FIVE FRIARS ORDAINED PRIESTS

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, five of our brothers were ordained priests at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, part of the Orfanato Valle de Los Angeles, in Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala City, Guatemala. The new priests are Fr. Leonardo Rafael Morles Gonzalez, OFM; Fr. Daniel Ramirez Luna, OFM; Fr. Luis Antonio Hernandez Reinosa, OFM; Fr. Oscar Danilo Valle Perez, OFM; and Fr. Kevin Gabriel Gonzalez Vega, OFM. In a beautiful liturgy, Bishop Angelo Falzon, OFM, Bishop of Comayagua, Honduras, laid hands on our five brothers, ordaining them as priests of the Catholic Church.

The ordination was well attended by friars from the Province, family members, friends, local clergy, and those who are deeply involved in the lives of the ordinandi. Adding to the excitement was the presence of the students of the school. The music was provided by a special group of young people who did a wonderful job. Bishop Angelo reminded the ordinandi of the call to service and to live as fully as possible the gospel of Jesus Christ. Addressing the congregation at the conclusion of the Liturgy, Fr. Patrick Boyle, OFM, Minister Provincial, thanked the many people who are involved not only in the ordination liturgy, and in the training formation of the new priests. In particular, he thanked their formators, citing in particular the friars who were responsible for their training through the years of initial formation. Fr. Patrick made special mention of those he referred to as "the first formators of our brothers", citing the Rite of Baptism, that is the parents, godparents, grandparents, relatives, and friends who planted the seeds of their vocations as Franciscans and priests.

The festivities did not end with the Ordination Mass. There was much celebrating, festive dinners, first Masses and celebrations with family and friends. The friars who attended the ordination and first masses raved about the hospitality of everyone at the Orfanato, from the staff to the students and in particular, the local friars, Fr. Joaquin Mejia, OFM, Director, assisted by Fr. Nery Aguirre, OFM and newly-ordained Fr. Leonardo Morles Gonzalez.

At the conclusion of several days of celebration, the new priests headed to their family homes for first Masses. Congratulations, brothers. We are proud of you.

Frs. Joaquin, Leonardo, and Nery, our hosts.

Newly Ordained Priests Celebrate First Masses

News from the Convento San Francesco

Life at Convento San Francesco in Rome continues as a path of fraternity, prayer, and formation. In the rhythm of our everyday life, the Lord keeps surprising us with moments of joy that draw us closer as brothers and renew our vocation.

On April 26, we happily celebrated the birthday of Br. Marco Antonio Gomez. It was a simple and joyful moment, filled with gratitude for the gift of his life and vocation, and for the fraternity we share each day.

In these past weeks, we also felt deeply united with our Province as we followed, via live stream, the priestly ordination of five of our confreres in Guatemala. Even from a distance, it was a powerful moment of grace. We join in the joy of our newly ordained brothers, their families, our entire Order, and the whole Church. We keep them in our prayers as they begin their ministry, wishing them strength, joy, and faithfulness.

Recently, we had the chance to visit the General Curia of the Order to celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Mediatrix, to whom the church there is dedicated. We took part in the Eucharistic celebration presided over by our Minister General, Fr. Massimo Fusarelli. It was a beautiful and prayerful gathering, reminding us of Mary’s quiet but constant presence in our lives, always leading us to her Son.

This past weekend, we were also blessed by the visit of our Provincial Minister, Fr. Patrick Boyle, who is currently in Rome for a time of formation with the new Provincial Ministers of the Order. His visit was a real moment of closeness and encouragement, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers.

With grateful hearts, we continue our journey, trusting in the Lord and in the loving care of Our Lady. In this Marian month, we place ourselves in a special way under her intercession, asking her to walk with us, watch over us, and gently lead us closer to Christ each day.

Peace and all good!

Brother Manuel Chavarría

From the Provincial Director of Formation and Studies

Brothers, peace be with you.

It gives me great pleasure to be assisting our brothers in initial formation here in Rome, and now four of them — Oscar, Daniel, Luis, and Kevin — together with Leonardo (whom I unfortunately did not have the pleasure to accompany personally during formation), are newly ordained priests within the Franciscan Order and within our province. I believe I share the sentiments of all of you when I say how proud we are of these brothers and how grateful we are to God for the gift of their vocations.

This was my first experience in Central America. The journey there was long, but absolutely worth it. Experiencing our mission at the Valley of the Angels firsthand was something very special for me. Up until now, I only knew it through photographs and through the stories and experiences shared by others. To finally be there in person and witness the remarkable work being carried out by Joachim, Leonardo, and Neri was deeply moving.

These brothers are truly beloved by the people there. On numerous occasions, individuals connected to the orphanage approached me personally to express their gratitude and affection for them. One immediately senses that although the number of children being cared for is quite large, each child is known, valued, protected, and loved. The joy, innocence, and happiness radiating from these young people was beautiful to witness, especially in a world where we know that not every child is surrounded by such care and opportunity.

The ordination itself was truly beautiful. Bishop Angelo celebrated a splendid liturgy and, although everything was in Spanish, I somehow managed to grasp the heart of his profound and heartfelt homily. It was a particular joy for me to speak with him as a fellow Maltese friar from the Province of Saint Paul the Apostle. I was deeply touched by his humility, simplicity, and joyful spirit — qualities which immediately put one at ease and remind us of the beauty of our Franciscan vocation and missionary identity.

Our five brothers did wonderfully! It was a joy to see them so visibly happy and deeply moved at the reception of such an extraordinary gift. It was equally beautiful to witness the presence of their families, friends, benefactors, and loved ones who travelled near and far to accompany them on such an unforgettable day.

Following the ordinations, each brother celebrated his own “Prima Messa” in different places and on different dates. Those of us who travelled to Central America tried, as best we could, to divide ourselves so that each newly ordained friar would have brothers present alongside him for these important first celebrations of the Eucharist.

I personally only had the pleasure of attending Leonardo’s first solemn Mass, since I needed to return to Rome shortly afterward, and let me just say: our brother has a voice that could rival many professional singers! I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully he sang various parts of the liturgy, and later, during the reception, we were treated to an even more relaxed glimpse of this gift. Truly a beautiful talent. It was also especially meaningful to accompany Leonardo because, due to logistical difficulties, his immediate family members could not attend. In that sense, I believe the presence of his friends and fellow friars became an even more important support and source of fraternity for him on that day.

We are grateful and proud for all of them. As we know, however, ordination is not an arrival point. It is the continuation of a lifelong journey. For that reason, I would encourage all the brothers of the province to keep these newly ordained friars constantly in prayer.

At the same time, having had the privilege of accompanying several of our brothers in initial formation in Canada and here in Rome, I thought it might be worthwhile to reflect briefly on something our Order consistently emphasizes regarding the years immediately following solemn profession and ordination which we can collectively keep in mind.

The Order does not speak about the “first five years” merely in an administrative or practical sense, but rather as a delicate and decisive transition into fully lived Franciscan and priestly life. The emphasis is placed upon accompaniment, fraternity, ongoing formation, and gradual integration into mission.

The Ratio Formationis Franciscanae repeatedly reminds us that formation never truly ends — not at solemn profession, nor at ordination. Ongoing formation is considered the very “soil” in which the friar’s life continues to mature and bear fruit.

For this reason, the Order insists that a newly ordained friar should never simply be left alone as though formation were suddenly complete. The transition into ministry can be psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, and pastorally demanding. A young friar leaves the structured environment of formation and suddenly finds himself navigating ministry, responsibility, expectations, community life, obedience, and the challenge of integrating priesthood deeply into Franciscan minority and fraternity.

In many ways, the Order sees these years almost as a kind of “second novitiate” — not lived in classrooms, but in daily life itself.

The local fraternity therefore becomes the primary place of mentoring and accompaniment. The guardian, elder friars, fraternity life, common prayer, shared mission, and simple daily presence all become essential parts of the ongoing formation of our newly solemnly professed and ordained brothers.

The concern, of course, is that a newly ordained friar can sometimes become:

overly activist,

isolated,

career-driven,

emotionally immature,

spiritually exhausted,

or disconnected from his Franciscan identity.

For this reason, elder brothers are called to accompany younger friars patiently and fraternally:

in prayer,

in emotional balance,

in pastoral charity,

in simplicity of life,

in Franciscan poverty,

in obedience,

and in healthy priestly identity.

One of the strongest emphases within Franciscan spirituality is that ordination must never eclipse minority. A friar priest remains first and foremost a Friar Minor before anything else. The Order continually calls us back to simplicity, humility, fraternity, closeness to the poor, contemplative grounding, and evangelical witness.

A newly ordained friar should therefore never feel pressured to become merely efficient, managerial, or externally “successful.” We are not forming executives or religious functionaries. We are forming lesser brothers configured to Christ.

And perhaps here I say this with a small smile: younger friars do not suddenly become experts in everything simply because hands were laid upon them! They are still learning how to preach, how to accompany souls, how to balance prayer and ministry, how to live healthy fraternity, and sometimes even how to survive community meetings and endless WhatsApp messages with serenity intact.

That learning requires patience from all of us.

The Order wisely recognizes that ordination can sometimes expose vulnerabilities which were less visible during initial formation: loneliness, discouragement, ego, exhaustion, affective struggles, or difficulty balancing interior life with apostolic demands. This is precisely why accompaniment is not optional; it is essential.

In this regard, I have tried my best to accompany and support four of these brothers during their years in Rome. At the same time, I also recognize that no single friar can ever address every aspect of another’s well-being in a fully comprehensive way. Formation and accompaniment ultimately remain the shared responsibility of the entire fraternity and province.

I would therefore encourage all our fraternities, and especially the ones to which these brothers will be assigned by the provincial, to continue fostering environments where younger brothers can grow slowly and deeply:

in prayer,

in joy,

in simplicity,

in fraternity,

in emotional maturity,

in pastoral charity,

and in love for both the Gospel and the people entrusted to them.

Formation does not end with ordination. In truth, none of us ever graduates from the Gospel or from fraternity. We continue forming one another throughout our entire lives.

Finally, after Guatemala, I returned to Rome with a brief stop in Toronto to visit my mother. She is doing well, notwithstanding the passing of my father two months ago. Naturally, it remains a very fresh wound for all of us. It was a blessing to spend some time with her, and I hope to continue checking in on her whenever possible for support and encouragement.

The Lord continues to be merciful.

Thanking God for His many blessings and for the many graces He has allowed me to experience throughout these past months, I remain,

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Pierre

Fr. Provincial Attends Meeting of

New Provincial Ministers and Custodes in Rome

From the 11th to 19th May, at the General Curia of the Order of Friars Minor, the Minister General and the General Definitory met with the new Provincial Ministers and Custodes for a time of formation and dialogue, aimed at accompanying the service of authority in the Entities and strengthening the life and mission of the Order. The meeting opened with a welcome and a presentation of General Curia's structure. Subsequently, the participants shared, in small groups and in plenary, the joys, hopes, challenges and expectations of the Entities. 

In his speech on the theme "The charism illuminates the service of authority in a change of era", the Minister General reminded the Ministers and Custodes that the charism is a gift of the Spirit intended for the service of the community and the mission, and not a heritage to be preserved in a private way. He emphasised that "the charism is not an idea to be kept in a display case, but a living force that directs our service," capable of offering concrete criteria for reading reality and making decisions. In continuity with the recent Magisterium, he insisted that authority is called to safeguard and revive this gift, promoting responsible freedom in our brothers and sisters. 

In this perspective, he highlighted listening as the first responsibility of those who are at the service of authority: a real and profound listening, capable of recognising the voice of the Spirit in fraternal life. He invited the Ministers not to be reduced to administrators, but to be "animators of the charism", attentive to personal accompaniment and community discernment. As an examination, he asked a question that ran through the entire meeting: "Who listens to me, who am I in the service of authority, and whom am I obeying at this time?", so that the service of governance remains anchored to mission and charism. 

In the following days, the themes of legislation and provincial government, the Definitory as a council and canonical procedures to accompany brothers in difficulty were addressed; Dialogues were held in the language groups and an assembly session with presentation of the work and questions. 

The formation itinerary also dealt with the economy in the life of the mission and the Entity, the accompaniment of victims and accused brothers and sisters and the Protection of minors and vulnerable adults, as well as the introduction of policies and codes of conduct in the Entities. These contents were intertwined with moments of sharing in groups, dialogues with the speakers and synthesis assemblies. 

As part of the meeting, visits were made, for language groups, to the offices of the General Curia, amongst which the Office for the Secular Franciscan Order and Franciscan Youth, the Office for Franciscan Nuns and Institutes (Pro Monialibus) and the General Postulation for the Causes of Beatification and Canonization were carried out; as well as the General Secretariat for the Missions and Evangelization, the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation and the Historical Archive, with exchange times on the service rendered to the life of the Order. The programme also included visits to the Delegation of the Holy Land, the Pontifical University Antonianum, and CISA. In addition, a pilgrimage to Assisi, with a visit to the Franciscan sanctuaries. 

In the final phase, themes related to the service of the Minister were addressed: listening to the brothers and personal solitude, the management of situations of fraternal conflict and preparations for the General Chapter. 

Over the course of the days, there were also spaces for personal meetings with the Minister General and moments of prayer - Lauds, Vespers, and the Mass- in the official languages of the Order; videos of the different Entities were shown, and moments of recreation and fraternity were shared. 

The meeting was attended by the Ministers and Custodes: 

Br. George Mutombo Misange - Prov. "St. Benedict the African", in the Rep. Dem. Congo 

Br. Federico Gandolfi - Fond. “St. Francis of Assisi” in Sudan e Sud Sudan 

Br. Ivica Jagodić - Prov. "Sts.. Cyril and Methodius", in Croatia 

Br. Filipo Mearhem - Prov. "Holy Family", in Egypt 

Br. Francesco Ielpo - Cust. Holy Land in Jerusalem 

Br. Siniša Balajić - Prov. Dalmatian "Holy Redemer", in Croatia 

Br. Nicola Maria Violante - Prov. "St. Michael the Archangel", in Italy 

Br. Marco Vianelli - Prov. Seraphic "St. Francis of Assisi", in Italy 

Br. Massimo Tunno - Prov. "Assumption of B.V.M.", in Italy 

Br. Antonio Scabio - Prov. "St. Anthony of the Friars Minor", in Italy 

Br. Jean Baptiste Murhega Tabaro - Prov. "St Anthony of Padova", in the Rep. Dem. Cong. 

Br. Ivair de Carvalho - Cust. Dip. "Immaculate Mother of God", in Angola 

Br. Nicolás Aguilar - Prov. “St. Francis Solano”, in Argentina 

Br. Emilio Luís Andrada - Pr 24-26 ov. "Assumption of the B.V.M. of the Rio de la Plata", in Argentina 

Br. Raúl Bruno Vargas - Prov. Missionaria “St. Anthony”, in Bolivia 

Br. David Fernando Tello Labajos - Prov. "St. Francis Solano", Peru 

Br. Angel Montoya Montoya - Prov. “St Francis of Quito”, in Ecuador 

Br. José João Quintã Pereira - Prov. "The Holy Protomartyrs of Morocco", in Portugal 

Br. Felipe de Jesús Santiago Ortega - Prov. "St. Juniper Serra", in Mexico 

Br. Olávio José Dotto - Prov. "St. Francis of Assisi", in Brazil 

Br. Evódio João - Prov. "St. Clare of Assisi", in Mozambique 

Br. Moses Kim - Prov. "The Holy Martyrs of Korea", in South Korea 

Br. Agustinus Lorensius Nggame - Prov. "St. Michael the Archangel", in Indonesia 

Br. Pierre Ducharme - Prov. “Holy Spirit”, in Canada 

Br. Patrick Boyle - Prov. "Immaculate Conception B.V.M.", in the USA 

Br. Christian Gostečnik - Prov. “Holy Cross”, in Slovenia 

Br. Fanuel Magwidi - Cust. aut. "Good Shepherd", in Zimbabwe 

Br. Nicodème Kolani - Prov. "Incarnate Word", in West Africa 

Br. Stephen Dominic Bliss - Prov. “Holy Spirit” in Australia 

Br. Jean Pierre Rasolonjanahary - Prov. "Immaculate Conception B.V.M.", in Madagascar and Mauritius

Br. Matthias Kule - Prov. "St. Francis", in East Africa 

Br. Antonio José Reyes López - Cust. of the Immaculate Conception in Venezuela 

Br. Ramon Farrugia - Prov. St. Paul the Apostle, in Malta

PROVINCIAL MINISTERS OF THE OFM

ENGLISH SPEAKING CONFERENCE MEETS IN MAINE

Beginning on Monday, April 13, the Provincial Ministers of the English Speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor met at Saint Anthony Friary, Kennebunkport, Maine. Our own provincial minister, Fr. Patrick Boyle, O.F.M., attended as did the provincial ministers of the other English speaking provinces. Fr. Jimmy Zammit, O.F.M., Definitor General for the English Speaking Provinces, was in arttendance. The ESC is a collaborative group of provinces that includes the two USA Provinces (ours and Our Lady of Guadalupe), Canada, Ireland and the UK, Malta, and the host province of Lithuania, which has had ministry in the US for many years. The meetings included visits to local sites, as well as a lobster feast, since Maine is considered the center of lobster fishing in the USA. The Province of Saint Casimir of Lithuania has had this property since 1947. At one time they had several active parishes in the US serving the Lithuanian community. For several years, seminarians and friars of the St. Casimir Province studies with our province. Some of the older friars fondly remember sharing fraternity with these men. In southern Maine, St. Anthony's Monastery aka Franciscan Friary, is situated about four miles from the town of Kennebunk on the western side of the Kennebunk river which issues into the Atlantic at lovely Kennebunk Beach.

With gratitude to God and filled with hope for the future of our Province, we are pleased to inform you that, during the Provincial Chapter of the Franciscan Province of St. Paul the Apostle, in Malta, the following friars have been elected to serveand guide our fraternity for the coming years:

Br.Ramon Farrugia, OFM – Provincial Minister

Br. Stephen Magro, OFM – Provincial Vicar

Br. Martin Coleiro, OFM

Br. Stepgen Sciberras, OFM

Br. Walter Vassallo, OFM

Br. Clive Camilleri, OFM

Provincial Definitors.

LYNN VACATION HOUSE AVAILABILITY

“The Listening Place,” formerly run by Fr. Alfonse Ferreira as a counseling center, is a complex of three buildings, on the Lynn/Swampscott, MA border. The first of these buildings has two apartments, each with two bedrooms, that will be available to the friars and their friends during the spring and summer months this year. The property is one and one-half blocks from the beach, with numerousrestaurants within walking distance and minutes from historic Salem, MA. There is also a gathering space in one of the buildings. If you would like to know more about the buildings, please contact Michael Dominic.

AVAILABLE IN JUNE AND JULY. AUGUST IS BOOKED.

Wappingers Falls Renovation

Fr. Mario Julian, OFM, Guardian and Director of Mount Alvernia Retreat Center, reports that a complete overhaul of the third floor conference room and chapel has been completed. The work included repair of the roof over the rooms, removal of carpeting (replaced with hardwood floors), repair of walls and windows damaged by years of water damage, and the installation of seventeen new windows.

June Birthdays

Take time to wish our brothers a Happy Birthday!

Luis Hernandez- June 5- 40

Pierre Farrugia - June 8 - 53

Thomas Garone - June 15 - 82

Antonio Nardoianni - June 16 - 77

James Welch II - June 19 – 66

Andre Cirino- June 19- 86

Michael Travaglione - June 30 - 88

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