NEW YORK – Below are news items about some of the many activities of Holy Name friars – including their presentations and ministry work. 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 contacting the Provincial Office.
To provide news briefs for future issues of HNP Today, contact Jocelyn Thomas through communications@hnp.org.
►Mathias Doyle, OFM, was featured in the Nov. 22 issue of The Evangelist, the publication of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y. The article described his new role as director of Siena College’s Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy (FCSA), an eight-year program on the Loudonville, N.Y., campus. He and Kevin Mullen, OFM, the past director, were guests on the college’s Dec. 1 News & Views radio program.
►Provincial Secretary Michael Harlan, OFM, a former FCSA director, will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame of his alma mater, St. Thomas Aquinas College, located in his hometown of Sparkill (Rockland County), N.Y. Michael, a 1978 graduate, will be honored along with five other alums at the eleventh annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Jan. 25, 2008 at the IBM Executive Conference Center in Palisades, N.Y.
The annual Hall of Fame Dinner recognizes outstanding alumni and alumnae and their professional, civic and societal accomplishments. Michael serves as a member of the President’s Council at the college. Information about the Hall of Fame dinner is available through the Office of Alumni Affairs at St. Thomas Aquinas College at 845-398-4284 or alumni@stac.edu.
► Christopher Keenan, OFM, celebrated the annual Fr. Julian F. Deeken, OFM, Memorial Mass for deceased members of the Fire Department Holy Name Society Nov. 4 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in midtown Manhattan. Christopher is chaplain for the New York City Fire Department. Julian, who died in 1999, preceded Mychal Judge, OFM, who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
► Provincial Vicar Dominic Monti, OFM, presided and preached Dec. 2 at a Mass inaugurating the Province’s new St. Clare parish in Buffalo, N.Y. The new parish was created by the merger of five parishes in the area, one of which was Sts. Rita & Patrick, served by the friars for many years. James Czerwinski, OFM, pastor of St. Clare’s, presided at a special Mass on Nov. 25 officially closing Sts. Rita & Patrick Church. Details about this transition will appear in the next issue of HNP Today.
► Nearly 30 Siena College alumni, parents and friends gathered last week to meet college president Kevin Mullen, OFM, at a reception in the Potomac, Md., area. The event was held Nov. 28 at the Chevy Chase, Md., home of alumnus Thomas Roginski ’83. “There was a good spirit among the group and a strong commitment to the school,” Kevin said.
►Paul Williams, OFM, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Columbia, S.C., was recognized Oct. 26 by Charleston Bishop Robert Baker with the 2007 Caritas Diocesan Medal for his service as dean and vicar for African American Catholics in Charleston. This month he will be honored by Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of Paul’s dedicated service to the Lord, his church and the Diocese of Charleston. Paul will receive the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston on Dec. 9.