On October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Franciscan University of Steubenville honored its heavenly patron with a large Mass for students and their families.  Fr. Paul Keller, O.P., a member of the Province of St. Joseph currently teaching theology at Franciscan University, was invited to preach the homily.  Below is an article from the student newspaper, The Troubador, covering the celebration.

Dominican homilist speaks about St. Francis
By Emma Olwell
Staff Writer
Thursday, October 8, 2009

Alumni, students and family members of all ages kicked off their homecoming weekend celebration with a special Mass in honor of the feast of St. Francis in the Finnegan Fieldhouse. In honor of tradition between Franciscan and Dominican friars to preach on the feast of each other's founders, the Rev. Paul Keller O.P., a Dominican from Youngstown, Ohio who is an alumnus of Franciscan University of Steubenville, gave the homily.

Fr. Keller shared a few humorous anecdotes about St. Francis, before settling into his views on the saint's spirituality and example.

"Francis was not so much a nature lover as a lover of the God of Creation," he began.

His homily stressed Francis' miraculous stigmata as an external manifestation of the saint's love for our Lord Jesus Christ. He exhorted his listeners to view their own salvation as a union with God that should begin immediately rather than something distant to be waited for.

"It is impossible to come into contact with the living God and not be changed," he stated. "We are each called to bear those same marks (of stigmata) in our inner beings."

"I liked what he had to say about Francis as a role model," said Luke Murray, a graduate theology student. Murray said he also related to Fr. Keller's point about becoming what you love, and therefore minding your affections and idols.