“For it is in giving that we receive.” - St. Francis of Assisi
Be it in song or service, the Padua Franciscan High School community gathered as one and shared their gifts and talents during the mass celebrating the feast day of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi (October 4).
Father Joe Mamich, Class of ‘97, returned home to Padua and celebrated the mass. During the homily, Fr. Mamich delivered a message of bringing the Franciscan mindset to everything in an effort to improve the world.
“Francis realized that he had a lot of gifts and a lot of talents,” Mamich said. “When he made a change in his life, he changed his legacy.
“Francis very vividly renounced all his possessions, renounced his money, and took on a whole new way of living, begging, literally wearing a brown sack to make a difference in the life of the world, to become amended, to become a begging creature, to spread through the news.”
When St. Francis undertook his spiritual awakening, he was called by God to “rebuild my church.” At first, St. Francis took the message literally. However, it was through reflection and further callings that St. Francis learned to focus less on the physical construction of a church, and more so, on building a community of faith.
Mamich used St. Francis’ life and experiences as a call to action, saying that “Francis showed us that to change the world, you have to change yourself first.”
“Francis was open to what God wanted him to do because he realized he had to change his life,” Mamich said. “As he began to change his life, people became more attracted to him. They wanted to follow him.
“Francis’ prominence grew all over the world quickly to the point where Francis is actually going to see the Holy Father who was going to talk to him about this band of beggars. Here we are over 800 years later, and we still reflect and respect and try to live their example. But if Francis didn’t change his heart, none of this would’ve happened.”
From the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to the amount of hatred throughout the rest of the world, Mamich reflected on real-life examples. Also, he brought the teachings of St. Francis closer to home by addressing the needs of communities in the southeast region of the United States affected by Hurricane Helene.
“We should give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the best,” Mamich said. “Suffering is a horrible thing, and we’re not going to make world peace unless we start inside. Change out there begins in here.
“We could work on the problems we have in the world if people change their own hearts first, like Francis did, realizing that God wanted him not to physically rebuild the church, but to rebuild his people. If we are to rebuild our world, we have to start in here.”
Following the mass, Padua Principal Bob DiRocco spoke to the congregation and reinforced Fr. Mamich’s message.
During his address to the faculty, staff and students, DiRocco quoted the song, “Let there be peace on Earth,” and explained the importance of letting go of past issues and focusing on the present to make a better future.
“If you listen to the words of the prayers today and the songs today and Father’s homily today, they talk about getting rid of things like hatred and filling yourself with love,” DiRocco said. “Get rid of fear by filling yourself with faith. Get rid of mean and violence and fill yourselves with kindness and supportiveness.
“When you leave this room, take with you the Jesus Christ that you just received and embrace it like Francis did. Something powerful happens when you are free to love without any of the baggage that we worry about, without judgment, without worry, just being kind and peaceful and supportive, loving people. If I’ve learned anything through the years of this place impacting my life, it is that it’s usually the person I don’t want to that is the I person I have to work hardest to see the face of Christ there. That’s where Christ is.”
