Below is news about some of the many activities of Holy Name friars – including their speeches and ministry work. More information can be obtained by visiting the links to the parishes 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.
• Provincial Minster John O’Connor, OFM, gave a talk last week at the retirement dinner for the fire chief of Prince William County, Virginia. Approximately 300 people attended the Sept. 20 dinner at the U.S. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va.
The event honored Mary Beth Michos, the first female fire chief of a metropolitan fire department, who John knew from his 13 years as fire chaplain. John served as the first and only chaplain for the county where he developed an enhanced chaplain service. There are now seven chaplains ministering to the career and volunteer firefighters, he said, adding that Michos will be taking over as the director of operations, the number two position, at the international Association of Fire Chiefs, based in Fairfax, Va.
• Kenneth Himes, OFM, a class of 1971 graduate of Siena College, will give the keynote address at the inauguration of Kevin Mullen, OFM, on Oct. 1. The inauguration, open to the public, is at 10 a.m. in the Alumni Recreation Center on the Loudonville, N.Y., campus.
• Daniel Riley, OFM, along with other team members from Mt. Irenaeus Franciscan Retreat Center in West Clarksville, N.Y., offered two Mountain on the Road events this month. One was in Elmira, N.Y., on Sept. 23, and the second takes place Sept. 26 in Williamsville, N.Y.
• Daniel Sulmasy, OFM, a professor of medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital and director of the Bioethics Institute New York Medical College, has been appointed by New York Gov. Elliott Spitzer to serve on the Ethics Committee of the Empire State Stem Cell Board. The group is charged with setting ethical guidelines regarding stem cell research submitted for possible funding by New York State.
The 2007-2008 Enacted Budget includes an initial appropriation of $100 million and an additional $500 million is provided at $50 million per year for 10 years beginning in April 2008. Daniel said the fund will make grants for basic, applied, translational and other research that advances scientific discoveries in fields related to stem cell biology. The board includes two committees — the Funding Committee and Ethics Committee — each consisting of 13 members. Twelve members are appointed by the governor, with six of those members recommended by legislative leaders. The Ethics Committee will make recommendations regarding scientific, medical and ethical standards.
• Thomas Vigliotta, OFM, reports that friars from various locations in the South gathered at the Catholic Center at the University of Georgia in Athens for a Labor Day picnic. “It was a day surrounded with good food and lively sharing and just a time to encourage each other in our respective ministries,” he said.
Participating in the event with Thomas and David Hyman, OFM, from the University of Georgia, were friars Mario DiLella, OFM, from Georgia Tech, Aubrey McNeil, OFM, from Anderson, S.C, Dac Tran, OFM, from Greenville, and Henry Fulmer, OFM, from Columbia, S.C. Thaddeus Sapio, OFM, from the Bronx, N.Y., also joined in the festivities. Because of the distance between them, it requires “a real commitment for friars in the South to gather,” Thomas said. “It makes our time all the more special and valuable. We hope to plan more events like this in the fall.”
• Paul Williams, OFM, of Columbia, S.C., was presented with a papal award in the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 20. Details will be provided in a future issue of this newsletter.