50th Anniversary of the Franciscan Federation
By: Margaret Magee OSF
Allegany Franciscan Sisters, and Associate Kathy Doyle, were among the 250 participants gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Franciscan Federation.
The theme of the conference, "Fifty Years of God's Love and Mercy", were highlighted in the presentations of former Federation Presidents, Mary Elizabeth Imler, OSF (Frankfort, Illinois) and Edna Michel OSF (Tiffin, Ohio). Keynote Fr. David Couturier, OFM Cap, focused on the challenges of the future in his presentation,
Naked in the Public Square: Millennials and the Hopes for a New Franciscan Economy. All presentations are available on the Franciscan Federation website.
The 2016 Resolution for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC) was ratified by the conference members, and can be seen below:
Resolution on Gun Violence:
"Choose Life so that you and your descendant may live"...Dt.30:19
Statement of Resolution: Be it resolved that we, as members of the Franciscan Federation, upholding the inherent dignity of all human life and our willingness to embrace the common good, in the tradition of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, denounce all forms of Gun Violence that is tearing apart the social fabric of society and leaving children dead on our streets and families afraid in their homes. St. Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and spoke the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationships with one another. We pledge to work for the elimination of gun violence by committing ourselves to respect for life by cultivating a culture of life that explores nonviolent living and to advocate for each individual, family, school, and neighborhood so that our communities can once again become places of peace and beacons of life movements.
A printable copy of the Federation JPIC Resolution for 2016 is available on the website, www.franfed.org. Click on the AFC tab and scroll down to JPIC Resolution 2016 to read the Background, Rationale, the Call to Respond.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
AFC 2017,
June 16 - 19, 2017 in Buffalo, New York
AFC 2018, June 12 - 15, 2018 in Buffalo, New York
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