October is when Americans celebrate Columbus Day and when Franciscans around the world come together to mark the feast of St. Francis.
St. Francis’ feast is Oct. 4. It is a day commemorated with celebrations, lectures, and prayers in Franciscan universities, friaries, as well as parishes, a day of joy for remembering the legacy of Francis. In many parishes, including Catholics and Anglicans who honor Francis, the day is set aside for the blessing of pets, a reminder of the special regard the saint from Assisi had for all of God’s Creation.
On Oct. 14 this year, Columbus Day, now also known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, will be observed.
The holiday has become cause for reflection, as Native Americans press the point that the epic historic events that brought Europeans to this hemisphere resulted in too many cases in enslavement in much of Latin America and the displacement of tribal nations throughout North America.
Franciscans have a complicated relationship with that history.
The community founded missions in California, an integral part of that state’s history. The Franciscan presence included eras when the friars acted as protectors of indigenous people as they preached the Gospel. Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786, is among those mission communities having endured through Spanish, Mexican and American rule, and a series of earthquakes through the centuries.
Franciscans who minister to Native Americans are forging the path to a brighter future in which the Gospel is preached while respecting tribal traditions and culture.
Father Dale Jamison, OFM, is director of Native American Ministry for the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, as well as pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Tohatchi, where he ministers to the Navajo people.
He’s inspired by the special charism of the friars to work with the poor.
His ministry takes inspiration from the culture of the Navajo peoples who he works with. Through his ministry in the Southwest, he has learned to respect the tribal leaders and elders. Much of his ministry focuses on relieving the daily struggles of the Navajo people, many of whom live in dire poverty.
In his 50 years of ministry experience, Fr. Dale has learned that priests and Church workers should listen to the needs and concerns of parishioners.
“Always meet in groups and talk about cultural issues. Cross-cultural issues, what works, what doesn’t work, and certainly whatever community you go into, don’t make any changes, don’t make any judgments,” he told the Diocese of Gallup diocesan newspaper. “Go slow. Don’t be a prime mover. Let them move you.”
Fr. Ponchie Vasquez, OFM, is pastor for the Tohona O’odham Nation, straddling the Mexican border in the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona. Fr. Ponchie’s congregation is located in one of the poorest regions of the nation. He has re-established a mission school, San Xavier de Bac, beginning this year. Education will focus on tribal culture and Christian values.
This month, as we mark both Columbus Day and the feast of Francis, you can be part of the mission to Native Americans by creating a lasting legacy of care by remembering the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in your will or trust.
Planned Giving to the Franciscans allows you to make a charitable contribution as part of your overall financial and estate planning. You can do this in a variety of ways, including bequests, charitable trusts, life insurance policies and retirement accounts.
To learn more about how you can help the Franciscan Friars help our poor and marginalized sisters and brothers with your legacy gift, contact Brian Smail, OFM, via email at bsmail@friars.us or by calling 646-473-0265, ext. 303.