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From the Provincial Minister
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 | Provincial Minister
Primo P. Piscitello, OFM |
NEW YORK - Springtime always brings with it signs of new life. We wait eagerly for the mercury to rise on the thermometer, for the buds to appear on the trees, for the flowers to begin to sprout around us. I think we're looking for these signs more than ever after this long winter.
At our recent Provincial Board meeting, I was very glad to welcome one just such sign of new life as we joyfully received the request of our brother, Joseph Powell, to be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate.
Joe completed his studies at the Antonianum last year and in September it was my privilege to receive his solemn profession of vows. This year, he has been stationed at St. Thomas Aquinas in Derry where he has distinguished himself in his fraternal life and in his ministry to the good people of God there. Joe has also been completing his priestly studies at St. John's Seminary at the same time.
Anyone who has met our brother knows what a good and joyful example of a friar he is and so this request is a great moment of rejoicing for our entire fraternity as he seeks to deepen his relationship with the Lord through the grace of Holy Orders. It was an honor for all of us at the Board meeting to be able to look favorably on his request.
The details of place and time still need to be worked out, but it is moments like this that remind us that, just like Springtime, there are always signs of new life around us, and Joseph - along with all of the young men in our Province and in our formation program - are just such signs of life that we are all grateful for.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8.28)
Congratulations Joe!
God bless,
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SET FREE BY CHRIST'S POVERTY
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 LENTEN MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS:
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8.9)
[God] does not reveal himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty: 'though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor ...'. Christ, the eternal Son of God, one with the Father in power and glory, chose to be poor; he came amongst us and drew near to each of us; he set aside his glory and emptied himself so that he could be like us in all things. God's becoming man is a great mystery! But the reason for all this is his love, a love which is grace, generosity, a desire to draw near, a love which does not hesitate to offer itself in sacrifice for the beloved. Charity, love, is sharing with the one we love in all things. Love makes us similar, it creates equality, it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us. Indeed, Jesus 'worked with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he truly became one of us, like us in all things except sin'.
By making himself poor, Jesus did not seek poverty for its own sake but, as Saint Paul says 'that by his poverty you might become rich'. This is no mere play on words or a catch phrase. Rather, it sums up God's logic, the logic of love, the logic of the incarnation and the cross. God did not let our salvation drop down from heaven, like someone who gives alms from their abundance out of a sense of altruism and piety. Christ's love is different! When Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan and was baptised by John the Baptist, he did so not because he was in need of repentance, or conversion; he did it to be among people who need forgiveness, among us sinners, and to take upon himself the burden of our sins. In this way he chose to comfort us, to save us, to free us from our misery. It is striking that the Apostle states that we were set free, not by Christ's riches but by his poverty. Yet Saint Paul is well aware of the 'the unsearchable riches of Christ', that he is 'heir of all things'.
So what is this poverty by which Christ frees us and enriches us? It is his way of loving us, his way of being our neighbour, just as the Good Samaritan was neighbour to the man left half dead by the side of the road. What gives us true freedom, true salvation and true happiness is the compassion, tenderness and solidarity of his love. Christ's poverty which enriches us is his taking flesh and bearing our weaknesses and sins as an expression of God's infinite mercy to us. Christ's poverty is the greatest treasure of all: Jesus wealth is that of his boundless confidence in God the Father, his constant trust, his desire always and only to do the Father's will and give glory to him. Jesus is rich in the same way as a child who feels loved and who loves its parents, without doubting their love and tenderness for an instant. Jesus' wealth lies in his being the Son; his unique relationship with the Father is the sovereign prerogative of this Messiah who is poor. When Jesus asks us to take up his 'yoke which is easy', he asks us to be enriched by his 'poverty which is rich' and his 'richness which is poor', to share his filial and fraternal Spirit, to become sons and daughters in the Son, brothers and sisters in the first-born brother.
It has been said that the only real regret lies in not being a saint (L. Bloy); we could also say that there is only one real kind of poverty: not living as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.
+ Francis
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Br. Joseph Powell to be ordained a Transitional Deacon
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NEW YORK - The Provincial Council has approved the request of Br. Joseph Powell, OFM, who ha  s petitioned to be ordained to the Transitional Diaconate.
The Council received Br. Joe's request at their March 24th meeting and were very excited to approve his petition. No date or location has been set as of yet for the ordination.
Br. Joe is currently stationed at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry, NH, as a pastoral associate. He is also completing his theological practica at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, MA. He completed his theological studies last 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."
Br. Joe made his Solemn Profession of Vows on September 21. Br. Joe is 26 years-old and originally from Granby, Massachusetts. He is one of 12 children.
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RIP: Fr. Edwin Bobrek, OFM (87)
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LA JOLLA, CA - On Monday, March 24, our brother, Fr. Edwin Bobrek, OFM, died at the VA Hospital in La Jolla. Fr. Edwin was 87. 
Born John-Joseph, the son of John and Caroline (Matuszczak) Bobrek, he was born on October 4, 1926. He was received into the First Order on July 15, 1945 and made his temporary profession on July 15, 1946 at Immaculate Conception Novitiate in Troy, New York.
Fr. Edwin professed his solemn vows on July 15, 1949 at St. Anthony Seminary in Catskill, New York and was ordained to the sacred priesthood on June 17, 1951 at Mount Alvernia Seminary in Wappingers Falls, New York.
For the first years of his priestly ministry, he served at St. Anthony Church, New York City and a brief tenure at Mount Carmel Church in East Boston, Massachusetts, but his true calling was to serve as a military chaplain. In 1959, he began his life-long service as a Chaplain in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity in Rancho Santa Fe, California on Monday, April 7. Immediately following the Mass, his body will be interred at Miramar National Cemetery located on the U.S. Marine Corps Airstation in San Diego, California.
Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy Fr. Edwin and all our brothers who have embraced Sister Death and we thank you for the gift of their lives. United in faith and prayer, through the intercession of our Immaculate Mother Mary, Our Holy Father Saint Francis and Our Holy Mother Saint Clare, keep us ever steadfast in our love as we strive for your vision of a world made new.
May he rest in peace.
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Fr. Ron Gliatta, OFM, to serve at Mass of Canonization
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ROME - Our confrere Fr. Ron Gliatta, OFM, has been invited by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Guido Marini, to participate in the Canonization Mass of Blessed Pope John XXIII and Blessed Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on April 27, 2014.
Ron has been asked to serve as either an assistant Master of Ceremony or Minister of Communion during the Mass. We congratulate Ron on this special recognition and wish him safe travels to Rome.
Also attending the Mass of Canonization from our Province will be Fr. Antonio Nardoianni, OFM, Fr. Christopher Gaffrey, OFM, and Br. Robert Artman, OFM.
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Judge paints mural for Clearwater Franciscans
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By Jan Pudlow
When Brother Mark traveled to Franciscan friaries in Europe, he admired impressive murals on the walls. But at St. Paul's Friary in Clearwater - a converted motel where he lives with other Franciscan brothers who return from missions and hope to escape the winter cold - there was a blank wall in the dining hall crying out for a mural.
He found an artist in Ecuador willing to take his drawing of St. Francis celebrating Christmas with friars, but the charge was a whopping $10,000.
While visiting a clinic where Donna Barbas worked, Brother Mark showed her the picture and shared his hopes for a mural. He asked if she could help spread the word to help him raise the funds.
In a spontaneous moment that changed everything, Donna looked at the picture and blurted out that she and her husband, 13th Circuit Judge Rex Barbas, were artists and they would be happy to paint the mural - for free.
And that's how Judge Barbas and his wife ended up at the friary just about every Sunday afternoon for nine months, standing on ladders and painting the 8-foot-by-10-foot mural, pausing to share lunches and conversations with Franciscan brothers who became like family. 
While Donna and Rex are artists who share a studio, they usually paint 24-inch paintings in oil, and had never before attempted a gigantic mural in acrylics. Never before had they collaborated on the same artwork.
"If you notice in the mural, the guy on the far right, that's me. My wife painted me in there, the one with his mouth wide open. She was upset with me that day. The irony is everyone recognizes me, and I'm not sure I like it," Judge Barbas said with a laugh.
Judge Barbas agreed he would take vacation time between Christmas and New Year's 2013 to get started on the mural. The job was bigger than he imagined, when he discovered that the whole wall was flaking and he had to sand it down and replaster before applying primer, and then drawing the mural by hand.
"Believe me, Brother Mark refereed a time or two between us," Donna Barbas said. "I was working on St. Francis, the one kneeling down. I was painting a piece of bread in his hand. And Rex was so obsessed about me getting the bread right that he wasn't focusing on what he was doing. That led to a fight, which was taken out to the courtyard."
Judge Barbas was quick to add: "Where all the friars got to hear the argument!"
But mostly, it was a wonderful experience, a rare form of community service that Judge Barbas calls "truly a labor of love."
One of the families Brother Mark ministers to actually joined in, too, with four children ages 8 to 14 sponging paint on the background to make the wall look old.
"We're proud of it," Judge Barbas said. "It's really just the joy of giving. We were literally giving of our talents. And we always looked forward to going over and doing it together, such a wonderful feeling."
Donna added with a chuckle: "It didn't hurt that Brother Mark has a winery at the friary."
Christmas cards from the Barbases depict the mural, with Rex's words explaining that St. Francis wears a beggar's hat and carries a beggar's staff. Instead of the wine and feast enjoyed by the brothers, St. Francis chose to sit on the floor to "remind his brothers of the true meaning of Christmas - the coming of the promise and the poor surroundings of our Lord at birth."
The mural was dedicated on November 10. It later dawned on Judge Barbas that the little dedication party fell on his deceased father's birthday, whose middle name is Francis - just another little sign that they were meant to volunteer their time to create the mural.
At the friary on Somerset Street near Clearwater Beach, Brother Mark said: "I'm delighted. I look at it every day and think: 'OK, I know what I'm supposed to be," explaining the theme of the mural, where the other brothers are embarrassed that St. Francis was dressed as a pilgrim and humbly sitting on the floor.
"For us, it's become a reminder of our role and our goals we have in our life: humbleness. We didn't want anything ostentatious, and we didn't want to get away from our style of life," Brother Mark said.
"Then we have Pope Francis come along and embrace that same kind of life: Look out for the poor, be caring, and nothing ostentatious."
Brother Mark got to know Donna and Rex Barbas very well during those nine paint-splattered months.
"I must say, I still miss their Sunday afternoons with us."
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Meet Mount Alvernia's Ignite Young Adults
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BY ROSEMARY O. FERNANDEZ, Hudson Valley Magazine
WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY - It's just a normal Thursday evening. A group of friends gather to hang out, grab a bite to eat, and chat. It's what they're chatting about that makes them different. One week it's developing a personal relationship with Jesus. The next, how to discern a vocation to religious life or the priesthood.
They are Ignite Young Adults, a group of Hudson Valley Catholics aged 18-35 who meet at Mount Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls. "We want to ignite the love of God in people's hearts," says Kerry Conboy, the group's coordinator. Their network has close to 400 members, though only about 40 attend regular meetings, as many are away at college.
A typical meeting begins with the attendees trooping into a chapel where chairs and cushions face a small wooden case. When they see it, they genuflect, for it contains the Blessed Sacrament, what Catholics believe is the true presence of Jesus Christ contained in the appearance of bread. Voices raise a Latin hymn, beginning a half-hour prayer service known as Adoration. Next, someone breaks out a guitar. All heads are bowed. A few of the devout close their eyes and move their lips in silent prayer. A priest reads from Scripture, followed by a reflection. A second Latin song concludes and all leave the chapel - genuflecting on their way out.
The evening then turns to theological discussion. On these occasions, a priest, nun, or scholar talks about literally anything related to Catholicism - from the role of the Virgin Mary to the church's views on chastity. "That's a great topic, especially with this age group," says Conboy. Often there is time for small conversations about the material, which Conboy says members find most helpful. "It's not a matter of just absorbing the information, but also reflecting on it. That's what's great about Ignite: It gives people the tools to live out their faith and apply it to life," she says.
The evening ends with a group prayer and then a mass exodus to find food, usually at the Dutchess Diner, Umberto's, or Double O Grill. "That fellowship is really important because you connect with other people who are thirsting for relationships grounded in something deeper," says Conboy. Ignite also organizes community service projects, like building a Habitat for Humanity house in Poughkeepsie, organizing a toy drive in Ulster County, and volunteering at local soup kitchens.
"There's something for everyone, whether you're really into your faith or not so much," Conboy says. "It's okay to take away what you can, if it's just the friendships or the prayer time. Ignite is whatever you need it to be."
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The Cathedral of the Lincoln Tunnel
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NOTE: This is a story about St. Raphael Church in New York City, formerly administered by our Province.
NEW YORK - Catholic New York seems to super-abound in cathedrals. There are both the old and the new St. Patrick's. All Saints is the Cathedral of Harlem; another large Harlem parish disputes the claim to that title. Most Holy Redeemer was called the "German Cathedral" in the 19th century; the demolished old St. Ann's really was a cathedral - that of the Catholic Armenians. And, on the farthest West Side of Manhattan, in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, there stands in splendid isolation the parish church of Saints Cyril and Methodius and St Raphael: the national parish of the Croatians, one of the more unusual nationalities of New York City. It is a sight viewed daily by thousands of commuters to and from the Lincoln Tunnel: the unexpected apparition of a Gothic cathedral with its spires and finials, surrounded by streets, entrance ramps and high-rise buildings, Saints Cyril and Methodius and St. Raphael seems to soar above the tumult of the traffic and still strangely dominates its incredibly inhospitable environment, for this church is not yet completely enclosed by the luxury apartments springing up everywhere around it. Now of course the original neighborhood of this parish was not what we see today. Originally the church was a regular parish church of the Archdiocese of New York established in 1886 to serve the expanding population of Hell's Kitchen. Like most Archdiocesan parishes of that day it was predominantly Irish. The church of St Raphael, completed in 1902, is one more witness to the magnificent quality of ecclesiastical architecture in the New York of 1890-1920. Indeed, the site seems to have offered the architects more than the usual opportunity for creative expression. St Raphael's does not display the usual exterior of a Manhattan Catholic parish church: a splendid façade with the rest of the church hidden by the surrounding buildings. The façade of Saints Cyril and Methodius is much more fully developed with its twin towers, and the decoration of the transepts and apse indicates that the rest of the exterior was, at the time of construction, at least partially visible. 
In addition to the "standard" parish churches of Hell's Kitchen, a series of ethnic churches arose in in the first two decades of the twentieth century in this very neighborhood: St. Clare for the Italians, St Clemens Mary for the Poles. And this brings us to the Croatians. They were originally attracted to the West Side by the opportunities of working in the docks - a glance at the map shows the lengthy coastline of Croatia. And at the time Austria-Hungary, to which Croatia belonged, was no mean naval and shipping power itself. In 1913 Sts Cyril and Methodius parish was established for the Croatians. It acquired a former protestant church at 552 West 50th Street. Soon thereafter the situation of this area of New York City rapidly deteriorated. It was not so much crime but relentless commercial development and expansion of the transportation network, which caused the Catholic population to diminish on the far West Side. A critical blow in the immediate vicinity of the parish was the construction of the Lincoln Tunnel, which opened in 1937. The Italian parish of St Clare closed and was merged into St Raphael's. It was at this time that St. Raphael's acquired its isolated setting and undoubtedly lost much of its congregation. And further construction work on the Tunnel continued into the 1950's. It was shortly after this that Daniel Patrick Moynihan, perhaps St Raphael's most famous parishioner, lived in the parish and indeed cast his first vote in the basement of the church. He reminisced about those times. True, Old Hell's Kitchen always was thought to be a rough area - but, compared to the situation after the 1960's, the neighborhood of his youth was idyllic. Things took at drastic turn for the worse in the 1960's and 70's. Crime, drugs and decay overwhelmed the area. Need we point out that the immediate neighbor of St. Raphael's across the street to the east is Covenant House? It was in 1974 that rescue came in the form of a merger with Saints Cyril and Methodius church. The Croatians moved in and the parish, now "Saints Cyril and Methodius and Saint Raphael" reopened in 1977. Since then, the Croatians have maintained their church in splendid condition as a national parish attracting a congregation from all over the Metropolitan area.  The interior is of unexpected spaciousness and grandeur. Although the church has a nave, an apse and true transepts, the effect is almost that of a centralized space. The decoration from the early years of the parish appears, in general, well preserved and is of magnificent quality - a beautiful stone altar, vaguely Beuronesque murals and elaborate stained glass. Some of the scenes depicted in glass are rather unusual - such as the Pharisee and the Publican. There have obviously been changes and additions to the furnishings made by the current occupants - in general these are tasteful and unobtrusive. We can only commend the Croats for their dedication to the upkeep of this church- the interior was completely repainted sometime after 2005.
Saints Cyril and Methodius today is administered by Croatian Franciscans. A visit on a Sunday reveals a lightly attended but correctly celebrated English mass and a full house for the main Croatian language service. Most of the congregation are very well dressed - just like in the old country (or how the old country was 75 years ago). It's quite a contrast to the usual appearance of a Catholic congregation nowadays.
What will the future bring? The process of the gentrification of this area is truly amazing. Between the parish and Covenant House another luxury apartment building is now rising. The builder acquired in 2012 the parish's air rights from the Archdiocese for $16.46 million dollars - one hopes Saints Cyril and Methodius will receive its rightful share of that.1) One also would hope that this splendid ethnic cathedral could go on to be an anchor of Catholicism in this new and improbable version of venerable Hell's Kitchen.
This story and photos originally appeared at The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny website
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