NEW YORK — Below are news items about some of the many activities of Holy Name friars, including their presentations, outreach and celebrations. More information can be obtained by visiting links to the parishes and organizations mentioned, by contacting the friars by phone or e-mail, and by connecting with the Communications Office.
To provide news briefs for future issues of HNP Today, e-mail Jocelyn Thomas at communications@hnp.org
Siena College has established a service award in the name of Matthew Conlin, OFM, former president of the Loudonville, N.Y., college. It is Siena’s third faculty award, according to Daniel Dwyer, OFM, a member of the award committee.
Daniel Lanahan, OFM, provided several days of recollection at the Monastery of St. Clare in Langhorne, Pa. A recent mailing from the Poor Clares said: “Our Advent had a marvelous beginning with a Day of Recollection given by Father Dan. Among many helpful ideas that he gave us were four phrases with just 11 words to help us be better Christians. The first is ‘please forgive us.’ The second is ‘I forgive you.’ The third is ‘thank you,’ and the fourth is ‘I love you.’”
Postulant Director John Maganzini, OFM, reports that HNP postulants have been emailing their colleagues in the British Isles. The English and Irish OFM provinces have a joint formation program, John said. “The postulants for both provinces have postulancy in England and novitiate in Ireland. This year, there are three postulants from the Bristish Isles — one for the English province and two for the Irish Province — all living in Guildford, Surrey in England. HNP postulants Scott Carey, Michael Reyes, and Gerald Hopeck were each given a name and e-mail address and have contacted their postulant brothers in the U.K. John and the Arch Street community of Saint Anthony Shrine in Boston will host the English-speaking Conference Postulant Directors’ Annual Meeting in May.
William McIntyre, OFM, was quoted in the Dec. 20 issue of The Durham News in an article about the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He said, “The strong personal relationship that Mexicans have with their saints reflects the blending of indigenous beliefs and the Catholicism that the Spanish brought to Latin America.” William has been at Immaculate Conception parish in Durham, N.C., since the summer.
Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, attended a reception in Manassas, Va., on Jan. 1 for the chief magistrate of Prince William County. Earlier that week, he went with several friars from New York City to the Butler, N.J., friary, to celebrate its recent renovation.
Steven Pavignano, OFM, reports that the food pantry at All Saints Church in Harlem received a pre-Christmas grant from New York City’s Food Bank Emergency Fund to buy food. This money will help stock food for this ministry that serves approximately 100 people each week. Steven said that since August, the parish, of which he is pastor, has seen more than a 30 percent increase in the number of people seeking food.
Vocation director Brian Smail, OFM, reports that his office has received a very positive response to theadvertisement that is appearing in the New York City subways. Several people have contacted him to compliment the Province on the ad. One woman said in an e-mail that upon seeing the “group of habited Franciscans,” she “nearly gasped with surprise and joy. Thank you for this touch of the divine in an unexpected spot and may God bless you in your work.” A phone caller said that the advertisement is a “beautiful representation,” adding that the ad is “right where guys will see it. I hope it spurs a lot of interest in the Franciscan way of life.”
Gonzalo Torres, OFM, provided a variety of information in the Christmas edition of Holy Name Parish Today, the e-newsletter published by Holy Name of Jesus Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Included was news about a recent marriage, baptism, the food pantry, and the annual Martin Luther King Day Interfaith Peace Walk planned by the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Committee for Jan. 19. Tony Lopresti, chair of the parish’s JPIC committee, said Michael Tyson, OFM, a former resident of Holy Name friary, was instrumental in “getting members of all faiths together for this walk.”
Note: News for inclusion in the next issue of HNP Today is requested by Jan. 13.