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 the Province’s Communications Director Jocelyn Thomas at communications@hnp.org
William Beaudin, OFM, is a host of Siena College’s 16th annual charity auction on Nov. 12. The fundraiser on the Loudonville, N.Y., campus benefits the Catie Hoch Foundation.
F. Edward Coughlin, OFM, and Thomas Hartle, OFM, led a group of 14 friars on a pilgrimage to Franciscan locations in Italy. Details on the LaVerna program, part of the Grace of Our Origins project, will be provided in an upcoming issue of this newsletter.
Charles Finnegan, OFM, was featured in a recent issue of The Dialog, the publication of the Archdiocese of Wilmington, Del. The article described area priests who celebrated their 50th anniversary of ordination this year.
Thomas Gallagher, OFM, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford is leading a monthly discussion group. The program, “Living Our Faith,” lets participants discuss current issues in the Church. Upcoming sessions are Nov. 20 and Dec. 18. In addition, the parish began its jubilee year on Oct. 25 with a special Mass and dinner to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the merging of St. Anthony and St. Patrick churches.
St. Bonaventure University Associate Professor of Visual Arts Dr. David Haack, OFM, recently attended the installation and dedication of four of his commissioned works in the Carnevale Center at St. Mary Parish in Pompton Lakes, N.J., on Oct. 4. The paintings, each 10 feet tall by 2.6 feet wide, depict St. Francis, St. Clare, a Franciscan friar, and a Poor Clare sister. The compositions depict the dual nature of Franciscan life, featuring the active and contemplative aspects of Franciscan religious life. Several hundred people attended the installation that also included a solo exhibit of 34 other paintings, most of which find their inspiration in Franciscan 13th century documents of the Order. The exhibit closed at the end of October.
The Oct. 24 issue of Pulse, the weekly e-newsletter of the Washington Theological Union, posted an article published recently by Daniel Horan, OFM. It is titled “The Contemporary Relevance of The Canticle of Exhortation for the Ladies of San Damiano for all Christians.”
Gregory Jakubowicz, OFM, Jud Weiksnar OFM, and Daniel Riley, OFM, participated in the Universal Bonaventure Celebrations (UBC) last week in Washington, D.C., Cherry Hill, N.J., and Buffalo, N.Y., respectively. The UBC commemorate the 150th anniversary of St. Bonaventure University.
Stephen Kluge, OFM, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Long Beach Island, N.J., gave a retreat during the Oct. 18 weekend to Secular Franciscans in Aston, Pa., on “The Liturgy: A Celebration of Relationship.” This month, he will repeat the retreat in Baton Rouge, La.
A pre-election promotional spot sponsored by Pax Christi USA and featuring Joseph Nangle, OFM, was televised Oct. 27 on CNN, during the Situation Room show with Wolf Blitzer. The TV spot, “Father Joe on Keeping Racism out of the Election,” was featured in the Oct. 22 edition of HNP Today. The spot is also posted on YouTube.com.
In celebration of the Year of St. Paul, Holy Name of Jesus Church in Manhattan sponsors a presentation by James Scullion, OFM, on Nov. 19. James will speak on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, “Amazing Grace… That Saved a Wretch Like Me.” It takes place in the St. Mary of the Angels Chapel.
On Oct. 28, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank Board of Directors elected Frank Sevola, OFM, as its president. For 25 years, the food bank has worked to ensure that every Rhode Islander has access to food, Frank said. It distributes approximately eight million pounds of food through a network of more than 300 member agencies, including the Poverello Center, a ministry of the Providence friars. Frank is pastor of the Church of St. Mary in Providence, R.I.