This Month in Provincial History

Maria Hayes Features

Notable events for the month of July include:

One Year Ago
July 18 to 21, 2016 — The final interprovincial gathering in a series of four meetings attended by representatives from each of the OFM provinces in the United States was held at Cenacle Retreat House in Chicago. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the future of Franciscan life in the United States as part of the ongoing Revitalization & Reconfiguration Process.

Five Years Ago
July 2012 – St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Fla., began construction on its new chapel. “We are building it because we outgrew the present chapel, not only for our present number of friars, but also for those special occasions when we have many guests, such as Provincial retreats,” explained guardian James Toal, OFM.

Ten Years Ago
July 20, 2007 – Holy Name’s Provincialate relocated to its current headquarters on West 31st Street in New York City. The official dedication of the new Provincial offices and St. Francis Friary was celebrated on Sept. 13, 2007. Cardinal Edward Egan of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were among the guests in attendance.

20 Years Ago
July 12, 1997 – As part of its golden jubilee year celebration, St. Anthony Shrine held a street fair to share its celebration with the people of Boston. “This event helped us take the 50th anniversary beyond the confines of our own building and provided us with the occasion to thank people from all parts of our city for their support,” wrote Kevin Mullen, OFM, who was director of the Shrine at the time.

30 Years Ago
July 3, 1987 – Holy Name Province assumed responsibility for St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Raleigh, N.C. David McBriar, OFM, served as the first pastor.

July 7, 1987 – The Franciscan Mission Service was opened in the former formation house on Lorain Avenue in Silver Spring, Md. Thomas Cole, OFM, and Charles Finnegan, OFM, worked with Fr. Anselm Moons, OFM, and several Franciscan sisters to establish the program.

July 23, 1987 – After being located at Holy Cross Friary in the Bronx, N.Y., for 15 years, the HNP Vocation Office moved to St. Francis Friary in Brookline, Mass. The reasons for the move were three-fold – to introduce more professed friars into the novitiate community in Brookline, to give inquirers the opportunity to meet friars in formation, and to move the Vocation Office into New England, where numerous candidates were coming from at the time. The vocation staff at the time included Joseph Finn, OFM, director, and Anthony Luongo, OFM, assistant director.

— Maria Hayes is communications coordinator for Holy Name Province.

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