TRAVELS

 

This week, Bro. Ed Brink and I will travel to Ireland to visit the Dublin community. I will then travel to Rome for the Extended General Council meeting. I hope to meet with the seminarians connected to our Province. I also hope to consume large quantities of gelato!

 

PITTSBURGH

 

I ask that you read the letter below concerning recent developments in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in the Province.

 

 

 

 

PERSONNEL

 

Fr. Mike Nartker will return permanently to the Province at the beginning of June. He will attend two sabbatical programs and has been assigned to the community at Governor's Island. Fr. Gerry Hammel also will return to the United States for a home visit in July and will then return to Lusaka, Zambia.

 

Bros. Antony Joseph Casimeer and Arul Ambeth professed first vows in the Society of Mary on May 1 in Ranchi, India. We pray for these brothers as they prepare for their new ministries.   

 

 

ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN

 

O'Leary

As part of our efforts to raise the endowment for our ministries, we are undertaking a multi-year endowment campaign. This campaign has been shared with and is supported by the Provincial Chapter. All communities will soon receive a video from me that will further explain the campaign.   

 

To assist in our efforts, we are hiring several regional development officers, the first of whom will be based in San Francisco working closely with Bro. Bob Juenemann.  

 

Please join us in welcoming Michael O'Leary as our new West Coast development officer. He is a graduate of Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco and comes to the Province with an extensive background in development. Most recently he served for 12 years as director of development for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.     

 

CONGRATULATIONS

 

Congratulations to Fr. Jim Heft who was awarded the Michael J. Guerra Leadership Award by the Secondary Schools Department of the NCEA at the recent convention in Pittsburgh. Congratulations also to Steve Neiheisel, chair of our Sponsorship Commission, who gave a fine presentation at the convention on building and forming educational boards.  

 

The Province was well represented by Fr. John Thompson, Fr. Rich Villa, Cathy Buckingham, Larry Keller, Pat Wheadon, George Lisjak and Bro. Peter Pontolillo, who is probably the longest-attending convention delegate ever!

 

Wishing you a blessed Easter season and the intercession of Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II.

 

Fraternally,