DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — Frank Waywood, OFM, 91, a professed Franciscan friar for 66 years, died on March 21 in the hospice program at St. Cabrini Nursing Home here, where he had lived since last year.
Representatives of St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey, where Frank had lived for 10 years, celebrated a rite of committal with final commendation at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Butler. A memorial Mass for Frank will be scheduled as soon as the friars of the Province are able to come together, after restrictions related to the coronavirus have been lifted.
Early Years
Frank was born on March 5, 1929, in South Boston, Massachusetts, to Frank and Mary (née Daley) and was baptized in South Boston. After graduating from North Quincy High School in 1947, Frank joined the Franciscan Order in August 1952. He made his first profession of vows in Paterson, New Jersey, on Aug. 13, 1953 and professed his final vows on Aug. 21, 1957 in Allegany, New York. He was known in the 1950s and 1960s as Br. Felician.
Ministry
Frank lived at a variety of locations and served in many roles during his religious life – most in academic settings. Friars and former students have shared memories of Frank on the Facebook page of the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province.
His first assignment was as physical education director at St. Joseph Seraphic Seminary, from 1953 to 1962. He then served as sacristan for St. Anthony Shrine in Boston for a year before moving to Buffalo, New York, where he served at Bishop Timon High School from 1963 to 1966 as a bus driver and assistant track coach.
In 1966, Frank was stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he worked as a physical education teacher. He returned to New York later that year and worked for a year at St. Bonaventure University in Western New York. From 1967 to 1969, Frank worked as a physical education director at parochial schools in New York City and in 1969, moved back to Callicoon where he was an instructor at the seminary.
Frank served as a teacher at a number of other schools including Holy Cross in the Bronx, from 1971 to 1976, Catholic schools in Boston from 1976 to 1977, in Greenville, South Carolina from 1977 to 1978, and St. Xavier High School in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1978 to 1980.
His work in later years focused on care-giving. From 1981 to 1988, Frank lived in Quincy and took care of his aging parents. From 1988 to 1989, he did nursing work at the Province’s infirmary, and from 1989 to 1991, he did maintenance work at Our Lady’s Chapel in New Bedford, Massachusetts. From 1991 to 1996, he was again stationed at St. Anthony Shrine, where he served as assistant treasurer and worked in other roles until 1996, when he moved to St. Anthony Residence, also on Arch Street in Boston, to serve as vicar until 2002.
Frank’s last active assignment was at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Camden, New Jersey, from 2002 to 2005, where he was senior associate friar.
In 2005, he retired and was assigned to St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey, where he served as a baker and telephone operator. In summer 2015, Frank moved to Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, New Jersey. When the Province’s skilled care facility was closed in March 2019, he moved to St. Cabrini Nursing Home.
Frank is survived by a nephew, Stephen Munroe.
Memorial donations may be sent to Franciscan Friars – Holy Name Province, 144 West 32nd Street, New York, NY 10001-3202.
— Jocelyn Thomas is director of communications for Holy Name Province.
Related
- Our Friars page of HNP website
- “After 30 Years of Operation, Ringwood Skilled Nursing Home Will Close” – Jan. 9, 2019, HNP Today
- “An Update from Holy Name Friary” – Nov. 10, 2015, HNP Today
- “Province Announces Closing of Boston Retirement Friary” – March 14, 2012, HNP Today