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In 1977, I traveled to Italy. My favorite town was Assisi, where I learned about Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone. Born in 1226, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he became a Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the Franciscan Order and assisted in founding the Order of St. Clare for women religious and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis.

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. I am a member of the Third Order, now called Secular Franciscans.

I was 24 at the time of my visit to Assisi. I remember feeling "complete" there; I thought, "I feel so loved, satisfied and certain in my faith that, if I were to die now, I would not miss anything in this worldly existence."

I wore a medal of St. Francis of Assisi with my wedding dress. Years later, having moved to Schodack with my family, I noticed some parishioners reading from a small red book titled, "Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours."

When I inquired about this book, I learned about Secular Franciscans.

Secular Franciscans are lay-people who "live the Gospel in their own circumstances." They take no special vows, pursue their own careers and live in the secular world - except that they publicly commit to follow a way of life the Church has recognized as being in accord with the Gospel.

Information on the order notes that Secular Franciscans are marked by "childlike devotion and obedience to God, love of all people, esteem for God's creatures, repentance, sincere humility, confident patience in temptations, perennial cheerfulness, high regard for work, devotion to Mary, and loving and sincere loyalty to the doctrines and directives of the Church."

As a Secular Franciscan, I became involved in Alight Pregnancy Center in Hudson for the next 20 years, volunteering to promote life for the unborn and assist young mothers in need.

We don't have to look far to love as St. Francis did.

(Mrs. Ferlazzo attends St. Mary's Church in Crescent. Learn about local Secular Franciscans at www.siena.edu or call her at 608-5234. Meetings are held at St. Francis Chapel in Colonie on the second Sunday of each month after 1 p.m. Mass.)[[In-content Ad]]

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