O’Donnell and Kathleen Van Buskirk, on October 17th, 2004 at the new St. John of the Cross parish (74th Ave.) at the 11:00 AM Mass, with our Spiritual Assistant, Fr. Richard LaCorte, SFO, presiding.

PAX

This history is now complete through October 2004. We need a historian to finish this project through the present!

Notes about Fraternity happenings

An attempt to write some history. As you have seen, I (Fred) haven't been great in writing history past 2004, and to make up all those years is just too difficult. So the Notes section will just pick up where we are at present and go on from there. See years, starting with 2018 (October) in left column.

2018

The life of a Secular Franciscan consists of worship (Holy Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, etc.) and living as anyone does, job, recreation and sleep. I (Fred) have been a Secular Franciscan (formerly named, a Tertiary in the Third Order of St. Francis), for 24 years along with several other original, or one could say "charter members." In fact, yesterday, October 4, 2018, was that 24th anniversary.

I've been retired for 15 years. Many of our members are in our "retirement years." My day begins around 8 AM with the Office of Readings, and, Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, and Holy Mass where possible, and of course, breakfast. Then I may write something for the website, or just watch TV if I can stand the programming. A lot of what is shown, in my opinion, is garbage. News is depressing for the most part, and I know it is said older people watch only the weather and news, but that's nonsense. I watch movies, usually PG or PG13 rated, rarely R-rated shows unless I know what to expect. Although most of these are 'R', I do regularly watch NCIS, because I like the interaction of the characters who are depicted in those shows. Then a light hot lunch. I may feel like taking a nap in the afternoon, so far I'm steering away from that. After dinner (a cold meal) some more TV but around 8:30 PM I begin with more Liturgy, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer and the Rosary. That consumes about an hour and then I try to get to bed. Problem is that the first 3-4 hours I sleep well, but after that it's off and on or none at all. Long days and longer nights. It's not easy getting old!

Life goes on and we must make the best of it.

God bless one and all.

Fred Schaeffer, OFS

Fraternity Minister

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