The second Sunday of Lent always gives us an account of the Transfiguration, the moment when Jesus showed himself to his disciples in all the glory of his divinity. Today, in Saint Mathew’s version, Peter says “Lord, it is good that we are here”; and we can echo those words as we welcome Father John Anglin, OFM, as the preacher of our annual parish Mission. It is good to have him with us; it is good for us to be in a place where we can be refreshed by the word and love of God.
Father John was born and raised in Boston, MA, which makes him among other things an avid follower of all the sports teams from that city. I’m assured he is not the notorious John Anglin who escaped with his brother from Alcatraz in 1962! Rather he entered the Franciscans from high school, was ordained a priest in 1971, and since then has enjoyed a wide variety of ministry experiences: high school teacher, inner city parish ministry, foreign missionary in Bolivia and for the last thirty years an itinerant preacher conducting renewal programs in over 400 parishes throughout the United States and Canada. He has likewise served as a team priest for Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a weekend renewal program for married couples. He believes that his life has been blessed by this wide variety of experience. He speaks Spanish and Italian as well as English and enjoys being able to minister to the ever growing population of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries. He presently resides at St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Florida. As much as he enjoys traveling far and wide he values the support of his community of friars when he comes back to “home base”.
Father John will preach at all the Masses this weekend and then give his Mission presentations on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. in church. The theme of the Mission is “Living the Joy of the Gospel”. On Monday his talk will conclude with individual confessions from about 7:45. We have invited additional priests and this will be the Parish Penance Service for Lent 2017. Please do not miss the opportunity for reconciliation before Easter. On Tuesday the talk will be followed by a reception in the Parish Center. Father John will celebrate the 8:30 Mass each day and the Mass will be slightly extended, about 45 minutes, with a longer homily.
Father John has written two books, The Wandering Friar (2013), an account of his life and the people he has met in the course of his ministry, and Following Jesus in the Footsteps of Francis (2015), a simple introduction to Franciscan spirituality. He also has a presence on Twitter and writes a regular blog at http://frjohnsblog.blogspot.com/. We are greatful that he is here among us and we pray that he may continue his great ministry of preaching the love of God which is the cause of our joy.