Some notable July events that took place around Holy Name Province.
One Year Ago
July 1, 2011 — Steven Pavignano, OFM, was appointed pastor of St. Clare Church in Buffalo, N.Y.
Five Years Ago
July 16, 2007 — The Provincial Office staff — a combination of friars and lay employees — moved to 129 West 31st Street in New York City. The building, which also houses St. Francis Friary, was officially dedicated in September of that year.
July 1, 2007 — James Sabak, OFM, and Gonzalo de Jesus Torres, OFM, attended the International Chapter of Mats of the Young Friars Minor. The event ran from July 1 until July 8 in the Holy Land. (In June of this year, two friars represented HNP at a chapter for recently-professed friars, this time held in Mexico.)
25 Years Ago
July 3, 1987 — Holy Name Province assumed control of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Raleigh, N.C. David McBriar, OFM, was named pastor of the parish.
July 7, 1987 — The Franciscan Mission Service opened in Silver Spring, Md. on the site of the former formation house on Lorain Avenue. (The headquarters of FMS, which commemorated its 25th anniversary in 2011, is now located in Washington, D.C.)
July 23, 1987 — The Holy Name Province Vocation Office moved from the Bronx to Brookline, Mass. The change was made, according to the Provincial Annals, to provide more office space for the Vocation Office, as well as to allow for closer cooperation with the novitiate candidates. (The Vocation Office is now one of the HNP offices, along with Finance and Communications, that is located on West 31st Street).
50 Years Ago
July 14, 1962 — Thirty-seven novices received the habit of St. Francis in reception ceremonies at St. Raphael’s Novitiate in Lafayette, N.J. The following day, 19 friars professed simple vows at St. Raphael’s. (This summer, two men are expected to profess their first vows as Franciscans and five will begin their novitiate year.)
— Compiled by Ryan McDonald