day eighteen

We give You thanks today, O God, that at the Casa we have learned the importance of being servants. We stand in humility and gratitude with Jesus who washed the feet of his disciples and with St. Francis who washed the sores of the lepers.

day seventeen

We give You thanks today, O God, for the Casa’s willingness to welcome and embrace those who have been treated as outcasts elsewhere: those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, the divorced and separated, those who identify as gay and lesbian. In our openness we have learned that the Church is not a home for the righteous, but a hospital for all of us who fail and sin.

day sixteen

We give You thanks today, O God, for the hungry that the Casa Community has fed both through handsom work and donations: the homeless at the Andre House dining room, the members of the Apache tribe at White River and San Carlos, and those who have received our weekly food donations. In their poverty, they have moved us outside of ourselves and helped us to think with the mind of Christ.

day fifteen

We give You thanks today, O God, for the Casa’s commitment to the resolution of conflict through peaceful means. In a world torn apart by violence and war that seems unending, the Casa has stood as a beacon for peace, inspired by Francis of Assisi, the former soldier and prisoner of war who came to understand that only love can conquer hatred.

day fourteen

We give You thanks today, O God, for the Casa's long relationship with the Casa Franciscana Mission in Guaymas, Mexico. We are grateful for the opportunities we have been given to provide housing, medical care, and education in one of the world’s poor communities. We are grateful for each success the friars have achieved in Guaymas, and we are grateful that the people of Guaymas bless us each year with the radiant faces of their young mariachis who serenade us with confidence and joy.

day thirteen

We give You thanks today, O God, for what we have learned at the Casa about the many needs of our community and our world. We pray that our knowledge will continually open our eyes to oppression, injustice, violence, discrimination, poverty, and suffering so that we might play a small part in bringing about change — in bringing about the Kingdom of God on this earth.

week three

In celebration of the Casa’s 60th Anniversary, we pray in thanksgiving for all of the beauty that surrounds us at the Casa: the mountains, the trees, the plants and animals, the architecture, the art, the music and dance, and the people. Like Francis of Assisi may we see God in all of it.

This week, in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Franciscan Renewal Center, we remember all of the opportunities that the Casa has created and supported to serve those in need.