Life in fraternity - what it should be, what it can be, what it is - is something that's very important to me. That isn't really surprising when you consider that my reason for searching for something that turned out to be the SFO was a desire to share my faith journey with others, more than happens when you attend Mass each Sunday. Some of you have heard me talk about life in fraternity at the candidates' retreats; however, it is something that we all have to revisit from time to time, to see how God is calling us to a deeper understanding of how we should be living our Secular Franciscan life. St. Francis isn't the only one who came to understand his vocation more fully over time!

At the September meeting, we will be talking about life in fraternity, from the perspective of what our Rule, Constitutions, and even our national statutes say about it. We will also consider what the fraternity as a whole (and the council in particular) do to develop our life in fraternity, and what we as individuals within the fraternity do. To that end, I invite you to prepare for the meeting by considering the following questions:

1. What do I expect of the fraternity? What keeps me coming to meetings?
2. What do I contribute of myself to life in fraternity? What do I do to help ensure that what I expect from the fraternity becomes a reality?

These are questions for your reflection only - we won't be asking you to share your answers. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Peace and good, Vickie