Each Sunday a member from the Novitiate group chooses which parish we visit for Sunday Liturgy. This is done as a way to get out into the community and meet people who are attending Mass in the Pittsburgh area.

This week, Br. Kieran chose for us to go to Holy Ghost Church, a Byzantine church located in McKnees Rocks, PA. I was a little hesitatant about going; I've never been to a different Rite before, and when I hear the term "Eastern," it pretty much tells me I'll have the darkest skin color in the building!

Putting these thoughts aside, we attended Mass and received Eucharist after participating with a wonderful group of people. Entering the church was amazing; the artwork and the iconography were simply amazing! I wish I'd had brought my camera to take pictures of the inside of the church, if I thought I could get away with it.

After the Mass people were wonderful to see us and were willing to talk. There is something unique about a smaller faith community: the people seem to be closer-knit and more invested in the service taking place. Outside after the Mass, we talked with a number of people who wanted to know who we were and where we were from. I remember talking to a lady for whom I promised to pay for, as she is currently dealing with a brain tumor.

There were a few things that were new to me (the other way of signing the cross, the iconostatis, and the reception of the Eucharist) however I learned to adapt and enjoy the Mass...especially the singing. If you've never had the chance to attend a Byzantine mass, I'd highly encouragement.

If you're worried that you wouldn't know what to do at a Byzantine Mass, this guide might help the transition.

This week, we had friar Paul Dressler visit us and talk to us regarding Franciscan Spirituality. It was a wonderful seminar, as Paul is always full of energy and good for a laugh. But more importantly, he is someone who has great insights while willing to tell his story as an example of understanding a spirituality of Francis of Assisi.

While visiting us, he shared a prayer he'd written using primary images of love from the New Testament and from the saints.  We as Franciscans are often accused of living our faith through our hearts (as opposed to Dominicans who might live their faith through their heads/knowledge). Paul solidifies this belief by sharing this prayer entitled: A Saint's Litany to Love

The prayer is set up to be read as a choir, except for the last verse. Please give him credit if you choose to use it in a group setting. Thanks! -V

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury

Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopees all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

All of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving towards one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.

Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

We approach God not by walking but by loving. Love, and God will draw near; love, and God will dwell within you. The Lord is at hand; have no anxiety. Are you puzzled to know how it is that God will be with you if you love. God is love.

Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; they who walk in love can neither go astray nor be afraid. Love guides them, protects them, and leads them to their journey's end. Love is the stairway to heaven. 

Love is the reason why anything should be done or left undone, changed or left unchanged. The heart is happiest when it beats for others.

Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. I saw and realized that love sets off the bounds of all vocations. I proclaimed O Jesus my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is to love. Love alone counts.

Love is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to love. Love is a movement and advance of the heart toward the good. We cannot love our neighbor too much.

One who begins to love should be ready to suffer. Life without love has no flavor. Try always to advance in love; enlarge your heart with confidence for the Divine Gifts the Holy Spirit is anxious to pour into it.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; your are the eyes through which Christ's compassion looks out at the world.

Yours are the feet which He is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which is to bless this broken yet beautiful world.

As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Reamin in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

Fr. Paul Dressler is currently the assistant for Post-Novitiate Formation and the Academic Advisor for the Capuchin Franciscans of the St. Augustine Province in Washington D.C. His passion is for youth ministry. His facebook profile can be found here.

By far, the most universal and popular saint in the Catholic tradition is Francis of Assisi. Due to the many stories about his life, he's been given many different titles: Francis the Peacemaker, Francis the Nature-lover, and of course Francis: a Model of Human Liberation. Yet as an ex-car salesman, it was Francis the Playboy that would draw me into his story. I was encouraged by Francis' conversion from his old self to the saint.

From 1 Celano:

Maliciously advancing beyond all of his peers in vanities, he proved himself a more excessive inciter of evil and a zealous imitator of foolishness. He was an object of admiration to all, and endeavored to surpass others in his flamboyant display of vain accomplishments: wit, curiosity, practical jokes and foolish talk, songs, and soft and flowing garments. Since he was very rich, he was not greedy but extravagant, not a hoarder of money but a squanderer of his property, a prudent dealer but a most unreliable steward. (1C:2)

 As a Capuchin friar who used to spend time hustling deals on the car lot, I can relate with a lot of the adjectives used to describe Francis' early life. This was the man I was trying to be several years ago. Yet here I am years later, a Capuchin Franciscan Novice...preparing to take the vows of obedience, celibacy, and poverty.
In studying the life of Francis in conjunction with my own faith journey, a model for conversion arises. For if conversion is "the renouncing of pervasive egoism and the turning to an altruistic love for objective truth, goodness, and beauty" as Thomas Dubay writes, (p22) than this is surely what Francis experienced. Reading these stories of his conversion - the "God moment" on the way to Apulia, the renunciation of his father, the kissing of the leper, and many others - provide us an avenue to view our own conversions through a modern lens.

I discovered the necessity for such a model of conversion not just in my life, but as I started working with other people in ministry. As Chaplain and Volunteer Coordinator at St. Ben's Community Meal in Milwaukee, we often had groups of high school/college students come in to experience a meal with the homeless of Milwaukee. The effects of these experiences on the visitors were real, but I had no way to help these people reflect on these experiences as a way to explore conversion in their lives.

In the book by William Hugo OFM Cap. "Studying the Life of Francis of Assisi" a psychological vision can be applied to those stories of Francis and allow for personal reflection. By using the tools of Dubay and Hugo, a 4-stage approach to conversion emerges. It is a tool I have used not only to understand my own experiences, but in talking with others as well.

 Old World View - We each have our "subjective selfish" ideals of how the world works. On occasion we have experiences that "offend" this world view - experiences that make us feel uncomfortable and uncertain. I am reminded of a girl on of these Immersion Experiences. She saw a man sleeping outside in the snow, yet she couldn't comprehend why he was there. Couldn't he go to a shelter? Weren't there agencies to help him?

Francis' experience was no different. The Kissing of the Leper is a prominent point for this stage. While his world has already started changing, he meets a leper on the side of the road. Lepers in the 13th century were considered to be "away from God," objects of terror and disease. Yet his experience tells him that God can be found in the poorest of the poor. Struggling between a personal message from the Divine and the social and cultural norms of his time, his world is fractured.

Introspection - Several times during his life, Francis disengages from the rest of the world. After his experience at the San Damiano church where the crucifix tells him: "Francis, rebuild my church," we find Francis pulling away from his old life as he tries to process these new conflicts. His desires for worldly things and vanity have left him. He gives away things that were once precious to him. His friends don't know him anymore, his father is unhappy with this change of attitude. Francis focuses on himself as he pulls away from the rest of the world.

When I first started to experience the reality of poverty and homelessness in Milwaukee, I spent a lot of time gathering information. I looked not just at arbitrary numbers, but I looked at the things that had given me pleasure and how they were in contradiction to what I saw in the poor around me. I treasured the fact that I was away from my home in Michigan, as I lost interest in many of the old things that connected me to those friends. I struggled to deal with my privilege versus the plight of the homeless, the desire to enter into their experiences, and to find the ultimate drive for wanting to do something.

Integration - Many of the stories that we hear of Francis are just this: him integrating his new thoughts into his life. One of the pinnacle events is the renunciation of his father and all hereditary rights in front of Bishop Guido II. He chooses to live a life of voluntary poverty, relying only on God to provide for his needs. His decision to dismount his horse and kiss the leper is another key event in Francis' Integration. It is through these acts that he begins to re-insert himself into society as he attempts to reconcile the conflicts he felt in his old world view.

Upon entering Postulancy, I remember passing a homeless person in my vehicle and turning away. I was preparing to be a follower of Francis, yet I was unwilling to look for Christ in one of His poor. But I carried that experience with me, and sat with it at times during the year. As the year went on, I made different attempts to "make up" for that decision: spending Easter with several homeless, spending time outside in the cold with a couple living on the streets, listening to people talk about their lives, and just being present and viewing them as human beings.

New World View - After those experiences during my Postulancy, I returned home to Michigan, only to find that what used to bring me joy was no longer of importance. My outlook of the homeless had not only changed, my self was changed. My family and my close friends said they noticed a "difference" in me, but they couldn't understand it. They experienced me as a warmer, more-caring human being...someone who cared about their interests and took time to listen (a stark difference from my days of selling cars).

In his Testament, Francis writes:

When I was in sin, the sight of lepers was too bitter for me. And the Lord himself led me among them, and I pitied and helped them. And when I left them I discovered that what had seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness in my soul and body.

To compare the old Playboy Francis to Francis the Saint is comparing two different people. I doubt most of us will ever experience such radical conversion in our lives. The best we can hope for is to allow ourselves to be moved by specific incidents that challenge our world view; and rather than just avoid them or offer quick explanations like: "They need to go get a job," or "They should just go back where they came from," we stay with those experiences and allow them to change us.
My goal as a Capuchin friar is not to convert the world. After some profound experiences, I acknowledge that I cannot take someone through the proper stages needed for true conversion. I can only open people to experiences that might make them uncomfortable or challenge their current world view. However by tailoring their experiences around this model, and allowing people time for personal reflection, encouraging people to learn more and get involved, and showing that the ultimate motive for conversion is not simply to repair the self but as an act of love for the other, I feel that I am helping people enter into their own conversions.

If you've been using the social bookmarking tool known as Sharing is Sexy, you've probably had some issues with it. The link from imageshack.us is no longer good, and must be replaced. You can replace it with another link below, but I have also included a link to download the actual file for you to store to your own photo storage site.

Here is how to fix this code without having to rely on outside links: (Always download and save a copy of your template before making any changes.)

1. Go into the CSS of your blog and find this code:

.sexy-digg, .sexy-digg:hover, .sexy-reddit, .sexy-reddit:hover, .sexy-stumble, .sexy-stumble:hover, .sexy-delicious, .sexy-delicious:hover, .sexy-yahoo, .sexy-yahoo:hover, .sexy-blinklist, .sexy-blinklist:hover, .sexy-technorati, .sexy-technorati:hover, .sexy-facebook, .sexy-facebook:hover, .sexy-twitter, .sexy-twitter:hover, .sexy-myspace, .sexy-myspace:hover, .sexy-mixx, .sexy-mixx:hover, .sexy-script-style, .sexy-script-style:hover, .sexy-syndicate, .sexy-syndicate:hover, .sexy-email, .sexy-email:hover {

           background:url('http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3131/sexysprite.png') no-repeat !important;
2. Replace the highlighted link with the one below:

'http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab26/VitoOFMCap/sharingtool.png'

3. Save your code, and you're sorted.

If your good with CSS and want a more permanent fix, you can download the actual .png file here at http://www.teradepot.com/i0hsb0m3gdnp/sharingtool.png.html. (Teradepot makes you wait for the download because of ads.) Upload it to your flickr.com or photobucket account, replace the link with your own, and you're sorted.

If you don't have this bookmarking tool and you want to add it to your blog, check it out here.

If you want to change the text of this tool from Sharing is Sexy to Sharing is Caring, check out this link here.

Happy blogging, everyone!

Peace,
Br. Vito

I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on the Gospel reading for this Sunday. There's a unique connection to wearing the habit in public and hearing the words: ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; -Mark 12:38-39. While I avoid the temptation to become someone of honor when wearing the habit in public, I've learned that it's more of a challenge than I'd like.

For me, the wearing of the brown habit of our Order is a testimony or witness to my vocation. In my discussion about A Theology of the Habit,  the wearing of my garb in public is more about my personal decision to live the vows, identify the group I belong to, and be open to questions and criticisms about my lifestyle. Sometimes I simply get weird looks - looks that say: "Why is that man wearing an ugly dress?" Yet when attending Mass or religious functions, there is this desire to put me up on pedestal for the choice I've made to live this life.

In listening to this Gospel, and reflecting on the life of minority that I am planning to join, I see how easy it is to allow the praise and enthusiasm to get to my head. We've had people try to buy things for us (mostly food...I think people want us all to be fat and jolly!), offers of prayers, and words of great encouragement. And while I am always grateful for the interest and love we receive, I feel torn by the desire to be simple and humble.

My fear is that the guys in long robes that Jesus describes could easily be me if left unchecked. Having lived a life focused on power and recognition, I become wary when people ask for speaking engagements, extend offers for dinner, invite us to events, and invite us to become part of a liturgical service. Perhaps I'm just being overly-conscious or worrying too much...but would the same love and generosity be shown to me if I were a begger or a homeless man? Would people bring me food and tell me: "I pray for you every time I do the Rosary," if I was just a nobody...the nobody that Francis of Assisi tried to be?

Again, I don't wish to sound ungrateful for the love and generosity that is shown to us by the many people who we interact with. And I realize that those actions help us as men and women discerning religious life, knowing that others are thinking and praying for us. However this Sunday's Gospel reminds me that there is the ever-present danger to allow the love and kind words build up my pride instead of my love for others.

Of all the love and acts of graciousness that have been shown to me, the one I remember most is when John and Laura, a homeless couple living in Milwaukee, called me their angel. They could offer no stage for me to speak from, no food...only their appreciation and love for me as a chaplain and a human being. That was their "two small coins worth only a few cents," but I've learned to value them more than any other gift I've received.

For the past two months I have been conserned about my mother. Last year she fell on the ice, injuring her shoulder. It has bothered her for most of the year. She recently had surgery last September to fix the issue, however my mom's arthritis may impair the healing and not give her shoulder full motion ever again.

It is a cause for worry because the job market in Michigan has become horrible ever since the economic crash. While my mother's position at work would be secure because of her seniority, she realizes that even is she does heal, she could be out of a job - as the city looks to make cutbacks. Initially these fears were unfounded; then my aunt (her sister) was let go by the City of Kalamazoo after 20 years of employment.

Unfortunately, my family is no stranger to insecurity.

When my mother was pregnant and the father ('Our Father, who art in heaven,' not 'My father, Pietro of Bernadone.' 2C 12b) moved to California, my mother became kind of an outcast because of her decision not to marry him (I say 'kind of' since I never saw this attitude from my family, nor did I feel like the 'bastard son.')

Not having finished college and with no financial support from home (my grandparents were migrant workers) we bounced around a lot in my early years...until settling in Iowa. Despite her desire to provide a better life, there's only so much one can do when they have a young child at home. Even now, my mom's position at the County Courthouse requires no advanced education. Like many low-income families in this country, my mother is only a paycheck or two away from destitution.

Yet my mother is a survivor. In a recent phone conversation, I listened as my mother told me: "Don't worry about me. I'll be OK. I always land on my feet." Whether it's cultural or just the cencerns of an only son, it hurts to hear about my mother's situation.

As I contemplate on my current Capuchin life, there is a despairity that offends my current world view: I prepare to live a life of poverty when my mother has lived a life of poverty since she was born. Here in Novitiate we talk about living poor and entering the experience of the poor. All the while, my life as a Novice is much improved than my lifestyle growing up. I prepare for poverty, yet I enjoy the privilege of belonging to a community with financial security.

The question that keeps me up at night: Why did I go away to live poverty?

By defining poverty in the context of my experience, I sometimes feel separated from the Novitiate community. Who will help out my mom if she can't work? How will she care for herself as she gets older? Shouldn't I make sure she's stable before 'running off to be a Capuchin?'

Sometimes I sit silently with God, trying to make sense of this perceived contradiction.

Living in communal and evangelical poverty (according to the Gospel) is still a challenge for me: not because I'm new to poverty, but because I struggle to see my current life in conjuction with the poverty of my family. I realize there's very little I could do if I chose to leave. Michigan has no use for used car salesmen these days. Nor would my mother allow her poverty to come between me and a calling from God.

Perhaps the solution lies in my intentions. While others have told me "You got out of the car business at the right time!" I fail to see my life as a friar as a parachute. Since becoming a Capuchin I've been streched to do new and scary things I never knew I could.

Yet while I upload this article from Novitiate, I recognize that my mother no longer has internet because of the cost.

I don't know what's in store for my mother, my aunt, my previous bosses, or the many people who worry about the insecurity of their lives. I only know that if I am meant to be a Capuchin friar, I must stay engaged with the plight of the poor - even if it makes me feel guilty for abandoning the needs of those I love most. For when my heart stops aching, when my voice has become cowed, and my prayer is self-centered...that is when I have stopped caring about the poor.

The topic of celibate chastity is usually addressed from only one angle: giving up sex. In living the life of a Capuchin friar, I've thought about different ways to introduce the topic to share with other people. My fellow novice Matt Janeczko (pronounced: juh-NES-co) wrote an article about celibate chastity in the religious life for a friend of his just recently. He writes:

Now, I know immediately what you’re probably thinking, if, at least, you’re anything like me. Celibacy equals no sex. How can that be any fun at all? Isn’t everyone supposed to get married, have kids, and grow old watching their grandkids play with the dog on the front lawn? Well, I’m writing to tell you that isn’t all there is to life. There are some people who are called by God to live celibate – unmarried – lives as a part of their ministry in the church. Before you think that this sounds boring, I want to introduce to you three different people and tell you a bit of their stories. Two of them have lived long, happy lives doing amazing things for the church. The third story is of a guy who is just starting out on his celibate journey.

You can read his entire article at his blog here. Be sure to let him know if you enjoy or have questions about the article. As a NY Mets fan, I'm sure he can handle any criticism you send his way!

November 3 is the memorial for St. Martin de Porres. Martin was born in Lima, Peru of Spanish and African descent in 1579. He died in 1639.

"Martin the charitable"

From a homily at the Canonization of Saint Martin de Porres by Pop John XXIII

taken from the Office of Readings from the Roman Breviary

This example of Martin's life is ample evidence that we can strive for holiness and slavation as Christ Jesus has shown us: first by loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; and second, by loving your neighbor as yourself.

When Martin had come to realize that Christ Jesus suffered for us and that he carried our sins on his body to the cross, he would meditate with remarkable ardor and affection about Christ on the cross. Whenever he would contemplate Christ's terrible torture he would be reduced to tears. He had an exceptional love for the great sacrament of the eucharist and often spent long hours in prayer before the blessed sacrament. His desire was to receive the sacrament in communion as often as he could.

Saint Martin, always obedient and inspired by his divine teacher, dealt with his brothers with that profound love which comes from pure faith and humility of spirit. He loved men (sic) because  he honestly looked on them as God's children and as his own brothers and sisters. Such was his humility that he loved them even more than himself and considered them to be better and more righteous than he was.

He did not blame others for their shortcomings. Certain that he deserved more severe punishment for his sins than others did, he would overlook their worst offenses. He was tireless in his efforts to reform the criminal, and he would sit up with the sick to bring them comfort. For the poor he would provide food, clothing, and medicine. He did all he could to care for the poor farmhands, blacks and mulattoes who were looked down upon as slaves., the dregs of society in their time. Common people responded by callin him "Martin the charitable."

The virtuous examle and even the conversation of this saintly man exerted a powerful influence in drawing men to religion. It is remarkable how even today his influence can still move us toward the things of heaven. Sad to say, not all of us understand these spiritual values as well as we should, nor do we give them a proper place in our lives. Many of us, in fact, strongly attracted by sin, may look upon these values as of little moment, even something of a nuisance, or we ignore them altogether. It is deeply rewarding for men striving for salvation to follow in Christ's footsteps and to obey God's commandments. If only everyone could learn this lesson from the example that Martin gave us.

Icon painted by Robert Lentz, OFM. His work can be found at www.trinitystores.com.

Talking about my life as a Capuchin would be incomplete without a serious look at the vow of poverty. Moreso than most other orders, the life of poverty is closely identified with the founder: Francis of Assisi. It is not only our way of life, it is an expectation others have of us as friars.

Yet for almost 800 years people have struggled with this life, trying to concretly define Francis' intentions while making them applicable to the modern day. Even here in Novitiate we sometimes disagree on what it is to live poverty - whether it's about buying things (like my Under Armor shirt, which was an excellent investment by the way), the use of funds and things we have access to, or the caretaking of current holdings (applicances, vehicles, musical instruments).

The understanding of poverty is an integral part of my Novitiate year. I highly doubt I'll have figured out poverty by next July, yet I realize there are several goals that should be achieved by then (along with the other vows):

• To learn the history of poverty as defined by Francis' Rule and our Constitutions and to understand how it has changed since the 13th Century.
• To develop a personal understanding of a life of poverty.
• To live poverty as a way to "enter the experience of the poor." 
• To synthesize all this and seriously ask myself if I am able to live this life.

Thankfully I'm not left to my own devices here. The novitiate formators have already started encouraging dialogue, assigned readings, and had us present material in these areas. 

Throughout the rest of this Novitiate year, I will have a series entitled: Choosing Poverty. These will be reflections on how we learn to live a life of poverty as Capuchin friars, in the context of Christology formed by Francis, passed down to his brothers, and lived through the history of the Friars Minor.

My hope is to cover such topics as:

Through Francis' Eyes-A look at the poor and humble Christ through the lens of St. Francis and how it shaped his Rule and our Capuchin Constitutions.

Worlds Collide-A reflection on my first day of Postulancy, my meeting of a homeless person on the side of the highway, and how it shaped my understanding of poverty, much like Francis' experience with the leper.

The Order Struggles-Looking at the history of the Frairs Minor and the divisions caused by defining poverty...eventually leading to several splits.

Poor By Living Poverty-Coming from a poor, single-parent family receiving government aid, I have a unique look at how poverty is lived as a Capuchin, and how it sometimes separates me from others in the community.

Walk With Me-Reflections on working with the homeless in Milwaukee. I talk about entering their experience, overcoming fear, and developing a "preferential love for the poor."

I hope, Dear Readers, you will be encouraged to follow my journey.

While there's not much a bunch of guys secluded from the rest of the world can do to celebrate Halloween, we're still having a good time here in Novitiate. (I jokingly asked the novice master about attending "The hugest Halloween party in Pittsburgh" tonight. I was told: "You can do whatever you want...just realize that every decision has consequences." After a little discernment, I decided I would not go out to the club.)

Mom made a card out of an old picture she found of me. I put it up for a bit of humility. I remember one of the guys asking: "Who's the littler girl in the picture?"

Halloween was a new experience for the Aussies as well. I try  not to treat them as tourists, however the experience of this holiday has too much to miss out on. Pictured above were Kieran, John, and Jude carving pumpkins. Not knowing what to do with the "pumpkin guts" and seeing me with a camera, this pic is of me ducking while they threw pumpkin innards at me.

 

Last but not least, two of the guys made a special Halloween cake - meticulously crafted and swiftly consumed by the community!

Probably more important than than the actual holiday is that we have 3 months completed of the Novitiate year (366 days). There is always the fear that days will become mundane, routine, and that we will lose that fire that got us here in the first place. For the many blessings that are fruits of this year of prayer and contemplation, the removal from the world is its own unique experience...a "dying to our old lives" for lack of a better metaphor.

Have a safe holiday, and remember to pray for vocations tomorrow for All Saint's Day!

NOTICE: Fr. Marty is now accepting emails. If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask! -Br. Vito

I’m Father Marty Pable, a priest, psychologist, and friar with the Capuchin Franciscans. I’ve spent many years talking with people about their questions, concerns, and sometimes their personal troubles in life and on their faith journey. I enjoy answering questions about being a Catholic and what we believe as Catholic Christians.

I know there are many people, Catholic and otherwise, who have questions about what Catholics believe – and why. There are others who are “spiritual seekers,” meaning that they may not belong to any church, but they are searching for something to believe in – a way to make sense of life and its stresses. People have questions about the existence and nature of God, questions about the Bible, about prayer, about the connections between faith and science, about ethics and morality, and much more.

No matter where you are in your faith journey, I welcome your questions and concerns. I will not “preach to you” or try to convert you; I will respect your own process. I will only try to answer your questions the best I can, and leave you free to decide the next step. I am deeply convinced that God loves each of us and guides us all in our search for faith.

If you wish to connect with me, just fill out the form below. I may not be able to respond immediately, but I will do so as soon as possible. Be assured that our conversations will be kept confidential. Any questions or messages will not be posted on Br. Vito’s blog or any other chat room or message board.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

Fr. Marty Pable, OFM Cap.

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Father Martin Pable is a native of Wisconsin. He entered the Capuchin Order and was ordained to the priesthood in 1958. He received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the Catholic University of America in 1965.

He taught courses in Pastoral Counseling at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee and at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corners, WI. He has done
extensive counseling with priests, religious and laity. He conducts retreats, workshops and continuing education programs around the country.

Presently he co-director of the Capuchin postulancy program in Milwaukee, WI, and teaches part-time in the diocesan lay ministry program. Besides retreat work and spiritual direction, he is available to conduct programs in parishes, especially on topics of spirituality and evangelization.

He has written two books on spirituality for men: A Man and his God and The Quest for the Male Soul and two books on evangelization: Catholics and Fundamentalists and Reclaim the Fire: A Parish Guide to Evangelization. His most recent books are Prayer: A Practical Guide, and Remaining Catholic: Six Good Reasons to Stay in an Imperfect Church. He has also published many articles in the area of psychology and religion.

Note: All communications, personal information, email addresses, etc. are confidential exist between Fr. Marty Pable and the writer solely; persons involved in the design, maintenance, or contribution to this site are excluded from receiving any messages. Should you wish to contact Fr. Marty regarding spiritual direction, parish workshops, retreats, or for further discussion, please contact the site manager.

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After spending months and months telling people: "I will never tweet!" I have finally become part of the machine by opening a Twitter account.

With the integration of the new blog template and the desire to try some new things with my blog, I swallowed my pride, made sure no one else was in the computer room, signed up and made my first "tweet."

The rationale to finally sign up came from the joomba blog at compassdesigns.net. They shared a draft pic that perfectly articulated my desire to live my life without tweeting...and the reality that I will eventually succumb to the madness as well.

Hopefully I will find some way to use this in my ministry or in my life, other than just to tell people that I'm sitting in the TV room watching my football team lose. Yet I feel an underlying desire that wherever the people are (in body or via the internet), we as Capuchins should be there too.

I still don't know how this utility is useful. Perhaps I should tweet that thought.

www.twitter.com/VitoOFMCap