NEW YORK — Below are updates about some of the many activities of Holy Name friars, including their presentations, outreach and celebrations. More information can be obtained by visiting links to the parishes and organizations mentioned, by contacting the friars by phone or e-mail, and by connecting with the Communications Office.
To provide news briefs for future issues of HNP Today, e-mail communications director Jocelyn Thomas at communications@hnp.org.
Lawrence Anderson, OFM, of St. Mary Church, Pompton Lakes, N.J., will speak on Jan. 25 at Riddles restaurant on Wanaque Avenue, across the street from the parish campus in Pompton Lakes, as part of the Theology on Tap program of Wayne Area Young Adult Ministry. His topic is “Overcoming Roadblocks in Your Faith.” Information is available on the Web site of Catholics in Action.
Russell Becker, OFM, who returned recently after spending several months at the Fransican Chapel in Tokyo, is leading a retreat this week at St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Fla. It is titled “Our Evangelizing Mission as Friars.”
Thomas Conway, OFM, chair of the Province’s Finance Directorate, is leading a workshop on March 3 for guardians and their bookkeepers.
An article by William DeBiase, OFM, appears in the January 2010 issue of The Pilgrim, the newsletter of the four St. Francis Inn ministries.
The green practices of St. Mary Church in Pompton Lakes where Kevin Downey, OFM, is pastor, were featured in the Jan. 7 issue of The Beacon, a publication of the Paterson, N.J., diocese. Kevin described the installation of solar panels on the roof of the parish’s two-year-old faith formation center as “the pinnacle of our efforts.” Each week, St. Mary Church, which was honored last fall by GreenFaith, the New Jersey interfaith environmental coalition, includes an ecological tip in a column titled “Green Faith” in its bulletin.
Thomas Gallagher, OFM, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford, Conn., announced through a recent e-mail, that he will be celebrating Eucharist on Jan. 22 for people grieving the loss of loved ones.
Boniface Hanley, OFM, mentioned that six or eight friars visited the Margate, N.J., friary last week. In early February, the first of three “Seaside Conversations” will be held at the South Jersey friary.
HNP’s fraternal gatherings will run from mid-February through May, according to Provincial Secretary Michael Harlan, OFM. A list of the dates of the nine regional days along with a registration form has been distributed to friars.
Joseph Hertel, OFM, director of St. Anthony’s Guild, visited the Province’s ministry in Lima, Peru, earlier this month and provided recommendatons to the Province. Also, he mentioned in an appeal letter earlier this month that the guild’s Web site has been redesigned. New content includes photos, Franciscan prayers, links to past issues of The Anthonian magazine and other features.
Brian Jordan, OFM, spoke last Tuesday on “Integrity of Creation: God’s Gift to Us” at Holy Name Parish’s Friars’ Forum series. The next presentation at the church on West 96th Street in New York City is Jan. 25; Daniel Kenna, OFM, pastor of Holy Name Church, will speak on “Annulments: I thought Catholics Didn’t Believe in Divorce.”
Michael Johnson, OFM, pastor of St. Camillus Church in SIlver Spring, Md., announced this week the creation of a new school that is a combination of St. Camillus School and St. Mark the Evangelist School in Hyattsville, Md. Details about the new St. Francis international School appeared in the Catholic Standard and will be available in the next issue of HNP Today.
Michael Jones, OFM, is leading a trip to Ireland in September. It is sponsored by St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish in Hartford.
Claude Lenehan, OFM, of Butler, N.J., encourages pastors to publicize the Retrouvaille program for troubled marriages in parish bulletins. He has been working with this program for 20 years.
Tony LoGalbo, OFM, reports that the Province’s Fraternal Life Directorate, of which he is co-chair, met Jan. 13 at the Provincial Office. They discussed ways to continue promoting the friars’ quality of life, the structure and focuus of the directorate, and the creation of a “clearinghouse list of provicial events and initiatives.”
Photos of Kevin Mackin, OFM, appear on the newly-designed Web site of Mt. St. Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., where he is president.
David McBriar, OFM, chair of the Province’s Evangelization Directorate, reminded friars earlier this month that registrants are welcomed to the Feb. 6 to 8 preaching workshop in Tampa, Fla.
Provincial Vicar Dominic Monti, OFM, is travelling to Rome this weekend to participate in a Jan. 25 to 27 meeting of the Order’s Executive Committee on Formation & Studies at the General Curia. Dominic was one of three secretaries of formation elected at the International Council for Formation in December 2008. Secretaries of formation assist the general secretary of formation in planning initiatives within the Order.
Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, sent to the friars of Holy Name Province a copy of the letter of support for the women religious of the United States that was mailed last month from the seven provincial ministers of the OFM provinces in the United States. John said, “I know all of you would agree that we owe a great deal of gratitude to the sisters for the most important ministry they do for the people of God.” The letter was sent to the president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the chairperson of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious.
“Encuentro Franciscano,” the blog of HNP’s Hispanic Ministry Committee moderated by Christopher Posch, OFM, and Christopher VanHaight, OFM, was recently updated with new posts including photos and videos from the October Encuentro in Silver Spring, Md.
Vocation director Brian Smail, OFM, is leading a Franciscan Experience Weekend Jan. 22 to 24 at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston. On Jan. 14, he chaired a meeting in New York City of the Province’s regional vocation directors, at which participants discussed strategy ideas as well as tools offered by the Vocation Office.
Basil Valente, OFM, is featured in an article in St. Bonaventure University’s The Communicator, a publication of the Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The article describes his work with the school’s integrated marketing and communications program and SBU’s summer Oxford program.
Jud Weiksnar, OFM, submitted a photo of students from Siena College’s Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy who visited Francis House at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Camden, N.J., earlier this month. He also said that the Ugliest House was demolished on Jan. 13, almost one year to the day that “they knocked down the empty police trailers that are now a community garden.” Photos are available on the parish’s Web site.
— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas, who requests that news for the next issue of HNP Today be submitted to the Communications Office by Jan. 27.