DeSales Weekly Archives
Reflections
Be guided through Rome's Holy Week by Fr. Barry Strong, OSFS, Superior General of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales...
Throughout Lent, Fr. Michael Newman, OSFS, has been reflecting and writing about the teachings of Bl. Louis Brisson, OSFS, the founder of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. Here he offers a quote and prayer from Bl. Brisson about Easter...
Be guided through Rome's Holy Week by Fr. Barry Strong, OSFS, Superior General of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales...
All who are baptized in Christ have inherited the cross of Christ, and when Oblates take their first vows, we receive our profession cross. Crosses can be seen as burdens, but how can we be transformed when we learn to see our crosses as gifts?...
As we progress through the days of Holy Week, we are reminded that Jesus did not pick those who had it “all figured out.” How can the journey of Jesus during the Easter Triduum continue to transform our struggles and our weaknesses?...
Love of neighbor is on par with love of God and follows it immediately. When I entered the Oblates, my first superior, Fr. John Lehner, OSFS, was a great example of this. How can we learn from Fr. John's example of love, gentleness, patience, and meekness?...
Forgiving and being forgiven pose such a hurdle for our emotional life because it touches on the most sensitive parts of our past. Even when we can bring ourselves to make an act of forgiveness, what are we to do with those painful memories?...
The tradition of celebrating Holy Thursday with a processional pilgrimage from church to church is making a comeback. This is a unique opportunity to spend time with the Lord...
Children are constant sources of surprise and wonder. Scripture tells us that a child led them. Is that really so? Read how Fr. Dave Whalen discovered what children can do...
In Chile, Lent and Easter are significant religious celebrations within the Catholic community. Learn about Chilean customs, including a special celebration known as Cuasimodo, pictured here, which is held on the first Sunday after Easter...
I often take my imperfections and make them my identity, and get spiritually trapped by shame. Does that sound familiar? As we journey through Lent, let's reflect on the difference between guilt and shame. and what St. Francis de Sales teaches...
It can be difficult to discern God’s Will in our lives, and often takes an open, honest dialogue with God, or is made clear through someone we encounter in our lives. How can we tune into God’s Will, and what questions can we ask ourselves to help us? ...
Jesus' sacrifice is a model of selflessness and genuine love. Twenty-five years ago, the Church recognized a group of religious women who made the ultimate sacrifice during one of the darkest times in modern history. How can we learn from their selflessness, faith, and courage?...
Peter, James, and John grow in their understanding of who Jesus is through their experience of the Transfiguration. How are we challenged to find a God of our understanding? What can the uniqueness of Salesian Spirituality offer in this search?...
When the Visitation Order was founded in America, it also embraced a ministry of education to young women. As schools and monasteries grew up together, students, faculty, staff, and families learned that to be cloistered didn’t mean to be invisible. What can we learn from their devotion to the ministry of showing?…
Lent is a very special time in the Church year when we are invited to “go the extra mile.” Traditionally, our Lenten practices include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. How can you go the extra mile, deepen your heartfelt outreach? What does St. Francis challenge us to do?...
Looking for people to love what we love is natural, but it is also a recipe for great upset. How many times have you hoped someone would think, feel, or love as you do, only to be disappointed? Since we cannot expect people to always be like us, where can we turn in scripture to guide our hearts? ...
Almsgiving is one way to show gratitude for all the Lord has given to us. What can we do this Lent to give back to those who are in need? How can we dedicate time each day to talk with our God, heart to heart?…
The deadline of Carnival reminds me of the fairytale, Cinderella, and her midnight transformation. In some ways, this is a perfect metaphor. How can we be transformed through our Lenten duties and devotions?…
What does it mean to fast in today’s Church? And, in today's parlance, is it in or out? As Lent arrives, how can we use the Lenten practice of Fasting to go deeper and look at personal and spiritual areas that need attention... R
Jesus often uses children to make a point. He not only says, “Let the little children come to me” but He also embraces them. Why is this a radical response by Jesus? What’s the big deal and how can we carry out this teaching?...
The depth of God's love for us goes beyond this world. It has been said that the proof of God’s presence in a person‘s life is the presence of joy. How do joy and hope work together and help us spread our faith?
Many of us spend time imagining aspects of the afterlife. Images from the Bible speak of the great “banquet table” in heaven. How do you envision the reunion with loved ones? What does St. Francis say in his teaching?
DeSales Service Works, an Oblate ministry in Camden, NJ, hosts school and parish groups to join the efforts of our “service partners.” Instead of learning about problems and issues, volunteers come to know their sisters and brothers of the same God. These service partners can inspire all of us to contribute to their efforts—and importantly— to see ways to serve in our regular communities…
St. Francis de Sales wrote, “We pray best before beauty.” It is no coincidence that the Christian tradition is full of works of art. If we can learn to value a work of art for its own sake, then how much more can we learn to value an act of kindness or a moment of prayer for its own sake?...
I always enjoyed the Gospel passage where Jesus says, “Come, follow me,” because following is in my nature! But what if it was interpreted as “Come and be dependent on me.” How does that resonate differently and how is dependence on the Lord truly what we need?...
As we mourn the victims of the recent plane crashes, we may begin to think: "How can God let this happen, where is God during these times? For Christians, the answer is not in a book but in a person...
DeSales Service Works (DSW) and the City of Camden, NJ have changed a lot since this fence was built. How does it symbolize our humanity and the constant choice between living Jesus and the desires of our ego...