NEW YORK — The latest issue of Immaculate Conception Province’s newsletter salutes its senior friars.
“In this special edition, our Province shows ‘its great love and gratitude for the elderly friars who have served the needs of the Church, the Order and the Province so admirably,’” according to the newsletter, which quotes the Ratio Formationis.
The issue describes daily life at each of the province’s four retirement friaries located in Catskill, N.Y., Clearwater Beach, Fla., New York City and Boston. Friars are involved in a variety of activities from internal events such as ice cream socials and house chapters to pastoral work and assistance in the community.
In the winter issue of its newsletter, the province provides a picture and summary of the General Minister’s meeting with the leadership teams of the OFM provinces in the United States in December 2012. The gathering — attended by Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, Provincial Vicar Dominic Monti, OFM, five HNP council members, and Provincial Secretary Michael Harlan, OFM — discussed future collaboration among the American OFM provinces.
The publication also highlights St. Anthony Parish in Troy, N.Y., which has continued to serve the community despite the closing of six out of 13 churches in the area. St. Anthony’s is working closely with other churches and agencies to maximize the impact of its limited resources in order to continue to minister to the vulnerable.
A link to the Winter 2013 newsletter can be found on the home page of the Immaculate Conception website.
— Compiled by Maria Hayes