This Month in Provincial History

HNP Communications Features

Some notable November events that took place around Holy Name Province:

One Year Ago
Nov. 25, 2016 — St. Anthony Shrine in Boston was vandalized. A burglar ripped a donation kiosk off the wall and, at first, appeared to have taken audio equipment. Within hours, news of the burglary had spread through both the Shrine’s social media and the city’s media outlets. A few days later, the Boston Police arrested a suspect. CBS Boston reported that Thomas Conway, OFM, the Shrine’s executive director, said he was not ready to judge the suspect, saying that he thought the incident may have been a call for help. Tom said that after checking the lobby of the Arch Street building, it was determined that nothing was taken from the Shrine.

Nov. 19, 2016 — Members of Franciscans International gathered at Holy Name of Jesus Church in New York City for a presentation and Mass celebrated by Joseph Rozansky, OFM. Joseph, the Province’s director of post-novitiate formation, was elected chair of the International Board of Directors of FI in April 2016. Along with Markus Heinze, OFM, FI’s executive director, he will be leading a similar event this year on Nov. 18, at St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street in Midtown Manhattan.

Nov. 13, 2016 – A dedication at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center’s peace garden in northern North Carolina was held. It was dedicated to a former Secular Franciscan, the late Jane Sullivan Farris. Close to 100 people attended the event, according to Louis Canino, OFM, director of the center. SFSPC, located roughly an hour’s drive north of Greensboro, N.C., opened in 2005. Each year, it hosts dozens of groups and events, including gatherings of Provincial committees.

Five Years Ago
November 2012 – The Province’s Development office established the Franciscan Hurricane Relief Fund to help members of Franciscan ministries affected by Hurricane Sandy, which struck the metropolitan New York area on Oct. 29, 2012.  The Province’s Long Beach Island, N.J., parish was severely damaged and at least six other sites were without power for days. This year, the HNP Development Office organized the Puerto Rico Relief Fund to gather contributions for the people of Puerto Rico whose island was devastated in September after Hurricane Maria.

Nov. 3, 2012 — The Province celebrated the priestly ordination of Frank Critch, OFM, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Triangle, Va.  This  year, two friars – Mario Gómez-Tejerina, OFM, and Edgardo Jara-Araya, OFM – were ordained to the priesthood at St. Camillus Church, a multicultural parish near the nation’s capital.

Ten Years Ago
Nov. 4, 2007 — Then-Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, gave a homily at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Triangle, Va., to mark the end of the parish’s yearlong 50th-anniversary celebration. The Mass was translated into Spanish for the parish’s first bilingual service. John is now stationed at the Triangle parish, serving as pastor.

15 Years Ago
Nov. 21, 2002 — Then-Provincial Minister John Felice, OFM, blessed the new facilities of St. Anthony’s Guild, the Franciscan Missionary Union and the HNP Communications Office on West 27th Street in New York City, which was the location of these provincial offices while the new Provincial Office was constructed. Since summer 2007, the Provincial Office has been located on West 31st Street and the HNP Development Office, which includes the Guild, is on nearby West 32nd Street.

Nov. 30, 2002 — The San Damiano Spiritual Center in Philadelphia hosted its first program — a pre-Advent Day of Recollection — under the direction of Charles Finnegan, OFM.

25 Years Ago
Nov. 4, 1992 — Friars at Holy Cross Friary in the Bronx, N.Y., discovered fire and vandalism in the church early in the morning. That evening, hundreds gathered for a prayer vigil. The friars served Holy Cross Parish from 1921 to 2008. In 2009, a street in the Clason Point neighborhood was named for the Franciscans.  

—  Compiled by Johann Cuervo

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