NEW YORK — The United States Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), whose spiritual assistant is Richard Trezza, OFM, elected officers at its annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 20 to 25. Doug Clarey, of Canada, presided.
Deacon Tom Bello of Arlington, Va., was elected national minister. Bello, professed in 1983, has served the SFO at all levels.
Elaine Hedtke of Port Angeles, Wash., was elected vice minister. She has served as minister of Troubadours of Peace Region. Hedtke, who was professed in 1965, has served the order at various levels.
Jan Parker of O’Fallon, Mo., was elected secretary and minister of the St. Clare Region. She was professed in 1988.
Dennis Ross of Mentor, Ohio, begins his third term as national treasurer. He was professed in 1986, and also served as treasurer of the SFO Province of St. Augustine from 1990 to 1996.
Elected national councilors were Mary Bittner of Ypsilanti, Miss., former minister of Divine Mercy Region; Michelle Kim of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Arturo Villareal from El Paso, Texas. Kim was also elected substitute international councilor.
Anne Mulqueen of Baltimore was elected to a second term as international councilor.
Full biographies of the new SFO leaders are available in a separate document.