Franciscan Friars Province of the Immaculate Conception

Provincial Update - June 2021

Dear Brothers, One of the things you learn living in New York City is how many laws we have.  It seems there are laws governing every aspect of life.  Some years ago, the mayor sought to legislate such things as how large a drink stores can sell.  There are some who would say that life in the city is a series of intrusions into our personal lives. You can’t imagine how many times we have received in the mail a notice of a fine (or even worse, a hearing) for some obscure law concerning one of our buildings. It seems that the Dept. of Buildings

is making a lot of money these days on fines.  Having several large buildings, there is always something some inspector who wants to cite us for some violation- elevators, building codes, etc. - even though we didn’t even know we were in violation of any laws.  There are others who constantly clamor for new laws.  It seems that every time we see something we don’t like, we say “there should be a law against that.”  Very often old laws remain on the books, even when new laws are enacted.  Now we know why lawyers are so important (and so much in need) in our society.   We’ve all heard of obscure and even absurd laws in various places.  Some of these are funny, if not ridiculous.  In Maryland, for example, it is illegal to hold one’s nose for longer than one second.  In Oregon it is illegal to roller skate in a public rest room.  In North Carolina, it is illegal to plow a cotton field with an elephant.  I would love to hear the stories behind these laws. Sometimes even in the church we become weighed down with rules and regulations.  Witness all the rules during the COVID pandemic concerning every aspect of church and liturgical life.  If you’ve ever seen the book of the Code of Canon Law- the laws and policies which govern our church, you would know what I am talking about.  We know that this is nothing new- not for society, not for our legal system, and not for religions.  This was something Jesus tried to confront during- the overabundance of laws governing every aspect of religious and social behavior- some of them seeming to be very frivolous.   We realize that we cannot legislate sin out of existence- we can create all kinds of laws, but there are still criminals- and sinners.   Even the threat of punishment does not seem to be a solution for some. Jesus had a great understanding of the meaning of law, and so he tried to put it in its proper perspective.  So we see Jesus in the gospels frequently addressing, not so much the legalistic human mind, but the loving human heart. Jesus teaches that, as His disciples, we cannot live our lives simply as a response to rules and regulations.  Obedience to law, or to a higher authority, is an inferior relationship.  Rather, it is our love for others that should be at the heart of our relationships- with our fellow human beings and with our God. It is part of human nature that we respond differently to threats of punishment than to our desire to please someone we love.  We may take, for example, the posted speed limit on our highways to be a “suggestion”, rather than something serious- that is, until we see those flashing lights on the State Trooper’s vehicle telling us to pull over.  And even then, we may take any chastisement we get as “par for the course” rather than something which really upsets us (unless we get a tremendous fine, or are arrested).    We may be very careful, however, when driving down the street where children are being let out of school, and crossing the street, or a school bus is letting its passengers out.   Jesus is asking us to take a different look at our Christian lives- not in terms of obedience to a law but rather a response to Someone who loves us immensely- that is God.  How much more should we, as followers of the Poverello, dedicate our lives to the love that comes to us from the Heart of Christ.  Blessings and peace.  Have a great summer! Fraternally,

News from the Convento San Francesco, Rome Post Novitiate Program

Dear Brothers,   Since the last time we wrote to greet you and inform you of our journey and the current reality in Rome, things have gotten better and just today Rome has returned to being a “white zone” meaning, dining in at restaurants without masks can resume as well as no need for masks when not in a crowd, no curfews etc. It seems like people are breathing a breath of fresh air. At the moment we are finishing up our second semester exams which end on June 25th and then we will renew our vows on the 29th, God-willing. Then we’ll start heading out for our visitations and time with our families back home in each of our countries of origin, and then continue with our summer assignments with our return to Rome slated for the 24th of September. We have also had great reasons to celebrate such as the birthday of our Brother, Luis Hernández OFM on June 5 and the birthday of our formator, Pierre Farrugia OFM on June 8, as well as the namesake, St Anthony, of our guardian, Father Antonio Riccio OFM. We also thank God for the time we shared with our brother, Carl Green OFM who opted to not renew his vows and rather continue his nursing education in Toronto and so he left the formation program on June 10 to start this new phase in his life. We pray for him and wish him all the best in the coming years.   Little by little, things in Italy seem to be resuming their course, always with precautionary measures to avoid contagion of the pandemic. Restaurants, museums and businesses have opened, the arrival of tourism is noted and with it also the vaccination process throughout all of Italy is advancing little by little.  We wholeheartedly thank you for your prayers for us, and you can also count on ours. May the lord give you peace from above,  Fraternally, Fra. Oscar Valle OFM

MESSAGE FROM MEDICAL CLAIMS OFFICE It seems that some of the friars have been getting messages and alerts from Medicare or other insurance carriers looking for information.  Ann De Vico , Director of our Medical Claims Office, has asked that the friars send all material to her to be reviewed as some of these are simply people looking for information, perhaps for nefarious reasons.  Please never give out personal information, account numbers, or any information without consulting Medical Claims.  Send any items, including bills, to Ann for proper response.   SPAM ALERT Some of the emails coming from the provincial office, including such things as the Newsletter, emails from the Provincial, death notices, have been diverted to spam folders, depending on your mail server.  Some servers, including gmail, find the “icprovince.org” suspicious.  PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER for legitimate emails from this and other sources.  If you, or someone you know, is not getting the newsletter, please check to see if our emails are going into your spam folder.

GENERAL CHAPTER 2021 Posted at June 4, 2021 in Events, General Chapter 2021, News   From 3 to 18 July 2021, the General Chapter of the Order of Friars Minor will be held in Rome, with the theme of Renewing Our Vision, Embracing Our Future. The 118 Capitulars who are expected at this celebration of our worldwide brotherhood will gather at the Capuchin International College of St Lawrence of Brindisi, which is located around halfway between Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino, and the historical centre of Rome. This upcoming historic 15-day General Chapter in Rome promises to be a special one in more ways than one. In the present uncertain times in our world, we Friars Minor give thanks for the gift of Faith and Fraternity that are certain, for experiences of Goodness and Beauty that are all around, and for Hope that springs eternal in the human heart. Let us pray for our Capitulars and our entire Order, that we may respond joyfully to the exhortation of the Epistle to the Ephesians, “Arise…and Christ will give you Light” (Ep. 5:14). For all General Chapter 2021 information, visit: http://ofmcapgen2021.org/en/

Holy Father Pope Francis appoints His Eminence Cardinal João Braz de Aviz as his delegate to the General Chapter

The Minister General communicates that the Holy Father has appointed  His Eminence CardinalJoão Braz de Aviz as his Delegate to preside over the election of the Minister General on 13 July 2021. We in the whole Order regard His Eminence as our “Protector” from this moment on and pray for him and for the Chapter. Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, was born on 24 April 1947 in Mafra, Brazil. He was ordained a priest on 26 November 1972 for the Diocese of Apucurana. He holds a licence in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Lateran University. On 6 April 1994, he was appointed titular bishop of Flenucleta and Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Vitória. He received episcopal ordination on 31 May 1994. On 12 August 1998, he transferred to Ponta Grossa and on 17 July 2002 he was elevated Archbishop of Maringá. On 28 January 2004, he was appointed Archbishop of Brasília, where in 2010 he organized the XVI Eucharistic National Congress. He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 4 January 2011. He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis. Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Benedict XVI in the consistory of 18 February 2012, of the Deaconry of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina (St. Helena outside Prenestina Gate).

July Birthdays  Take time to wish our friars a Happy Birthday! John Bucchino - July 2nd - (76) Albert Gauci - July 7th - (74) Joseph LaGressa - July 10th - (73) Francis Walter- July 13th- (71) Michael Corcione - July 23rd - (60) Jose Alvin Te - July 25th - (47) Primo Piscitello - July 27th - (87) Claude Scrima - July 28th - (87)  Province Anniversaries 2021

SIMPLE PROFESSION 60th  Philip Adamo Paul Guido Angelo Monti James Villa 50th   Nery Aguirre Damian Johnson Antonio Nardoianni SOLEMN PROFESSION 80th  Clement Procopio 65th Albin Fusco Louis Troiano Primo Piscitello Claude Scrima 60th Michael Travaglione 55th Vincent Ciaravino Lawrence Stumpo PRIESTHOOD ORDINATION 65th  Isaac Calicchio Paul Rotondi Armand Padula 60th Albin Fusco Claude Scrima 55th Michael Travaglione Maurus Muldoon Paul Guido 45th Patrick Boyle Octavio Salinas Angelo Falzon 40th Dennis Wheatley Rohwin Pais Charles Trebino 30th Stephen Galambo 50th  Celestino Canzio Alfonse Ferreira James Goode Joseph LaGressa 45th   Robert Campagna Francis Walter 35th Rohwin Pais 25th Richard Martignetti Charles Trebino James Welch II 50th  Albert Gauci 45th  Joseph Lorenzo 40th  Jimmy Zammit Mario Julian 35th Michael Dominic Ledoux 25th Stephen Galambos 20th  Michael Corcione

Friar Rick Martignetti, OFM Leads Mission Trip to Uganda

In May of 2021, I was blessed to partake in a nine day mission trip to Masaka, Uganda with five very eager college students from my school, Ave Maria University in Florida. We were present as Bishop Severus Jjumba and Fr. Joseph Lugalambi (who also teaches with us at AMU) inaugurated a new orphanage that will serve 500+ kids. The priests at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary housed and fed us and were wonderfully gracious hosts to us.  The people of Uganda are, in a word, amazing! Most of those we interacted with were extremely poor and yet extremely joyful and so grateful for the simplest of things like a bowl of rice, a rosary, or a box of crayons. Good thing it was the week of Pentecost because the Holy Spirit helped us again and again to give and receive love from these wonderful children even though we did not speak their language. One visual I will never forget was watching how the little orphans, maybe 7 or 8 years old, instinctively cared for the younger ones, tying their shoes and carrying the 3 and 4 year olds around on their backs. It was so beautiful to see the Lord provide for and love these parentless children through one another.  But it was not just the children that will remain forever in my heart. The adults too were simple, poor, grateful, and joyful. We went house to house to bring Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Anointing to elderly Catholics, including a blind and deaf 107 year old man who grinned a toothless smile as his son explained to him what was happening. One elderly woman immediately dropped to her knees when we entered her simple one room home. When I finished ministering Holy Communion and Anointing her, she jumped to her feet and began to dance and sing for joy. We understood little of what she was singing but joined in as best as we could, singing and dancing with her all the same.  We visited a prison and spoke to the inmates about Saint Paul choosing to praise the Lord from his prison cell. We were struck by the eyes of these men, so attentive to us, so filled with faith and hope, even from a place of incarceration. The rosary beads they held on to in faith or proudly wore around their necks gave testimony to where their hearts were. Another woman paraphrased Saint Elizabeth at the Visitation when we entered her simple dwelling. Through a translator, we learned that her first reaction to our visit was, “Who am I that you should come to me?” My mission team and I, of course, felt the exact opposite. We felt so humbled by the faith and love of these beautiful souls in Uganda that we said among ourselves many times, “Who are we that we get to come here and experience such beauty?!”  We are so grateful to God, to Ave Maria University, to the OFM Province of the Immaculate Conception, and to our generous benefactors who made this mission trip possible and allowed us these life changing days and holy memories that will last a lifetime.   Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFM Director of Campus Ministry Ave Maria University

Transitions: Fr. Provincial has opted not to attend this year's General Chapter in Rome, due to safety and travel concerns. Fr. Antonio Riccio, OFM, Senior Definitor, has been approved as a delegate to represent the province at the upcoming General Chapter. Reminder: Friar Joshua Critchley, OFM, will be professing his Final Vows on July 31, 2021 at St. Joseph Church, Winsted, CT. Invitations have been sent out- please don't forget to RSVP to Friar Bruce Czapla if you plan to attend. Carl Green has decided not to renew his vows and has left the formation program. We wish Carl many blessings in the future. The Provincial Chapter of 2022 has been scheduled for June 21 to 24, 2022, at Mount Alvernia in Wappingers Falls, NY.

Franciscan Friar killed by gunfire in Mexico Fr. Juan Antonio Orozco, OFM 33 years old.

A Franciscan priest was killed in a hail of gunfire as he returned from celebrating Mass and providing sacraments in a rural Mexican village known for drug cartel conflicts. Father Juan Antonio Orozco, 33, was struck June 12 in the late morning as he drove in a rural region of western Durango state, where “he entered the crossfire of two groups fighting” over the Durango to Zacatecas highway,” Bishop Luis Flores Calzada of Tepic said in a brief social media post. The bishop included a photo of the victim, appearing to wear white robes, lying in front of a red pickup that identified the Franciscans’ parish ministry. The truck had several bullet holes. Franciscan Father Gilberto Hernández, spokesman for the Order of Friars Minor, said the slain priest had traveled to celebrate Mass in a rural village. Orozco was one of three Franciscan priests serving the Santa Lucía de la Sierra parish in a rugged and isolated part of Zacatecas state. The spokesman said no threats against Orozco had been made, even though the region has public security issues. “The death of our parish priest shocks us greatly,” said a statement on Santa Lucía de la Sierra parish Facebook page. Calls to the parish went unanswered. “We call on the civil authorities to finally put a limit to the violence and harassment of our communities. There are now many victims among our people and now our priest. Who’s next?” The violent death of Orozco — known as Padre Juanito — marks the latest killing of a priest in Mexico. At least 29 priests have been killed in Mexico since 2012, according to the Catholic Multimedia Center. (Catholic News Service)

St. Leonard Church Sponsors Covid Vaccinations

The people lining up outside the hall attached to St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church on May 13 were not waiting to attend Mass or parish function. The sign outside the door revealed their purpose: this was a place where they could receive their coronavirus vaccine. Since the end of March, NEW Health has been holding COVID-19 vaccine clinics three days a week in the hall, which is managed by the St. Joseph Society. NEW Health had previously used Old North Church as a clinic site but had to look for a new location when the historic church reopened to the public. Jim Luisi, the CEO of NEW Health, thought of St. Leonard Church as an alternative. Its location was convenient since the back door of the church is opposite the back door of the health center, and the two entities had a good relationship. Before the pandemic, the priests of St. Leonard's would come to NEW Health to give blessings and even administer ashes on Ash Wednesday. When Luisi called the pastor to ask about using the hall, Father Michael Della Penna immediately said, "Of course." "He said, 'That's why we're here. We're here to help the community,'" Luisi recalled. Father Della Penna put Luisi in touch with the St. Joseph Society, which agreed to allow NEW Health to use the space. "It's the biggest space we've had so far, and it's really worked out the best," Luisi said. Inside the hall, tables and chairs have been arranged into different sections for each step of the process. After checking in, patients fill out their paperwork at designated tables, then go to a cubicle where they receive the vaccine. Then they go to another area with chairs spaced out, where they wait for 15 minutes while they are monitored for adverse reactions or complications. "It's big enough that we're able to do a great workflow," Luisi said. Father Della Penna spoke similarly about the health provider's use of the St. Leonard's hall. "I think it's a good utilization of space because it makes (the vaccine) available to a large number of people in a short amount of time," he said. Luisi said he was happy to see Father Della Penna get vaccinated as soon as he was eligible. "He sets a good example to his congregation and the community," Luisi said. In the beginning, Luisi said, the clinic was fully booked, and they had to turn people away due to a lack of vaccines from the state. They were able to increase vaccinations after receiving more from the federal government. Luisi said that they went to all the restaurants in the area to tell employees about the clinic and offer them the vaccine, knowing that some do not speak English and so would have difficulty learning about it through the media. Father Della Penna, who came in for his second dose of the vaccine on May 13, said Luisi has been "a blessing for the North End." "I'm glad to be able to help utilize this facility for the greater good. It's the right thing to do; that's how I feel," Father Della Penna said. St. Leonard's parishioner Anne Tagliaferro also came to the clinic May 13. She said she felt "very apprehensive" about getting her vaccine but felt that she should get it anyway. Father Della Penna gave her a blessing before she received her dose. Kathy Kelly, who also came that day for her second dose, said she chose the clinic at St. Leonard's because she lives just a street away. "It was so easy to come here," she said. Before the pandemic, Kelly had cancer and had just finished chemotherapy. Having been at home for the past two years, she said, she is looking forward to returning to work in an office after being vaccinated. "I'll be looking forward to just getting on and having a good life," she said. (Boston Pilot)

Friar Andre Cirino Erects "Via Crucis" at Tuckahoe NY Parish

(Excerpt from the Parish Bulletin of Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady Parish, Tuckahoe, NY) On Saturday, June 12, our own Fr. André Cirino, OFM, with the permission of his Provincial, Fr. Robert Campagna, OFM erected our new Via Crucis (14 Stations of the Cross) in the Divine Mercy Chapel. The document you see being signed (upper photo) will be framed and hung in the Chapel as testimony to this moment. The Parishioners who memorialized each Station were present. Señor Justo Canales, a 5th generation ceramic artist from Talavera de la Reina, Spain, made each by hand. (From Parish Bulletin). In all the years of priestly ministry, I never thought I’d be asked to bless the Stations of the Cross. But at Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Lady Parish where I celebrate mass, the pastor, Rev. Anthony Sorgie OFS, invited me to bless the stations in their new chapel in the parish center. Our Provincial signed the official document delegating me to carry out this blessing. So, I share with you the brief talk I presented to the people. André Cirino OFM Blessing of the Stations of the Cross Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi frequently meditated on the Passion of Christ Jesus. We read in the Considerations of the Sacred Stigmata, on Mount La Verna St. Francis prayed as follows:          My Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray you to grant me two graces before I die: the first is that during my life I may feel in my soul and body, as much as possible, that pain which You,  dear Jesus, sustained in the hour of Your most bitter Passion. The second is that I may feel in my heart, as much as possible, that excessive love with which You, O Son of God, were inflamed in willingly enduring such suffering for us sinners (Omnibus 1444). So, before dawn, on the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, 14 September 1224, St. Francis in prayer received the wounds of Christ Jesus in his hands and feet and side—the stigmata. His followers were very excited with this miracle of the stigmata. In 13th century, Saints Francis and Clare were only acquainted with painted crucifixes, the type of crucifix in the style of the Crucifix of San Damiano in iconographic form. They never knew the crucifix with a three-dimensional corpus on it which emerged in the 14th century. Why? Because of the focus of the preaching of St. Francis’ followers who spoke about his stigmata all through Italy, referring of St. Francis as an alter Christus, another Christ. This led them to preach about the Passion/Suffering of Jesus on the cross which led artists and sculptors to emphasize the suffering aspect. Moreover, in the middle of the 13th century, St. Bonaventure wrote in his masterpiece, The Journey into God:  “There is no other way to make the Journey into God except through the most burning love of the Crucified” (Prologue 3). Many of the men and women, including those who joined Saints Francis and Clare, were basically illiterate. For this reason, all the churches in Assisi are covered with frescoes of the life of Christ, Mary, and the saints. Among the many Franciscan preachers down through the centuries was San Leonardo di Porto Maurizio (1676-1751). He would go to the large piazzas of Rome, like the Piazza Navona, and preach for hours about the Passion/Suffering of Jesus. Because of illiteracy, and not wanting to bombard his listeners only with rhetoric, he not only described events in the Passion of Christ, but got artists to create representations of the scenes of the Passion. At our sanctuary in the Roman Forum, St. Bonaventure on the Palatine, he had 14 scenes of the Passion/Suffering of Jesus, now known as the stations/way of the cross, set up on the road that climbs to the sanctuary above. So, he began walking the way of the cross with the people preaching and praying all along the climb to the church on the Palatine hill. Of course, the original, actual, historical places of the 14 stations of the cross are in Jerusalem. Since we Franciscans staff all the sacred places in the Holy Land, on Fridays the friars walk to the original, actual, historical places of the 14 stations in prayer and song. The devotion to the stations of the cross has spread throughout the entire Catholic world, down to us right here continuing this rich tradition.

Fr. Anthony Sorgie, O.F.S., Pastor, reflects on the Stations of the Cross.

Fr. Clement Procopio O.F.M. Born: June 14, 1919 Reception: Aug. 15, 1937 Profession: Aug. 16, 1938 Solemn Profession: August 17, 1941 Ordination: June 8, 1944 Death: June 4, 2021

Fr. Clement Procopio, O.F.M. passed into eternal life ten days short of his 102nd birthday on Friday, June 4, 2021, at An Oak Grove Manor, Walnut Creek, California , where he lived for several years. He was survived by a nephew, Charles Salerno, of Wayland, MA.   He was born Salvatore on June 14, 1919 to Paul and Antoinette (Papatola) in Rumford, Maine. Clement was received into the novitiate on August 15, 1937. He professed first vows on August 16, 1938, solemn vows on August 17, 1941, and was ordained a priest on June 8, 1944. Clement ministered for many years in our missions in Guatemala and Honduras, and briefly at Our Lady of Peace in Brooklyn. In 1965, Clement left the order and worked as a diocesan priest in Los Angeles and Phoenix. He was readmitted to the order in 1985, and returned to Central America. He eventually worked in ministries in California and Arizona.   Funeral arrangements were as follows: Viewing and Office for the Dead:: Monday, June 14, 8:30 AM  followed by Funeral Mass at 9:30 AM, St. Christopher Friary Chapel, Boston Interment: St. Francis Cemetery, Andover, following the Mass Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy our brother, and all who have embraced Sister Death and we thank you for the gift of their lives. United in faith and prayer, through the intercession of our Immaculate Mother Mary and our holy Father Saint Francis, keep us ever steadfast in your love as we strive for your vision of a world made new.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE FRIARS  WHO HAVE RECENTLY DIED Friar Peter Verheggan, OFM (St. Barbara Province) Friar Clement Procopio, OFM (Immaculate Conception Province) Friar Cormac Nagle, OFM (Holy Spirit Province-Australia) Friar Richard James, OFM (Holy Name Province) Friar James Hoffman, OFM (Sacred Heart Province) Recently Deceased Family and Friends Tina Giardiello (Province Affiliate) Kenneth Lovasik (Former Friar) Joseph Castro (Maintenance Supervisor at Provincial Curia) Let us pray for our infirm friars: Friar Robert Campagna, OFM (Knee Surgery) Friar Dennis Wheatley, OFM Friar Peter Hoang Cao Thai, OFM Friar James Goode, OFM  For our Infirm Family and Friends For all infected and affected by the virus.  For our friars in skilled nursing and rehab facilities: Friar James Goode, OFM Friar Albin Fusco, OFM Friar Isaac Calicchio, OFM Friar Daniel Morey, OFM Friar Philip Adamo, OFM Friar Lawrence Stumpo, OFM Please pray for all friars, families, friends, and benefactors, living and deceased. For medical personnel and first responders. For those in our nursing homes and hospitals. For families separated from their loved ones due to quarantine.

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

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 jlorenzo@icprovince.org VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.ICProvince.org