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NOTES FROM THE HERMITAGE


Sunday, January 11, 2026

RENEE WAS A CHRISTIAN

Earlier this week, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed by a masked federal agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Renee was a wife and mother of three children. She was a poet and writer. She was a person who cared about our immigrant brothers and sisters who live in fear of detention and deportation. Renee Nicole Good was also a person of faith. Her partner said: “Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.”

For blocking traffic on Portland Street, Renee could have been given a ticket. She could have been cited or even arrested for disturbing the peace (which a misdemeanor offense). Law enforcement officers could have afforded her more time to move her car. They could have disabled her vehicle. Instead, she was shot in the face, in broad daylight, in front of her neighbors. A local doctor at the scene was prohibited from trying to save her. Renee Nicole Good died alone in her car. Although

In shock and grief, our home parishes in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport prayed this week for the following intentions:

  • We pray with Pope Leo that the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.
  • We pray for our nation and its leaders: May the Holy Spirit guide them to pursue justice without cruelty; security without violence; and laws that reflect the compassion of God.
  • We pray for all who live in fear because of immigration enforcement, violence, or abuse of authority: May God protect them; grant them hope; and move our nation toward policies rooted in dignity, justice, and mercy.
  • We pray for all victims of violence and their families: May God heal their wounds and strengthen all who work for peace and reconciliation. 

Along with these intentions, we pray for all who have asked us to pray for them; for the soul of Renee Nicole Good; for her grieving friends and family; and for peace, truth, and justice in our divided country.

May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!

In constant prayer,
Brother Patrick
brpatrick@assisiproject.com

THIS WEEK’S PRAYERS

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Thursday, December 25, 2025

YOU ARE CHRISTMAS

OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Ten years ago, Pope Francis (1936-2025) offered a meditation that called You Are Christmas. In fraternity, solidarity, and spiritual communion with Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, with the poor and persecuted in our midst, and with people of faith and goodwill everywhere, we invite you to pray and reflect with the words of our much loved late Holy Father:

You Are Christmas by Pope Francis

Christmas is usually a noisy party:
We could use a bit of silence
in order to hear the voice of Love.

Christmas is you,
when you decide to be born again each day
and to let God into your soul.

Christmas trees are you,
when you resist the harsh winds
and difficulties of life.

Christmas ornaments are you,
when your virtues are colors
that adorn your life.

Christmas bells are you,
when you call out to others,
and encourage unity and coming together.

Christmas lights are you,
when you illuminate with your life
the lives of others with joy,
kindness, patience, and generosity.

Christmas angels are you,
when you sing to the world a message
of love, peace, and justice.

Christmas music is you,
when you harmonize the conflicts within you.

Christmas gifts are you,
when you are truly a friend to every human being.

Christmas cards are you,
when kindness is written by your works.

Christmas greetings are you,
when you forgive and make peace
even when you suffer.

Christmas dinner is you,
when you share your bread and hope
with the poor neighbor at your side.

Yes, you are Christmas,
when you are humble and aware,
when you receive in the silence of the night
the Savior of the world without noisy or grand celebrations.

In this way, you are a smile of trust and tenderness,
in the inner peace of the forever Christmas
that establishes the kingdom of heaven within you.

A very Merry Christmas to all who are Christmas! Amen!

The Assisi Project thanks you for your prayers and support during the past eighteen years. Our journey continues during the coming year as we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the life and transitus of our patron, Saint Francis of Assisi (1226-2025). Beginning on Saturday, January 3rd, we will begin our year long reading and discussion of The Franciscan Virtues: Fifty-Two Steps to Conversion from Saint Francis of Assisi. Check out our complete schedule by clicking the link below! Please join us! All are welcome!

Finally, please pray for all who have asked us to pray for them. Our prayer intentions can also be found at the link below. Now more than ever, let’s pray together! Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Pope Francis, pray for us!

Merry Christmas! May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!

In constant prayer,
Brother Patrick
brpatrick@assisiproject.com

THIS WEEK’S PRAYERS

Art Credit: Zatletic – 94817865 – Dreamstime.com

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Sunday, August 31, 2025 – 12:42pm

THOUGHTS & PRAYERS ARE NOT ENOUGH

By Brother Patrick

Earlier this week, we watched with horror the news coverage of another mass shooting in this country. No words can express the grief, shock, and anger that come when children are murdered while praying in a church. Sadly and scandalously, too many faith and civic leaders can muster only the same tired cliche about our “thoughts and prayers” being with the victims and their families. Fortunately, two Catholic bishops had the courage to stand up and speak out.

From Detroit, Archbishop Edward Weisenberger said: “Even as we pray for those whose lives were taken, I also ask that our prayers be matched by firm endeavors to end the superabundance of handguns and assault weapons in our great nation. We owe it to our families, our neighbors, and our friends. But most of all we owe it to the children.”

From Chicago, Cardinal Blaise Cupich was even more forceful. He said: “Tragically, we know no place or time when Americans, even children, are safe from the curse of gun violence. While we join our prayers with others that those injured in body and spirit will heal and that the murdered children will be received into heaven, we must also cry out for action to prevent even one more such tragedy.”

“The facts are clear. Guns are plentiful and common sense attempts to limit their availability have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution. Cutbacks in funding for health care and social service programs will only exacerbate a national mental health crisis and increase alienation. We therefore pray for those who hold power to make the safety of our people a national priority.”

“We ask God to give them the courage to take steps they know will alleviate if not eliminate the fear parents must feel in sending their children off to school and Americans feel leaving their homes for simple errands. Surely they must be moved by these shootings. We pray that they will not see them as inevitable because then we will have certainly surrendered our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (8-27-25).”

As a fourth generation gun owner, I appreciate the long tradition of families and firearms. At the same time, I stand in solidarity with Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop Weisenberger, and all people of goodwill who know that we can respect the rights of citizens to own firearms and the ensure rights of all people to feel safe in their homes, jobs, schools, neighborhoods, and houses of worship. Alas, as Michael Sean Winters writes: “It is a horrible thing to contemplate that our societal inability to limit access to guns comes down to a love of money by manufacturers and politicians.”

Now more than ever, calls for our thoughts and prayers are not enough. Not nearly enough. Not ever enough. Now is the time for penance and reconciliation for our collective failure to protect our children by enacting common sense gun reforms. Now is the time to speak truth to power. Now is the time for courage. Now is the time for action.

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ABOUT THE BLOGMASTER

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

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THE ASSISI PROJECT
INTERCESSORY PRAYER MINISTRY

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with members, friends, and followers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Africa. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages to more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. Members of the Assisi Project, ranging in age from 15 to 99, pray every day for those who ask for our prayers. If you would like our fellowship to pray for you or your special intention, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com. Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! May the Lord give you peace, now and always!

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. All are welcome to support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or by mailing a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. May the Lord give you peace!

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