Franciscan Friars
Province of the Immaculate Conception
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Provincial Update - September2020 |
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"I Bear the Brand Marks of Jesus"
Dear Brothers,
I am sure we are all familiar with the words of St. Paul, written in his Letter to the Galatians, “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the brand marks of Jesus.” (Gal. 6:17) The Greek word used in this passage is actually “stigmata”, which was used to designate a branding of cattle or even of slaves. We may, for example, recall the branding of prisoners in concentration camps. Although what exactly St. Paul meant by this statement has been debated for centuries, for Franciscans, the word stigmata has a special meaning for us.
One of the great signs of God’s love for St. Francis was granting him the gift of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ. We recently celebrated this feast on September 17, when we remembered the Letter of Brother Elias announcing the stigmata of St. Francis:
"I announce to you a great joy and the news of a miracle. Such a sign that has never been heard of from the dawn of time except in the Son of God, who is Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and father appeared crucified, bearing in his body the five wounds which are truly the marks of Christ. His hands and feet had, as it were, the openings of the nails and were pierced front and back revealing the scars and showing the nails' blackness. His side, moreover, seemed opened by a lance and often emitted blood."
This great blessing, given to St. Francis on Mount LaVerna, is fittingly described in the Collect of the Feast of the Stigmata: “O God, who wonderfully renewed the signs of your Son’s passion in the flesh of our Holy Father Francis to inflame our hearts with the fire of your love, grant, through his intercession, that, conformed to the death of your Son, we may also share in his resurrection.”
It is even more fitting that we celebrate the Feast of the Stigmata just days after the feasts of the Exultation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. After all, the stigmata of St. Francis links him physically to what was already an important spiritual part of his life- his love of Christ and His Cross. The intimacy of the relationship that St. Francis had with Jesus was fittingly manifested in his sharing of the wounds of his Savior.
The challenge to us, as Franciscans, is to examine how we, too, bear the brand marks of Jesus in our daily living. We can fall back on the trappings of our lives- whether it is our fraternity, our ministry, or even the wearing of the habit. What identifies us as true disciples, bearing the brand marks of Jesus, by our values, by our lifestyles, by our example, and by our love for the poor. Do we bear in our bodies the wounds of Christ- perhaps not in such a fashion as we see in St. Francis’ stigmata, but in the way we live our Franciscan lives?
As we approach the coming Feast of St. Francis, let’s resolve to be more Christ like- and more Francis like, in our everyday lives and actions.
In conclusion I would like to personally and on behalf of the entire province, congratulate our newly professed friars, Luis and Oscar, and our new novices, Dagoberto, Matthew, Kevin and Aldair. It is our prayer that you may continue to grow in your love for God and, in the spirit of our Holy Father St. Francis, always bear in your hearts and lives, the brand marks of our beloved Savior. Congratulations and best wishes!
With blessings and peace,
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Fr. Robert Campagna, OFM
Provincial Minister
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From the Postulancy Program
Caledon, Ontario
Tau Ceremony
On Thursday, September 17, the Feast of the Stigmata of our Holy Father Saint Francis, the Toronto friars gathered to welcome Timothy Kulakowsky, our newest postulant. Timothy was officially received into the Franciscan formation program by receiving the Tau cross. Tim comes to us from the city of Hamilton, Ontario. He has a love of serving the poor and teaching the faith, having served in these ministries at his local parish. He is very excited to be beginning his Franciscan journey. Congratulations, Tim.
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From the Novitiate
San Damiano, Assisi
Four New Novices from our Province
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Our New Novices with Friar Antonio Riccio, OFM
On Tuesday, September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, four postulants from our province joined three others- two from the Perugia Assisi Province, and one from Portugal, in being invested with the Franciscan habit and beginning their year of novitiate. The investiture took place at the very place where Saint Francis of Assisi received his mission from Jesus, “rebuild my church”, the church of San Damiano in Assisi. It is at San Damiano where the new novices will be spending their year of novitiate. The four men from our province, Kevin Gabriel Gonzalez Vega and Nelson Aldair Orantes Calderon- from the Brooklyn postulancy program, and Dagoberto Hernandez Lopez and Matthew Mancino, from the Caledon program, were received into the order by Friar Antonio Riccio, O.F.M., Provincial Secretary for Formation and Studies, duly delegated by the provincial. The friars from the Convento San Francesco attended the reception ceremony as well. The new brothers received the Franciscan habit, tunic, cowl and cord (sans knots).
Greetings From the Novices
Greetings to all from Assisi! Peace and all Good! On Tuesday September the eighth we began our journey as novices in the Order of Friars Minor. All of us are feeling very content to receive the habit and hopeful about what the future will bring.
Dagoberto:
"I feel profoundly content and happy to wear this habit for the first time. I remember the feeling of holiness and of being called. Because all of this is by the grace of God and nothing by our own doing. I desire to give the best of myself in this novitiate with my commitment and service and with a gentle attitude to allow a unique and intimate encounter with God, in the simplicity of the day to day, creating the base of the fraternity of religious life, and committing freely in a coherent way."
Matthew:
"Being invested in the habit was an experience that I will never forget. To be invested here, in this holy place dear to St Francis and St Clare added to the joy and gratitude that all of us felt. Thank you for all of the support you have given us in your words and actions and most of all, your prayers."
Kevin:
"I am very content to be welcomed into the order and invested with the habit. I am thinking about all the Franciscan saints that have worn this habit, that just like them, I would like to learn how to be a friar minor. A phrase that sums up my feelings is that I want to know Christ crucified and poor. Truly I am very happy and grateful."
Aldair:
"I am really grateful to have this new experience. It was a gift from God to receive the Franciscan habit for the first time. I would like to express my gratitude to the Immaculate Conception Province for this opportunity. It is going to be an opportunity to further discern my vocation and to learn Franciscan spirituality more deeply."
Thank you all for your prayers and be assured of our prayers for you! A huge thanks to the Immaculate Conception Province for your confidence in us!
St. Francis and St. Clare
Pray For Us
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Novices nervously wait for their reception and investiture |
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Seven new novices with Fr. Antonio and the Provincial of the Assisi Province,
Friar Francesco Piloni, OFM
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Friars Luis Hernandez and Oscar Valle Perez Profess First Vows
San Damiano, Assisi
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Dear brothers- greetings from the Eternal City:
We are back in the Convento San Francesco in Rome, after being for one year in Assisi doing our novitiate.
As you know, we made our first profession last August 30th. It was a two day celebration starting on Saturday evening when five of our brothers in Rome arrived to San Damiano friary to be with us. That day at 9.15 pm we had a prayer vigil in preparation to take our first vows. It was presided by our novice master, Fr. Pietro whose homily was based on the Gospel of Matthew 20, 20-28 in which he exhorted us not to look for the earthly things but always to look to the heavenly things, and not to use the church for our own interest.
On Sunday, a rainy day, we started mass at 9.15 am. It took place in the church of San Damiano. It was really a blessing to take our first vows in the place where Saint Francis started to repair the physical structure of this small church and later realized that God was asking him to restore the entire Catholic Church along with his first companions. The mass was presided by the newly elected provincial minister of the Umbria province, Fr. Francesco Piloni, who received our vows in the name of our provincial. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony. During the homily, Fr. Francesco encouraged us to be the broken bread that is a bright sign but at the same a shocking sign for our present world. He encouraged us to live not for ourselves, but to offer our own lives preaching the Gospel. He also mentioned that as Franciscan we are not called to preserve ourselves but to consummate ourselves in the service of God and every person that we encounter every day. At the end of the homily, Fr. Francesco also thanked our novice master, Fr. Pietro who is leaving formation after many years of working in this area for his province.
Personally, when I knelt before the provincial, I had a heart full of joy, and gratitude to Almighty God for giving me this gift, the gift of making my first profession. I was reflecting on the first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, that it is God who seduces our hearts. It is God who calls us and was there before the altar, saying my Yes to the Lord. It was really a very special moment that will remain in my heart forever.
After the mass, we enjoyed a meal with all the friars of the community of San Damiano friary. In the afternoon, we left San Damiano to return to the Convento San Francesco in Rome.
We share with all of you our joy and send you a big hug to each of you. May God give you peace.
Fraternally: Brother Luis Hernandez
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October Birthdays
Take time to wish our friars a Happy Birthday!
Mario Julian - October 2nd – 66
Nery Aguirre - October 6th - 76
Joseph Powell - October 10th - 33
Rohwin Pais - October 13th - 59
Angelo Falzon - October 15th - 63
Roger Hall - October 16th - 66
Paschal DeMattia - October 19th - 85
Angelo Monti - October 21st - 78
Michael D. Ledoux - October 23rd - 63
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Pope Francis to Issue New Encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti" from Assisi on October 3 |
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“Let us all, brothers, consider the Good Shepherd who to save His sheep bore the suffering of the Cross” (Admonitions, 6, 1: FF155).
To be signed during his visit to Assisi on October 3 at the tomb of St. Francis and released on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Vatican City
Pope Francis will release his new encyclical on Oct. 4, the Vatican announced.
"Fratelli Tutti", on fraternity and social friendship, will be issued at noon Rome time on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis will offer a Mass at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi privately at 3 p.m. on October 3 before signing the encyclical.
The title of the encyclical is a direct quotation from St. Francis, taken from the Admonitions. Pope Francis chose the words of St. Francis which were addressed to his friars, to initiate a reflection on fraternity and social friendship. The Encyclical is addressed to all men and women of the earth, everyone, inclusively. “Since it is a direct quotation from St Francis, taken from the Admonitions, quoted above, the Pope has obviously not changed it. But the formulation of the title in no way intends to exclude women, that is, more than half of the human race,” wrote the editorial director for the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.
“On the contrary, Francis chose the words of the Saint of Assisi to initiate a reflection on something he cares about very deeply: namely, fraternity and social friendship. He therefore addresses all his sisters and brothers, all men and women who populate the earth: everyone, inclusively, and in no way exclusively.”
Pope Francis spoke on the relevance of St. Francis’ message: “St. Francis of Assisi used to say, ‘All brothers and sisters.’ Thus, men and women of every religious confession, we unite ourselves today in prayer and penance to ask for the grace of healing from this pandemic.”
In the midst of the pandemic, the pope sends a message about fraternity and social friendship that he will sign before St. Francis' tomb at the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi on October 3.
The Encyclical is a call back to the roots of Christianity. Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, O.F.M., Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life as well as former Minister General of the Friars Minor, explained that fraternity is not only the identity of the Franciscan vocation; it is the identity of the Christian, fraternity as a constant service to others and that it leads to the roots of Christianity.
Archbishop Carballo said, “The Church and the world needs more Francises, and those Francises can and should be all of us, as believers of Christ, especially all Catholics. The encyclical is addressed to the whole world and will have a global impact, but it is first of all for Catholics and even more so for Franciscans. I always say that the rule of St. Francis could end with the first sentence of the first chapter, when he says that the rule of the friars minor is to observe and live the Gospel. With this, all is said. I believe that the pope will return to Assisi and sign the encyclical letter there, reminding us to return to the Gospel, as Francis did."
For Archbishop Carballo, the pope's invitation to live in fraternity during the current difficulties is the key to building a post-pandemic society. It's an issue that includes overcoming the virus of indifference in the face of social inequalities..
He said, “Once again, we have been able to see, and I hope that we are not blind to that reality that we are all equal. In the face of the virus, there have been neither rich nor poor, neither educated nor ignorant. The virus makes us all equal. But I hope that we react positively, and if it has made us equal in a negative way, that we now work for universal brotherhood.”
Society, ecology, economy, spirituality and social justice are some issues that the pope will probably address in his new encyclical, whose focus will undoubtedly be human dignity.This could be summed up by returning to the essentials, to what is truly important for a better society.
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Saint Pamphilus Church in Pittsburgh is now Our Lady of Victory Maronite Church |
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Rear Mural of the Transitus of St. Francis
On August 4, Our Lady of Victory Church closed on the purchase of St. Pamphilus Church from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA, making our former church on Tropical Avenue in Pittsburgh their new home. On Sunday, August 16, at 8:30 AM and 11 AM Masses, Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn celebrated the first official liturgies at St. Pamphilus. In his remarks to the congregation, he welcomed the parishioners of Our Lady of Victory to their new home, as well as some of the St. Pamphilus parishioners who have chosen to remain at the church. He stated that the church had already been dedicated and consecrated many years ago by then Bishop Cardinal John Wright, who was bishop of Pittsburgh at the time, the new church will be “recommissioned” as a Maronite Catholic Church. Liturgies are being broadcast on the church’s Facebook page. The parish right now is offering Sunday Masses at the new St. Pamphilus site, with daily Masses at the former Scott Township Church. Gradually, everything will he shifted over to the Beechview location.
St. Pamphilus was established as the second parish in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s South Hills, when then bishop Cardinal John Wright offered the parish to the province in replacement for the Church of St. Peter the Apostle in the lower Hill District, which had been closed and razed to make room for the urban development around the Civic Arena. Fr. Theodore DiMasi, O.F.M. was the first pastor of the parish. The name of St. Pamphilus was given to the church, after St. Pamphilus of Sulmona (San Panfilo di Sulmona), an eighth century bishop from Abruzzo. The name was also an homage to the founder of the Immaculate Conception Province, Fr. Pamfilo da Magliano. For 58 years the friars of our province ministered at this church, until October of 2018, when, with the implementation of On Mission for the Church Alive, the parish renewal campaign for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Friar Alexis Anania, OFM and Friar John-Michael Pinto, OFM, completed their ministry at the parish and departed. St. Pamphilus became part of the Beechview/Brookline Parish Grouping, consisting of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Beechview, and Our Lady of Loreto, St. Pius X, and Resurrection Parishes, all in Brookline. The new parish is staffed by priests of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and was named St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish. The new amalgamated parish, with an accumulation of buildings from the five founding parishes, had to decide what buildings it would need to adequately continue its ministry. Although St. Pamphilus had what was probably the best facility, with large church, expansive banquet hall and kitchen, classrooms, and a very large parking lot, it was determined that the location would be a detriment to keeping the facility. The church and rectory up the street on Tropical Avenue were put up for sale, and purchased by the Scott Township Church of Our Lady of Victory.
Editor’s note: I spent the first thirteen years of my priesthood at St. Pamphilus. It was an exciting time and a great, very active parish. It’s good to see that it will continue to be a church rather than being used for some secular purpose. I am happy that the Eucharistic presence will remain an important part of this church and parish, as well as this local neighborhood.
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Bishop Mansour blessed new Maronite parish |
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Concelebration at
Dedication Liturgy
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From the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province
It was announced by Br. Caoimhín Ó Laoide, O.F.M., English-speaking General Definitor, on behalf of Br. Michael A. Perry, O.F.M., Minister General, that the General Definitory elected the following friars to office in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, USA:
Br. Ron Walters, O.F.M. to the Office of Minister Provincial
Br. Charlie Martinez, O.FM. to the Office of Vicar Provincial
Br. Gerry Steinmetz, O.F.M. to the Office of Definitor
Br. Dale Jamison, O.F.M. to the Office of Definitor
Br. Patrick Shafer, O.F.M. to the Office of Definitor
Br Erasmo Romero, O.F.M. to the Office of Definitor
Congratulations Brothers.
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TRANSITIONS
Friar Stephen Galambos, OFM, from St. Anthony Friary, Catskill, to St. Christopher Friary,Boston.
Friar Deacon Victor Treminio,OFM, from Convento S. Francesco, Rome, to Valle de los Angeles, Guatemala.
Friar Robero Siguere, OFM, approved by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Central America and Panama for incorporation into that province. Friar Roberto's new address is: Parroquia Inmaculado Corazon de Maria, Final de la 7a Zona 12, Guatemala City.
Friars Luis Hernandez and Oscar Valle Perez, OFM, newly professed, are now at Convento San Francesco, Rome
New Mailing Address for Friar Richard Martignetti, OFM:
St John Paul the Great Friary
5096 Avila Avenue
Ave Maria, FL 34142
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God's Bench- St. Leonard's Church
An Excerpt from "God's Bench" by Michael R. Simone, SJ,
from the Alumni Magazine of Boston College
At the center of the (North End) neighborhood is the Roman Catholic parish of Saint Leonard of Port Maurice. Franciscan Friars founded the parish in 1873 and dedicated it to Leonard Casanova, a fellow friar canonized in 1867. Casanova had spent his ministry preaching retreats throughout Italy, and was an apt patron for the neighborhood's burgeoning Italian community. The parish grew quickly and by 1899 required the sizable building it uses today.
The structure is unapologetically Italianate. Romanesque arches support a central dome and rounded apse. Statues of saints line the outer aisles, and painted images of saints and angels leave little unused space on the walls. The first time I walked in, I had to pause and take a breath. Even the madding street outside did not adequately prepare me for the visual overload of the church’s interior.
In the mid twentieth century, the North End was home to four Catholic parishes: St. Leonard’s, St. Stephen’s, St. Mary’s, and Sacred Heart. The steady decline in population forced difficult decisions. St. Mary’s closed and was demolished. St. Stephen’s and Sacred Heart ceased operating as parishes but remain open as chapels. St. Leonard’s was larger than the other parishes, but because of declining numbers of parishioners, it required a subsidy from the archdiocese to remain open.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, St. Leonard was an aging parish with declining enrollment. Around 2000, however, the parish saw an upsurge in younger parishioners, especially young professionals who had moved into the neighborhood. This influx has led to a modest increase in the parish census for the first time in decades. The neighborhood’s younger people tend to be transient, spending at most five years in the North End before moving elsewhere. The transience causes some tension. After years of worship, long term parishioners find lots of meaning in the formal liturgies, familiar lectors and servers, traditional devotions, and summer festivals. They resist changing them for transient newcomers. Compromise yields benefits to the wider church, however. Many young people drift away from their faith; finding a place that welcomes, even if only for a few years, improves the chances they will continue to practice their faith after they move on.
Yet these same elder parishioners are also behind two recent successes. First, their commitment has helped the parish stabilize its finances and attendance. Parishioners have been more than generous with their time and financial resources. This commitment supported the second success when, on December 17, 2017, the church was rededicated after more than a year of rebuilding and restoration. The interior, refurbished in the 1960s after the changes of Vatican II, but by the early 2000s was in need of serious cleaning and renovation. More troubling was an engineering assessment that revealed problems that threatened the structural integrity of the church building. The support of current and former parishioners as well as visitors and friends, coupled with an astonishing million dollar matching gift, resulted in a two million dollar budget to seal the leaking roof and foundation, restore the artwork, purchase a new organ, and bring the building up to code. Tourists walking the Freedom Trail pass by St. Leonard’s between Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church. Many find the restored, brightly lit interior a destination in itself. The church building is open from early morning until about 10:00 pm, and at any time one can find people inside praying or viewing the artwork.
Just as North End residents keep the neighborhood alive from their chairs on sidewalks and front porches, so does God from St. Leonard’s. The parish is God’s bench. Divine grace reinforces bonds of friendship and family, and provides unexpected wisdom and comfort to visitors. The parish remains a place where waves of people coming and going have not changed the reality of a loving God abiding in their midst.
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Cupola of Padua Friary with September 11 Display
Taken by Friar Jack Sidoti
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Before: Vocation prospect Dan Cavalieri visiting Our Lady of Peace, Brooklyn |
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After: Friar Dan Cavalieri returns to Brookyn for a visit.
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September 11 Ground Zero Display (Photo by Friar Jack Sidoti taken from Padua Friary rooftop veranda) |
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FDNY at Mass on September 11, St. Anthony's NYC |
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FDNY at Mass on September 11, St. Anthony's NYC |
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Provincial Chapter of 1976- How many can you identify? |
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PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE FRIARS
WHO HAVE RECENTLY DIED
Friar Conrad Harkins, OFM (Holy Name Province)
Friar Joseph Zermeno, OFM (St. Barbara Province)
Friar Valerian Vaverchak, OFM (Holy Name Province)
Friar Richard Duffy, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Friar Ken Capalbo, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Friar Arunas Brazauskas, OFM (St. Casimir Province of Lithuania)
Friar Christopher Posch, OFM (Holy Name Province)
Friar David Typek, OFM (Assumption Province)
Friar Leo Sprietsma, OFM (St. Barbara Province)
Recently Deceased Family and Friends
Giuseppe LaSelva (Father of Friar Giacomo LaSelva)
Paul Poirier (Brother of Friar Dominic Poirier)
Deacon Arnold Hyland (Friend of St. Anthony's, Catskill)
Rodney Stewart
William Mazzarella (Nephew of Friar Frederick Mazzarella)
Dee Sidoti (Grandmother of Friar Jack Sidoti)
Let us pray for our infirm friars:
Friar Roderick Crispo, OFM
Friar Claude Scrima, OFM
Friar Amedeo Nardone, OFM
Friar Albin Fusco, OFM
For our Infirm Family and Friends
Anna Palmarozzo (Mother of Friar Rick Martignetti)
Maria Elena Middleton (Niece of Fr. Louis Troiano- 17 years old)
For all infected and affected by the virus.
For our friars in skilled nursing and rehab facilities:
Friar Amedeo Nardone, OFM
Friar Albin Fusco, OFM
Friar Isaac Calicchio, OFM
Friar Daniel Morey, OFM
Friar John Bavaro, OFM
Friar Philip Adamo, OFM
Friar Lawrence Stumpo, OFM
Friar Clement Procopio, OFM
Please pray for all friars, families, friends, and benefactors,
living and deceased.
For all those affected in any way by the coronavirus.
For medical personnel and first responders.
For those in our nursing homes and hospitals.
For families separated from their loved ones due to quarantine.
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BROTHERS:
Please print out a copy of this newsletter to share with those in your community who do not have email. We hope that every friar in our province will have access to the Newsletter and that a printed copy will be posted on your friary bulletin board.
Thank you
The Management
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Province of the Immaculate Conception, New York NY
125 Thompson Street
New York NY 10012
212-674-4388
NEWSLETTER CONTACT
Please send any articles, news items, or photos to
Friar Joseph F Lorenzo, O.F.M.
Provincial Curia
125 Thompson Street
New York NY 10012
Cell: 917.337.9833
Office: 212.674.4388 Xt. 113
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.ICProvince.org
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