WEST CLARKSVILLE, N.Y. — The community of Mt. Irenaeus Franciscan Mountain Retreat is preparing for two events: the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Joseph Kotula, OFM, on Sunday and the annual Mountain Auction the following week.
Joseph, who commemorated his jubilee as a Franciscan friar in June, will be honored with a renewal of vows and brunch on Oct. 31.
Limited tickets are available for the 10th annual Mountain Auction on Nov. 6 that will feature several vacation overnights, a 14K white gold diamond ring, a piece of the Reilly Center Arena floor, and the 2010 American Girl of the Year doll.
The 2010 auction, held on the St. Bonaventure University campus, supports the work of the 25-year-old retreat center.
The event, which begins with a 5 p.m. Mass in the University Chapel in Doyle Hall, will feature more than 200 gifts, most offered by silent auction and several in the fast-moving verbal auction. Among the get-away locations are a Pinehurst, N.C., condo and a Palm Beach Shores, Fla., vacation club. Silent auction gifts range from small appliances, sports memorabilia and gift baskets, according to the auction organizers.
Reservations for the auction, with a ticket price of $50 per person, are being accepted through Michelle Marcellin in the Mt. Irenaeus office at (716) 375-2096 or by e-mail at mmarc@sbu.edu.
This weekend, the Mt. Irenaeus friars are hosting an open overnight retreat for SBU students. Vans depart from the Merton Center at 4 p.m. on Oct. 29.
Information about the auction and about other mountain events can be found on the Mt. Irenaeus website which was recently redesigned by SBU graduates Greg and Elizabeth Licamele. The site offers new features including:
· three mountain blogs
· new videos and photo galleries
· links to Mt. Irenaeus on Facebook and Twitter
The summer 2010 newsletter of Mt. Irenaeus suggests that readers “pray with us online, reflect on a blog posting and share a prayer or a reflection in our forum.” The newsletter also asks readers to offer feedback and ideas to the site through mountain@sbu.edu.
— Jocelyn Thomas is communications director of Holy Name Province.