CINCINNATI — In the Thanksgiving issue of SJB News Notes, the weekly newsletter of the St. John the Baptist Province, headquartered here, 11 friars expressed their gratitude for their brothers. The friars include Fr. Fred Link, OFM, who is Holy Name’s General Visitor. Their comments are included in the “Let Us Give Thanks for Our Brothers” article, in the Nov. 25 issue of the newsletter.
A summary of the past three issues of the newsletter includes:
• St. John the Baptist Province reports monthly on its Web site about the Order’s 150th anniversary, focusing on some of the most memorable friars in parish ministry.
• The province urges friars to exercise and eat a sensible diet, as illustrated by the success of novice Br. Michael Charron, OFM, who lost 32 pounds.
• Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, recently visited Canterbury, England, the place where William Wordsworth defined good poetry. Tales from Fr. Murray’s trip appear in the Nov. 13 issue of SJB News Notes.
• Fr. Scott Obrecht, OFM, described in the Nov. 13 newsletter his memories of former HNP friar Fred McCarthy, creator of the Brother Jupiter cartoon, who died Oct. 26 in Florida.
• Fr. Pat McCloskey, OFM, editor in chief of St. Anthony Messenger, and Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM, provincial minister, represented the province at the Ignatius Brady Lecture at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y., on Nov. 11.
• Br. Joshua Van Cleef, OFM, who participated in the summer “Walking with Hope” pilgrimage, wrote about his experiences at November’s National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City, Mo., attended by 23,000 teens.
• The mayor of Hazard, Ky., designated Nov. 15 as “Franciscan Sunday” in recognition of the contributions of local friars. Details are available in the Nov. 20 issue of SJB News Notes.
• Fr. Don Miller, OFM, has launched a new vocation newsletter and blog that includes video clips from the National Catholic Youth Conference.