Pope Francis waves to the crowds at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Sept 2, 2015. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Vatican City, Jul 17, 2021 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis urged members of the Order of Friars Minor on Saturday to seek renewal as they face “the challenges of declining numbers and aging.”
In a message to participants of the order’s general chapter in Rome on July 17, the pope encouraged the Franciscan Friars, known by the initials O.F.M., not to be paralyzed by worry.
“As much of the order faces the challenges of declining numbers and aging, do not let anxiety and fear prevent you from opening your hearts and minds to the renewal and revitalization that the Spirit of God is stirring in you and among you,” he said.
“You have a spiritual heritage of inestimable richness, rooted in the Gospel life and characterized by prayer, fraternity, poverty, minority, and itinerancy.”
“Do not forget that we receive from our closeness to the poor, the victims of modern slavery, the refugees, and the excluded of this world, a renewed gaze, capable of opening us to God’s future. They are your teachers. Embrace them as St. Francis did!”
The general chapter is taking place on July 3-18 on the theme of “Renewing Our Vision, Embracing Our Future.”
The order announced on July 13 that it had elected a new leader, Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, who will serve a six-year term as minister general. He succeeds Fr. Michael Perry, a native of Indianapolis, who led the order since 2013.
In his message, the pope said: “I greet with affection all of you who are participating in the general chapter of the Order of Friars Minor. A grateful thought goes out to Fr. Michael A. Perry, who has concluded his service as minister general, and I offer my best wishes to Fr. Massimo Giovanni Fusarelli, who has been called to succeed him.”
The pope recalled that St. Francis of Assisi wrote in his Testament that he used to be nauseated by the sight of lepers, but that after he met them, he felt transformed.
“At the roots of your spirituality is this encounter with the least and the suffering, in the sign of ‘doing mercy,’” he said. “God touched Francis’ heart through the mercy offered to his brother, and he continues to touch our hearts through his encounter with others, especially those most in need.”
“The renewal of your vision can only start from this new look with which to contemplate the poor and marginalized brother, a sign, almost a sacrament, of God’s presence.”
He continued: “From this renewed gaze, from this concrete experience of encounter with our neighbor and his wounds, can come a renewed energy to look to the future as brothers and as minors, as you are, according to the beautiful name of ‘Friars Minor’ that St. Francis chose for himself and for you.”
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Ultrasound of a baby in the womb. / GagliardiPhotography/Shutterstock
Denver, Colo., Dec 9, 2022 / 11:05 am (CNA).
A proposed ordinance in the southern Colorado city of Pueblo would require abortion clinics to follow federal law and allow citiz… […]
Douglas Ernst’s “Soulfinder” series of graphic novels follows the adventures of combat vets-turned-exorcists. / ICONIC Comics
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2022 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Father Patrick Retter kept his wits about him as he faced the giant, red-eyed cobra slithering out of the possessed woman’s mouth.
“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti,” he chanted the Sign of the Cross in Latin, as he thrust a bottle of holy water at the demon.
The woman bit his hand with her teeth — emitting a loud crunch — but the priest kept going. Clutching his wooden cross, he declared, “I cast you and every satanic specter out — in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! It is he who commands you.”
So begins one of the many action-packed scenes in the “Soulfinder” graphic novel series about a fictional “special forces of exorcists” within the Catholic Church.
“‘Soulfinder’ is about a major order of combat veteran exorcists who are recruited to engage in spiritual warfare with a demon called Blackfire until the end of time,” Douglas Ernst, the writer and creator of the seriestold CNA.
The 42-year-old writer began the series to fill a void in today’s comic-book world — and in the culture.
“The heroes that I grew up reading are often unrecognizable because the creators at Marvel and DC are activists posing as serious storytellers,” he explained. “I created ‘Soulfinder’ because I wanted to give people solid stories and artwork that also imparts something good, true, and beautiful.”
Together with a team of artists — Timothy Lim, Brett R. Smith, Matthew Weldon, and Dave Dorman, to name a few — Ernst brings to life characters who dedicate themselves to serving God after serving their country. They apply their experience of fighting in the physical world to, now, battling in the spiritual realm.
The series is already saving souls, both inside and outside of its pages.
“I love it when someone writes me and says that reading the books brought them back to the Catholic Church after they drifted away,” Ernst revealed. “Perhaps they haven’t gone to Mass in years, but something in the stories rekindled the flame of faith.”
Stories of selfless service
A Catholic veteran himself, Ernst shares something in common with his protagonists. He served as a mechanized infantryman in the ‘90s, leaving before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He saw many of his friends go to war — and never return.
Ernst brings this background to his books, which follow the adventures of Retter (an Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran), Father Reginald Crane (a Vietnam veteran), and Detective Gregory Chua.
“My hope is that I’ve done right by the military community,” he said. “Selfless service and the willingness to lay down one’s life for another is a crucial component of the series.”
Ernst, who previously worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., now splits his time between Reno, Nevada, and Missoula, Montana, while focusing on his graphic novels.
His first two — “Soulfinder: Demon’s Match” and “Soulfinder: Black Tide” — greet readers with vivid colors and rich Catholic symbolism. The second book, available in hardcover, shimmers with gilded pages — and even a glow-in-the-dark monster.
“Where are the Catholic creators who will attempt to pick up where G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien left off?” asks Douglas Ernst, the creator of the “Soulfinder” graphic novels. ICONIC Comics
There is a dramatic reality at the core of these works of fiction. The series illustrates Catholic priests not only as courageous heroes but also as imperfect human beings — men who may fall, but always pick themselves back up, driven by a desire to do the right thing. Along the way, their personality (and sense of humor) shines through the narrative.
Available through ICONIC Comics, the first two volumes also appear on AmazonKindle. In January, both made No. 1 on Amazon’s list of new releases in “Religious Graphic Novels.”
Inspired by Catholic writers
Ernst — who learned to read by devouring the adventures of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Daredevil, and Captain America as a boy — began his series after encountering mainstream comic books filled with moral relativism.
“Where are the Catholic creators who will attempt to pick up where G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien left off?” he asked. “That’s a tall task, but the culture will continue to drift into dangerous waters if Catholic writers and artists do not enter as many creative places as possible.”
Ernst shared what he did to prepare for the books, to ensure that they were theologically sound.
Being a “cradle Catholic” helped, he admitted, in addition to consulting with other Catholics, including a priest. His stories, he said, have been inspired by the works of St. Francis de Sales, Father Gabriele Amorth, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, and others.
Ernst began the series after organizing a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. He also credits his success to working with talented artists and to Word on Fire, Bishop Robert Barron’s media ministry, which has featured his work in blog and YouTube interviews.
A ‘PG-13’ advisory
Teenagers and adults seeking classic storytelling with “good vs. evil” seem to enjoy Soulfinder, Ernst said of his series, which he rates as “PG-13.” This is because, among other things, the series addresses a dark subject matter.
In his first book with artist Timothy Lim, also a practicing Catholic, a black mass scene involves a naked woman.
“She is nude, but there’s shadows where there needs to be shadows,” Ernst pointed out the strategic shading over her body. “It’s also shown as a bad thing.”
While the series is for more mature readers, it offers content for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“Most Catholic characters in modern comics and in Hollywood tend to be cartoonish version of the Faith,” he said.
His series, he emphasized, is different.
“It makes me incredibly happy when readers who are not Catholic say that these stories show a side of our faith that they have never encountered before.”
Third book on the way
Ernst told CNA the third installment of the series is in production.
“‘Soulfinder: Infinite Ascent’ takes our heroes to the other side of the world to apprehend a rogue member of the CIA who has evaded capture through supernatural means,” Ernst told CNA. “The U.S. government was so impressed with Father Retter and his friends regarding their success in ‘Soulfinder: Black Tide’ that it returns to them once again to clean up a global network of occultists.”
While there is no official release date yet, Ernst expects the book to be colored and lettered in March. From there, it will be sent to the printer.
“The story, at its core, focuses on the loss of loved ones, grief, and the need for forgiveness,” Ernst hinted. “The key to saving the day hinges on one character’s ability to forgive others for their trespasses against him.”
The volume will include a bonus story, “Soulfinder: War Cry,” which takes place at Arlington Cemetery.
In the end, Ernst hopes that these books will bring him, and his readers, closer to heaven.
“I know that one day I will stand before my Creator and I’ll have to give an account of what I’ve done with the talents I’ve been given,” he said. “I hope that my creative team has done its small part in saving souls while simultaneously entertaining readers.”
Washington D.C., Sep 3, 2021 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
A Virginia teacher fired for not using the “preferred pronoun” of a self-identified transgender student has appealed his case to the state supreme court.Pe… […]
3 Comments
A question I ponder:
Did the OFM Franciscans get bailed out by money gleaned from the seizure and sale of property belonging to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI), who the Pontiff Francis’ destroyed, literally exiling their priests and nuns to the Phillipines and other places far from their sacred domiciles in Italy?
Did the OFM Franciscans in the Pontiff Francis’ Vatican, led by the former Director of the OFM, Archbishop Carballo, deliberately attack the FFI Franciscans to destroy their charism for the ancient Mass, and sieze their property, and sell it tp pay of the debts incurred by the malfeasance (or worse) of the OFMs? The former OFM Director Perry disclosed that when he took over in late 2013 or early 2014, the OFMs had suffered “grave, and I underscore grave financial” losses…in tens of Millions of Dollars…because of “irregularities” under the direction of his predecessor, now Archbishop Jose Carballo, who was the very first appointee to the Vatican of the Pontiff Francis, whisked away to Rome in summer of 2013, before his successor Perry disclosed the financial scandal in 2014. The story was first broken by reporter Nick Squires of the UK Telegraph I believe in November 2014.
That’s a very serious and unexplored question. What happened to the property of the FFI Franciscans who were destroyed by the Pontiff Francis, at the hands of his appointee Archbishop Carballo, who directed the attack on the FFI Franciscans.
Pope Francis suppressed the one priestly fraternity in Italy that was thriving, and now attempts to crush the one liturgical movement that was growing. And then he encourages the O.F.M.s amid their declining numbers! It is impossible to overestimate the craziness in Rome right now!
By 
A question I ponder:
Did the OFM Franciscans get bailed out by money gleaned from the seizure and sale of property belonging to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI), who the Pontiff Francis’ destroyed, literally exiling their priests and nuns to the Phillipines and other places far from their sacred domiciles in Italy?
Did the OFM Franciscans in the Pontiff Francis’ Vatican, led by the former Director of the OFM, Archbishop Carballo, deliberately attack the FFI Franciscans to destroy their charism for the ancient Mass, and sieze their property, and sell it tp pay of the debts incurred by the malfeasance (or worse) of the OFMs? The former OFM Director Perry disclosed that when he took over in late 2013 or early 2014, the OFMs had suffered “grave, and I underscore grave financial” losses…in tens of Millions of Dollars…because of “irregularities” under the direction of his predecessor, now Archbishop Jose Carballo, who was the very first appointee to the Vatican of the Pontiff Francis, whisked away to Rome in summer of 2013, before his successor Perry disclosed the financial scandal in 2014. The story was first broken by reporter Nick Squires of the UK Telegraph I believe in November 2014.
That’s a very serious and unexplored question. What happened to the property of the FFI Franciscans who were destroyed by the Pontiff Francis, at the hands of his appointee Archbishop Carballo, who directed the attack on the FFI Franciscans.
Pope Francis suppressed the one priestly fraternity in Italy that was thriving, and now attempts to crush the one liturgical movement that was growing. And then he encourages the O.F.M.s amid their declining numbers! It is impossible to overestimate the craziness in Rome right now!
What does PF mean by renewal? Is it renewal via the German path?