The Nativity of the Lord

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.  This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them 

and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, 

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, 

praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 1-14

THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS

OF THE

PROVINCE OF THE

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

WISH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES

A MOST BLESSED CHRISTMAS

AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

News from the Convento San Francesco

Our community has experienced various moments of fraternity throughout this month. On Thursday, November 27, we celebrated Thanksgiving Day. The celebration included the traditional turkey and visits from various friars from the General Curia, professors, and invited friends. It was a time of gathering to thank God, as a fraternity, for the blessings received during the year.

On Saturday, November 29, we participated in the celebration of the Queen of Peace, patroness of the Republic of El Salvador, together with the Salvadoran community. The program, held in the Basilica of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, included the celebration of the Eucharist, followed by a dinner featuring traditional Salvadoran cuisine.

On the afternoon of December 7, we began the activities in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The altar was prepared in the chapel, and some brothers participated with the Nicaraguan community in the traditional "gritería". The next day, after community Mass, we were invited by the Guardian to lunch outside the convent at a buffet restaurant, where we were able to sample food from various countries.

Continuing with the Marian celebrations, on December 12, we celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe and, at the same time, the name day of our brother Kevin Leonel. That day, we participated in Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, presided over by Pope Leo, and then in the Christmas concert, where the 2025 Ratzinger Prize was awarded to Maestro Riccardo Mutti.

Amidst this festive atmosphere, we continue to move forward in this season of Advent, filled with joyful hope, with our eyes fixed on the birth of the Redeemer.

Br. Manuel Eduardo Alvarado

The Life of a Deacon in a parish by Br. Luis

Dear brothers,

I send you warm greetings of peace and goodness from our parish in Concepción de Ataco, El Salvador.

As you know, I was ordained a deacon on October 5th. After my ordination, I spent a few days with my family and then moved to the Immaculate Conception Parish in my hometown, where I have been assigned as a transitional deacon.

My day usually begins at 7:00 a.m., when I open the church so that people may come to pray. I serve alongside Father Rafael, our pastor. Life in a parish is never the same from one day to the next. At times, I visit the sick of our parish to bring them Holy Communion; I accompany the various parish groups, especially the youth groups that gather at the church every evening; and I assist the pastor during the daily Mass celebrated at 5:00 p.m. In addition, we attend funerals, and on weekends we celebrate weddings, baptisms, and Masses for quinceañeras—a girl’s fifteenth birthday celebration—which are very common in our countries.

Our parish also has a school. The school year ended last month and will begin again at the end of January. The pastor has asked me to assist with the school.

Life in a parish is very different from life in a formation house. Each day I encounter new people and new situations, and I feel deeply blessed to be completing my diaconate in the place where I was born and raised. From here, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and many blessings in the year to come. May the Lord grant you His peace.

Fraternally yours,

Bro. Luis Hernandez

Celebrating my first Baptism

Franciscan Youth Group. ..................................Having Coffee while getting our Christmas Tree.

Our kindergarten graduation................................Bringing communion to the sick.

Dear Brothers,

In a recent letter addressed to the animators of the pastoral care of vocations, the Order stresses the following when discussing the responsibility of such an immense and challenging ministry:

“The responsibility to promote and support new vocations lies with all the Fraternities and with each brother.” (GGCC 145 §2)

We wanted to take the opportunity to invite you all to assist us in our ministry as vocation animators and thank those friars who have been referring aspirants to us. If possible, please put together a little feedback on the candidates who you are proposing as this helps us in making our initial contact with them and what to expect. We also hope in this next year to visit the parishes and the places where you live and minister to speak about vocations in general and about vocations to the Consecrated Life and Priesthood. Please keep us in mind and note any possible events or moments when this would be appropriate. 

Another important point we wanted to raise is that when you are referring a possible candidate, please use the following email and phone number:

                   vocations@icprovince.org                      +1 (917) 830-4575

For the time being, the main address we are using for communications and for Come and See Weekends is St. Christopher Friary in the North End. Please do not give out our personal information to possible candidates. If a situation arises where someone can’t reach us via the email and phone number listed above, we pray that it be the friars themselves to contact us on our personal emails and phone numbers. In Canada, Br. Josh is utilizing his parish email to contact possible candidates. If there are any possible candidates in Canada or men who want to reach out to the vocation

office in this area, please us the following email:                                             frjoshua@stpeterswoodbridge.com                

We welcome and encourage all of you to promote and support new vocations as this ministry affects all of us. May the Christ child fill us with a spirit of hope and joy which leads us to an authentic witness and sharing of our lives becoming an attractive force pulling others to the Gospel life.

                                                                                     Merry and Blessed Christmas,

                                                                                                                                               The Vocation Team



"Ite in Mundum," the Ratio Evangelizationis of the Order of Friars Minor, developed by the General Secretariat for Missions and Evangelization (SGME), has been published.

This document was born in response to Mandate 20 of the 2021 General Chapter, which entrusted to the General Secretariat for the Missions and Evangelization (SGME) the task of preparing an inspiring document for the evangelization of the Order, in keeping with the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church and the documents of our tradition. The mandate provided that this work would take place in a participatory way, through a synodal process involving the Conferences, the Provinces and the friars at the local and continental level, so that each reality could then formulate its own Ratio, rooted in its context and in its own challenges.

The work was developed from the experience already in place at the SGME, and has been enriched by a broad path of listening, discernment and comparison. The International Council for Mission and Evangelization (CIME), meeting in March 2022, played a central role in the methodological approach of the path, begun from the text, The Kingdom of God is Near, already presented at the General Chapter. Together with the Executive Committee (CEME), a first Instrumentum Laboris was then drawn up, which offered a basis to the entire Order for reflection and consultation.

A Commission of Experts, appointed by the General Definitory, worked out the essential aspects of our mission, above all in their Franciscan specificity.

For the complete document, download this PDF:

https://ofm.org/uploads/Ratio_Evangelizationis_EN.pdf

Our Lady of Peace Brooklyn

Celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe

GUESS WHO???



The date: December 31, 1968

The place: Immaculate Conception Seminary, Troy New York

The occasion: New Year's Eve party- the presentation of the New Year's Baby.

Who is it???

PADUA FRIARY NEW PHONE NUMBER

The phone number (landline) for Padua Friary, 151 Thompson Street, has changed. It is now:

646.370.3810

Take time to wish our brothers a Happy Birthday!

Robert Campagna- January 2- 79

Bruce Czapla- January 8- 75

Charles Grech- January 9- 64

Daniel Luna- January 19- 27

Joseph Lorenzo- January 25- 76

Dominic Poirier- January 28- 83