Kevin Mackin, OFM, Dac Tran, OFM, Frederick Dilger, OFM, and John Aherne, OFM, are among the 16 brothers marking a milestone birthday this month, while Vincent de Paul Cushing, OFM, has the distinction of being the most senior friar celebrating a birthday.
Kevin, whose 85th birthday was on April 5, isn’t letting age slow him down. The former 11-year Siena College president delivered the invocation at the annual Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Florida. Good thing Kevin doesn’t have stage fright. His invocation was carried on the NBC telecast to 3 million viewers.
Dac, who has served in ministry to Vietnamese-American communities wherever he has been stationed, celebrated his 70th birthday on April 4, while Fred – a former accomplished residential designer in New York City and Atlanta who is a member of the team at the St. Francis Inn soup kitchen in Philadelphia – marked his milestone 60th on April 9. John, a member of the fraternity that provides pastoral care at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, will celebrate his 50th birthday on April 22.
The most senior of the group is Vincent, who now lives in Maryland. The former president of the Washington Theological Union in D.C. (a 24-year run) celebrated his 89th birthday on April 6.
The septuagenarians of the group include John Capozzi, OFM, the artist who turned 78 on April 1; Russell Becker, OFM, whose 77th birthday came on April 9; Daniel McLellan, OFM, who marked his 74th on April 9, and Daniel Nelson, OFM, who celebrates his 73rd on April 27.
Rounding out the April birthdays are Zachary Elliott, OFM – the bee-keeper – (his 66th on April 20), John Gill, OFM (his 61st on April 28), Steven Patti, OFM (his 59th on April 3), Richard Phillip, OFM (his 46th on April 18), Stephen DeWitt, OFM (his 41st on April 28), Carlos Portillo, OFM (his 38th on April 26), and Daniel Cruz, OFM, the youngest of the group who celebrated his 32nd on April 7.