The Custody of St. Anthony of Padua-Philippines will be elevated to the status of province next week, coinciding with the fraternal visit of Massimo Fussareli, OFM, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor. The custody is hosting a week-long Panaghinabi from April 18-24 in Cebu. Provincial ministers and friars from provinces around the world, including representatives of Holy Name and other US-6 provinces, have been invited to the historic occasion.
Panaghinabi is coined from the indigenous word, habi, a method of weaving which the friars of the Philippines say imitates the spirit of the minister general’s visit as an opportunity to weave narratives, relationships, and fraternal solidarity with the friars of the custody and other Franciscan fraternities in the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines.
April 18 will be a day of welcome for guests arriving at the custodial house. The following day will kick off a week-long schedule of events that include an audience with Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, archbishop of the Philippines; a dialogue with the Franciscan fraternities at the Poor Clare Monastery in Tayud, and a pastoral immersion at San Vincente Ferrer Parish in Sambag II.
In a formal letter of invitation to provincial ministers, including HNP’s Kevin Mullen, OFM, the custos of St. Anthony of Padua-Philippines, Renee Dean, OFM, called the event a “momentous occasion in the life of our fraternity.” The custody has been an autonomous entity for 16 years.
KEVIN MULLEN, OFM
“I am very happy for our brothers in the Philippines. We in the US-6 know the excitement of starting a new province. We pray for our brothers in the Custody of St. Anthony of Padua-Philippines and wish them Pax et Bonum!” said Kevin.
The custody’s formal elevation as a province will be proclaimed during a Mass on the morning of April 22, followed by the fraternity’s first provincial chapter that afternoon. While the chapter is taking place, guests will enjoy a heritage tour around the historic island of Cebu. On April 23, the OFM minister general and newly-elected provincial minister will preside at Mass, and that evening the new province will host a celebratory Grand Fraternal Recreation and Benefactors event at the Franciscan Retirement Community House.