Provincial Update - February 2018



Turn Away From Sin and be Faithful to the Gospel

Dear Brothers,
All we have to do is look at the daily newspapers, or watch the cable news networks to realize how much our nation and our world are in need of God's saving help.  The rash of school shootings that we've seen in our country, or the continual news of government scandals, or the influence of foreign countries in our electoral process show in a very clear fashion why we, as Catholics and Franciscans, are called to bring about a change of heart- not only for ourselves but for others.    Our world and our society are sorely in need of God's saving grace.  We know that the process of conversion is slow and often very difficult.  We rarely do well with even the most superficial of changes.  The slightest change in our lives often takes weeks to get used to.  Imagine the impact of a "change of heart," when we are called to make changes to the very depth of our soul. 
 
Sin can become so embedded in our lives that it can easily become an addictive habit.  Our desires often become needs, and our needs become so much a part of our daily lives that we cannot live without them.  This, of course, flies in the face of our vows, especially the vow of poverty.
 
Lent affords us the opportunity to take steps toward God and away from our own selfish desires.  We are not so naïve as to think that these changes will happen quickly or automatically. Each change of heart will be a struggle and a sacrifice.  But each day, each hour, each minute of Lent should be an opportunity for us to grow closer and closer to God- and away from all those things in our lives which are contrary to the Gospel and which separate us from the Lord.  We should all hope that, on Easter morning, we can look at ourselves in the mirror and say that we are holier and closer to God than we were on Ash Wednesday.    And it is important that Easter not be the time for us to abandon our efforts, but to continue to grow closer to God every day of our lives.
 
Wishing you peace and joy during this holy season.
 

                                                                  Wishing you blessings and peace.  






Fr. Robert Campagna, OFM
Provincial Minister


The Demolition of Our Lady of Pity Church, Bronx NY

An interesting article appeared in the February 2, 2018 edition of "Welcome2The Bronx" neighborhood blog for the Melrose section of the Bronx.  The title of the article was "Our Lady of Pity Church in Melrose is Slowly Being Demolished" and written by Ed Garcia Conde.  The article reported that the church, formerly one of our province's parishes, was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New York last November, and is being demolished.  This includes the former school and rectory.  Founded in 1908 as the parish of Madonna del Suffragio by immigrants from Ponza, an island off the coast of Italy, it served the Italian community for many years.  It was merged with the Church of the Immaculate Conception in 2007.  The article also has many photos, including an extensive gallery of the current state of the parish buildings.  Below is the link to the online article.  The photos are very difficult to see, especially for those who served at Our Lady of Pity and loved the parish.  TO SEE THIS ARTICLE, CLICK ON THIS LINK:


From Humble  Beginnings A Spiritual Empire is Grown
This great article about Friar Flavian Mucci, OFM,  appeared in the February 2018 edition of FMA Focus, the official newsletter of the Franciscan Mission Associates.  It is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Catholic News Service
His Boston Red Sox baseball hat is almost as big a part of him as his brown Franciscan habit. Anywhere Franciscan Father Flavian goes in El Salvador, he's known not only for his love of baseball, but more importantly, for the only thing he loves more than the game: the poor.
More than fifty years ago, Boston native Father Flavian, arrived in El Salvador with one piece of luggage, much in the same way his Italian grandparents first arrived to the United States, the country where he was born. Though the U.S. is where he grew up and received his formation in the Friars Minor of the Order of St. Francis for the Province of the Immaculate Conception in New York, "my heart, my mind, it's all here," said Father Flavian, referring to El Salvador, the country to which he has devoted five decades of his life.
In those five decades, he's built what amounts to an empire of social and public services called the Agape Association of El Salvador. Known in the country simply as Agape, the Greek word for love, it includes clinics, a soup kitchen, a home for the elderly, a nascent university and other educational centers for children and adults, as well as a restaurant (named after his mother), a hotel, and TV and radio stations.
Statue of Fr. Flavian Mucci, OFM

Through war, natural disasters, and now the rampant gang violence that plagues the country, Father Flavian has remained steadfast to his vision to serve the poor of El Salvador.
As others abandoned the country because of the impending conflict, Father Flavian began feeding the poor in a rural soup kitchen in 1978, and as the country found itself in the middle of war in the mid- 1980s, he built the Agape headquarters on the rural outskirts of the city of Sonsonate in the western part of El Salvador.
"When I want something, I get it done," said Father Flavian, 83. Though he's retired from his post as head of Agape, he keeps an office on the Sonsonate campus where he sees visitors wanting to know about his life's work. It all began in 1977 when he hosted the homeless for Christmas dinner at the parish where he was serving.
"That day I learned the true meaning of happiness," Father Flavian told the International Labor Organization in 2009, when it honored him with the Social Entrepreneurship Award. "Not that I was not happy before, but this was a different type of happiness, one more profound and meaningful. It was a happiness based on giving."
What began with a soup kitchen expanded into more than 50 programs that medically treat, train, educate, feed or employ hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans who have at one point or another used Agape's services, now in 24 locations throughout the country.
When Father Flavian arrived in El Salvador on July 9, 1967, as a 32-year-old friar, there was no war, but there was rampant poverty.
"It was easy for me to understand (the poor) more than any other priest because I was poor," said Father Flavian in an interview with Catholic News Service.
Though his father had once made a good living as a mason in Boston, he became ill, died and the family went into poverty. A group of religious sisters and the Knights of Columbus helped his mother with education for the children and other necessities such as shoes, but they couldn't save his dreams of becoming a baseball player.
During his formation, he recalls, when seminarians were told to go home and give away all their possessions, he had nothing to give away, "not even five cents," so instead he spent the day learning to drive and got his driver's license the same day. When he arrived in El Salvador, he said he clearly understood when mothers asked for help to send their children to school because of what his mother had gone through. He knew what it meant to be hungry, what it meant to have no money.
He asked to forgo vacations, other than occasional ones to visit family in the U.S., because the "poor can't even take one vacation" he said. Instead, he devoted that time to building what has become one of the biggest employers in El Salvador and a spiritually based empire of sorts.


Province Celebrates National Day of Prayer 
for the African American and African Family
In a mailing to all the provincial friaries, Friar James Goode, OFM invited the friars and their extended communities to celebrate the National Day of Prayer, which was founded by Friar James in 1989.  Recommendations were given for fitting ways to mark this day:
+Worship together at the Eucharistic table and pray as a family on the National Day of Prayer.
+Celebrate a meal together and tell your family story.
+Set aside some time to read the Family Bible.  
+Say a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, for the needs of all families throughout the world.
+As a family, pray and give a meal to a family in need in our church or local community.
+Join in solidarity with our African sisters and brothers in the motherland, as we pray for their needs and their families.
Friar James is the director Spiritual Leader of Solid Ground Ministry in Manhattan, New York City.
 


A History of the property of 
St. Francis Seraphic Seminary
This site was once the farm of James Bailey in 1850 and comprised 73 acres, house, barn and other buildings. The homestead farm had 50 acres, with 18 acres of young wood and a 5 acre lot called the Pitts land. James Bailey sold to Elisha Grant and Grant's son-in law, Edwin Ripley on Nov. 3, 1866. 
Elisha Grant was born in Shapleigh, Maine in 1810, son of Elisha & Hannah Grant. He married Sarah Ann Poor of Lowell, MA on Feb. 21, 1836. They were both living in Lowell at that time but then moved to Hudson, NH where Elisha began farming. They had two children, Julia A. b. 1838 in Sanford, ME and a son, Charles K. born in 1843 in MA. Daughter Julia married Edwin Ripley of Hudson, NH on Nov. 24, 1856. Edwin is listed as a mechanic in 1860, later a carpenter in 1870. Edwin Ripley sold his 1/3 undivided share of the property for $2050. to Elisha Grant in May of 1869. Sarah A. Grant died in 1870 and Elisha remarried at age 61 to Philena Dutton, age 47, on March 9, 1871 in Andover. His daughter and son-in-law Edwin Ripley moved to Lowell. Edwin died on Apr. 2, 1882 at age 50, of Typhoid Pneumonia. Julia would remarry to Rev. Charles Scott on April 4, 1884. Charles K. Grant continued to live with him with his father and worked the land. The farm was comprised of 55 acres of land on the north side of River Rd and a 5½ acre lot across the street. After Elisha's death his two children inherited the farm and sold it to Charles I. Hood of Lowell, MA. 
Charles I. Hood purchased the Grant farm of 67 acres on April 15, 1890. Hood then purchased the farm of James W. Bennett on May 12, and in July the farm of Albert S. Taylor. The adjoining farms extended into Tewksbury, Middlesex Co., west of the boundary line to Andover. 
Charles I. Hood was also "one of the most successful breeders of Jersey cattle in the country, and an authority on the subject and on farming in general. The Andover farm was an experiment with little thought of making a profit. His employees managing the farm in Andover listed in the 1900 census numbered 30 men. Hood stated "the Hood Farm has been a most important factor in improving the quality, and raising the standard of the Jersey breed of cows throughout the country.
Charles I. Hood's farm breeding experiment came to an end when he died in Lowell on February 4, 1922, age seventy-seven years.
George A. McCormack of Medford, MA purchased the Hood farm and 98 acres at a public auction on Oct. 15, 1926. McCormack later leased the farm to Malcolm McConnell, a member of the faculty of Boston University, who established an agricultural institute. The project was not successful and the property was turned back to George A. McCormack of Medford who completed the transaction with the Franciscan friars of Boston.
Christmas Display, Andover Seminary

The Society of the Friars Minor of the Order of St. Francis purchased the portion of the former Hood farm in Andover and a smaller connecting section in Tewksbury on Jan. 30, 1930. The Andover Townsman (AT) Feb. 7, 1930 - Franciscan Monastery to Locate in Andover - Next month work will begin on a $500,000 group of buildings in the west end of the town near River road. The college, to be erected for the education of young men training for the Roman Catholic priesthood will face River road and the Merrimack River. Part of the property is in Tewksbury and part in West Andover. Mar. 14, 1930 p1. AT - "Franciscan Seminary - Construction of Building on Hood Farm Begins This Week - Student Body to Comprise 100 Young Men."
Construction began on the site three weeks earlier by "the Capobianco Construction Co. of Boston, and has been given one year in which to complete the work, it is expected that the building will be ready late next fall. George J. Burkes, general superintendent, is in charge of the work..." 
"The building will be situated on the crest of the Hood land in a northeasterly direction from the present buildings. These old buildings will be renovated and will be used much as the Hood people used them in the past, and it is expected that enough produce will be provided by the old farm to meet the needs of the seminary. Directly in back of the new building will be four tennis courts, a baseball field, a hockey rink and a football field. While present plans are still a bit vague, it is felt that within the next two or three years a stadium for all types of athletic will be erected in a northeasterly direction from the new building."
The new building will be 302 feet long and 101 feet deep, with wings 100 feet in depth on either end. The building will be made of brick with ornamentation in limestone about the entrances and the windows. It will be three stories high above the basement, and will include more than 100 rooms, exclusive of libraries, recreation halls, chapel, and other common rooms. 
One of the architectural features of the new building will be a portico along the entire front of the building, the roof to be supported by about 50 Italian Doric columns. All the windows and doors will also be decorated with Italian columns, and the main entrance, reaching the entire height of the building, will include six large Doric columns and a great deal of sculptural work. A large number of Tuscan columns are being imported to ornament the interior, especially the main entrance and the chapel." 
The first floor included the main foyer, chapel to the rear, a music hall, large library, rectors study and office, recreation rooms and parlors. The second and third floors were made up of about 70 rooms for seminarians and members of the faculty; each room with a bath, and each floor with a recreation room and library. A large assembly hall is in the east wing on the third floor above a gymnasium with access to the gym from all floors. The basement holds the kitchen, dining hall, boiler rooms, and several recreation halls and one  bowling alley.

Seminarians Decorating for Christmas
"The student body will comprise more than 100 young men who are now studying to be Franciscan priest from around  the country, and taught by a faculty of more than 40 priest and laymen. 
The Capobianco Construction Co. of Boston was one of the leading contractors in Boston, among their portfolio of work are buildings at Regis College, Weston, MA, the Italian Church in Revere, West Roxbury Courthouse, Greek Orthodox Church in Boston and several apartment houses on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston. 
The building was ready for classes in October 1930. An open house for visitors by invitation of Rev. Aloysius Costa O.F.M., D.D., S.S.D., rectory of the seminary was held on Sunday, Oct. 26th and on Monday scholastic work began. On Sept. 17, 1930 the first scholastic year was officially opened on the feast of the sacred Stigmata of St. Francis. The course of study corresponded to four years of high school and one year of college work. "The institution has at its aims the preparatory classical education and moral training of boys and young men aspiring to the service of God as priests in the Franciscan Order also known as the Order of Friars Minor." 
The St. Francis Seraphic Seminary was dedicated by William Cardinal O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston on Sunday, November 30, 1930. It was named the Seraphic Seminary because the founder of the Franciscan Order, St. Francis of Assisi, is also known as a Seraphic Saint. 
From 1930-1946 the Seminary also served as the Theology House for the Province, offering courses in Sacred Theology leading to ordination to the Catholic priesthood in the Franciscan Order. Eighty priests were ordained in the chapel during that period. The seminary operated as two separate schools; the Preparatory Seminary and the Training School for Franciscan Lay-brothers beginning in 1946. Plans were in the works to convert the theological school into a Laymen's Retreat House in 1946. The Rector at that time was Rev. Bernardine Mazzarella, OFM.
In 1951 the Secular Franciscans formed at the Seminary, a fraternity of Secular Franciscans who promise to live as St. Francis prescribed, "to avoid succumbing to worldly values and to be a forceful presence for a just and better world." The Seminary closed in 1979.
For the thousands of residents of the Merrimack Valley, Essex and Middlesex Counties and the residents of Southern New Hampshire, St. Francis Seminary is fondly remembered for its exuberance of Christmas lights from mid-December through to "Little Christmas" on Jan. 6th. In 1934 the Seminarians, during their extra-curricular time, and under the direction of Father Costa, began to place colored Christmas lights on the facade and trees about the campus which included a Nativity scene in the chapel. Each year thereafter the display grew in size and scope. 30,000 lights on the building took three months to put up and three weeks to take down. The interior chapel was decorated with a painted backdrops and scale models of Bethlehem and Jerusalem all constructed by the seminarians, with twinkling lights for stars above. The entire scene was simply magical and wondrous to behold and embodied the true meaning of Christmas, truly a labor of love and devotion. Traffic however was backed up on River Road as far as where Route 93 is located today and to the Lowell line in the opposite direction. No one got angry, as the long delay creeping closer to the Seminary just heightened the anticipation, and once in sight, never disappointed anyone who witnessed the spectacle. 
The Christmas lights on St. Francis Seminary stopped after 30 years in the mid 1960's, due in part to the annual operating costs and a decline in vocations that later closed the seminary. 
In 1987 it was announced the Central Catholic High School in Lawrence had chosen the site as their new high school, but the conversion costs, transportation of students, and annual operation costs factored into the school's decision to remain in Lawrence.
In July 1991 the Seminary reopened and the Secular Franciscan fraternity returned to celebrate their 40th anniversary. It continued under the name of St. Francis Institute and the building was until recently still in use. The property now contains 69 acres which includes a small cemetery for former priests that worked and lived at the Seminary. Most, if not all, of the former Hood Farm structures have been razed for re-development or destroyed by fire over the years.
The Seminary building was razed in 2016 to make way for new housing.




Saint Anthony NYC Parishioner 
and ESPN Host featured in 
cover article in Franciscan magazine 
St. Anthony Messenger.

Earlier this month, on February 14, the Church marked "Ash Wednesday", the official beginning of the penitential season of Lent.  Many of us who have served in parishes and other ministries may marvel at the number of people who receive ashes on their foreheads, packing our churches and even receiving ashes on street corners and in bus terminals. Ashes have become so popular on Ash Wednesday that many non-Catholic churches have adopted this practice.
 
 In recent years, some celebrities and government leaders have also been seen with ashes, especially in the news or on television programs.  You may have seen such people as former Vice President Joe Biden, MSNBC Host Chris Matthews, Late Show Host Stephen Colbert, former senator John Kerry, and actors Rosario Dawson, Edward Burns, and Mark Wahlberg being seen publicly with ashes. 
 
One such person who not only does his daily television show on Ash Wednesday with his ashes, but also wears his faith publicly in all that he does, is ESPN's Tony Reali, host of the sports show "Around the Horn."  Tony lives in Tribeca in lower Manhattan with his wife, Samiya, and daughter Francesca.  He is an active member of our own Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua, and is a leader in St. Anthony's JoyJ Initiative Homeless Outreach, which he talks about in this article. 
JoyJ Initiative Homeless Outreach at St. Anthony's NYC.  Tony Reali is in the center

Tony was born in Staten Island, NY, and raised in New Jersey.  He attended Christian Brothers Academy and Fordham University.  At Fordham he studied broadcast journalism, but also had time to help out with the religious activities at the University parish.   In March, 2017, Tony wrote a guest column for the Washington Post to explain why he wears ashes on TV.  He has taken some criticism for his public demonstration of his faith.
The article states, "Since moving to New York, Reali attends the Franciscan-staffed Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Soho.  While it is known to movie buffs as the backdrop for the San Gennaro feast in The Godfather: Part II, and as the church where Cher, in Moonstruck, enters the confessional, Reali says his namesake church resonates with him because of its concern for the poor.  A group called the JoyJ Initiative regularly prepares sandwiches and comfort items for the homeless throughout the city.  "We go to some of the great parks of New York City- Washington Square Park and Tomkins Park- and we go to Penn Station and Grand Central Station, " Reali says.  " For me, it's faith and works, and it's not just about preparing that bag for the homeless and giving them food and even gloves and hats.  The outreach there is those conversations.  That's what we all need.  We need to be part of our community.  They are us- our homeless."
 
Excerpts of article that appeared in the February 2018 issue of St. Anthony Messenger.  Article written by Peter Finney Jr, executive editor and general manager of the Clarion Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of New York, and a former sportswriter for the New York Post and New York Daily News






An Update from the Postulants

We pray that this Lenten season is a fruitful journey for everyone, as we prepare to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection! For this month's newsletter, we write to you about our recent trip.
            On February 11th-12th, we traveled with our director, Fr. Ronald Gliatta, to Siena Friary in Mount Vernon, New York for a workshop on St. Clare, given by Fr. Andre Cirino. The workshop focused on the life of St. Clare as "the first Franciscan woman" and the pivotal role she played in the early years of the Order.  In order to fully understand the importance of her life, it was imperative for us to understand the historical context of her time. For example, we learned how the transition from Feudalism to the "Commune" government influenced St. Francis' spirituality and lifestyle, and inspired the Lady Clare to follow his way of life. Most of all, the workshop taught us that St. Clare was a formidable woman, dedicated to God, who took a bold step to stand with Francis, not just stand by him.
            The rest of our visit was filled with moments of prayer and fraternity, shared with Fr. Andre, Fr. Jim Villa, and the Secular Franciscans. From evening prayer and a votive Mass of St. Clare, to a virtual tour of the Sanctuaries related to her, to the wonderful meals made by the Secular Franciscans, the visit was an edifying experience of "Fraternitas." We wish to extend our sincere thanks to Fr. Andre and Fr. Jimmy for their exceptional hospitality, and for helping us to grow closer to the mother of our Order.
 
Peace and all good to you,
The Postulants: Brian, Carl, Daniel, and Jack

Postulants explore the sanctuaries associated with 
 St. Clare with Fr. Andre

Having lunch with Fr. Andre and Fr. Ronald

Talk on the Life of St. Clare

Group Photo



Vocation Office
Afternoon of Prayer and Discernment
Saturday, March 3
Immaculate Conception Friary
14 North Bennet Street
Boston MA 02113 (North End)
For details:
 Vocation Office 
Friar Bruce OFM 
603-818-9142 



RETREAT OPPORTUNITIES 
FOR THE FRIARS


Saint Bonaventure's 
Journey into God
A Centennial Franciscan Retreat Experience
August 9-17, 2018
Mt. Alvernia Retreat House   
Wappingers Falls, NY
Friar Andre Cirino, OFM and  Josef Reisch, OFS

Within the present decade of this new millennium, the eighth centenary of the birth of one of the most distinguished friars of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition has occurred: Giovanni di Fidanza, later known as St. Bonaventure. Although scholars have different opinions concerning the actual date of St. Bonaventure 's birth, many have settled on  1217. While we are within this decade of the new millennium, we invite you to celebrate the eighth centenary of the birth of the Seraphic Doctor, St. Bonaventure, by attending a retreat on his masterpiece, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, his Journey into God.

Jean Gerson (+ 1429), chancellor at the University of Paris, St. Bonaventure's alma mater, said that the  Itinerarium is "more valuable than all literature whic h had ever been written," and confessed that he made the  Itinerarium his "chosen reading for 30 years, without ever ceasing to obtain great fruit from it." And more recently, Lawrence Landini OFM (+ 2005) called this writing "a religious classic, theology  rooted in experience!" And Zachary Hayes OFM (+ 2014), a Bonaventurian scholar himself, said that "virtually the whole of Bonaventure's theology is present in the few compact pages of the  Itinerarium. 

In 1259, St. Bonaventure, wanted  "to satisfy the desire of (his) spirit for peace. " So around the time of the thirty-third anniversary of the death of the saint, he wrote:  "I was moved by a divine inspiration and withdrew to Mount LaVerna since it was a place of quiet. " And there he experienced his JOURNEY INTO GOD.
The retreat opens with a presentation on the life of Bonaventure in order to provide a context for reflection on his work. Each of the eight days of the retreat is then dedicated to one of the chapters of THE JOURNEY. Each day is a balance of instruction on the text, periods for reading and personal and communal participation in eucharist, morning and evening prayer. The liturgical and para-liturgical prayer is especially designed by the presenters to disclose the profound themes in a contemporary experience.

A typical day would be spent in the following manner. After morning prayer, time is provided for reading the chapter of THE JOURNEY under consideration, then, an input session on the same chapter followed by quiet time. Only the Eucharist is celebrated in the afternoon, the remaining time for reflection and quiet. Evening prayer is followed by optional sharing on the chapter of the day.
Each retreatant will need two book:  Journey into God (Raischl and Cirino);  and
the songbook, Love Holding Love, both available from Tau Publishing, Phoenix, AZ.

Registration and Event Information
Starts  Thursday evening, August 9, 2018
     to  Friday August 17, 2018, after lunch.
 
  Please send registration and check 
       made out to :
 Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center 
       and mailed to : 
P.O. Box 858 
Wappinger Falls, N.Y. 12590.
 
 
Fees (8 days, all options include 24 meals):
      Single ocupancy room                              $800
Double ocupancy room, each person    $700
Commuter                                                   $500  
Early Bird registration :
Pay in full by Marchl 1, 2018 and save $50.
After March 1, 2018 :
Pay $200 with registration, non-refundable.     
Balance due by July 23, 2018
Initial registration payment applies to total.
Cancellation :
Prior to July 23rd, $200 non-refundable, 
     anything over will be refunded. 
After July23rd, no refunds.
       Emergency cancellation on individual basis.



 
INTERPROVINCIAL RETREAT
Francis of Assisi and the Logic of the Gospel
St. Francis Friary, Burlington, Wisconsin
March 12-15, 2018
 
Friar Michael Blastic (Holy  Name Province) is the scheduled presenter at the second interprovincial retreat offered this calendar year.
 
The event is slated for St. Francis Friary (former site of the interprovincial novitiate), Burlington, Wisconsin, March 12-15. The complete title of the retreat is "Francis of Assisi and the Logic of the Gospel: Relinquishment, Fraternal Life, and Misison." Michael is presently on the interprovincial novitiate team at Old Mission Santa Barbara, California. The event, sponsored by our confreres of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ABVM) province, is free of charge to friars. Those who are also participating in the R + R interest groups are welcome to stay an extra night (meals included) in order to do their work. Deadline for receipt of registration is February 28.   Download, complete and mail (snail mail!) the application form on the flyer. 
 
Retreat Flyer



Pope Francis Marks World Communication Day, January 24, 2018
 
                                                          Pope Francis celebrated World Communication Day with a new version 
of what he called "A Franciscan Prayer", traditionally known as the Peace Prayer of St. Francis.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. 
Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion. 
Help us to remove the venom from our judgements. 
Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters. 
You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world: 
where there is shouting, let us practice listening; 
where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony; 
where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity; 
where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity; 
where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety; 
where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions; 
where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust; 
where there is hostility, let us bring respect; 
where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.  Amen


                             

NEWSLETTER CONTACT INFORMATION
Please send any articles, photos, or other information to:
Friar Joseph Lorenzo, OFM
St. Anthony Friary
24 Harrison Street    PO Box 487
Catskill NY 12414
Cell 917.337.9833
Friary 518.943.3451 xt. 314

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MEMORIES
Calling Bingo!

Troy Seminary c.1968


A star is born. 




Recently Deceased Friars
                                                           
Friar Albert McMahon, O.F.M.
We commend to your prayers the soul of our brother,  Friar Albert Mc Mahon, O.F.M. (83), who passed into eternal life Thursday, February 8, 2018.  At the time of his passing, Friar Albert was affiliated with the fraternity of  St. Anthony Friary, Catskill, New York , while under the care of the staff of   Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York .
Born Francis in Wollaston, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1934,  he was the son of the late Gertrude (Mac Swain) and William J. Mc Mahon. He was predeceased by his brothers Arthur and Richard, and his sisters, Ruth Caronia-Biche and Regina Mc Mahon. He is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Friar Albert was received into the Franciscan Order on September 3, 1951, and made his Temporary Profession of Vows on September 4, 1952. He professed his Solemn Vows on September 25, 1955.  Following his Priesthood Ordination on June 18, 1960, he served the Church and Province primarily in parish ministry both in the United States and in our Central American missions. During his fifty-seven years of priesthood, Friar Albert ministered at St. Pamphilus Church and Our Lady Help of Christians, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; St. Joseph Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mount Vernon, New York; St. Margaret Church, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts;  and St. Francis Xavier Church, New Milford, Connecticut.  
Friar Albert also served in all three countries of our Central American Missions: Santa Ana, La Libertad, Inmaculada Concepcion, and El Calvario in Comayagua, Honduras; Santisima Trinidad, Sonsonate, El Salvador; San Jose, El Adelanto, Jutiapa, Guatemala.  
Friar Albert also ministered several years as Chaplain at Metro-West Medical Center and Framingham Union Hospital, Framingham, Massachusetts, and Morton Memorial Hospital, Middletown, New York.
A wake and Mass of Christian Burial were conducted at St. Anthony Friary, Catskill, New York on Wednesday, February 14th and Thursday, February 15th.  Provincial Minister, Friar Robert Campagna, O.F.M., was the celebrant of the Mass of Christian Burial and Friar Joseph Lorenzo, O.F.M., Guardian of St. Anthony Friary, was the homilist. Friar Albert was interred at our Provincial Mausoleum at Mount Alvernia Friary Cemetery, Wappingers Falls, New York, immediately following the liturgy.

May he in this life imitate your Son, who came, not to be served 
 but to serve, and one day reign with him in heaven.
Prayer of Consecration for the Ordination of a Priest



PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE FRIARS WHO HAVE RECENTLY DIED
Friar Lucius Annese, OFM
Friar Juniper O'Connor, OFM
Friar Louis Diego DeTomasso, OFM
Friar Mark Brown, OFM
Friar Francis de Sales Paolo, OFM
Friar Sylvano Pera, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Friar Richard Jeske, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Fr. Fred Schneider, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Fr. Gerry Phayer, OFM (Province of Ireland)
Friar Robert Leonard, OFM (Sacred Heart Province)
Bishop Sylvester Magro, OFM, (Province of Malta)



Recently Deceased Family
Joseph Zammit, father of Friar Jimmy Zammit, OFM, 
who died on January 30, 2018
Grace Alfano, mother of deceased Friar Savio Alfano, OFM
Victoria Dewine, twin sister of Friar Roderick Crispo, OFM, 
who died January 3, 2018.
Carmen Imbrol, sister of Friar Gregory Imbrol, OFM, 
who died January 5, 2018.


Let us pray for  our infirm friars:
Friar Flavian Mucci (Kidney Transplant)
Friar Claudio Moser (Hip replacement)
Friar Charles Soto
Friar Romano Almagno
Friar Robert Artman
Friar Clement Procopio

For our friars in skilled nursing facilities:
Friar Philip Adamo, OFM
Friar Giles Barreda, OFM
Friar Francis Hanudel, OFM
Friar Lawrence Stumpo, OFM

For our infirm family and friends:
Joseph Almagno
(brother of Friar Romano Almagno)
Astra Fernandes (mother of Friar Conrad Fernandes)
Gloria Salinas (mother of Friar Octavio Salinas)
Marie Caprio Sicuso (sister of Friar Robert Caprio)
Sheila Washburn (mother of Friar Thomas Washburn)
Please pray for all friars, families, friends, and benefactors,  living and deceased.