NEW YORK — Immaculate Conception Province, with ministries in New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Ontario, Canada — and headquartered here — has redesigned its Web site to be more user-friendly and accessible to visitors.
It also features more news of interest outside the province, especially regarding the Order and the Catholic Church. The province announced the redesign in its March 13 electronic newsletter.
In other news, Provincial Vicar Dominic Monti, OFM, will speak about the “theology of itinerancy” at the Immaculate Conception’s Provincial Retreat, May 4 to 7, at Mount Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Fr. Andre Cirino, OFM, a lecturer at the Franciscan Study Center in Canterbury, England, and Josef Raischl, SFO, explored a “Journey of the Human Person into God” during a retreat March 20 to 29 at the Franciscan Center in Tampa, Fla. The eight-day retreat took participants through Bonaventure’s soul’s journey with prayerful experiences, explanations and liturgies. The Franciscan Center is staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, N.Y.
IC friars in Connecticut joined thousands of other Catholics at the state capitol on March 11 to protest proposed legislation that would sideline priests and bishops from administration of the Church.
The legislation, SB 1098, would have changed a little-known 1866 law that sets out rules for religious corporations. Under the proposal, each individual church would be forced to create a board that would include seven to 13 lay members, freely elected by the parish members, giving them the power to control parish finances and outreach programs. The pastor of the parish would serve on the board but could not vote on issues, and would take his direction from the lay board. A mirror structure would be in place on the diocesan level as well, with the bishop or archbishop likewise lacking a vote.