I learned today of the death of Jay Kristifer Nelson (45), a former Franciscan Brother in the Franciscans of Divine Providence. Out of great respect for him, I will continue here to call him Brother Jay because he will always be a member of our Order in Spirit.
When Brother Jay first wrote to me and told me that he had found our website on the Internet, he was cautiously excited that a lifetime dream of his might actually come true. Since he was a younger man, he had wanted to become a Franciscan. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that he later married and had two wonderful children, he came to the conclusion that his dream would never come true. After reading about the FDP, he wrote to me to ask if we would consider accepting someone like him as a member. Brother Jay became the first married person to join our Order.
For the two years or so that he remained with us, he exhibited the joy and spirit that is so apparent with one who has grasped the Franciscan charism. He also endured a great deal of pressure to break his ties with us from his church due to the fact that we are not "Roman" Catholics. Subtle and not so subtle threats of excommunication came his way for belonging to a "schismatic" group. His church-related job became threatened as well.
All that Brother Jay wanted to do was to form a prayer group in his former parish, with the pastor's permission. Permission was denied. They could not permit him to organize such a group as that it would not be under the auspices of the Archdiocese. Despite his pleas and his explanation that we are a valid Catholic Jurisdiction and that it is not our policy or our intention to steal parishioners away from other churches, he was not permitted to form a simple prayer group in the parish.
I respected Brother Jay's commitment to hang in there despite the fact that he was encountering some heavy opposition from his church. On the other hand, he had a wife and a family to consider. More than once I chatted with Brother Jay about the problems he was having with the pastor. I shared my serious concern that he might lose his job because of his membership in our Order. The last thing I wanted was for him to become unemployed and unable to support his family. He was keenly aware of the possibilities, yet he wanted to remain with us. Finally, I had to convince him that, for the sake of his family, he needed to break his ties with us. I had hoped that things would not come to this, but there seemed to be no other choice. Sadly, it became clear to him that we needed to part company.
The loss of Brother Jay from our Order was a serious loss for us all. He was a good man and a true Franciscan. I fully expected that he would have been just the person to grow a new FDP community in the Twin Cities area. In the last year, I haven't heard from Brother Jay, except some news that he might have found a new parish to worship with. I can only hope that he found a more open and ecumenical spirit among that faith community.
Now, he is gone from us, and we will never know what he might have done as a Franciscan in our Order. There would certainly have been many new challenges ahead of him, especially since he was someone I had hopes of ordaining to the priesthood. He touched our lives in many ways while he was with us and we shall miss him. He leaves behind a wife and two young sons. I cannot begin to imagine how very much they will miss him.
He is with God now, but he will always be with us in memory and in spirit. I'd like to ask that you please take a moment to say a prayer for Brother Jay's wife, Molly and his young sons, Issac and Samuel. Also, say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Brother Jay Kristifer Nelson, who once walked in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi and now joins him in heaven with all the saints. May he always be remembered as one who tried his best to repair God's House, in the spirit of Saint Francis.
Jay Kristifer Nelson
Age 45, of Eagan Passed away June 3, 2010 Preceded in death by parents, Daniel and Janet; brother-in-law Louis Guzzetti. Survived by wife, Molly; sons, Isaac and Samuel; sister Kara Guzzetti; neices and nephews. Private interment at Resurrection Cemetery. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial Wed 10 AM, Lumen Christi Catholic Community at 2055 Bohland Ave St Paul. Memorial visitation Tue 5-8 at: Washburn McReavy Nokomis Park Chapel 612-721-1651 1838 E. Minnehaha Parkway, Mpls
I'm just a person who gathers Stones. . .
- +Bishop Russell Francis, FDP
- Rocky Hill, Connecticut, United States
- +Bishop Russell is the Metropolitan Bishop of the Trinitarian Catholic Church (TCC). The TCC is a progressive, autocephalous Catholic Jurisdiction in Apostolic Succession. We include ourselves among a growing list of emerging Catholic faith communities that are not in "perfect" union with the See of Rome. +Bishop Russell founded the Franciscans of Divine Providence (FDP) in 1995. The FDP is a canonical, non-residential, ministerial, religious Order for men and women of the Trinitarian Catholic Church, which is guided by a Franciscan charism. The Jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Diocese of Hope includes the New England states, New York, New Jersey and Missouri (USA). Our Church and our Order are open and affirming to people from all walks of life. We work to repair God's House, in the spirit of St. Francis: one Stone at a time! Through a Gospel life that is lived among God's people, we seek to build bridges that unite all people of faith.
