I almost forgot! My biggest struggle has been keeping to a schedule with the 2 kids, and having a relatively unpredictable work schedule. I have found that writing down a loose schedule in advance and trying to keep prayer time to the beginning of the day vs the end brings more success. I'm also finding the importance of the fact that heart to heart meditation leading to mental prayer as the best motivating heart for all the other parts of the rule.

Small world! My dad has cousins in Schuyler. I went to school in Columbus, and my grandma was from Humphrey. We regularly attend Immaculate Conception. Yes, we'd love to meet in person anyone who is in town! You have a beautiful family!

Ave Maria! Great idea to have introductions! It's great hearing who all these members of our Franciscan family are. My name is Alaric. I was born and raised in northeastern Iowa, but my family moved to mid-Nebraska when I was about to start middle school. We had family there, and the town where we lived was a relatively short distance from where my dad's mom grew up. The whole county was full of formerly Franciscan parishes and schools (including my own school named after Bl. John Duns Scotus). In fact, my grandma's great grandpa was prefect of a 3rd order there, and my grandma went to a Franciscan high school as well, so the Franciscans were always close to my heart. However, I discerned for 2 years with a community of canons regular before exiting the community and moving to Omaha, NE where my family resided. I've been here for almost 9 years now. After meeting with a good, traditional spiritual director from the FSsP here in Nebraska, I ended up marrying my now-wife who I met through our parish. We were married August 3, 2019 and then made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse, WI & then to the apparition sight of Our Lady of Good Help. After this trip, it was on my heart to somehow join a Franciscan Third Order. When we were expecting our first son, I to the Lord that if he would be born on the feast of St. Louis IX, I'd take it as a sign to give strong consideration to joining this third order, and that,, then, was his birthday. I came from a family of 12. I was the only boy (4 older sisters, 5 younger), but I now have 2 sons: Emerick Josef-Maria & Leo Franz Josef-Maria.

Ave Maria! Thank you all, again, for the many prayers poured out for Leo! Leaving the hospital on the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (third order), July 8th, he left with medication for high blood pressure, which they said was sometimes normal for premies (I think, while their bodies are still figuring out how to self-regulate things). They said he'd most likely outgrow it within a year. Well, then, we started getting suspicious that he had a sensitivity to the medication. Right at that time, his blood pressure just immediately stabilized, and he is no longer in need of it! I think it was a real grace and blessing from God. His health & development are excellent. It's easy to get a smile out of him these days, and his brother loves having him around. Pax et bonum, Br Joseph

Thank you all for the continued prayers! Mr. Leo is almost 4 lbs! He's growing fast and doing very well. He has no supplemental oxygen and is only supplied with fortified milk via feeding tube and some other small supplements such as salt and vitamin D. Our hope and prayer is that he will be home some time between June 22nd and July 8th!

Prayers also needed now as he undergoes some surgery for a PICC line, which will go to the heart for more long-term supply of nourishment. Some risks involved, but I'm told it's a necessary surgery and the only real, long-term option.

Photos from his birthday (Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022 -- at 26 weeks gestation -- weighing 2 lbs & ~1.78? oz). Shortly after his birth and Baptism (before being taken to another hospital) In his new hospital room:

Ave Maria! Thank you Br Pio et al! So far he is doing very well! Little Leo Franz Josef-Maria is named after Servant of God Fr. Leo Heinrichs, OFM (left German Prussia under the persecution of Kulturkampf and martyred in Denver, CO by an anarchist) -- as well as our Holy Father St. Francis, Bl. Franz Jagerstatter, OFS, St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Jospeh, (Gaudian of the Seraphic Order), & Our Lady (Queen of the Seraphic Order). He's breathing room air within the incubator with just a little extra humidified oxygen and doing well with that so far. We were entrusting him to the intercession of Servant of God Leo Heinrichs, while awaiting Leo's arrival, and he did really pretty well from the start -- though, still with a little medical help here and there. He was given an emergency Baptized immediately after birth, so he's been snatched from the state of original sin, and all the rest is in God's hands, ultimately, but things are looking really pretty good so far. Continued prayers (especially through the intercession of Servant of God Leo Heinrichs) are much appreciated! Pax et bonum, Br Joseph

There is a great book published by TAN called The School of Jesus Crucified that you might consider. I'd also really recommend The Passion and Its Hidden Meaning (also from TAN).

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!! Thanks be to God for the great grace to be sons and daughters of such an Immaculate Queen! Bl. John Duns Scotus, pray for us!

1. I would respond that one can be too attached to any good thing (i.e., We must love God above all things such that if any good thing stands between us and the love of God, we have to be willing to choose God over that other good). 2. A validly, universally promulgated rite cannot in and of itself be evil -- or you accuse Christ of injecting poison into His own Mystical Body. So, claiming that the old rite itself is evil is a blasphemy. 3. The theological virtue of piety requires that we reverently receive what good things have been handed on to us and pass it on to future generations in tact -- only making minor additions or subtractions in such a way that would only further perfect what was handed down -- done very carefully and slowly over the course of ages by the hands of Saints to give any changes enough time to be universally accepted as a part of the tradition and to make sure it was fashioned in an organic way. This was, in the past, shown to be the general mind of the Church. For this reason, Pope Benedict thought it right to bring back the traditional rite--as he saw that the changes made in the 60s were more quickly made with such great amounts of things changed in ways that were never done before. There needed to be more time and more gradual steps to assure organic development and continuity with the past. This is why we ask for the traditional rite to be preserved -- so that the Church can have more time to keep changes in check -- as ought to always be the case -- to make sure that all changes are truly for the genuine good of the faithful and that they further clarify and manifest the Sacred Mysteries.

Thank you! And, thanks be to God, the OB thinks it may not be a miscarriage after all. The original doctor had us concerned there might be an ectopic pregnancy, but the OB thinks the baby is just fine. We're also doing much better on the covid front. Thank you all for the prayers!

We both seem to be doing much better. However, my wife seems to be going through a miscarriage at about 3 weeks. We mentioned it so early on especially for the prayers, but we knew this was, obviously, a possibility. It's all within Divine Providence.

Thank you for the prayers! I am feeling somewhat better today. The first 3 days included alot of chills and a fever on and off. Then, that mostly subsided. Now it has turned more into congestion and a cough. I would say, the most difficult thing is back aches that seem to accompany it, which does make it hard to sleep at night. My wife, Sr. Joan (Mary) also has some minor symptoms (low grade fever, occasional cough, etc.) and seems like she might also get hit by it a bit, though, perhaps not as badly, and my son seems mostly to just have a runny nose. I heard it may get worse later into this, so we're just praying for the grace to handle it well enough between the 3 of us. So far we've mostly focused on vitamins and reducing fevers when they've started getting high (e.g., 101, 102). I am taking dosages of zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and my regular multivitamin, of which all the combined dosages within the different supplements are under the upper end of the recommendation. I'll likely also start occasional quercetin -- just to help get over this faster so I can return to work when I am able. Chamomile tea with lemon, honey, and a little whiskey has also been a great help. I also spoke briefly with an infectious disease specialist who uses some recommendations by the frontline docs along with some other medications for some of the older or more sickly around here. He told me he thinks, given or overall good health and are, we should make it through just fine but just to call in Monday or Tuesday if we're not feeling more on the mend by then. Thanks be to God we should make it through without too much chaos! P.S., I had an added degree of worry in that we did, just recently, find out that my wife is expecting again, but the doctor thinks she should be just fine nonetheless -- even if only on certain vitamins safe for her to take, etc. Thanks be to God!

Oh, I didn't realize you could inhale it. Is it safe enough when it's that diluted? So far, I've just used a baking soda saline spray into my sinuses & a humidifier at night.

Thank you! Yes, I just got a rapid test today so that my work place would know how soon I could come back after getting better. The test did come back positive. I've only had it 3 days, but the fever seems to have subsided. Now it's mostly just a cough and congestion.

@Br. Anthony (Phil) This is the copy we purchased. Based on the reviews, it looked like the best translation I was able to find.

Thank you all for the prayers! She is doing much better and is back home. Deo gratias!

Praying outside the abortion mills would be another great apostolate for a Third Order Franciscan. It's a great witness to the women et al & bears great fruit. Certainly, also giving alms to GOOD crisis pregnancy centers would also be a worthy cause.

Unfortunately, our modern state isn't like the old days when it comes to it, however. Priests probably went freely into "death row" to seek conversions of the inmates. Probably not so much today. But, you might read the book "Joseph Cafasso" by St. John Bosco or any other book on St. Joseph Cafasso. In relation to the Third Order, it'd be a great Third Order Apostolate to pray for those on death row and in the prisons in general -- for their conversions and final penitence.