Constitutions N. 14
- The Son of God, accepting the form of a servant, did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life for the salvation of all. His self-abasement is perpetuated in the sacrament of the Eucharist, where he daily humbles himself and comes to us under humble appearances.
- Inwardly moved and amazed by God’s humility and compassion, Saint Francis chose to become lowly among the little ones. Following his example, and keenly desiring to be conformed to Christ, we too should strive to be truly minor, never presuming to become greater. Inspired by this spirit, let us generously devote ourselves to the service of all, especially of those who suffer want and tribulation or even of those who persecute us.
- Therefore we should gladly live our fraternal life among the poor, sharing their hard-ships and lowly condition with great love.
- While relieving their material and spiritual needs, our lives, our work and our words should be devoted to promoting their human and Christian development.
- By doing this we manifest the spirit of our brotherhood in minority and at the same time become a leaven of justice, unity and peace.
Here are some of our Capuchin Outreach ministries to the Poor in different parts of the Province:
Leichhardt – Sydney
Friars’ Van
On Monday and Friday evenings the Friars’ Van heads out from the friary at Leichhardt to near St Mary’s Cathedral to give hot drinks and sweets to those experiencing different forms of poverty, hardship and homelessness. There are usually two friars and around five young volunteers. The van is parked about 50 metres from another van organised by another group distributing food. After collecting their food the people head down to the Friars’ Van for their hot drink of coffee, tea or chocolate and for some sweets.
The most important task of the friars and volunteers is the welcome given to the people. They spend time simply listening and speaking with them. On the streets these people experience suspicion and fear from passersby, and so are avoided by others. They experience marginalisation and loneliness. The friars and volunteers welcome them and ‘waste’ time with them.
Young people interested in volunteering with the Friars’ Van should send an email to Br Stephen at friarsvan@gmail.com
South Melbourne
Open House
The Capuchin friars live upstairs and downstairs they share the back section of the house with the poor and marginalised. From Monday through to Friday the Open House section welcomes people to share food, hot drinks and more importantly, table fellowship – place to sit and converse with others. The Capuchins are assisted by volunteers and friars from the St Anthony’s fraternity in Hawthorn. Below is the weekly schedule:
Monday -‘Open House’ (tea and coffee, etc.), 9 am – 12 pm
Monday – Dinner, 5pm
Tuesday – ‘Open House’ (tea and coffee, etc.), 9 am – 12 pm
Tuesday – Dinner, 5pm
Wednesday – ‘Open House’ (tea and coffee, etc.), 9 am – 12 pm
Wednesday – Breakfast, 9.30 am
Thursday – ‘Open House’ (tea and coffee, etc.), 9 am – 12 pm
Friday – ‘Open House’ (tea and coffee, etc.), 11 am – 2 pm
Friday – Lunch, 12.30 pm
The friars and volunteers experience first hand the gospel truth that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20:35).