Franciscan Friars

Province of the Immaculate Conception

Provincial Update May 2023

The church has been beset by scandals that have touched the very heart of our faith community.  We are witnessing now the side effects- reduced numbers of practicing Catholics, reduced income, the closing of churches, the anger of many faithful parishioners.  Certainly, all of this might spell doom to any organization. 

Let’s face it: nations have come and gone, but the Church remains. Many have tolled the death knell for the Church. Nero tried to destroy her in the 1st century, and Julian the Apostate in  the 4th. Napoleon wanted to give it a try in the 19th. The reformers of the 16th century,  the intellectuals of the Enlightenment, and the radicals of the French revolution all  predicted the end of the Church. Recent headlines hinted at her demise: "Can the  Catholic Church Save Itself?" asked Time Magazine; "Can the Church Save  Its Soul?" worried U.S. News and World Report. They anticipated her death. But  still she lives.

And who can forget in the early 1200’s, when Jesus himself spoke to the young son of an Italian merchant from a crucifix in a wayside chapel, “Francis, rebuild my church, for it is falling into ruin.”    As Franciscans, we have every right not only to claim those words, but to make them our own- “Go and rebuild my church.”  

While the doomsday reports of decline are reflected in Western society, such an outlook is not universal.  There are areas of the world- Africa and Asia in particular, , where the church is flourishing, where vocations are plenty.  Indeed, where we struggle in the United States, the church is actually growing in numbers.  

On Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church.  We celebrate the Holy Spirit living in the church for almost 2000 years, and we celebrate our own faith in that Church and our faith in God.

Too often, Catholic entities, dioceses, parishes, and even religious communities and organizations measure their success by numbers.  We want to know the statistics:  how many members, how many families, how many baptisms, how many confirmations, how many marriages, how many first communions, how many friars in formation, professions, ordinations. We also want to know financial statistics- how much money, how much income, how much debt, what condition the buildings?

All of this is well and good, but does it really measure the state of the Church?  The most important statistic is, in fact, depth of our discipleship.  Yes, Pentecost reminds us that we are called primarily to be disciples of the Lord.  This is different than mere “membership”.

We are not in the business of accumulating numbers.  Those are statistics for the world to worry about.   Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus gave an command and made a promise.  His command- go out to all the world:  make disciples of all nations.  We call this the "Great Commission." His promise?  To send the Holy Spirit to assist us in this effort.   This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is our work.

When we respond to the call of Jesus from the cross of San Damiano to rebuild his church, this is the way we do it- by our witness and example.  We do not do it by quoting rules and regulations.  Nor do we do it by forcing people into the sacraments.  Rather, we take up the ministry of Jesus who gently calls each of us by name, as a shepherd.  We are called to be disciples.

Happy Pentecost!

News from the Convento San Francesco

Dear Brothers,

May the Lord give you peace! It has been a busy month for us here in Rome, full of various celebrations, visits, service, and of course, studies. Our Minister Provincial, Fr. Robert Campagna, visited us from April 21^st to May 3^rd, after meeting in Dublin for the ESC Provincials’ meeting. As always, we are thankful for his presence among us, for the opportunity to meet with him individually, and to celebrate both my 27^th and Marco Antonio’s 32^nd birthdays with him. 

Just a few days after Fr. Robert’s departure, on May 6^th, we were all invited to the General Curia to celebrate the patronal feast of the fraternity (Mary, Mediatrix of Graces) with a Mass presided by the Minister General, Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, and lunch afterwards. 

In other news, we are blessed to have a new opportunity at St. Peter’s Basilica. On Wednesdays during the month of May, we have been invited by the Pastor of the basilica to assist in Marian processions, during which we stop at various images of the Blessed Mother in the basilica for a moment of prayer. We are all grateful to Fr. Agnello (the Pastor) for including us in this beautiful moment to honor our Blessed Mother.

That about wraps up the events from the last month. Now, as May comes to a close (already), we are hard at work preparing for exams, which begin on June 1^st. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking when we get close to exams, but by the grace of God and a bit of study, all will be well. Please continue to pray for us. As always, you are all in our prayers!

God bless you all, Brothers, and I hope to see many of you during the summer!

Fraternally,

Br. Jack Sidoti, OFM

Photos below: the brothers at the General Curia

celebrating the patronal feast.

Fr. Robert with Fr. Marco Nobile, O.F.M.,

Former Rector of the Antonianum and Professor of Sacred Scripture.

ESC Provincials Meet in Dublin, Ireland

The Provincial Ministers and Custos of the English Speaking Conference (ESC) held their annual Spring meeting at the Provincial Curia of the Irish Province in Dublin from April 17-21, 2023.

Before the formal meeting began on Monday afternoon, the US-6 provincials met to discuss matters relevant to their regions and their future unified province. “Our time in Ireland has offered the opportunity for us from the US-6 to discuss our own excitement and apprehension as we walk together into a new, unknown future. Many of us walked two by two on the roads of Dublin talking about our hopes and our sadness about letting go of what we know. It was reminiscent to me of the disciples of Jesus on the Road to Emmaus”, explained Br Mark Soehner, provincial of St. John the Baptist in USA.

During the five day meeting the provincials and custos had time to share how they are coming out of Covid-19; they also discussed the future of ESC after October 2023, when some American provinces will be unified, the future ESC Conference meeting of lay brothers in 2024 and Chapter of Mats being held in 2025. Br Aidan shared the process relevant to Child Protection and Vulnerable Adults Committee of the Order and Br Tom shared the report on May 2022 Meeting of Conference Presidents which was held in Rome.

Representing the entities of the ESC, the following Ministers and Custos took part of the meeting:

Br Thomas Nairn, OFM (Sacred Heart Province, USA), President of the ESC

Br Aidan McGrath (Province of Ireland)

Br Robert Campagna (Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA)

Br Evaldas Darulis (St. Casimir Province, Lithuania)

Br James Gannon, OFM (Assumption BVM Province, USA)

Br Mark Soehner, OFM (St. John the Baptist Province, USA)

Br Michael Copps, OFM (Custody of the Immaculate Conception, UK)

Br Pierre Charland, OFM (Holy Spirit Province Saint-Espirit, Canada)

Br Ron Walters (Our Lady of Guadalupe Province)

Br Philip Miscamble (Holy Spirit, Australia)

Also in attendance:

Br Jimmy Zammit, OFM (General Definitor)

Br Pat McCloskey, OFM (ESC executive secretary)

Br Juozapas Marija Zukauskas (Secretary, St. Casimir Province) – for some sessions

The ESC is an exception among the conferences of the Order in that it is not comprised of provinces in a certain geographic region, but organized on the basis of language. The ESC comprises 12 entities located in North America (Canada and the United States) and Europe (Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, and the United Kingdom). The Province of Australia is an associate member of the Conference.

GENERAL CURIA AND ROMAN FRIARS CELEBRATE FEAST OF

ST. MARY MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES

On 7th May, the Fraternity of the General Curia in Rome celebrated the Solemnity of its Patroness: St Mary Mediatrix of All Graces. The most solemn moment of the feast was the Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by the Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, with the homily delivered by the Vicar General of the Order, Br Ignacio Ceja Jiménez, who reminded 

those present how St Francis wished to place the whole Order under the protection of the Mother of God. In his homily, he cited how St. Bonaventure "placing all his trust in her, he made her his Advocate and that of his friars, and for this reason, he led his friars to the Church of the Portiuncula because he wanted the Order of Friars Minor to grow and develop under the protection of the Mother of God". 

The Vicar concluded his homily by inviting those present to implore Mary's intercession so that the Church and the Order may truly be credible signs of God's merciful presence in the midst of the men and women of our time through their commitment to a new world in justice and peace. 

The celebration ended with a prayer before the image of Mary Mediatrix. The celebration was attended by the friars of the Curia and the friaries scattered around Rome, the religious sisters, and representatives of the Knights of Columbus, who, with their school, are the closest neighbors of the General Curia. 

Note: Our friars from the Convento San Francesco attended this celebration, with our own brothers in formation assisting at the Mass. For more photos, see the above entry from the Convento.

Franciscans International appoints

new Executive Director

The International Board of Directors (IBD) of Franciscans International (FI) met in Assisi, Italy, from 11 to 14 May 2023. After significant deliberations, prayer and discernment, on 13 May, the IBD appointed Blair Matheson TSSF to be the new Executive Director of FI. He will replace Brother Markus Heinze OFM on 1 January 2024.

Blair is an Anglican Third Order Franciscan from New Zealand. He and Br. Markus will work together during the transition period from now until the end of the current calendar year. The Board recognizes the tremendous contributions by Br. Markus, who, over the past eleven years, guided FI through significant changes toward both organizational and financial stability.

The members of the IBD look forward to working with Blair and the dedicated staff of FI as we continue to stand up for human dignity, care for creation, and promote peace, defending human rights and raising these concerns at the United Nations and to the international community.

Our Lady of Peace Parish Celebrates

Our Lady of the Clouds

(Nuestra Señora de las Nubes)

On Sunday, May 6, the parish community of Our Lady of Peace in Brooklyn celebrated this devotion familiar to the citizens of Ecuador. The celebration, now in its 23rd year being celebrated at our Brooklyn parish, was attended by 358 people.

The Santuario de la Virgen de la Nube, better known as the Franciscan Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cloud, is a church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Azogues, located in the eastern part of the Ecuadorian city of  Azogues, capital of the province of Cañar. It was built between 1912 and 1954.^[1] It is a church of singular and beautiful construction that dates from the Republican era, its entire structure as well as its stairways were made with carved stone from the Abuga hill. The High Altar of the sanctuary is entirely carved in fine wood, covered with gold leaf. In the central part of it is the image of the Virgin of the Cloud.^[2]

The invocation of the Blessed Virgin of the Cloud originated in the city of  Quito in the year 1696, around a manifestation of the Virgin Mary, whose image was formed (according to testimonies) from the clouds of heaven.

The image that is currently venerated in her Sanctuary was carved by the Cuencan artist Don Daniel Alvarado Bermeo in 1899.^[3]

To increase the devotion of our Lady of the Cloud, the chorusof the Virgin, made up of 30 families each, were created. According to the chronicles, in 1927 there were 21 choirs.

On October 24, 1965, the community of Franciscan Fathers of Azogues requested the decree of recognition of the 'Virgin of the Cloud'. The act in which the Catholic Church allows public worship and where a liturgical feast is assigned in honor of the image as well as its power of intercession before God took place on January 1, 1967.

Happy Birthday!

Luis Hernandez- June 5- 37

Pierre John Farrugia - June 8 - 50

John-Michael Pinto - June 9 - 67

Thomas Garone - June 15 - 79

Antonio Nardoianni - June 16 - 74

James Welch II - June 19 – 64

Andre Cirino- June 19- 83

Simeon Distefano - June 20 - 87

Michael Travaglione - June 30 - 85

Celebration of Mothers Day At

the Instituto San Francisco,

Tegucigalpa Honduras

May 9, 2023

Fr. Rafael Fernandez, O.F.M.

TRANSITIONS

Fr. Simeon Distefano, O.F.M., from Padua Friary to residence at Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home.

Br. Angelo Monti, O.F.M., from Kobe Friary and FMA staff, Mount Vernon, NY, to residence at St. Christopher Friary, Boston, Massachusetts.

Fr. Armand Padula, O.F.M., from Teresian House, Albany NY, to residence at Saint Lawrence Infirmary, Beacon NY.

Some Interesting Photos

Found this on the Internet: A photo of the terrible tragedy of September 11, 2001 taken from just north of Padua Friary on West Houston and Thompson Streets. The friary is the closest building on the right - the building with the cupola.

On a lighter note, seen on the cover of the Wall Street Journal on May 23, 2023. Pope Francis being given a dish of connoli. Wonder if they're from Modern Bakery in the North End (or Mike's). Remember what Peter Clemenza said in the Godfather: "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." This should be the rallying cry for today's gun control advocates.