Today, I found this image of St. Francis in a closet on the 3rd floor of the rectory (now known as the Anchorage) at St. Ann's.
Thirty-two years ago, I spent a summer living and working at St. Ann's as a "seminarian" with the College Candidate Program of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I was guided that summer (and the during the following Christmas semester break when I returned) by a wonderful pastor, Joe Muth!
This very framed image hung on a wall just outside of my bedroom back then. At the time, I was contemplating the possibility of becoming a Franciscan friar. One evening, during a time when I was very prayerfully doing some serious contemplation on the 58th Chapter of Isaiah, I found myself standing in the hallway, and gazing upon this image, and I became nearly entranced by it (St. Francis receiving the Stigmata by El Greco).
It was just then, just at that moment, that I made the definitive decision to become a Conventual Franciscan friar! It was as if St. Francis himself had told me what to do! That was very definitely a "God Moment" in my life that I will never forget, and so I can't even explain how excited I was to find this image in the closet today!
And little did I ever imagine back then that someday I would return to St. Ann as the Pastor (God certainly works in mysterious ways!).
Interesting to note is that the original of this painting is on permanent display right here in Baltimore at the Walters Art Museum. Praise God!
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