This Month in Provincial History

Maria Hayes Features

Notable events for the month of May include:

One Year Ago
May 21, 2015 — Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, of Sacred Heart Province, was re-elected General Minister of the Order of Friars Minor.

May 22, 2015 — St. Bonaventure University received a promise of a gift of $2 million to create a renewed ministries center on campus. (On March 10, university ministries moved from the Thomas Merton Center to the Murphy Professional Building in anticipation of the Merton Center’s demolition later this spring.)

May 27, 2015 — The Franciscan Volunteer Ministry of Holy Name Province announced that it would open a new ministry site at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Md.

Five Years Ago
May 4, 2011 — The Provincial Minister and Vicar, John O’Connor, OFM, and Dominic Monti, OFM, released a letter recommending calm reflection after the death of Osama bin Laden, which occurred a few days before.

May 22, 2011 — The Provincial Administration announced its withdrawal from All Saints Parish in Harlem, N.Y.

10 Years Ago
May 24, 2006 — The friars of the Hialeah, Fla., community relocated to St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Fla.

May 31, 2006 — A small fire started in a storage closet in the daily Mass chapel at Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, N.C. The blaze damaged the inside of the Chapel Hill Street wall and caused smoke damage to the chapel and gathering space, but there was no major structural damage to the church.

20 Years Ago
May 10, 1996 — Kevin Mackin, OFM, was elected Siena College’s ninth president. He served in that position until 2007.

May 26-31, 1996 — John Felice, OFM, was elected Provincial Minister of Holy Name Province during the Provincial Chapter at St. Bonaventure University. Charles Miller, OFM, was elected Provincial Vicar.

25 Years Ago
May 31 – June 1, 1991 — The General Chapter was held in San Diego, marking the first time a General Chapter took place in North America.

— Compiled by Maria Hayes

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