NEW YORK — Some notable December events that took place around Holy Name Province:
One Year Ago
Dec. 22, 2008 — The Franciscan Vocation Ministry launched an advertising campaign on the New York City subway system. The 1,000 colorful ads on subway trains asked men to consider making a “life shift” and garnered attention over the following months from NPR’s Marketplace, CNN and NBC’sToday show.
Dec. 21, 2008 — The efforts of St. Mary Church, Pompton Lakes, N.J., to preserve the environment were featured on a 30-minute CBS-TV special that aired in the New York area. Guardian and pastor Kevin Downey, OFM, along with church leaders, was interviewed for the segment. (Last month, GreenFaith, a New Jersey interfaith organization that advocates for the planet, recognized St. Mary Church’s exemplary environmental efforts at its fourth annual awards celebration.)
Dec. 18, 2008 — Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, N.J., the Province’s healthcare facility, received a five-star rating following a review by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A. Francis Soucy, OFM, director of the friary, organized a luncheon in April 2009 to thank the facility’s 52 staff members, who Francis credits as “the backbone of the friary.”
15 Years Ago
Dec. 4, 1994 — A Mass commemorating the 125th anniversary of St. Paul Church in Wilmington, Del., was celebrated by Bishop Robert Mulvee.
30 Years Ago
Dec. 16, 1979 — St. Francis Inn opened its doors at 2441 Kensington Ave. in Philadelphia after more than two years of planning and preparation by Roderic Petrie, OFM, Emmet Murphy, OFM, and Robert Struzynski, OFM. The now 30-year-old ministry includes a women’s center, thrift shop and urban center and is a service site for Franciscan Volunteer Ministers.
40 Years Ago
Dec. 12, 1969 —Bishop Benedict Coscia, OFM, of Jatai, Brazil, celebrated his eighth anniversary of episcopal ordination by breaking ground for a new Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Jatai. He was joined by several friars, including Alexander Wyse, OFM, general vicar of the diocese. (Bishop Coscia, who died in April 2008, served as a bishop for 46 years.)
— Compiled by Rebecca Doel