OAKLAND, Calif. — General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, has appointed Dominic Monti, OFM, to serve as General Visitor for St. Barbara Province to prepare for the community’s chapter in 2016. “Dominic is well known to many of our friars, is a good listener and comes with a rich experience that will benefit us all through the process of chapter,” wrote …
OFM Membership Statistics Released
At our Provincial Chapter in June, General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, offered some comments and reflections on the current state of the worldwide Order. He accentuated the fact that we Friars Minor are currently in a period of “tremendous movement,” as provinces in Western Europe and North America face consolidation due to declining numbers, while new entities are being …
Celebrating a Saint with Prayers, Community Events and an Award
Friars and their partners-in-ministry commemorated a philosopher, theologian and doctor of the church — St. Bonaventure – this month with a variety of athletic, social, spiritual and academic events. Commemorations began a week before the July 15 feast of St. Bonaventure, the seventh general minister of the Order of Friars Minor and affectionately called the Franciscans’ “other saint.” In Western …
Student Friars Prepare for Summer Assignments
SILVER SPRING, Md. — From New York City to Florida — that is where seven of the Province’s student friars will be stationed this summer. Joseph Nangle, OFM, director of post-novitiate formation, announced the following assignments: John Aherne, OFM, will serve at Sacred Heart Parish, Tampa, Fla. Dennis Bennett, OFM, will be in Guatemala and Nicaragua for language study. George Camacho, OFM, will …
Province to Withdraw from Two Sullivan County Parishes
NEW YORK — For the second time in nearly two months, Holy Name Province has made the difficult decision to withdraw from parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. They are St. Mary Parish, Obernburg, and St. Anthony Parish, Yulan — both in rural Sullivan County. The announcement was made during parish Masses the weekend of Feb. 23. Joseph Juracek, …
Formation Update: Five Postulants Visit New Jersey, New York Ministries
The update below, from the Province’s director of postulancy, is part of an occasional series of stories on the formation process. SILVER SPRING, Md. — Postulancy is a unique year in Franciscan formation, as educational as any other year, but not as academic or primarily spiritual; this approach is experiential. The Ratio calls for a great variety of experiences for the postulant …
Formation Update: Interfaith Dialogue Highlights Annual Gathering
MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md. — Seventeen friars in initial formation, along with six solemnly-professed friars, hunkered down during the recent polar vortex to take part in the annual formation intersession, held from Jan. 4 to 8 at the Bon Secours Spiritual Center. As in years past, the gathering was marked by a great building up of fraternity among the men in initial …
Province to Withdraw from New York City Parish
NEW YORK — Holy Name Province announced last week that it is returning the care of St. Stephen of Hungary Parish on East 82nd Street in Manhattan to the Archdiocese of New York. The decision, a painful one, according to HNP leaders, evolved from a series of studies about ministerial priorities in light of available personnel resources. The announcement was …
Order, Province Extend Christmas Greetings
With a fraternal greeting that wished the fullness of God’s peace, hope and joy for all this season, General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, sent the Order’s annual Christmas greeting to friars, his first since assuming the leadership position in May. He began the letter by telling the story of St. Francis’s deep relationship with Jesus. After the death of the …