On August 15, 2018, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Reto Davatz, OFM Conv. moved from the sunny state of Georgia, USA (where he served as chaplain at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) to Flüeli-Ranft, Switzerland, where the Swiss Franciscan Friars Conventual have a friary located at the pilgrimage site of the birthplace, hermitage, and final resting place of Switzerland’s patron saint, Niklaus von Flüe, aka “Bruder Klaus” (1417-1487). Friar Reto will minister with the friars of the Konvent St. Franciscus, serving with his confreres as chaplains to the pilgrims who visit the Bruder Klaus Pilgrimage Site.
Our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. visited Friar Reto, from August 27-30th. There, he met with Friar Daniele Brocca, OFM Conv., the Custos of the Provincial Custody of St. Leopold and St. Nicolas of Flüe (of the Province of St. Elizabeth – Germany) and with the local friars with whom Friar Reto be living and working. These friars will help in the efforts to rebuild the presence of our Order, in the Alpine region – North of Italy.

Konvent St. Franciscus – Gemeinschaft der Franziskaner Konventualen (St. Francis Friary – Community Franciscan Conventual)

The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi ~ October 3rd
The Solemnity of Our Seraphic Father Francis ~ October 4th

Known as the Transitus (Latin: crossing/passage), the Vigil of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated by Franciscans all over the world with prayer, scripture readings, joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving. It is the night commemorating the death (in 1226) of our beloved Seraphic Father, as he crossed over from life on earth to eternal life with the Lord. Just as with all of the saints, he holds a special place in the Body of Christ, of which Christ is the Head (Colossians 1:18). Through intercessory prayers, saints in heaven (members of the Church who have arrived at perfect union with Christ) play an integral role in the life of the Church, by praying for those still on our earthly pilgrimage of faith.

Traditionally the celebration of a Saints’ Feast Day is marking the date of the saint’s death and is remembered by the faithful with special mention, prayers, and scripture readings.  For Franciscans, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th) is so much more. It is a day filled with celebration and joy, including the traditional Blessing of the Animals and gatherings of fellowship with our brothers and sisters, in Christ. Join our friars for the celebrations surrounding the Feast Day. To find contact information for our ministry nearest to you, please visit our Locations page.

One such celebration will be held at our Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) and co-hosted by our student friars studying at The Catholic University of America (Washington DC).

Our province has two shrines where our friars serve. In addition to the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) we have a shrine in Fonda, NY ~ The Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site. They will also host a Transitus celebration the night of October 3, 2018, including a 7:00 p.m. Candlelight Procession and service in the Shrine’s St. Peter’s Chapel. All are Welcome!

Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., a friar from our province serving as Bishop of Savannah, GA, issued this August 23, 2018 letter regarding the “Morality Crisis” in the Catholic Church today.

“Vision of St. Francis of Assisi” by Vincente Carducho – 1631

O Virgin of the Angels,
who has for centuries established your throne of mercy at the Portiuncula,
hear the prayer of your children, who trust in you.
From this truly holy place and the habitation of the Lord,
so dear to the heart of Saint Francis, you have always invited all men to love.
Your tender eyes assure us of a never failing motherly help
and a promise of divine help to all those who humbly have recourse to your throne,
or who from afar, turn to you to ask for help.
You are, indeed, our sweet Queen and our only hope.
O Lady of the Angles,
obtain for us, through the intercession of blessed Francis,
pardon for our sins,
help us to keep away from sin and indifference,
so that we shall be worthy of calling you our Mother for evermore.
Bless our homes, our toil and our rest,
by giving us that same serenity we experience within the walls of the Portiuncula,
where hate, guilt and tears turn into a song of joy
like that once was sung by the Angels and the seraphic Francis.
Help those who are in need and hungry,
those who are in danger of body and soul,
those who are sad and downhearted,
those who are sick and dying.
Bless us, your most beloved children,
and we pray you, bless also with the same motherly gesture,
all those who are innocent, together with those who are guilty;
those who are faithful, together with those who have gone astray;
those who believe, together with those who are in doubt.
Bless all humanity,
so that all men acknowledging that they are God’s children,
would find through love, real Peace and real Good.
Amen

Alphonse Legros (May 8, 1837 – December 8, 1911): The Blessing of the Sea

Each year, on August 15th our friars serving at our pastoral ministry of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ celebrate a unique Mass with the community, for the Solemnity of Assumption of Our Lady. The Mass always includes the Blessing of the Sea.
This year, hundreds of the Faithful joined our friars for 9:00 a.m. Mass in the Jenkinstown Beach Pavilon (a resort space donated by the Storino family, owners) followed by a procession on the beach to the sea. There, after the blessing of the ocean with holy water by Friar Pedro deOliveira, OFM Conv. (Pastor), he and Friar Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) dipped Friar Marek’s personal statue of Our Lady, into the sea. Friar Pedro then climbed up a lifeguard stand with the statue and held her high for all to see, as he made the sign of the cross. The procession of Faithful then went down to the shoreline to gather the blessed water for their homes. As Friar Pedro explained in the August 17, 2018 Issue of The Ocean Star, this is am important tradition for the people of Point Pleasant Beach because so much of their daily lives revolve around the sea.
The parish bulletin for August 12th also explained: “It is a custom in many coastal regions in the US and Europe to have special blessings of the water –the sea or ocean– on the Feast of the Assumption. The custom originated in the 15th century Italy. A bishop traveling from Venice, during a storm at sea on the Feast of the Assumption, prayed and threw his pastoral ring into the sea from the ship. The waters were calmed. In these “blessings of the sea” celebrations, after the priest blessed the water, the people wade out into the water and fill bottles with it, and use the holy water in their homes.”

All four of our friars, who live in the St. Peter Friary and serve the people of the parish and school, celebrated Mass that day, including Friar Richard Rossell, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) and Friar Brennan Joseph Farleo, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar).

See more photos from the day from The Ocean Star

July 6, 2018: Friar Gerard Mary Toman, OFM Conv., a friar of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody in Great Britain/Ireland (aka The Greyfriars), was Ordained to the Priesthood by the Right Reverend William Kenney CP, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. The 1:00 p.m. ordination took place at the Church of The Precious Blood of Our Lord and All Souls, in Coventry, England. Fr. Gerard Mary’s First Mass was celebrated on July 7th, at All Souls and he now serves at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Congratulations, Fr. Gerald Mary Toman, OFM Conv.!

To see more photos of the day click here.

This video includes clips of our friars in procession and serving on the grounds of the Shrine.

Fr. Maximilian Avila Pacheco, OFM Conv., one of the recently ordained friars of our province, shares a reflection on his summer pilgrimage:

“From Sunday July 22nd to Saturday 28th, I walked the last portion of ‘El Camino de Santiago.’ El Camino, know in English as ‘The Way of Saint James,’ is a pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle James the Greater in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. I started walking at Ponferrada, about 130 miles away from Compostela, where the Spanish Conventual Franciscan province has a house to care for pilgrims, and walked an average of 20 miles daily. Needless to say, it was a demanding adventure, but the prize is worth a thousandfold. Once I arrived in Compostela and prayed at the tomb of Saint James, all physical pain disappeared and joy came to my soul. After six long and excruciating days of walking, the feeling and the emotion of reaching the resting place of the apostle is something that words cannot describe. Simply, it was a wonderful experience! Moreover, I was able to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral on Saturday and Sunday, where I prayed for the Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, and specially for each ‘James’ in the province.”

Friar Max is a new instructor at our St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, NY) ministry.
Please keep him, and all of the members of the St. Francis High School family, in your prayers.

Click here to listen to his May 1, 2018 reflection on Religious Brother’s Day & the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

On September 8, 2018, the friars of our province look forward to a much anticipated celebratory weekend! Not only is September 8th the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but during the noon Mass at our Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD, friar Emmanuel Wenke, OFM Conv. will Profess Solemn Vows, in the presence of pilgrims, confreres, family, friends and special guests.
Our friars spend many years in preparation and formation before professing the Solemn Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Part of the preparation includes a Solemn Vow Pilgrimage and Retreat with other members from our Order – Franciscan Friars Conventual (OFM Conv.) as well as members of the other two First Order Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) – Friars Minor (OFM) and the Capuchins (OFM Cap).  Each branch of our First Order Franciscans is rooted in the original charism of Francis, through which they find a shared sense of brotherhood.

The Shrine of St. Anthony is where friar Manny’s life as a Franciscan Friar began, in 2012. At that time, the Postulancy of our Province was located in the Shrine’s St. Joseph Cupertino Friary, where the men in this first stage of formation lived, worked and studied under their Formators, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. and Br. Daniel Geary, OFM Conv. During that year, there were sixteen friars residing in the two friaries located on the Ellicott City property. Those men included several senior friars, the friars in formation and our Province Friar Leadership.
On July 4, 2013 friar Manny was “blessed and sent forth” to the Novitiate (then located in Mishawaka, IN), by our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. He was then vested in the habit of our Order at the Rite of Investiture at the Chapel of our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament (Marytown, Libertyville, IL), on July 24, 2013.
After his time of formation as a Novice in Mishawaka, under the guidance of Formators, Fr. Giles Zakowicz, OFM Conv. & Br. Paschal Kolodziej, OFM Conv., friar Manny professed First (Simple/Temporary) Vows as a Franciscan Friar Conventual July 25, 2014.
He then moved into our Post Novitiate stage of formation in the St. Bonaventure Friary (Silver Spring, MD); a friary of eight student friars, their formators; Fr. Gary Johnson, OFM Conv.  & Br. Jim Moore, OFM Conv. and Friar in Residence, Fr. John Burkhard, OFM Conv. During his years there, in addition to discerning to serve as a friar brother, he continued his studies at the Catholic University of America and graduated on May 13, 2017, with his B.A. in Theology & Religious Studies and Certificate of Pastoral Ministry.
That next July 1st, during his summer assignment assisting with our Senior Friars in our Immaculate Conception Friary (Rensselaer, NY) the Guardian there, Fr. Tony Kall, OFM Conv. received br. Manny’s Renewal of Temporary Vows during the Community Eucharist, in which several members of br Manny’s family were able to participate.
In August 2017, br. Manny moved to our Immaculate Heart of Mary Friary and was assigned to Archbishop Curley High School (Baltimore, MD) where he serves as a Theology Instructor.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel of Matthew 1:18-23
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”

Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., a friar from our province serving as Bishop of Savannah, GA, issued this July 30, 2018 statement on the resignation of Theodore E. McCarrick.