News about Holy Name Province and the Order of Friars Minor.
RALEIGH, N.C. – With gratitude and prayer, the parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church bid farewell to the Franciscans last month, ending 33 years of pastoral ministry by the friars. They said good-bye and thank you at an Aug. 30 Mass and in a presentation that recognized every friar who served at St. Francis of Assisi since 1987, when …
In an article published by Siena College on Sept. 11, Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, describes the connection to Mychal Judge, OFM, of a current Siena College freshman and the lasting contribution that the late FDNY chaplain has had on people of good will. In August of 2020, Daniel De Franco began his journey at Siena College. Before coming to …
SILVER SPRING, Md. – A group of 15 men from around the country – covering 12 states and four provinces – was welcomed on Aug. 27 to Holy Name College, where this 2020/21 class of postulants will spend one year living among friars, learning about and experiencing Franciscan life. “This an opportune time for our new brothers to continue their …
NEW YORK – Nearly 75 years of service were recognized this summer when the three friars who founded St. Francis Friends of the Poor honored two dedicated employees. John Felice, OFM, John McVean, OFM, and Thomas Walters, OFM, presented Thomas Cabrera and Jose Cruz with the HNP Francis Medal on July 24, a week before the retirement dates of the …
DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — Conrad Harkins, OFM, 85, a professed Franciscan friar for 65 years and a priest for 59, died on Aug. 31 at St. Cabrini Nursing Home, where he had lived since last year. He spent most of his religious life in academia and was widely known for his efforts to obtain sainthood for five Franciscans killed in …
This year, during a time of pandemic, the Labor Day holiday took on a more profound meaning. When the country virtually shut down, minimum-wage and hourly-wage employees became essential to daily life and survival. There has been a deeper appreciation for frontline personnel – such as supermarket cashiers, pharmacists, restaurant workers, fast-food attendants, truck drivers, postal carriers, building superintendents, and sanitation …
We friars of Holy Name Province are certainly aware of change. The province that the majority of us joined back in the 1950s, 70s, or even 90s looks and feels vastly different in 2020. The decisions our provincial leadership has made this year in the wake of the Fraternal Ecology Process have made clear that friars today are called to …
HARTFORD, Conn. — In the presence of a small group of friars, family members, friends and parishioners – and with virtual guests from as far west as Arizona and east to Puerto Rico “attending” via live-streamed broadcast – Angel Vázquez, OFM, and Jay Woods, OFM, made their final vows to live St. Francis of Assisi’s Rule of the Order of …
TAMPA, Fla. – While most people stay clear of bees to avoid stings, for Zachary Elliott, OFM, getting stung is an unavoidable hazard of his newfound undertaking. Zack is the resident beekeeper at Sacred Heart Parish, an enterprise he started in February just ahead of the coronavirus outbreak. Although the pandemic wasn’t the motivation, beekeeping has served as a welcome …
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Valerian Vaverchak, OFM, 87, a Franciscan friar for 63 years, died on Aug. 31 at Bon Secours Maria Manor Nursing Care Center in St. Petersburg where he had lived since last year. Funeral services are being finalized. Early Years Valerian was born on Sept. 3, 1992 in Waymart, Pennsylvania, to William and Margaret (née Racht) Vaverchak, …
When classes begin at Siena College and St. Bonaventure University this month, students and faculty will experience a reconstructed paradigm in academics – a new blueprint in the age of COVID-19 that will touch every aspect of campus life. Models will be in place that no one could have imagined a year ago. Modifications to the 2020-21 calendar – including …
The COVID-19 pandemic has grounded friars Province-wide whose preaching ministries usually keep them on the road both here and abroad. Retreats, missions, workshops, classes, seminars, pilgrimages, and other related events have been suspended indefinitely. Below, eight friars – Francis Pompei, Dan Riley, Peter Chepaitis, Thomas Hartle, Kevin Cronin, Casey Cole, Dan Horan, and John Anglin – each share how their …
