Provincial Update March 2023

practice of sacrifice- that we are willing to give of ourselves as a demonstration of our love for one another. After all, we know that Jesus tells us "love on another as I have loved you." And how does Jesus love us- by giving of himself, giving of his very human life on the cross, by enduring great torture and death itself, so that we might have eternal life.

Church writers and saints have reminded us over and over again that this great demonstration of love and sacrifice given to us by Jesus is a mirror of the love that the Father has for all of us. That God would choose to become a human being, live among us in the most poor state, and suffer the indignity of the cross, only to transform the cross- an instrument of suffering and death, into a sign of victory and new life.

I hope that this celebration of Holy Week and Easter is an opportunity we will all take advantage of - to renew in our hearts and actions our commitment to fraternity, to love another another, and to sacrifice for the sake of the church and our order.

Wishing all of you a blessed and happy Easter.

Mass at St. Peter's Tomb

News from the Convento San Francesco

Dear Brothers.

Fraternal greetings of peace and good. It is always a great joy for us to share our news and progress. 

Recently we started the second semester of this academic year 2022-2023 and we want to thank you for your prayers and closeness. With joy the fraternity celebrated this past February 25 the birthday of our brother Dagoberto Hernandez. 

On March 3 we joyfully celebrated the birthday of our dearest Guardian, Fr. Antonio Riccio, O.F.M. who is a great gift and wealth to have among us for his witness, wisdom, and for the great care he has for each of us.

At St. Peter's Tomb (Clementine Chapel) on March 4 we celebrated Mass together with Fr. Agnello Stoia, O.F.M. Conv., who is the pastor of St. Peter's Papal Basilica. Fr. Antonio and Fr. Pierre concelebrated and it was a time of prayer for all of us and also for our province.

We wish you all a good second half of our Lenten journey and a joyful Easter in the Lord. May He grant you all his peace and blessings always.

Fraternally

Br. Oscar Valle OFM and Br. Gabriel Rojas, OFM

Fr. Antonio Riccio's Birthday Celebration

Happy Birthday Fr. Antonio

The OFM friars of the “US Six” Provinces- Holy Name, Sacred Heart, St. John Baptist, St. Barbara, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Assumption Provinces of the USA, have been on a pilgrimage to merge as one Province to be called “Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”   The goall of this is to form one, unified province of over seven hundred friars.   Our own Province of the Immaculate Conception voted not to be part of this amalgamation and to retain our own identify.  

That goal will become a reality this October, when the friars will celebrate a “Chapter of Union,” with the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Father Massimo Fusarelli, in Kansas City, Missouri, to formally create the new entity. 

But reaching that goal has been a long pilgrimage. That journey has seen bursts of energy—in meetings of friars together for prayer and planning—and in some stumbles, as various difficult issues have been confronted.  Just several months remain until the chapter, and much has been accomplished. Here are some milestones: 

• In May 2018, friars of six OFM Provinces voted to unite. 
• In August 2019, over 300 friars met in Denver, Colorado, for a first coast-to-coast gathering, known as the Chapter of Mats. 
• In 2020, the Office of Renewal and Restructuring (R&R) formed to guide the process of union. 
• In 2021, 19 working groups of friars and lay consultants began examining a range of areas in the friars’ life and ministry. 
• In 2022, the Minister General approved “Our Lady of Guadalupe” as the patroness for the new entity effective Oct. 2023. In addition, Atlanta, Georgia was chosen as the location of the provincial headquarters. 
• Also in 2022, friars under 65, who will form the core group of men in active, full-time ministry met in Kansas City to “gather and discern” the mission and ministry of the new province, proposing new or energized ministries for the future. 
• In 2023, a series of “straw ballots” is being held among the friars to offer names for the new province’s leadership—which will be named by the Minister General later this year, prior to the Chapter of Unity. 
• At the same time, a group of lay professionals is being hired to assume roles formerly held by Franciscans—thus freeing up friars for ministry. 

Much work remains for the friars and their lay collaborators before October. But the pace of activity is accelerating, and a new OFM Franciscan entity—stretching from coast to coast and including friars in Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico—is taking shape. By late summer, the main structure of leadership and support staff will be in place, ready for a representative group of friar-delegates, along with many friar-observers, to gather in the Chapter of Unity celebrating the beginning of a new moment in Franciscan history. ‘

To facilitate this unity, a seris of three interprovincial retreats concluded recently, drawing over eighty friars from the US6 provinces. 

Thirty-three friars gathered for the first retreat at San Pedro Center in Winter Park, Florida., Jan. 9-13, led by Franciscan Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., of Lexington. Bishop Stowe’s talks focused on Franciscan themes, and he drew heavily from Pope Francis, clearly one of his heroes. He began with our family of origin, then progressed to our Franciscan family and the larger worldwide family. Drawing on sacred Scripture, the Franciscan sources and Pope Francis, Bishop Stowe skillfully developed each theme. He referred extensively to living with and caring for the poor and conducted a thoroughly Franciscan retreat. 

The majestic mountains and quiet desert landscape at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, set the scene for the second of three interprovincial retreats. The gathering, Jan. 16-20, led by Father Caoimhin Ô’Laoide, OFM, the Delegate of the Minister General in the R&R process, brought together 36 friars from the various provinces to reflect, pray and strengthen their fraternal bonds. 

Drawing from a variety of sources, including artists, poets, theologians and the writings of St. Francis, Caoimhin said he was “hoping the retreat would be a space for the friars to let down their opinions and speak instead about the unknown, to rest in the mystery and pursue the relationship,” with God and one another. 

There was also the opportunity, he said, to discuss the practicalities and vision as the provinces move closer to becoming one. “I wanted to reassure the friars that October is really just the end of the beginning. There is so much more that is going to evolve,” he said. “These retreats are interprovincial, but there is very much the sense of already being one.” 

The third and final retreat took place Feb. 6-10 at San Juan de los Lagos Retreat Center, San Juan, Texas. Also led by Caoimhin, it made use of the “synodal approach” of encounter, listening and discernment, with time being given to Scripture-based listening and sharing. 

In addition, “Encounter at the Border,” a two-day companion program, conducted by Br. Keith Warner, OFM, provided the chance to visit the Humanitarian Respite Center, operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Brownsville. Participants crossed the border to visit some of the migrant camps in Reynosa, Mexico. 

Brother Bruce Michalek, OFM, of OLGP, the US-6 Retreat Committee chairperson, said of the recent retreats: “It is wonderful to witness the fraternal atmosphere from day one to the final closing Eucharist. It reminds me of a large family reunion where cousins meet for the first time since their childhood. Stories are shared and ministries are discussed and we discover that geography and province cultures do not matter. The results are similar: we are one family of men, living in community and in simplicity, who are focused on the Gospels in an effort to minister to God’s people with the example of our father, Francis of Assisi.” 

Fr. Armand Padula Moves to Teresian House

After many decades living at Mount Alvernia Friary in Wappingers Falls, New York, and serving many positions both at Mount Alvernia and in the province at large, Fr. Armand has moved to Teresian House to join three other friars, Fr. Albin Fusco, Fr. Regis Gallo, and Br. Lawrence Stumpo.  Unfortunately Fr. Armand’s needs exceeded the ability of the local community to take care of him, and it was decided to move him to Teresian for the more extensive care it offers.  Fr. Armand is 92 years old.  Fr. Armand moved on March 10 and was greeted by Fr. Albin - the “mayor” of Teresian House, a Catholic facility in the Diocese of Albany staffed by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm.  His new address is 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, New York 12203 and his cell number is 845.453.6218.  Pictured below is Fr. Armand being welcomed by Fr. Albin and looked over by Fr. Mario Julian, OFM, Guardian of Mount Alvernia Friary.  Best wishes, Fr. Armand.  

On May 1, 2023, after an agreement with the Provincial Administration and the Archdiocese of Hartford, the friars of St. Joseph Church in Winsted will take on an expansion of their ministry to the northwest corner of the state of Connecticut, by ministering at a new parish, the parish of St. Martin of Tours.  The parish was formed by the amalgamation of three small parishes in the northwest corner of Connecticut- the Church of St. Mary in Lakeville (Salisbury), the Church of St. Joseph in Canaan, and the Church of Immaculate Conception in Norfolk.  Fr. Bruce Czapla and Fr. Roger Hall will take on this ministry.   The parish headquarters is at St. Joseph in Canaan (which was formerly staffed by our province).  In a letter to Fr. Provincial, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford, wrote:

“I am pleased to invite the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province to assume pastoral ministry effective May 1, 2023 for the Parish of St. Martin of Tours, located in the Archdiocese of Hartford.  It is my understanding that multiple conversations have taken place among you, Monsignor James Shanley, the Vicar for Clergy, and the Friars of Winsted.  I am deeply appreciative of your supporting this effort and recognize that it will be an extension of the ministry of the two friars currently at St. Joseph (Winsted), with the hope of additional friars being involved in the future.  I would propose that we formalize this agreement after a six month period.  

The contiguous parish lies to the northwest of Winsted, following RT 44 with 380 households spread out across three church campuses in Norfolk, Canaan and Lakeville (Salisbury). It is about a 20 minute drive to the midpoint of this parish from Winsted.

St. Joseph Church, Canaan (Parish of St. Martin of Tours)

At its meeting of February 27, 2023, held at the Provincial Curia, New York, the Provincial Definitorium discussed a communication received from Br. Massimo Fusarelli, O.F.M., Minister General, and the General Definitorium concerning a Chapter of Mats of the Order, to be held no later than June of 2025.

The Chapter of Mats is to be preceded by local friary chapters who will elect delegates to the Provincial Chapter of Mats, and then a Chapter of Mats celebrated by each Province, to be held no later than June 2024. The results of the Provincial Chapter of Mats will be forwarded to the Conference (English-Speaking Conference of the Order), and then used to prepare for the General Chapter.

The Chapter will be "an occasion for attentive, friendly listening to each other, fostering a true discipline of the spirit”

Proposed areas of discussion:

-Renewing our vision: what aspects of our charism should we be open to today?

-Walking in a particular style: which prophetic style of fraternity in minority.

-Embracing the future: witness-mission- who and how do we serve?

-Charism, communion, and mission.  

This will be discussed at length at the next Provincial Definitorium meeting and communicated to the province to plan for local chapters.

Take time to wish our brothers a Happy Birthday!

Guy Vellardita, April 3, 1931 (92)

Joshua Critchley, April 3, 1994 (28)

Bishop Joseph Bonello, April 4, 1961 (62)

Octavio Salinas, April 6, 1953 (70)

Alfonse Ferreira, April 9, 1934 (89)

Bishop Roberto Camilleri, April 24, 1951 (72)

Marco Antonio Gomez, April 26, 1991 (32)

Jules Wong, April 28, 1943 (80)

Gabriel Aceto, April 29, 1949 (74)

Jack Sidoti, April 30, 1996 (27)