February History of Holy Name Province

Notable events that took place in the month of February through the years include the following:

One Year Ago
Feb. 8, 2018 – Patrick Tuttle, OFM, and the parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Greenville, S.C., were recognized for their spirit of volunteerism with an award from The Urban League of the Upstate, a non-profit organization in northwest South Carolina committed to equal opportunity in housing, education, employment and economic development.

Feb. 25, 2018 – Clement Comesky, OFM, died at Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, N.J. The Manhasset, N.Y., native, 88 years old at the time, had spent much of his religious life ministering in Bolivia.

Feb. 25, 2018 — Gary Maciag, OFM, died in New York City at the age of 61. He had been working at the Provincial Office as a financial assistant when he died.

Five Years Ago
Feb. 12, 2014 – Kevin Mullen, OFM, then-president of Siena College, led a colloquium about Pope Francis in which the 1975 Siena graduate, along with professor of religious studies Tom Dickens, analyzed aspects of the pope’s image and actions since he succeeded Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. The program, sponsored by the college’s religious studies department and Franciscan Center for Catholic Studies, was titled “Pope Francis: The People’s Pope? A Look Back at His First Year.”

Feb. 21, 2014 – Edward Donohoe, OFM, age 84, died at Holy Name Friary in Ringwood. He had spent most of his ministerial life serving at parishes in northern New Jersey.

Ten Years Ago
Feb. 18, 2009 – Thomas Sullivan, OFM, died in Wayne, N.J., at age 78. The Massachusetts native spent most of his Franciscan life in Paterson and East Rutherford, both in N.J., and New York City.

Feb. 22, 2009 – John Piccione, OFM, 44, then-director of St. Anthony’s Guild and the HNP Development Office, died in New York City. He was 44 at the time. The Siena College graduate ministered as chaplain for the fire departments of Paterson and West Paterson, the New Jersey Honor Legion, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Feb. 27, 2009 – A report titled “Friars’ Underground Marketing” was aired on CNN’s American Morning program. It included interviews with then-Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, then-vocation director Brian Smail, OFM, and a man who asked about becoming a Franciscan after seeing the Province’s “Life Shift” ad on New York City subway trains.

15 Years Ago
Feb. 8 to 12, 2004 – The first of the spring regional days took place at St. Bonaventure Parish in Paterson, N.J. This year, a series of similar gatherings is being held between now and early April.

Feb. 17, 2004 – Lawrence Pafchik, OFM, died at age 89 in Ringwood. During his religious life, he had been stationed at parishes in New Jersey and also served as a hospital chaplain and member of the Province’s Mission Band.

Feb. 25, 2004 – Gerard Lewis, OFM, died in Ringwood at the age of 75. He had been stationed at parishes in New. Jersey for most of his ministerial life.

30 Years Ago
Feb. 22, 1989 – The ordination class of 1964 observed its silver jubilee at St. Bonaventure in Paterson.

Feb. 26, 1989 – Peter Cavanaugh, OFM, died in Ringwood when he was 83 years old. During his religious life, the Springfield, Mass., native served as a military chaplain in World War II and preached as part of the HNP Mission Band.

40 Years Ago
Feb. 8, 1979 — Athanasior McInerney, OFM, died in Fair Lawn, N.J., at age 59. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native devoted most of his Franciscan life to the support and animation of Holy Name missionaries, working tirelessly with the Franciscan Missionary Union.

Feb. 28, 1979 – Michael Lillis, OFM, was 76 when he died at the Provincial Infirmary at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y.

60 Years Ago
Feb. 13, 1959 – Former Provincial Ministerr Thomas Plassmann, OFM, died in Olean, N.Y., at the age of 79. The Germany native served on the faculty at St. Bonaventure University (then College) in Allegany for more than 45 years, 29 of them as president. From 1949 to 1952, he served as Provincial.

— Jocelyn Thomas is communications director for Holy Name Province.