The updates below describe activities of Holy Name friars, featuring their celebrations, presentations, and ministry events. For more information, contact the friars by phone or email, connect with 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 Provincial Administration |
| Recent updates to friars, distributed by the Provincial Office, have included: a report about the June 23 Provincial Council meeting, an invitation to participate in a July 15 webinar about a possible new ministry site, changes to the June edition of the HNP Directory, and an update from Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, about the house in Margate, N.J. Information about these reports can be obtained from Provincial Secretary Michael Harlan, OFM. |
►Casey Cole, OFM, has created a vlog — a video blog — titled Breaking in the Habit. His first posts focused on the reasons he created the vlog, answers to 10 common questions he’s asked as a friar, and reflections on recent Gospel passages.
►A blog post by David Convertino, OFM, executive director of development, distributed by email on June 27, included a Franciscan Challenge campaign video. “As Franciscan friars, we can only ‘be an instrument of peace’ by working with others – and so we need each of you,” he said. “This year’s Franciscan Challenge is a call to transform the world by supporting the work of the Franciscan friars through your generosity and your prayers. We need your financial support to help the Franciscan friars bring the ‘Peace Prayer’ to life through our shelters for the homeless, our residences for the mentally ill, our food centers, soup kitchens, parishes, schools, hospital ministries as well as in workshop, prayer and the joy of the Franciscan spirit.”
►George Corrigan, OFM, announced recently that Sacred Heart Parish, Tampa, Fla., where he is pastor, has a downloadable app for iOS and Android devices. A June 11 e-newsletter from the parish said, “The features and capabilities of our new app will hopefully foster a stronger sense of community and faith in the daily lives of all parishioners. Sacred Heart will be able to communicate quickly and easily with all parishioners via messages and notifications to keep you in the loop with what is going on in our church. Other features will include: daily readings read at Mass, key events calendar, access to weekend homilies, staff directory for calls and emails, online giving (even one-time donations), Catholic news from around the world, and an easy-to-reference list of Catholic prayers with prayer requests.” Because the parish includes parishioners from 50 zip codes, communications apart from Sunday mornings can be a challenge, George said.
►On June 24, Kevin Daly, OFM, and James Scullion, OFM, participated in the fourth annual Garden Party by the Sea – A Fashion Show held by St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Brant Beach, N.J. Photos were provided of both friars.
►Time magazine included comments from Daniel Horan, OFM, of Boston, Mass., in a recent article about the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutional right to same sex marriages.
►Gerald Hopeck, OFM, is in Italy participating in a 30-day retreat, a tradition for friars preparing for their solemn profession of vows. He will profess his final vows as a Franciscan on Aug. 22 during a Mass at St. Francis Church in New York City.
►Richard Husted, OFM, is helping to produce “Francis: A Musical – the Story of the Poor Man of Assisi.” He and the director held auditions on June 29 and 30 for cast members. The show will be performed on four dates at four HNP locations — at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J., where Richard is based, as well as at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City and two North Jersey parishes: St. Bonaventure in Paterson and St. Anthony in Butler.
►Links to musical pieces by Kevin McGoff, OFM, have been added to the Our Work section of the HNP website. Friars who have published books, musical compositions or create artwork who wish to have their work included on the “Artisans and Authors” page are invited to contact the Province’s communications office.
►On July 11, Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, will be celebrating a jubilee Mass at Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, N.J.
►Joseph Nangle, OFM, was quoted in a National Catholic Reporter article titled “Colonial Wrongs Cloud Sainthood Cause of Junipero Serra.” Joe, who participated in the April 22 panel discussion at The Catholic University of America titled “Founding Padres,” said that Serra was a theologian who “had a very distinct conviction that the role of the missionary was to bring God’s sweetness to the Native Americans. Today we would say, ‘well, maybe you should ask the question, has God not been among the Native Americans long before the missionaries arrived?’ Who’s bringing what to whom is a good theological question, and it didn’t seem to be asked in those days.” The publication said that the question derives, in part from Joe’s own experience “as part of that generation that was called upon by the Vatican to go into Latin American in the 1960s to save the Church from communism.”
►Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, draws to the attention of friars and ministries “a wonderful care for creation education resource on the papal encyclical.” The panel discussion took place at Georgetown University and was hosted by the former director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, John Carr.” Next week, Jacek — the chair of the HNP Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Directorate — and several other friars will be participating in the Province’s 2015 JPIC Local Contacts Retreat.
►On June 17, Joseph Rozansky, OFM, accompanied a group called MORHAN, people who help those with leprosy and similar afflictions, to an audience with Pope Francis. “Our friars work with this group in Brazil, in the state of Minas Gerais, which is neighbor, just to the west, of Goiás, where our Province is present. I got involved because I was asked to help to try arrange this audience. I was not able to arrange it myself, but I gave them the suggestion to go through their own bishops, which ended up working.” Joseph submitted a photo that shows him and Fr. Fabio L’amour, OFM, with the pope. The June 2015 issue of Contact, the newsletter of the Order’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office that Joseph and Fr. Fabio direct, was published recently.
News for the next issue of HNP Today e-letter is requested by July 15, always the Wednesday before distribution. Updates about the friars and their ministries can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Topics planned for future coverage include:
- Profiles of David Blake, OFM, Kevin Kriso, OFM, and other silver jubilarians
- Jubilee celebration at the Province’s friary in Ringwood, N.J.
- Francis Medal presentations by friars
- New postulants
— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas