Often, our pastoral ministries include a parish or parochial school.
Our friars serving in these ministries are very present
in the faith lives of the students
as well as the lives of the greater school communities.
Friar John – Parochial Vicar at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr, in Chicopee, MA., Province Definitor, Friary Guardian and the Province’s Prefect of Formation) presided over the February 2023 First Reconciliation celebration for the 2nd grade students, of St. Stanislaus School.
Over these past few months, St. Stanislaus School, in Chicopee, MA, the parish school of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr, has utilized social media to share many celebrations led by, and presided over by, our friars serving in pastoral ministry there.
Friar Brad Milunski, OFM Conv. (right center: February 2023 Catholic Schools Week Concluding Mass – St. Blaise Blessing of the Throats) serves as the Basilica’s Rector & Pastor. The two Parochial Vicars there are Friar John Koziol, OFM Conv. and Friar Lucjan Szymański, OFM Conv. (a friar of the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar, in Kraków Poland, who serves in ministry with the friars of our province).
Friar Brad leads the student in the music for the weekly 2023 Lenten Prayer Services. “Teach us forgiveness, Jesus our savior. As we walk this Lenten journey, give us the courage to follow you. As you prayed for your enemies from the cross, so help us to pray for those who have hurt us.”
Friar Robert Schlageter, OFM Conv. (St. Peter Roman Catholic Church – Pastor), Friar Nicholas Rokitka, OFM Conv. (St. Peter Roman Catholic Church – Parochial Vicar), Friar Brennan-Joseph Farleo, OFM Conv. (Friary Guardian) and Friar Richard Rossell, OFM Conv. (In Residence) joined the many supporters on hand for the St. Peter School Jubilee March 2023 Gala.
St. Peter School, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ is another parish school where our friars have been a visible presence, serving over its 100-year history. On March 18, 2023, the school celebrated 100 YEARS anchored in faith, during a Jubilee Gala, providing an opportunity for the community to gather together and celebrate with the School Superintendent, Administration, Friars, PTA Executive Board, Parents, Grandparents, Faculty, Friends and Alumni. Friar Robert (at left: receiving ashes from a young student on Ash Wednesday 2023) and Friar Nick not only celebrate the liturgies for the school community but can also often be found at school functions and visiting the classrooms.
St. Peter School’s PreK 4 brought in stuffed animals for the October 2023 Feast of Saint Francis and received a special blessing from Friar Nick.
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