Lent is always a good time to sit down and take the time to reflect upon our journey with God. With that in mind, Branch S287 hosted “A Day of Recollection” with Fr. Larry Janowski, OFM, on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Willowbrook Banquet Hall in Willow Springs, IL.
Approximately 30 members from the District and various Chicago branches attended the event, which concluded with afternoon mass. Fr. Larry is a native Chicagoan and also an alumnus of St. Michael the Archangel Slovak Parish in Chicago. He has been a Franciscan Friar for over 40 years. Fr. Larry is the author of several books of poetry and currently teaches poetry at Loyola University Chicago. He is also the co-chaplain at the Felician Sisters’ motherhouse in Chicago and assists at St. Barbara Parish in Brookfield, IL on weekends.
With the use of his and other poetry along with a few readings from both the Old and New Testament, Fr. Larry shared some practical ways to make more room in our lives for grace, peace and a continuous daily dialogue with God. He shared with the group three easy ways to give God a total of 15 minutes a day by: 1) giving five minutes of prayer in the early morning where you can sit in the dark in silence; 2) at midday (or lunchtime) by taking a five minute walk noticing your surroundings and asking God to help you love the world and people as they are; and 3) taking five minutes in the evening by either reading a line of scripture with reflection or just saying “Thank you God”. Once you’ve begun to follow these steps, you may notice that life becomes different and may have a deeper sense of peace.
The day ended with the celebration of Mass with a feeling of grace and peace surrounding all who attended.
To view picture from this event, check out the Photo Gallery on the Chicago District Web site.
