Friar News Briefs

HNP Communications Friar News

The updates below describe activities of Holy Name friars and feature celebrations, presentations, and ministry events. For more information, email the friars, contact the HNP Communications Office, or visit links to the parishes and organizations mentioned.

To provide news briefs for future articles, email information to communications director Jocelyn Thomas at communications@hnp.org.

From the Administration
A letter with a list of assignment changes was emailed on June 28 to all Holy Name Province friars. “With this publication, the work of the Congressus is concluded,” said Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM. “Transfers to new assignments should be completed by August 18 — or as arranged by the local fraternities and approved by the Minister Provincial.”

The OFM Franciscans have returned to the diocese of Orlando, Fla., where they had served in the town of Apopka for 25 years, from 1972 to 1996. Three HNP friars as well as a member of St. John the Baptist Province are now stationed at San Damiano Friary in Orlando, where they will be serving the community. Steven Pavignano, OFM, has been named guardian of the friary, Todd Carpenter, OFM, is pastor of St. Joseph and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, and Fr. Luis Aponte-Merced, OFM, is parochial vicar. Paul Santoro, OFM, will be working as a pastoral minister at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Winter Park.  “This is a great opportunity,” said Kevin Mullen. “We are delighted to be in this growing Latino community where we believe that, as friars, we can help rebuild the Christian community. We have been graciously welcomed by the bishop.” The parish was recently created as a merge of St. Joseph and St. Maximilian Kolbe parishes. St. Maximilian is a 10-minute drive southeast from St. Joseph, according to a report compiled by Daniel Kenna, OFM, of the HNP Fraternal Life in Mission Directorate.

► John Anglin, OFM, a member of the HNP Ministry of the Word, led a retreat last week at Mount St. Francis in Peekskill, N.Y., for the Franciscan Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Peekskill Franciscans, as well as several sisters from other communities. The participants of the retreat, which began on June 25 and continued through the week, included Maryknoll sisters, some Good Shepherd Sister, Dominicans,” said John. “During the summer, as well as at other times of the year, John preaches for an organization called Unbound. “On these weekends, I go to parishes, preach at all Masses and ask people to consider sponsoring children, students or needy elders in poor countries,” he said, adding “Unbound was founded by laypeople in 1981 in Kansas City. They began working in Guatemala and are now in 19 countries and sponsor over 330,000 people.”

► Todd Carpenter, OFM, arrived in Orlando, Fla., last week and celebrated his first Masses at St. Joseph and St. Maximilian Kolbe Church on June 25.  Bishop John Noonan introduced the friars at the 10 a.m. and noon Masses. “We were made to feel very welcomed by the bishop and the parishioners,” said Todd, former pastor of St. Paul’s Parish in Wilmington, Del. He will be returning to Wilmington for farewell Masses and a party on July 9.

► On June 25, Francis Di Spigno, OFM, executive director of St. Bonaventure University Ministries, gave a blessing at the installation of Chautauqua Institution’s 18th president, Michael Hill – a graduate of SBU. Chautauqua is located roughly 60 miles west of the university.

► Daniel Dwyer, OFM, participated last week in the chapter of the Province of Ireland. Dan has served as general visitor for the Irish province since January. “We were in Franciscan College Gormanston in Gormanston, Co. Westmeath, for the chapter that began on June 26 and ended on June 30,” he said. “As president of the chapter, I preside over the sessions, supervised the elections, and gave a report to the province on the results of my visitation. Next week, I will supervise the “congressus” as the new administration makes appointments. I then return home to write my final report for the Minister General.”

► Two friars took part in the Sixth Annual Garden Party by the Sea – A Fashion Show, held on June 21 in Manahawkin, N.J., to benefit St. Francis Parish. The event was sold out, according to staff member Lori Dudek, who provided photos which appear on the Facebook page of the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province. The participating friars who modeled – John Frambes, OFM, and James Scullion, OFM, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish – wore clothes provide by local stores, said Dudek.

► Edgardo Jara, OFM, returned from Peru after spending 10 days there as part of a St. Francis Builds service trip from June 23 to July 1 with a group of 19 people from St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Md. “The St. Francis Builds ministry from the parish leads the mission and I am the ministry’s mentor,” said Edgardo. “We were in La Florida, Peru, helping to build house for poor people. We do this with The Fuller Center.”

► The postulants of Holy Name and St. Barbara provinces are at St. Bonaventure University in Western New York taking summer classes at the Franciscan Institute. With them are their directors, Walter Liss, OFM, and Charles Miller, OFM. Photos can be found on the HNP Postulants Facebook page.

► This year marks the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. On Memorial Day, John Maganzini, OFM, was asked to participate in a solemn ceremony commemorating veterans that was organized by the Department of Veterans’ Services of the City of Revere, Mass. John, a Vietnam veteran, was asked to deliver the benediction and share the story of his service in Vietnam. In the commemoration of the birth of the United States on the Fourth of July, John received a Certificate of Honor from the City of Revere saluting all Vietnam veterans. In addition to the certificate, he received a copy of the presidential proclamation signed by President Barack Obama declaring May 25, 2012 to Nov. 11, 2025 as a period of commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. John provided a photo of one of the emblems for the commemoration of the anniversary.

► In a blog entry posted on USFranciscans.org, Jim McIntosh, OFM, of Philadelphia, wrote about his thoughts on wearing the Franciscan habit. In “Reconsidering the Habit,” part of the Friar Friday series, he says, “I have noticed that the younger friars wear the habit frequently: to class, to ministry, at home, and while out shopping, etc. Initially, this took me by surprise because I saw it through the liberal/conservative lens that was common in the 20th century. After talking with many of these young friars, I now see that they don’t have this lens. Most of the men who resisted the reforms of the Second Vatican Council have now passed on. The men entering today don’t know that wearing the habit at one time indicated how one felt about the council. They see it as an under-used symbol of religious life.”

► Last month’s letter from Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, to the parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Camden, N.J., about the departure of the friars was published in the June 23 issue of the Catholic Star Herald.  That week, the Camden Diocese announced that it is merging six parishes. St. Anthony of Padua Parish, which Holy Name Province staffed from 1985 until 2017, will merge into St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral parish, about a mile away. The Camden Diocese, which comprises the six southernmost counties of New Jersey and ministers to 450,000 Catholics in the region, will have 62 parishes after the mergers, according to an article on Philly.com.

► Philip O’Shea, OFM, of Ringwood, N.J., wrote a reflection about the feast of Pentecost. “The Spirit enlivens us all and whether or not we name him as Spirit, he enables us to share varied imaginings, which are expressed in different theories. Instead of talking about the existence and non-existence of God, atheists and believers alike can stand in awe of the universe in which we live. We cannot think about reality without forming conceptual models, which, if given too much credence, can make the common awareness of the mystery of possibility. Friends, be they adherents to the most diverse of systems, may recognize in each other’s positions the common note of wonderment and openness to the possibility not totally envisioned in their state of mind. A Christian can follow through on Revelation worship in various ways and be in every sense religious, but at the same time, can converse meaningfully and with great excitement about the general mystery of the world in which we live.” Additional spiritual reflections by Philip as well as by other friars can be found on the Spiritual Resources page of HNP.org.

► As he has done for more than 20 years, Patrick Tuttle, OFM, served as disc jockey at St Francis Inn’s block party, held this year on June 25. Patrick traveled to Philadelphia from Greenville, S.C., where he is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. The Inn’s block party is an annual tradition. This year, the ministry team served a chicken dinner to 516 guests.

► Michael Tyson, OFM, participated in a Mass on June 25 celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart Parish in Rochelle Park, N.J., which the Province staffed from 1916 to 1989. “It was a wonderful reunion,” said Michael, who was stationed at the parish from 1979 to 1987 and now lives in Loudonville, N.Y. He was among 12 priests who concelebrated the anniversary Mass with the Rev. John Flesey, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.

News for the next issue of HNP Today is requested by July 12 – always the Wednesday before publication. Updates about the friars and their ministries can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Topics planned for future coverage in HNP Today include:

  • Participation of several friars in the celebrations of Poor Clare communities
  • Profession of first vows on August 2 in Burlington, Wis.

— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas

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