Franciscan Action Network partnered with the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and other partners in Washington, D.C. for a historic event to launch the Truth and Racial Justice Initiative. As we marked 50 years since the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, we committed to do our part to eradicate the entrenched racism that grips the United States and paralyzes our ability to see every human being as equal. See FAN’s statement here https://goo.gl/ckhaPi
We challenge ourselves and our communities to ACT: to join in truth-telling, leading to actions that right the wrongs, and, with God’s grace, bring healing and wholeness to all people, and unity to the nation.
AWAKEN ourselves to the truth that racism is ever-present, deeply rooted in American culture, and profoundly damaging to our communities.
CONFRONT racism, speak truth to ourselves, our communities and institutions, and stand against injustice.
TRANSFORM the hearts, minds, and behaviors of people and structures that shape society.
Photo of the Catholic Family, and one of the Franciscan Family.
While at the rally our friars in formation, friar Chris Garcia, OFM Conv. of the St. Joseph Cupertino Province, as well as Our Lady of the Angels friars in formation ~ friar Franck Lino Sokpolie, OFM Conv. and brother Tim Blanchard, OFM Conv. took the opportunity to register to vote!
Our friars living under the care of the Felician Sisters concelebrated Palm Sunday Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Enfield, CT, with Friar Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv., who serves as Chaplain there. (Left to Right: Our Lady of the Angels Province Friars ~ Fr. Terence Pescatore, OFM Conv., Fr. Philip Blaine, OFM Conv., Fr. Noel, Fr. Vincent Lachendro, OFM Conv., Fr. Lucjan Krolikowski, OFM Conv., Fr. Duane Mastrangelo, OFM Conv., Fr. Henry Madigan, OFM Conv., and Fr. Firmin Finn, OFM Conv.
Holy Thursday in Enfield, CT included a pastoral adaptation of the Mandatum: Washing of “Hands.”
At our pastoral ministry of the Franciscan Church of the Assumption, in Syracuse, NY, little Grace LaPointe, daughter of the Lay Director of our Service Ministry -FrancisCorps, took part in the Washing of Feet with Fr. Nader Ata, OFM Conv. who serves as Associate Pastor. In the back you can see volunteers from FrancisCorps who are serving in Syracuse, as well as the pastor of the parish, Fr. Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv., who also serves as Chaplain of FrancisCorps.
Good Friday “Adoration of the Cross” in Enfield. Felician Novice, Sr. Agnes presenting the crucifix.
The Franciscan Church of the Assumption (Syracuse, NY) drew the usual huge Easter Vigil crowd which was wowed by the new music director who provided a fresh program of traditional, jazz, Taizé and contemporary music.
Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. serves as Campus Minister at Syracuse University (SU) & (SUNY – ESF), where record crowds celebrated Easter at the Catholic Center and in the Hendricks Chapel.
Our province’s campus ministry at The Duke Catholic Center recently ordered 150 chocolate covered Easter Eggs from the wonderful parishioners of our province’s pastoral ministry of Mother Cabrini Catholic Church, in Shamokin, PA (75 Peanut Butter and 75 Coconut).
They were served as desert at the Center’s Easter Sunday Brunch!
Our friars serving at Duke send a special “Thanks!” to our friars serving in Shamokin for sweetening the lives of hungry Duke students!!!
Visit of Cardinal Ribat Our Province JPIC Ministry and FAN hosted Cardinal Sir John Ribat of Papua New Guinea in Washington D.C. April 13-15. At a reception sponsored by FAN, the USCCB, the Catholic Climate Covenant and others, the Cardinal spoke on Climate Change and the potential effects of seabed mining in his country. We also organized for him meeting on Capitol Hill and at the EPA. An article on the visit, from the NCR, can be found here.
While in D.C. the Cardinal also spoke to a formation gathering of 85 religious in formation and their directors, sharing his own vocation story and what he believes to be essential in the lives of the ministers of today and tomorrow. Cardinal John was accompanied by his Vicar General, Fr. Ben Fleming. EWTN News Nightly – 2018-03-15
March for Our Lives Fr. Julio Martinez, OFM Conv. and Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. joined students from Parkland and around the country in the Washington D.C. Rally on March 24th. The efforts of students across the nation has turned the March into a Movement, demanding gun control and an end to gun violence. #Enough #NeverAgain
JPIC Update Farm Focus on our Partner, the Franciscan Center in Baltimore City
Founded in 1968 by the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore, the Franciscan Center is in its 50th year of service to the Baltimore community. What began with the Sisters handing out peanut butter sandwiches and coffee at the back door of their convent on Maryland Avenue has grown to serve every zip code, offering dignity, hope and the chance for a new beginning to men, women and children who are among Baltimore’s most vulnerable citizens.
The Franciscan Center’s programs operate as a “one-stop shop” for families and individuals in crisis from throughout the City. The Center serves as many as 700 men, women and children daily, five days a week throughout the year, providing food, clothing and toiletry items, basic computer skills training, job readiness programs and a range of emergency financial assistance that is truly unique.
We welcome our guests where they are – wherever that might be – with dignity and respect, and without judgment. In this spirit, the Franciscan Center is committed to helping improve public health in Baltimore long term by introducing fresh, healthy food to the families and individuals we serve – most of whom have limited access to fresh vegetables.
We are very grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Franciscan Friars Conventual, in establishing “Little Portion Farm”. This exciting project will make an important difference in the Baltimore community, providing “farm-to-table” food for our guests. Our Food Services Director, Kim Gregory, will truly enjoy working with the bounty of “Little Portion Farm”.
The Center began its 50th year of service to the community with new leadership, as well as exciting plans for our next 50 years. Executive Director Jeffrey Griffin joined the team in August, 2017, and he has brought ideas for a variety of new programs and services designed to meet the ever-changing needs of the people we serve. He is supported in these efforts by the Center’s Director of Development and Marketing, Meg Ducey, along with 17 other full and part time staff. With more than 98 percent of our funding from private sources and more than 50 % of our work force on a daily basis made up of volunteers, the Franciscan Center is truly community supported. Our programs are delivered by Marylanders, for Marylanders in the Franciscan spirit of humble and joyful service to the poor.
Spend a year serving others like St. Francis, of Assisi
Imagine running an inner city food pantry, helping refugees find their way in the U.S., or caring for abandoned disabled children while living in community and exploring faith. If this sounds interesting, and you are a young adult age 21 to 25, or know of one, consider FrancisCorps! For more information contact Johanna or visit the website.
In Hogar Santiago Crespo is a home for senior citizens in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Rachel, pictured with her co-workers, helps with recreational and therapeutic services, while contributing to a loving environment, for the residents
Every day the glory of God is on display if I just take the time to stop, rest, and open my eyes. I have been learning this more and more each day during my time in Costa Rica. Oftentimes, it is so easy for me to run through my day feeling like I am always one step behind in working with all the patients in the therapy department at Santiago Crespo, getting home with sufficient time to help cook and clean, having purposeful prayer time, and maintaining both present and past relationships, and then I remember that God is inviting me in to these moments to truly be present in them and not just rush through them feeling exhausted and trying to do it all. Why put this extra pressure on myself? God is surely not asking me to do it all perfectly. Instead of looking at all the patients and calculating how much time I have in order to get it all done, He is inviting me to truly be present and fall in love with the steps of the process, not just have my eye on the end goal of completing everything at the end of the day. In slowing down, I can understand more of who He is, how much love He has to give, and the mystery of suffering in each of the señores I work with.
Each individual is full of so much love and at the same time so much suffering- in their own way, whether it is past abuse and neglect, familial problems, psychological disorders, dementia, or overall feelings of loneliness and depression. However, the smile they have to give, a kiss on the cheek, holding their hand, a tight hug, and their constant reminders of “Dios primero, si Dios quiere, and Gracias a Dios,” which all mean, “God first, if God wants it, and thanks be to God,” are beautiful reminders that amidst the suffering, there is so much beauty and so much for me to learn from them in the day to day gritty work of life. The key- I need to take time to slow down, take a deep breath, and really see each person for who they are in that moment and see each moment as the gift that it truly is. There is something so tragically beautiful about older adults in this nursing home type of setting- most of their day consists of waiting- waiting to be woken up, changed, eat breakfast, get snack, be wheeled out to the sun, wheeled back in to eat lunch, taken to their doctor’s appointments, escorted to therapy sessions, waiting for dinner, and then waiting to go to bed, that they have lost a sense in choosing what to do all day and filling their days up with so many tasks. Yet, the grace in which many accept this way of life, the slow pace of not hurrying onto the next task of the day, and the beauty in taking as much time as needed or wanted to really sit and enjoy the sun on one’s skin, the companionship of a friend at your side, the closeness and love of family coming to visit, and entrusting every day to God because you never know when it might be your last day, holds a sense of incredible beauty in it. When God nudges me to really take a look around, I think, “Wow, God, you have got me in exactly the right place.” I am being forced to learn to slow down, live in the present moment, and see God through the beautiful, small, quiet, and evaporating moments that are often overlooked in my fast-paced way of “doing” life. In these small moments, the steps of the process, the day-to-day work, God is revealing that He is truly there. His presence, his love, his grace, and his mercy are right there in front of me. I just need to constantly remind myself to take time to focus on the small moments of the day and not just the end result. God’s glory is shining brightly, and it often is not just at the end when the goal is completed, but it’s along the entire way if I only learn to take my eyes of the finish line and truly look around at the current beauty.
Our Evangelization and Development ministry, Companions of St. Anthony presents a four part series on prayer, by Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Dennis Mason, OFM Conv., who serves the province through our Shrine of Saint Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD.
Our pastoral ministry of The Franciscan Church of St. Bonaventure has several unique ministries.
The St. Bonaventure’s Ministry with Maturing Adults, “Living our Spirituality in the Second Half of Life” will be holding several Tuesday programs this Spring, from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., in the Francis Room of the parish. All are welcome to attend and there is no fee.
To request more information, click here.
March 13, 2018
Homeless in Toronto March 20, 2018
The Wisdom of Teresa of Avila – Responding to the summons of our elder years April 24, 2018
Special Event with Luncheon
At the end of April, gather with the Toronto Community to support another one of the unique ministries stemming from our friars there. St. Clare Inn is a transitional housing project that offers accommodation to homeless women between the ages of 30-60 who are struggling with a diagnosed mental health issue.
Their Spring Fundraiser, “Black & White ~ Oh, What a Night!” promises an evening of lively entertainment, delicious food, silent and live auctions and more. Held at the Donalda Club in the heart of Toronto, the evening will not only be a joy, but will also help support our beautiful outreach ministry of St. Clare Inn. For more information or to purchase you tickets visit.
If you are in the Toronto, Ontario area, please be sure to visit our friars serving there and check out the parish website for more great ministry information.
Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. serves as Chairman of the (JPIC) Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of Our Lady of the Angels Province.
His ministry hub is located in Washington DC.
Latest JPIC Update written by Fr. Michael:
February 27th was a big day for justice as 40 Catholic leaders, mostly women religious risked arrest as they prayed the rosary in the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda standing in solidarity with DREAMERS and their families.
Hundreds turned out as we started the day with Mass celebrated by Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. and continued the day with a press conference and prayer as we headed to the Russell building. The Franciscan family was well represented, as there were members of all the branches of the Franciscan family tree. FAN’s Patrick Carolan and Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF both were arrested, processed, fined, and released. Bishop John prayed over those to be arrested just before it happened. We Conventuals were represented by Friar Chris Garcia, OFM Conv. (St. Joseph Cupertino Province), with our province friars – Fr. Julio Martinez, OFM Conv. and Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv.
Yesterday was a great show of solidarity for Franciscans across the country, as we continue to stand in solidarity with DREAMERS and their families.
There were a wide range of media outlets covering the event, both religious and secular.
Here are some highlights: EWTN News Nightly (Video) Catholic News Service National Catholic Reporter Religion News Service Sojourners
Note: Earlier this month, as the arbitrary March 5th deadline imposed on Congress by the President to pass legislation for DACA recipients passed, hundreds rallied at the Capitol.
Although the Supreme Court upheld injunctions temporarily halting the president’s decision to end DACA, this decision still leaves millions of DREAMERS in limbo. We need a permanent solution. We need a legislative pathway to citizenship so DREAMERS are protected from the fear of deportation. We must also find a way to protect their families. We must continue to take action:
1) Call your senators: 1-888-410-0619 (Call twice to reach both senators.)
2) Call your representative: 1-888-496-3502
Br. Jim (left) and Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, OFM Conv., on of our friars nearing the end of his time in Formation, enjoy a visit with the Poor Clares in their Common Room.
br. Timothy Blanchard, OFM Conv., Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, OFM Conv., Br. Jim Moore, OFM Conv., Br. Bede Thigpen, OFM Conv. (St. Bonaventure Province), Friar Christopher Garcia, OFM Conv. (St. Joseph Cupertino Province), fr. Franck Lino Sokpolie, OFM Conv. and Friar Maximilian Avila Pacheco, OFM Conv. (friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, unless otherwise indicated)
During the first weekend of March 2018, Friar Michael Lasky OFM Conv., who serves our province as Chairman of JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation) visited the Poor Clares of New Jersey. Together they celebrated Mass and then gathered to talk about his ministry.
While at the rally our friars in formation, friar Chris Garcia, OFM Conv. of the St. Joseph Cupertino Province, as well as Our Lady of the Angels friars in formation ~ friar Franck Lino Sokpolie, OFM Conv. and brother Tim Blanchard, OFM Conv. took the opportunity to register to vote!
March for Our Lives
Here are some highlights:
