By: Anne DeSantis What are the Benefits of Scheduling a Pastoral Consultation? The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith offers a free pastoral consultation with a Mercedarian friar as one of the primary offerings made available to those who need our support. What are the benefits to scheduling one? One of the first things clients tell us is how grateful they are that the consultations we offer are free of charge. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization, so everything we offer is free. We were founded by the Mercedarian Religious Order in 2015, and since that time we continue to offer all of our services without cost. We operate through the generous donations of those who wish to be a part of our mission by partnering with us in this way. The main benefit of the pastoral consult is the healing received as you will have a chance to be heard, tell your story, and to find the guidance of the Catholic Church during the call. We offer the calls either as a cell phone conversation or as an on-line call on a platform such as Zoom or Skype. Our Mercedarian friars do an excellent job at listening, guiding, and praying for those we help through the consultation. Please note: we are not licensed counselors or therapists. What we offer is a listening ear, prayer and care, and the guidance of the Church. If you do need a therapist, be sure to check out our Outside Resources page where we list highly qualified licensed therapists. (The information is toward the bottom of the website page.) You May Have as Many Appointments as Needed Another major benefit of scheduling with us is the fact that you can have as many appointments as needed. We have had quite a few returning friends who have contacted us more than one time asking to have another scheduled call with a friar. Our clients are those within the following catagories: families in crisis, those seeking pastoral help for their marriage, and for those affected by divorce/separation. Every non-profit has a targe audience, and these are the areas we focus on. If you do not fit within these catagories or areas, please check-out or Outside Resources page which could be helpful in your finding the proper outreach you are looking for. Schedule with Us! We would love to hear from you. Be sure to make your appointment with us for your consultation. Click the link below to schedule: Free Pastoral Consultation Thank you! If you would like to support our ministry, click below to be brought to our Giving Tuesday link. Giving Tuesday 2022
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By: Anne DeSantis Family Crisis When family crisis occurs, it is sometimes hard to navigate what to do first. Of course, there are many areas of challenge, and there are levels and degrees of the varied types of adversities which families face. As people of faith, one may ask: What do I do first when I am shaken to the core of my faith because of a crisis? How do I navigate the troubled waters of my life? The St. Raymond Nonnatus May Be Able to Help As a Catholic non-profit organization, the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation has made it the most important task of our existence since 2015 to make pastoral outreach to families in crisis. This is exacly why SRNF was formed by the Mercedarian friars to offer spiritual and pastoral care to families facing adversities and tough times. One of the most visited pages on the SRNF website is our Outside Resources page listing many non-profits and organizations which help families and individuals who are in need of pastoral support and /or other areas of outreach. To learn more click on the title below to be brought to the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation Outside Resources page: Outside Resources from SRNF What is the First Thing to Do When Crisis Hits? To answer this question in all honesty, two answers come to mind. First and foremost, prayer is number one when adversity comes to a family. It may be so difficult to pray and to trust God, but our faith is what sustains us in hard times. Even if it is just an aspiration to ask for God's help, this is the best way to get through those tough times of life by depending on the Lord for strength and for his providence and guidance. The second answer it to get the appropriate help depending on your situation. Of course, the right kind of help will vary greatly depending on your situation. If you need pastoral help, you are in the right place. Perhaps one of the first things you may wish to do is to make a free pastoral appointment with a Mercedarian friar through the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation. This is easy to do, and our friars are receptive to your pastoral needs in terms of listening, care, prayer, and guidance. Click the link below to set up your free appointment. You may have as many appointments as needed. Again, SRNF is here for YOU and your family. The Church cares and so does the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith. Free Pastoral Consultation Link By: Anne DeSantis The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith is a non-profit 501C3 organization making pastoral outreach to families in crisis. We were formed through the Mercedarian Religious Order in 2015, and since that time we have worked to make pastoral outreach within this realm.
Our Mission There are four-tiers to our mission. Number one is toward famiies in crisis. Second to this is marriage enrichment, and third is outreach to Catholilcs affected by divorce/separation. In 2021, we did surveys to find out which areas of ministry were most in need in terms of our free services. After the survey results came in, we re-determined this three-fold mission. Three Simple Tips to Grow in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony Matrimony is a Sacrament of the Catholic Church, and as a non-profit who cares deeply about marriage and family, we take this aspect very seriously. Below are three simple ways you and your spouse can grow as a Catholic couple. Understand Your Catholic Faith Understanding the Sacrament of Marriage fully helps to make your marriage better and to grow. Many couples go through the process of Pre-Cana at church, but even after this, they do not understand the covenantal aspects of this beautiful sacrament. Marriage is meant to last a lifetime and/or until one spouse passes away. It is lifelong, and it is permanent. If you are not as educated as you should be on marriage, commit yourself to find out more. Here is a link to the USCCB which is a good place to start, however don't stop there. Continue your education on the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony: USCCB Marriage Attend Sunday Mass/Pray Attending Sunday Mass is the most important way to not only fulfill the obiligation to attend Mass, but to grow in faith, hope and love as a couple. Make the commitment to go to Mass every week. Couples who practice their faith together in an active way will grow together in commitment to God and to the church. It is the most important thing one can do to be a part of the mission of the church and live out your baptismal call. In addition to Mass, making a dedication to prayer is integral. Start in small ways such as prayer at meals and before bed, and consider praying more often together. Most importantly, make your faith the most important part of your relationship, and you wil definitely prosper spiritually as a couple! On-Going Learning Once you have grown in terms of understanding your faith, attending Mass, and daily prayer, make a promise to youself and to your spouse to keep learning about your Catholic faith as a couple. There are many wonderful resources to grow togther as a couple available through the Catholic Church. Places such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a great place to start. See below for a link: USCCB Resources In addition, our foundation has resources on our Outside Resources page of our website, be sure to check-it-out: Outside Resources Don't end here, be sure to learn more about your Catholic faith, and the beauty of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Do you have questions on anything to do with the sacrament or how you can grow in faith? The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation offers free pastoral consultations with a Mercedarian friar. You are entitled to as many on-line/cell call meetings as needed, and everything we offer is free. Make your appointment by clicking the link below: Free Pastoral Consultation(s) Stay in touch with us at the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation! We value our relationship with you. Have a blessed Advent/Christmas Season 2021! Learn more about us on our website at Nonnatus.org. God bless! By: Anne DeSantis
Beginnings The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith came into existence in 2015 through the Mercedarian Religious Order. Since that time, slowly and methodically and day by day, the foundation has grown year by year staying true to the mission of making pastoral outreach to families in adversity especially within the realm of keeping the faith in hard times. Here are reasons on this day for you to consider donating to SRNF so that we can continue outreach to others. 1. We are a Non-Profit 501C3 Approved by the USCCB and Our Archdiocese When the foundation was formed, necessary steps were taken to ensure that those who formed SRNF took all the proper steps in developing a Catholic non-profit. This was a process that took time, dedication, and careful decisions to be sure that the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation would be off to a good start. 2. We were formed by the Mercedarian Order The foundation is proud and grateful to the Mercedarian friars for developing SRNF to a point where we have now been working in active mininsry since 2015. There have been slight changes of direction along the way all for the betterment of our outreach, but the board has kept the foundation on the right track helping so many families in crisis through the Mercedarian charism. 3. We offer: Prayer, Priesly Consults, Podcast, and Programs We call the above "the four p's" because they represent each aspect of who we are and what we do. You can be assured of our prayers if you are family or individual in crisis or anyone needing prayer. All of the other areas of ministry are ones we take very seriously. Be sure to check out our website to learn more at www.Nonnatus.org. 4. We are Dedicated to You We have an eight-person board and a director serving us as a non-profit. When you reach out to us we are very responsive, and we will return and email or any form of outreach just as soon as we can. We will also find out the exact steps to take in order for you to find the pastoral help you need. 5. We Won't Stop Praying Most importantly, we are praying for all of our friends and benefactors always. Be sure to send us a prayer intentions at this link. Click HERE. Would you like to donate to us for #GivingTuesday so that we can make greater impact for families in crisis who have pastoral questions or need our care? We would be so grateful for a donation of any size through your sacrificial gift. Click below to donate and we thank you SINCERELY for you for your prayers and your care for the work we do! #GivingTuesdaySRNF Giving Link Help For Families in Crisis
World Meeting of Families 2015 Back in 2015, Pope Francis came to the U.S. and made a special stop in Philadelphia. This was a monumental event not only for the United States but for the city of Philadelphia. The Mercedarian Religious Order attended the event and the Mass by the Holy Father. After the event concluded, some of the friars felt a nudge of the Holy Spirit. That nudge was a question to them regarding what they as friars could do as an Order to help families. With that, they decide to vote together with all the other priests and brothers of the Order in the U.S. about starting a foundation. It was between two areas, either: Families in Crisis or Outreach to those Affected by Human Trafficking. The votes were cast and decided, they would create a foundation with special emphasis toward Families in Crisis. Since 2015, that is exactly what they did. With the feast day of St. Faustina and Our Lady of the Rosary going on, it seems appropriate to think about the Rosary and Divine Mercy. For people from broken families and families in crisis, the Rosary and Divine Mercy have special importance as opportunities for facilitating conversion and reconciliation, as well as peace, among families and marriages.
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day serve as helpful reminders of the need to aspire towards perfection and union with God. We see souls at various stages. On one hand, we see souls who have attained perfection and are in Heaven. On another hand, we see souls going through purification – the Holy Souls in Purgatory and ourselves. We see what we are aspiring to in the Saints, and we see the need to aspire towards perfection now in the Holy Souls. In addition we see that we should pray for the Holy Souls, and perhaps in a mirror-like fashion, we see that we need to pray for others who are alive now to help them to reach Heaven and sanctity.
St. Therese and her family, the Martin family, provide food for thought regarding the interior life and how it can develop within marriages and families. St. Therese’s formation allows us to reflect on how children should be raised to practice and understand the interior life. At the same time, her parents provide an example for living devoutly in the laity. St. Therese’s experience, furthermore, shows the interior life at a more advanced stage, and we see her development from the prayer of a child to the prayer of a spiritual child, aided by her family.
Mental illness and related issues might come up in the lives of broken families and families in crisis, so it seems helpful to talk about prayer and mental illness. How should somebody suffering from mental illness approach prayer?
When family crisis strikes, it can be challenging to navigate the proper steps to overcome a trauma which can be devastating to members of the family. As Catholics and as people of faith, we are not immune to adversities that can impact family life. Addiction, family break-up, sickness, accidents, relationship issues, dealing with extended family members, and many other causes challenge the unit to undergo tremendous stress. This article offers ten ways to deal with crisis when it happens especially for Catholics who rely on God to help them through the tragedies of life.
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February 2024
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St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation
for Freedom, Family, & Faith P.O. Box 951 Skippack, PA 19474-0951 Email: director.srnf@gmail.com |