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FROM THE PROVINCIAL
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 NEW YORK - "Return to me, says the Lord." We hear these words each year at the beginning of this Lenten season. It is amazing, in a way, how we can go year to year and find ourselves hear these words again and feel we're back at what feels like the same place.
How is it we find ourselves here? Have we changed in the last year? Did we make the changes that were being called forth from us? And yet, somehow, God knows what we need and indeed we are here again.
We mark our heads with ashes. We pledge again to fast, to pray, to engage the acts of penance that the Church, our mother, prescribes for us. And yet, somehow, it is not a season of redundance. It is not a season of repetition or pointlessness. It is, in fact, a season of hope. It is, in fact, a season of renewal.
We are reminded yet again that no matter what has gone before that we can be made new. We are reminded through something as simple as ashes on our forehead that God desires to enter our lives, to enter our hearts, to enter our world and conquer the seemingly unconquerable. He wants nothing more than to make all things new. God wants nothing more than to help us see all that we can be in and through His love.
So, our challenge, my brothers, is to surrender ourselves before our loving God. To ask Him - even beg Him - to give us the grace to return once again, to be made new once again, to set forth once again on that great journey that leads us to Him with joy.
These are my wishes for you, my brothers, as we all again embark in this season of Lent on our journey growing closer to the Lord. I pray for each of you and ask that you pray for me and for one another that 40 days from now, we be made new with the joy of Easter.
Wishing you all a happy and holy Lent!
Fraternally,
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Year of Consecrated Life | Pope Francis
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- Pope Francis on Twitter
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Jubilarians 2015
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NEW YORK - The following friars of our Province are experiencing special anniversaries both of religious profession and priestly ordination this year. Of special note is Fr. Richard Passeri, OFM, who this year reaches 75 years of religious life. How fitting during this year of Consecrated Life. We wish all our brothers congratulations on their anniversaries and gratitude for all of their years of fidelity to God, our fraternity and to the people they have served.
75 years of Religious Profession
Fr. Richard Passeri, OFM
60 Years of Priestly Ordination
Fr. Roderick Crispo, OFM
Fr. Alban Montella, OFM
50 Years of Priestly Ordination
Fr. Romano Stephen Almagno, OFM
Fr. Brennan Egan, OFM
60 Years of Religious Profession
Fr. John Bavaro, OFM
Fr. Robert Caprio, OFM
Fr. Simeon Distefano, OFM
Fr. Ralph Paonessa, OFM
Br. Luke Storino, OFM
50 Years of Religious Profession
Fr. John Bucchino, OFM
Fr. Thomas Garone, OFM
Fr. Daniel Morey, OFM
Fr. Flavian Mucci, OFM
25 Years of Priestly Ordination
Fr. Louis Pintye, OFM
Ad multos annos, brothers!!!
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More images from the Snowpocalypse
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 | | Sacred Heart Church, North Square, Boston |
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Sacred Heart Church, Waltham, MA
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Black History Month opens with Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral
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NEW YORK CITY - Hundreds of men, women and children, many in the traditional, colorful clothing of their African and Caribbean ancestral homelands, opened Black History Month on Sunday at St. Patrick's Cathedral with an exuberant Mass.
"It was a form of family reunion" that reflected the diversity of the black Catholic community in New York, said Christian Br. Tyrone Davis, director of the Office of Black Ministry for the New York archdiocese.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was the main celebrant of the Mass, which also marked the 26th National Day of Prayer for the African American and African Family and the Year of Consecrated Life.
As he processed up the main aisle, accompanied by joyful music and rhythmic bass drumming, Dolan was followed by a man who twirled an open, fringed umbrella over his head, in the manner reserved for chiefs and kings in West Africa.
"For a moment there, I was worried the roof was leaking, but thank God, it's just a magnificent African custom," Dolan said. St. Patrick's Cathedral is undergoing an extensive renovation. Scaffolding blocks many pews and obscures familiar details of the soaring interior.
In his homily, Dolan asked, "Is it any wonder at all that Moses and the Exodus was the favored image of black American preachers, like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?"
The cardinal said faith inspired the liberated slave and sainthood candidate Pierre Toussaint, whose remains are buried in the cathedral's crypt. "And Jesus, the new Moses, rescued the African slave Josephine Bakhita from tortured servitude to the freedom of the children of God and she is now a jewel in the crown we call the communion of saints," Dolan said.
The Sudanese-born St. Josephine was kidnapped into slavery as a child. She won her freedom in Italy in 1889, became a Canossian sister and served for 45 years until her death in 1947. She was canonized in 2000.
Dolan said Moses, Jesus, Toussaint and St. Josephine "urge us now to embrace the immigrants who arrive today, embarrassingly scarred by some nativists within our country -- immigrants who only want to 'pass over' into new life."
Dolan started the call-and-response prayer, "God is good/All the time/All the time/God is good." When the congregation responded, he said, "So we must be good to those immigrants who come to us today. We must be good to those in Africa who probably suffer at this very moment a threat of assassination or seeing their churches burned down, or their women sold into trafficking and servitude simply because they believe in Jesus Christ."
Davis told Catholic News Service that Dolan's comments on immigration resonated with the congregation because "black Catholics, even those people born here, have experienced challenges with hospitality and welcome and some more serious than that. This is an ideal community to speak about the importance of welcoming the stranger."
Black Catholics in the archdiocese have backgrounds in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, Davis said.
The annual Mass to open Black History Month and celebrate the national day of prayer for African-Americans "is a critical part of our ministry. It's not some sense of performance, but a moment in time for people on a pilgrim journey. We need to have a moment to refresh ourselves and come together with fellow travelers to prepare for the next leg of the journey, which for us is the next 364 days," he said.
The Mass included prayers in several African and Caribbean languages and music from a choir comprised of people from various schools and parishes in the archdiocese.
W. Mark Howell, director of music at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Harlem, organized the music for the Mass. "Music is such a rich part of our heritage and lends itself to our whole cultural and worship experience," he said.
The congregation sang along and kept the beat by waving special white handkerchiefs printed to commemorate the Mass and its celebrant, "Timothy Kojo Cardinal Dolan." Davis said Kojo is a Ghanaian name that Ghanaian Catholics in New York gave to the cardinal to acknowledge he was born on a Monday.
One of the Mass concelebrants, Fransciscan Fr. James E. Goode, founded the national day of prayer in 1986. He told CNS that he got the idea during a meeting in Atlanta of the former National Office of Black Catholics. "Everyone was talking about drugs and broken homes and I said, 'No one has talked about God and prayer. Why don't we get together and pray as families?'"
"Now we celebrate the day as a country and a blessing and we make a commitment to be 'family.' We have to invite people to become a part of our experience," Goode said.
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News from the Convento San Francesco
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ROME - The friars in formation at our Convento San Francesco sent a few photos along to update the friars on their life there.
To celebrate the end of the exams the house took a day trip north to Pescocostanza where we visited the tomb of Cardinal Diomede Falconio.
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From left to right: Andrea Ylmaz, Gabriel, Antonio, Walter, Clive Camiglieri, Ramon Farrugia and George Bugeja.
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The Tomb of Cardinal Falconio
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Friars also made a visit to Bagnoreggio, birthplace of St. Bonaventure. Pictured are Br. Walter Vijil, OFM, Andrea Ylmaz, OFM, Br. Gabriel Aceto, OFM, and Br. Roberto Serrano, OFM.
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Angels, Saints and Nurses
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VALLEY OF THE ANGELS, GUATEMALA - On February 15, 2015, Valley of the Angels dedicated a clone of the famous miraculous tree planted and blessed by St. Hermano Pedro de San José Betancur. St. Hermano Pedro, the first Guatemalan saint, was beatified on June 22, 1980, and canonized on July 30, 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
The story goes that Pedro felt inspired to come to Guatemala, and upon arriving was welcomed by a terrible earthquake. He dedicated himself to rescuing people in the streets and taking them to the local shelters. He desired to minister to the Indian population as a priest, and so studied with the Spanish Jesuits for a short time. Despite his good grasp of theology, Latin proved too difficult for him, and so he decided to leave the seminary and dedicate himself to evangelizing the Indians in Antigua as a lay person. After going to mass one day, however, he met a Franciscan who directed him to Calvario Church, where he was welcomed by a friar.
Taking the habit of the Third Order, St. Hermano Pedro dedicated himself to doing menial tasks, renovating the church, building two chapels and later a small school, which still functions to this day. He made some beautiful innovations that included singing the rosary and using songs and dance to educate the children. Most famously he founded the first hospital for the poor black slaves and Indians in Antigua which now houses around 300 patients. He found his first patient, a negro slave, who had been mistreated and abandoned to death, and carried her back on his shoulders.
In order to raise funds for the hospital he was known to pace the silent streets, ringing a little bell, and singing in a deep voice: "One soul have we, remember, my brother, and if we should lose it, we'll not get another." He later planted a tree in front of the El Calvario church in La Antigua Guatemala while he was the gardener and sexton between 1654 and 1658.
The famous tree, called Bourreria Huanita, is a peculiar and long-lived esquisúchil tree which is better known locally as the "Tree of Santo Hermano Pedro." It has white flowers year round, is native to southern Mexico and northern Guatemala, and is considered to be on the edge of extinction. The flowers of this species, which bloom in May and June have been appreciated in Mesoamerica since pre-Hispanic times for their unique beauty and medicinal properties.
While the flower was known as a flavoring popular with the Aztec and Mayan people, tea made from the dried flowers are attributed various medicinal properties; mainly as a tranquilizer, analgesic and to control high blood pressure, cure headaches and heart disease. Scientists are also investigating its antidepressant effect. Besides these natural benefits, the flowers are said to have miraculous properties, in which thousands have claimed healing miracles. As the English-translated sign says, "the active ingredient is faith."
Dr. Miguel Torres, a tree specialist, was able to make several clones from the tree, one of which was gifted to us by Fr Edwin Alvarado, the Provincial of the Guadalupe Province. Fr. Edwin came today to celebrate a mass for us and then bless the tree. We decided to dedicate the tree, along with a statue of St. Hermano Pedro to Frankie Burg-Feret a nurse and third Order Franciscan from Canada (she is the Minister of her community). She has been such a blessing not only to our children of Valley of the Angels but also beyond, especially in terms of the healing she has been able to provide for so many. For the last six years she has helped us to distribute 40 foot containers holding food, clothing and medicine to our children and many other institutions around Guatemala. The dedication plaque reads:
IN APPRECIATION TO FRANKIE BURG-FERET
FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU PLANTED,
THE HEALING YOU PROVIDE,
AND THE GENEROSITY YOU INSPIRE
AT VALLEY OF THE ANGELS.
MAY THEY EVER BLOSSOM AND BEAR ETERNAL FRUIT.
FEBRUARY 15, 2015
The dedication ceremony ended with an invitation to bring into our hearts all those who were sick, asking Saint Hermano Pedro's intercession to heal them and those parts of our hearts in need of healing.
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Health Science Students travel to Valley of the Angels to volunteer
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Many students spend reading week socializing, relaxing or studying. Some even read. For 10 Humber health sciences students, though, this year's reading week will be an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of 240 children living at the Valle de los Angeles orphanage, as well as more remote communities in Guatemala.
Students in the Practical Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing and Early Childhood Education - Advanced Studies in Special Needs programs will be travelling to Guatemala to assist healthcare professionals, including two physicians, in providing care to the children at the orphanage as well as a series of mobile clinics in the region.
"Reaching out to under-resourced communities will give our students an eye-opening experience, and help them grow in their abilities to be culturally sensitive," says nursing professor Francisca Burg-Feret, who has volunteered in the area for many years and is supervising the trip. "We're looking to develop sustainable relationships with the people we meet, and to provide what those host communities tell us they need."
The students will be in Guatemala from February 14-22.
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Prayer for the General Chapter
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ROME - General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, in convening the General Chapter of the Order, has asked friars throughout the world to join in prayer for the success of the General Chapter.
The General Chapter is set to take place May 7 - June 10 of this year at the Domus Pacis Retreat House in Assisi. It has been given the theme "Brothers and Minors in our Time."
Below is a prayer that we are asked to use daily:
Most High and Glorious God,
you have called us to follow the footprints
of Your Beloved Son
as Lesser Brothers of Your servant Francis.
Send Your Spirit to enlighten our hearts
as we prepare for the
General Chapter of Pentecost
at St Mary of the Porziuncola.
Renew in us the joy of the Gospel,
that we may proclaim in our time
Your mercy and goodness towards all.
May the Lady of the Angels,
the Virgin made Church,
accompany us as we follow her Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
as we make our way to You,
who live and rule in perfect Trinity
and simple Unity,
and are glorified,
God almighty,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Click the link below for more prayers, including intercessions to be used during Morning and Evening Prayer.
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Online Resources for Lent
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Below are a variety of resources available free online to help make this a more fruitful and spiritual experience of Lent. Check them out, you might find them helpful:
Free online Ignatian Spirituality Resources for Lent
Free Online Catholic Resources for the Lent Season
Free Online Lenten Resources, activities & devotions for Catholics
Apps for Lent
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Resources for Celebrating the Gift of Marriage
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ROME (Zenit.org) - Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in a letter sent to U.S. bishops, identified numerous resources that can be of assistance to bishops, priests and lay leaders in promoting and strengthening the gift of marriage.
Bishop Malone also expressed eager anticipation for the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, September 22-27. A preparatory catechesis and other information are available at www.worldmeeting2015.org.
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RIP: Fr. Ottaviano Battolini, OFM (95)
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MOYUTA, GUATEMALA - He was born on December 29, 1919 in Vezzano Ligure (La Spezia). At 17, he entered the Franciscan Province of Genoa where he began his religious life. He made his Solemn Profession of Vows on August 12, 1941 and was ordained a Priest on June 27, 1943.
He was immediately called into military service, and assigned to the Fifth Regiment
Division, Marina San Marco of the Italian Army during the Second World War. He was taken prisoner and once released was sent to the naval base at Taranto. He was also awarded the Ger  man Iron Cross Second Class and the solemn praise of the Italian Army.
After the war, he gave several years of service in the Convent of San Remo. In 1951, Fr. Ottaviano went to Argentina where he worked for 14 years helping the work of Franciscan evangelization and human development.
After a brief period in Ontario (Canada), where he carried was a chaplain to Italian immigrants, he travelled to Guatemala in 1963 in the Diocese of Juticapla. He was first pastor there before moving to the large parish in Moyuta. Fr. Ottaviano served the poor people of Moyuta for nearly 50 years.
In Moyuta, Fr. Ottaviano engaged in many charitable works that are still in operation: helping the poor, helping farmers obtain the funds needed to support their agricultural life, creating a parish dispensary which gave access to inexpensive medicines. He built many houses for people previously living in huts and gave scholarships so that young people could pursue studies.
The Mass of Christian Burial took place on Monday, February 9 at St. John the Baptist Parish, Moyuta, Jutiapa, Guatemala, where preparations had been made before hand.
Bishop Julio Edgar Cabrera reverently presided over the funeral mass for Fr Ottaviano amid an extremely packed church. There were over 30 priests and two deacons on the altar as well as 50 sisters in attendance. The Bishop spoke affectionately in the homily of Father Ottaviano and how he was a true "good shepherd" who, in the words of Pope Francis, knew the smell of his sheep, serving them diligently for over 40 years. He mentioned how his life was a "Gospel" lived for the people and how he hoped his death would be a seed that would bear more fruit in the parish.
"Friars must remember to offer suffrages for every deceased friar of the Province, professed or novice. In particular, each priest shall offer the Eucharist twice. When the news of the death of a friar is received, a concelebrated Mass in his memory should be scheduled in the friaries of the province and the foundations. On the 30th day after and on the first anniversary of the death of a confrere, professed or novice, the Eucharist shall be celebrated for him in the house to which he was assigned at the time of death." (PS-8.1-3)
Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy Father Ottaviano 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 your love as we strive for your vision of a world made new.
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RIP: Fr. Benedict Joseph D'Alessandro, OFM (77)
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NEW YORK - Our brother, FR. BENEDICT JOSEPH D'ALESANDRO, OFM (77), died on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at St. Joseph's Hospital Nursing Home in Yonkers, New York.
Joseph Jacob D'Allesandro was born on August 29, 1937 in New York, New York, son of the late John Joseph Sr., and the late Angela (Caruso). He was received into the novitiate on August 15, 1960 taking the religious name Benedict Joseph and made his First Profession of Vows on August 16, 1961. Benedict Joseph made his Solemn Profession of Vows on August 1, 1964 and was ordained as a Deacon on September 6, 1965. His ordination to the Priesthood took place on June 11, 1966.
Following his philosophy and theology studies within the Province, Benedict Jo seph also received a Master of Education degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1970, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Andover-Newton Theological School in Newton Center, Massachusetts in 1981.
During his ministerial career, Benedict Joseph worked in education being stationed at Christopher Columbus High School in Boston, Massachusetts; Serra High School in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He was also engaged in pastoral ministry being stationed at St. Francis Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Mount Carmel Church in Mount Vernon, New York. He worked as a chaplain at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York; and at Marist College, also in Poughkeepsie.
Benedict Joseph was assigned to Siena Friary in Mount Vernon, New York for many years before his declining health necessitated greater care. He was a member of the fraternity at Padua House in New York at his time of death.
He is survived by two brothers, John D. D'Alessandro of Charlotte, North Carolina and Frank D'Alessandro of Parsippany, New Jersey; and nieces and nephews.
The Solemn Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at the Shrine Church of Saint Anthony of Padua. Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York.
"Friars must remember to offer suffrages for every deceased friar of the Province, professed or novice. In particular, each priest shall offer the Eucharist twice. When the news of the death of a friar is received, a concelebrated Mass in his memory should be scheduled in the friaries of the province and the foundations. On the 30th day after and on the first anniversary of the death of a confrere, professed or novice, the Eucharist shall be celebrated for him in the house to which he was assigned at the time of death." (PS-8.1-3)
Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy Father Benedict Joseph 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 your love as we strive for your vision of a world made new.
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RIP: Fr. Berard Tufo, OFM (91)
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BOSTON - Our brother, FR. BERARD TUFO, OFM (91), died on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at Marian Manor Nursing Home in Boston.
Nicholas Tufo was born on February 20, 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of the late Vincent and Antonetta (Yebba) Tufo. He was received into the novitiate on July 14, 1944 taking the religious name Berard. He made his First Profession of Vows on July 15, 1945 and his Solemn Profession of Vows on July 15, 1948. Berard was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on June 17, 1951.
Fr. Berard spent the better part of the first two decades of his priestly life as a missionary in our Central American Missions serving in El Salvador, Hon  duras and Guatemala before returning to the United States to serve in our parishes here.
After a time away from Franciscan life, Fr Berard returned in 1984 and would spend the remaining years serving in parishes of our Province including St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry, New Hampshire, St. Francis Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Sacred Heart Church in Waltham, Massachusetts. In his later years, he would serve as a supply priest while living at St. Christopher Friary in Boston, Massachusetts. He remained at St. Christopher's until the last few years when his declining health required care at Marian Manor Nursing Home in South Boston, Massachusetts.
Fr. Berard was well known as a good preacher, a gentle confessor, and a big fan of his beloved Red Sox.
He is survived by two sisters, Adeline Paoletta of Woburn, Massachusetts; and Elvira Ragucci of Stoneham, Massachusetts.
The Solemn Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, February 16, 2015 at St. Leonard Church in Boston. Interment will take place in the spring at the Friars' Cemetery in Andover, Massachusetts.
"Friars must remember to offer suffrages for every deceased friar of the Province, professed or novice. In particular, each priest shall offer the Eucharist twice. When the news of the death of a friar is received, a concelebrated Mass in his memory should be scheduled in the friaries of the province and the foundations. On the 30th day after and on the first anniversary of the death of a confrere, professed or novice, the Eucharist shall be celebrated for him in the house to which he was assigned at the time of death." (PS-8.1-3)
Heavenly Father, we commend to your mercy Father Berard 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 your love as we strive for your vision of a world made new.
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