Notable events for the month of June include:
One Year Ago
June 13, 2015 — Holy Name Province announced that it would return care of St. Francis Xavier Church in Sullivan County, N.Y., to the Archdiocese of New York. The parish, founded in the 1860s, had been staffed by the friars since 1892.
June 14, 2015 — A statue of the late Mychal Judge, OFM, was dedicated in a park across from St. Joseph Church in East Rutherford, N.J., where Mychal had been stationed in the 1960s and 1970s. Mychal died on Sept. 11 during the attack on New York City’s World Trade Center.
June 18, 2015 — Pope Francis released “Laudato Si’,” an encyclical on the related challenges of poverty and global climate change. Its message continues to inspire a variety of JPIC-related events around the Province.
Five Years Ago
June 1, 2011 — Identical twins Adrian and Julian Riester, OFM, died just hours apart from each other at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. The deaths of the brothers, known for their quiet demeanor, captured an international audience.
June 26, 2011 — A small but lively congregation of nearly 100 people participated in a special Mass to mark the withdrawal of the Franciscan friars from All Saints Parish in Harlem, N.Y., where the friars had served since 2002.
June 26, 2011 — Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, celebrated the friars’ final liturgy at St. Joseph Church in East Rutherford, where the friars had served for 99 years.
10 Years Ago
June 14, 2006 — St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Camden, N.J., announced it would begin hosting a community of Franciscan volunteer ministers beginning in August. The FVMs continue to serve the parish today.
June 18, 2006 — The friars celebrated 50 years of Franciscan ministry in Providence, R.I., at St. Mary’s Church, which the Province had assumed care of on June 1. Holy Name Province staffed the parish until 2012.
20 Years Ago
June 10, 1996 — The Provincial Administration decided to move the Provincialate to West 32nd Street from its 88th Street location.
June 18, 1996 — Bishop Joseph Gossman dedicated the new St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh, N.C.
25 Years Ago
June 14, 1991 — Two armed men robbed St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City. They stole $80,000 from the St. Anthony feast day collection. The fact that much of the money was to go to St. Francis Breadline and to help those with AIDS aroused public sympathy. To help replace the stolen funds, Governor Mario Cuomo organized a reception at the church for numerous donors, including the mayor of New York City. The $80,000 was raised, and within weeks donors had contributed double the amount that had been stolen. No arrests were made.
— Compiled by Maria Hayes
Related Links
- “This Month in Provincial History” — May 2, 2016, HNP Today
- “For Franciscan Twins, Simple Lives Had Depth” – June 14, 2011, The New York Times
- “Raleigh’s St. Francis Parish Celebrates 25th Anniversary” – Oct. 1, 2007 HNP Today