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Reviving Our Spirit - Quinquennial of the Secular Franciscan Order June 30-July 4, 2016

January 1, 2016
Happy Q Year!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, along with wishing you a Happy New Year, I also wish each of you, "Happy Q Year!"

We know "Q’s" don’t come along every year – more like every five years - so this is something to celebrate!

On this first day of this "Q Year", I personally invite each one of you to attend our 2016 Quinquennial Congress (the "Q") to be held June 30 – July 4, 2016 in St. Louis, Missouri.

This Quinquennial gathering is important to our Order for so many reasons. I cannot wait to be with you and at least 599 more of our brothers and sisters to celebrate who we are and all we are called to be.

My dear Brothers and Sisters, the 2016 Q is just six months away!

I need your help right now to invite, excite and ignite! (Ignite, as in "set us on fire" or as in "Houston, we have lift off…!")

Invite
In the next few weeks each one of you will receive a phone call personally inviting you to the Q.

In turn, I would like each and every Secular Franciscan in our National Fraternity to receive a phone call and a personal invitation to the Q. For this to happen, I need your help. Could you please work with your Regional Council to arrange a system by which each person, in each local fraternity in your Region will receive a phone call inviting them to the Q? Sending an email is not enough, and not the same. Personal invitation makes a difference. And what a great way to reach out and personally greet each brother and sister in our Order!

Excite
Share the good news! Find those persons in your Region who have attended a past Quinquennial and ask them to share their excitement. Make opportunities – starting with those phone calls – to explain what the "Q" is all about and why it’s important that as many as possible attend.

Ignite
We need ignition and lift off! Hotel rooms need to be reserved as soon as possible, or we risk not having the rooms we need. (Note: It costs nothing to reserve a room, so even if you are just considering whether to attend, please reserve your room now.) Help those in your Region find a roommate in order to cut costs. Publicize who is attending and who needs a roommate. Find creative ways to make it financially possible for everyone to attend. Invite your Regional Spiritual Assistant to attend. Follow up those initial phone calls with a second call or email to see who has registered. Make it possible for each local fraternity to have representation.

Unite
Our National Executive Council is working with the Q Committee on further ways to help, but we cannot do it alone. So let us not only invite, excite and ignite, let us unite – first of all in prayer, and then in our efforts. If your Region has a unique way to promote the Q, or a creative way to help with costs, please share those ideas via NAFRA-RM. With God’s help, and our efforts, the 2016 Quinquennial will certainly be a success.

Once again, Happy Q Year!

Wishing you blessings of peace and joy on this Holy Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and World Day of Peace, in this beautiful Christmas Season, during this jubilee Year of Mercy and on this first day of 2016!

With love and prayers,
Your sister and minister,
Jan





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