|
From the Provincial Minister
|
 | Provincial Minister
Primo P. Piscitello, OFM |
NEW YORK - "This day was made by the Lord. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Driving back to New York following the celebrations in Waltham on Friday and Saturday, this line from Psalm 118 kept ringing through my mind and my heart. What a wonderful two-day celebration of faith and fraternity.
There was a wonderful symmetry to the days. As we gathered on Friday night, the theme was beginnings as our five Postulants received the writings of St. Francis and St. Clare; as I placed the Tau cross over their head, as they asked me - really as they asked us all - to begin to learn our way of life. These young men - Josh, Dale, Paul, Josh and Jay - just seemed to radiate a joy and eagerness to be a part of us that renews the heart and the soul. Please keep them in your prayers as they make their way through this first step in their Franciscan lives with us.
Saturday morning found us gathered again celebrating the other end of the initial formation process as we celebrated the Solemn Profession of Vows of Br. Joseph Powell. It has been such a joy to watch as Joe has journeyed through the formation process. There is an excitement as we recall the same moment in our own lives and as we witnessed the joy of Joseph and his family as he commits himself completely to this way of life.
Two days, two beautiful moments in the life of our fraternity.
I'm so grateful to all of the friars who came out for both of these celebrations. It really is so wonderful when we come together as brothers for these special moments. Let's all make an effort to be more connected to each other in joyful celebration of our common fraternity. Special thanks to Dennis Wheatley and Damian Johnson for hosting both of these events and everyone who had a part in making them so beautiful, and to all of our formation and vocation personnel who work day in and day out to bring these men to these moments. The whole fraternity thanks you.
"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!"
God bless,
Fr. Primo
|
 |
|
|
Br. Joseph Powell professes Solemn Vows
|
 WALTHAM, MA - Surrounded by family, friends and friars, on a beautiful September day, Br. Joseph Powell, OFM, placed his hands into the hands of the Provincial Minister and professed to live the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for "all the days of my life" at Sacred Heart Church.
More than 30 friars gathered with the family and friends of Br. Joe, along with parishioners from Waltham, Derry, Winsted and the Cape for this special moment in the life of the whole Province on Saturday, September 21.
In his homily for the celebration, Provincial Minister Primo P. Piscitello, OFM, spoke of the great importance of the moment unfolding before those gathered, "Solemn Profession is not about some abstract idea. It is about your real life; it is about the vows that you are going to pronounce. You will say the words aloud for all to hear! With these words, you will bind yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, bound to Him, you are to embrace His spouse, the Church, as your spouse. This vowed life that today you embrace is a gift. One does not choose this bond for oneself. It is the Lord who chooses whom he wills."
Br. Joe is 26 years-old and originally from Granby, Massachusetts. He is one of 12 children. Most of the Powell family were present for the celebration and made up a large portion of the congregation. Over the summer, Br. Joseph made his 30 day retreat in preparation for Solemn Vows in the places that were significant in the life of our Holy Father Saint Francis in Assisi and surrounding areas. He completed his theological studies in June at the Pontifical University of St. Anthony (the Antonianum) in Rome successfully defending his theological thesis, "Abraham as a Model of Faith in the Old Testament."
The celebration of Solemn Profession brought together the music ministry from several of our parishes. Under the direction of John Brennan, music director at St. Margaret's in Buzzards Bay, the choir was rounded out with members from St. Margaret's, St. Thomas Aquinas in Derry and Sacred Heart in Waltham.
After the Mass of Solemn Profession, all enjoyed a wonderful reception in the parish hall.
He is currently assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry, NH, as a pastoral associate and is also engaged in graduate studies at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, MA.
Br. Joe is also an occasional blogger at: http://thebluewilderness.wordpress.com/
FULL TEXT OF PROVINCIAL'S HOMILY:
Let me start today by asking Br. Joseph a question. What were you thinking when you took your first vows? Symbolically, you placed your hands into the hands of the Provincial as you will do today. Did you realize then that only by the grace of God could you go further and reach this day?
There are a lot of questions that you could be asking yourself today. But Solemn Profession is not about some abstract idea. It is about your real life; it is about the vows that you are going to pronounce. You will say the words aloud for all to hear!
With these words, you will bind yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, bound to Him, you are to embrace His spouce, the Church, as your spouse. This vowed life that today you embrace is a gift. One does not choose this bond for oneself. It is the Lord who chooses whom he wills.
You know the story in the Bible of the call of young Samuel. God calls him by name in the middle of the night. At first Samuel does not understand that it is the Lord calling. But as the Lord persists, Samuel eventually becomes attuned to his voice, and is led to respond, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
In a similar way, you heard the Lord calling in your heart many years ago. At first, you were unsure that it was he speaking. But, the Lord persisted. God calls, pursues, and even patiently waits for the ones he has chosen. Now, when our brother pronounces the vows today, we will hear him say that he commits himself to obedience, chastity, and to live without anything of his own.
Obedience is first because it embraces both chastity and poverty since it is the dedication of one's entire self to the Lord - mind, will, and body. This complete dedication is fundamentally an act of love. As with chastity, the vow of obedience must be understood and lived within the context of love. Obedience involves much more than external conformity to the Rule and Constitutions or the direction of a superior. Obedience should be seen as the way we prove our love for God.
Because we love him, we submit to, we accept, and we even willingly embrace what is asked of us in our religious life, knowing that in this way we please him. Obedience that is grudging, resentful or half-hearted, is far from the ideal of true obedience. Ultimately we are called to follow the pattern of obedience set by Jesus himself, who embraced the will of his Father in all things, not as a slave grudgingly carrying out the orders of a master, but as a loving son, trusting in his Father's love and wishing to prove his own love in return.
What can be difficult for us to accept, of course, is that God chooses to make his will known to us through other human beings, our superiors. It is a mystery that he chooses weak and fallible men to make his will known to other weak and fallible men. The guide we friars have chosen was the first to admit that he was a weak and fallible man. But we also know that he was close to God: St. Francis of Assisi.
In his Testament, he writes, "After the Lord had given me some brothers, the Most High revealed to me that I should live according to the holy gospel." Some brothers and the gospel: two basic and inseparable elements of the life of the communities established by Francis.
In "First Encounter with Francis of Assisi," Damien Vorreux writes, "The daily struggle to grow in fraternity is one of the sources and one of the secrets of Franciscan joy. 'For whenever they came together anywhere or met one another along the way, what an explosion of love! They embraced one another, shared or laughed together; they were full of life, thoughtful and kind with singleness of purpose, tireless to render service to one another. They poured out their whole affection on all the brothers.' These lines were written in 1228 by Thomas of Celano was was a witness to as well as an agent of the Franciscan springtime."
In just a few moments, Brother Joseph Powell, you will publicly speak the words of your solemn profession that will bind you to God and your religious superiors for the rest of your life. Receive this moment as a gift, a tremendous grace, for the only reason you are here today is because God has first called you. He has chosen you to be bound closely to him, to discover in Him the fulfillment of all your deepest desires. And he wishes to make you fruitful.
He asks that you accept this great gift by professing to live in fraternity and obedience to the Gospel, dedicating your entire life, mind, heart and soul to Jesus Christ and allowing him to use you as he wishes.
May today, and every day of your religious life, be motivated by a desire to love the one who first loved you. Love for love.   |
|
Five men received into Postulancy
|
 | Back row: Postulants Jay Woods, Dale Brewer, Josh Davis, Paul Condello and Josh Critcheley
Front row: Fr. Robert Caprio, OFM, Provincial Minister Primo Piscitello, OFM, Fr. Michael MacInnis, OFM, and Fr. Richard Martignetti, OFM |
WALTHAM, MA - At a celebration of Evening Prayer on Friday, September 20, Provincial Minister Primo P. Piscitello, OFM, received five men into our Postulancy Program.
Nearly 30 friars gathered for the Reception of Postulants service which took place at Sacred Heart Church here.
The men reported to Immaculate Conception Friary in Boston's North End on August 29 and have been orienting themselves to the Postulancy Program in preparation for Friday's official Reception ceremony. The program is under the direction of Postulant Director Fr. Michael MacInnis, OFM, assisted by Fr. Richard Martignetti, OFM, and Fr. Robert Caprio, OFM.
The men range in age from 19-36 and come from Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Ohio and Kansas. They are:
1. Joshua Critchley (19) is from Torrington, CT. Josh grew up active in our St. Joseph's Parish in Winsted and completed a year of study at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI.
2. Dale Brewer (20) is from New Madison, OH. Dale grew up in a family of 11 children and did two years of study at Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH where he was also in the Priestly Discernment Program there.
3. Paul Condello (26) is from Fryeburg, ME. He is a graduate of the University of Maine and was working as a school teacher before entering Postulancy.
4. Joshua Davis (29) is from Garden City, KS. Josh is a graduate of Wichita State University and the University of Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. A convert to Catholicism, he was working as a police officer before entering our formation program.
5. Jay Woods (36) is from Peabody, MA. Jay is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and he worked for many years in the entertainment industry as a costumer.
The Admissions Board had also approved to other men to enter Postulancy. One of them has entered the Polish Province and the other has requested to defer his entrance for a year and will remain in the Contact Program.
 
 
Reception of Postulants Photo Gallery |
| Fr. Claudio Moser celebrates 50th anniversary of priestly ordination |
WOODBRIDGE, ONTARIO, CANADA - On Sunday September 16th, 2013, the friar and parish communities at St. Peter's in Woodbridge came together for a great celebration - "come si deve" as the older friars would say - gathering to celebrate the 75th birthday and 50th anniversary of priestly ordination of Fr. Claudio Moser, OFM.
At 2:30 pm the choirs and congregation began to make a joyful sound to the Lord and the procession of ministers and concelebrant wound its way up the central aisle of St Peter's Parish Church. Most of the friars in the Toronto area were present and a good number of religious (male and female) and diocesan priests also participated in the Eucharist. The church easily seats a thousand souls and it was a "standing room only" event. With all the joy of a brother and a pastor, Fr. Michael Corcione, OFM, welcomed everyone to the Mass and to the event slated for the banquet hall later that evening.
Our Provincial Minister Primo P. Piscitello, OFM, delivered the bilingual (English and Italian) homily, reminiscing about Claudio's long history of service to the province and reflecting on the Word of God and the gift of Franciscan
Priesthood. He congratulated our brother on the dual occasion of Claudio's 75th birthday and his 50th anniversary of priestly ministry.
After nourishing our souls, there was a pilgrimage to the Primavera Banquet Hall where another crowd gathered and was treated to a power point presentation on Claudio's life. As the guests found their seats and helped themselves to the abundant antipasto bar, one began to get a sense of how extensive the crowd was. Looking out over the veritable sea of tables and well wishers, some pegged the attendance at over a thousand and it was easy to see why some who sought the pre-booked seats eventually had to be turned away because the seats were taken.
As the main meal got under way, we began to hear testimonies from friends and representatives of all levels of Canadian Government: federal, provincial and local - Claudio has made his mark through his dedication to various parish communities. As happens so often in society, religious communities intersect with social and cultural communities. The people he served in the early years of his priesthood are now established in many sectors of society. He continues to interact easily with the different generations.
There were two good tables full of friars and other priests. As we are wont to do, we enjoyed each other's company and the blessings of providence that appeared with each new serving. All in all, it was a great opportunity to share the evening as Claudio's family and although he never made it through any single course without greetings, pictures and calls to the podium to accept various acknowledgements, one could see the glow and happiness of being surrounded by his brothers and the many families that consider him part of their inner circle.
Abbiamo davvero festeggiato come si deve! Auguri! Ad multos annos!
Photos by Stefania Moro |
|
St. Anthony's hosts NYCs biggest pizza party to fight hunger
|
 NEW YORK - Billed as "New York City's Biggest Pizza Party", the Shrine Churh of St. Anthony on Sullivan Street is partnering once again with Slice Out Hunger to sponsor this event which helps to fight hunger in the Big Apple.
Fr. Joseph Lorenzo, OFM, pastor of St. Anthony's praised the event, "This is a great event that raises money for the hungry through the New York City Food Bank and there are no overhead costs - 100% of the money raised goes to the Food Bank. Dozens of restaurants and pizzerias donate boxes of pizza, which are then sold for $1.00 a slice. Some of the most famous pizza places in the city participate- including Arturo's, Ben's, Grimaldi's, John's Pizza, and the oldest pizzeria in the USA- Lombardi's of Little Italy."
The event is now in its fifth year and this is the second year that it has been held at St. Anthony's. "Last year we had lines all the way around the corner and about 600 people attended. This year besides the pizza stands set up in our hall there will be an outside booth for people to make their own pizza," said Fr. Joe.
Last year's event raised $12,000 for hunger, and this year the goal is $20,000.
"St. Anthony's is proud to host and be a sponsor for this event," Fr. Joe said.
Every dollar spent is matched by sponsors and it all goes directly to the Food Bank for New York City. St. Anthony Shrine Church is located at the corner of Sullivan and Houston streets in New York's SoHo section.
 | | Slice Out Hunger 2013 |
|
|
Fr. Richard Martignetti, OFM, attends Congress of Formation Secretaries
|
 | | Secretary of Formation Richard Martignett, OFM, pictured with former General Minister Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM |
ASSISI - From September 8-22, the Secretaries of Formation throughout the Order gathered in Assisi for a Congress on the theme "Jesus went with them."
. The Congress heard speakers from throughout the Order and the Church including General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, former General Minister Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM, and Cardinal Joćo Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Secretary of Formation of our Province, Fr. Richard Martignetti, OFM, attended the Congress representing the Province. Below are some pictures from the Congress.
You can see more photos along with videos and the talks given at: Jesus Went With Them.
 
|
|
Precious Blood holds 87th Annual Feast of San Gennaro
|
 NEW YORK - The 87th Annual Feast of San Gennaro came to its conclusion on Sunday this year at Most Precious Blood Church on Mulberry Street.
Although this is an annual celebration of faith, the Feast of San Gennaro is known the world over for its festive atmosphere, an 11-day event featuring religious processions and colorful parades, free musical entertainment every day, a wide variety of ethnic food delicacies, charming restaurants and cafes and even a world-famous cannoli-eating competition!
The central focus of the celebration took place on Thursday, September 19th, the official Saint Day when the main Feast Mass was held in Most Precious Blood Church, followed immediately by a religious procession in which the Statue of San Gennaro was carried from its permanent home in the church through the streets.
New pastor of Precious Blood, Fr. Romano Almagno, OFM, was the Presider and Homilist for the Mass.
This year's Feast was expected to attract more than one-million people from the all over the world to the streets of Little Italy to participate in the annual Salute to the Patron Saint of Naples.
Photos by Fr. Orlando Ruis, OFM |
|
|
|
| Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
