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FROM THE PROVINCIAL
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 NEW YORK - It is so renewing to be fed by good news and good experiences. After what has been a few heavy weeks for our Province, it has been such a joy to have a week full of celebration - and celebrations of new life!
It was my tremendous honor to present our brother, Joe Powell, to Archbishop Emeritus of Hartford Daniel Cronin last Saturday for ordination to the transitional diaconate. What a wonderful and joyful celebration as Joe's long road through formation and studies brought him to where it has brought so many of us, to the foot of the altar, to the foot of the cross, to be ordained for service in the Church. I'm particularly grateful to Ron Gliatta for the great job that he and the friars in Winsted did in hosting this celebration.
And on Wednesday, we welcomed three young men into our Postulancy program and one of our simply professed took another step on his journey of formation receiving the ministries of acolyte and lector. Just such wonderful reminders to all of us, especially when things seem heavy, that God always makes things new.
When chatting with Archbishop Cronin on Saturday, we were talking about the similarities between being a bishop and a provincial. One of the things that he said to me that has stuck in my mind and my heart since then is this. He said, "We have the privilege of holding others hands." He meant that phrase in moments of happiness, in moments of sadness - we are always there to help when we are needed. Brothers, it continues to be my privilege as your Provincial Minister to hold your hand - or perhaps in the model of our fraternal way of life, it is better to say, we hold each other's hand - and strengthen each other to walk together through the joy and through the sorrow.
But, today, let us celebrate these days of joy together! May God bless you and give you His peace.
Fraternally,
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God always restores hope | Pope Francis
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 "Closeness and compassion: this is how the Lord visits His people. And when we want to proclaim the Gospel, to bring forth the word of Jesus, this is the path. The other path is that of the teachers, the preachers of the time: the doctors of the law, the scribes, the Pharisees ... who distanced themselves from the people, with their words: they spoke well. They taught the law well. But they were distant. And this was not a visit of the Lord: It was something else. The people did not feel this to be a grace, because it lacked that closeness, it lacked compassion, it lacked that essence of suffering with the people.
When God visits His people he restores hope to them. Always. You can preach the Word of God brilliantly: there have been many excellent preachers throughout history. But if these preachers have failed to sow hope, that sermon is useless. It is mere vanity. And so we ask for the grace that our Christian witness be a witness that brings the closeness of God to His people, that closeness that sows hope."
- Pope Francis, daily homily, September 16, 2014 |
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Deacon Joseph Powell ordained in Winsted
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WINSTED, CONNECTICUT - In a packed church, surrounded by family, friends and friars, Br. Joseph Powell, OFM, was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate on Saturday, September 13 at St. Joseph Church in Winsted.
The Rite of Ordination took at the 4:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph and Archbishop Emeritus of Hartford Daniel Cronin, a long friend of our Province, presided and ordained Deacon Joe. Archbishop Cronin spoke of the wonderful confluence of events taking place on one single day - the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, the anticipation of the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis and the ordination of our new deacon.
Provincial Minister Primo Piscitello, OFM, expressed the thanks of the Province to all in attendance, especially to Archbishop Cronin and to St. Joseph's pastor, Fr. Ronald Gliatta, OFM, for hosting the celebration. A reception was held in the church hall following the Mass of Ordination.
The next day, Deacon Joseph celebrated his first Mass as a deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry, New Hampshire, where he is assigned. In another wonderful celebration, Deacon Joseph gave his first homily as deacon and served at the altar. The Mass was standing-room-only at St. Thomas and the congregation showed its enthusiastic approval of Deacon Joe throughout the celebration. A reception was also held following the Mass in the Church Hall.
Br. Joe is 27 years-old and originally from Granby, Massachusetts. He is one of 12 children. He made his solemn profession of vows in September 2013. He is a 2013 graduate of the Pontifical University of St. Anthony (the Antonianum) in Rome.
Congratulations Deacon Joseph!!
PHOTOS OF THE MASS OF ORDINATION
PHOTOS FROM DEACON JOSEPH'S FIRST MASS
 | | Deacon Joseph preaches his first homily |
 | | The congregation signals its approval of the homily |
 | | Deacon Joseph with his parents Debbie and Robin Powell |
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Three men received into postulancy; Br. Zach Wood receives ministries
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WALTHAM - On the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis, several of our men in formation marked important moments on their journey of formation.
Gathered with about 25 friars at Sacred Heart Church in Waltham, Provincial Minister Primo Piscitello, OFM, officially received three men into our Postulancy Program. During the celebration of the Mass, Salvador Baca, Dylan De Leske and James McMaster received the Tau cross and the writings of St. Francis and St. Clare as symbolic gestures of the journey they begin in formation with our Province under the direction of Fr. Michael MacInnis, OFM, postulant director with the assistance of Fr. Richard Martignetti, OFM, and Fr. Robert Caprio, OFM.
"Our life is easy, let's face it," said the Provincial Minister, "but only made so through our faith in Jesus Christ and through our brotherhood. Together, we make it easy."
Also in the celebration, Br. Zach Wood, OFM, one of our friars in temporary profession, received the Ministries of Lector and Acolyte, important steps in his continuing formation. Br. Zach is currently a student at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts where he is currently completing his undergraduate degree.
A wonderful reception was hosted by the local friars - Fr. Dennis Wheatley, OFM, Fr. Octavio Salinas, OFM, and Br. Damian Johnson, OFM - following the celelbration.
 | | Postulants Dylan De Leske, Salvador Baca, and James McMaster |
 | | Br. Zach Wood, OFM, receiving the Ministries of Lector and Acolyte |
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Province hosts Conference Communication Directors
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ROME - The Communication Directors of the English Speaking Conference held their annual meeting at our Convento San Francesco in Rome from September 8-11.
Highlights of the meeting included sessions with General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM; Joseph Magro, OFM, who serves as both Communication Director for his Province in Malta and for the Order; and with Fr. Frederico Lombardi, SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Office.
During their meeting, the group discussed areas of collaboration and the use of rapidly changing technology.
"We need to let the world know we're alive, we're here, we're moving with the world," said the Genearl Minister.
Fr. Lombardi told the group, "Pope Francis has obviously brought a great dynamic in this world; he has great popularity."
The Communication Directors meet annually with each meeting hosted by a different Province. TheConvento in Rome serves as a house of post-novitiate formation for the Immaculate Conception Province. Friars from the Maltese Province, as well as from the International Friar Community at Palestrina, also live in post-novitiate formation there.
Provincial Minister Primo Piscitello, OFM, expressed his tremendous gratitude to Fr. Alvin Te, OFM, and Fr. Antonio Riccio, OFM, who did an excellent job of hosting the group.
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Fr. Alvin Te, OFM walks the Camino de Santiago
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COMPOSTELA, SPAIN - During a week this August, Fr. Alvin Te, OFM, took the time to embrace one of the most ancient pilgrimages in the world - the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Below are a few photos from his walk.
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Former Holy Name Provincial appointed Assistant to the General
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 ROME - General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, along with the General Definitorium of the Order have named former Provincial Minister of the Holy Name Province, Fr. John O'Connor, OFM, as Executive Assistant to the Minister General for Development and Fundraising for the Order.
Fr. John recently completed nine years of service as Provincial Minister of the New York City based Province. He has extensive experience in administration and fundraising and brings his passion for missionary evangelization and formation of young men to Franciscan religious life and priesthood to this newly-created executive position. We wish Fr. John all the best as he takes up this new task of promoting the life and mission of the Order. |
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The Real Saint Francis: How one saint's ancient insights are transforming today's church
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BY JON M. SWEENEY | AMERICA MAGAZINE | September 22, 2014
Eight hundred years ago a man from Assisi, Italy, was saving the church from its corruption, clericalism, irrelevance and insincerity by waking people up to a renewed focus on the Gospel. His name was Francesco di Bernardone, but we know him as St. Francis of Assisi. Today, Francis is the world's most popular saint and an inspiration to our pope. But he also is misunderstood.
To meet the real Francis, we have to wipe clean the slate of our cultural and religious imagination and forget some half-formed legends. G. K. Chesterton once wrote, "Truth...must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for we have made fiction to suit ourselves." Case in point: The unreal Francis is one of the most famous fictional characters in history, too often a mix of saccharine pictures and stories-a figure who sits amid birds or speaks to wolves-that keep us from seeing the real man.
Further hindering us is the fact that we often prefer those almost fairytale images. Who would not feel more serene sitting in a quiet garden among the flowers, the birds in song, with a St. Francis statue nearby? Our ideas of saints are always easier to handle than the reality; they do what we expect of them.
The Francis we picture is a man we can easily imagine inviting to tea. The saint might tuck a napkin in his lap and mention the lovely songs the birds were singing outside. Perhaps he would even interpret them for us, since he seems to understand their language. But if you invited the real Francis to tea, he might prefer to work in the kitchen or maybe even beg his bread from passers-by before joining you inside. His clothes might be ragged and dirty, since he had little concern for presentation. The neighbors would stare.
Jon M. Sweeney is the author of When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages (Ave Maria Press).
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Changes coming to medical coverage
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NEW YORK - The Medical Claims Office would like all friars under the age of 65 to be aware that as of October 1, 2014 you will be receiving a new United Healthcare Oxford health care card and there will be some changes.
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Interprovincial retreat opportunities
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There are two interprovincial retreat opportunities coming up in the months ahead.
The first retreat opportunity is the "Seasoned Friars Retreat: A Practical & Spiritual Approach Toward a Hopeful Future." It will take place November 3-7, 2014 at San Pedro Center in Winter Park, Florida. The presenters for this retreat are Fr Myles Sheehan, SJ, Provincial of the New England Province of Jesuits; and Br. Craig Wilking, OFM, a Franciscan Friar of Assumption Province, Franklin, WI.
The second will take place January 5-9, 2015 and is entitled "An Approach to Hope: The Gospels Through The Lens of Franciscan Scholarship". It will be directed by Sr Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ - a member of the Sisters of St Joseph. She has a Ph.D., Philosophy from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. She is currently ministering as Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology in Oceanside, CA. She is a renowned Franciscan scholar and lecturer whose focus is on the teachings of John Duns Scotus. This retreat will take place at
Holy Cross Retreat Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
You can download more information about each retreat below
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