Tune in to EWTN for the Solemn Easter Vigil Mass, celebrated at the Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, His Excellency, Archbishop Christophe Pierre serving as the celebrant & homilist.
Our very own Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, OFM Conv. will serve as Deacon, including chanting the Exsultet and the Gospel at the Saturday, March 31, 2018 8:00 p.m. Easter Vigil Mass, which will be televised live on EWTN.
The other days of the Triduum, Friar Emanuel will be blessed to serve as Deacon at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, for His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, of the Archdiocese of Washington.

It is with great joy that we Franciscan Friars Conventual of Our Lady of the Angels Province announce the March 6, 2018 re-election of  the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. as Minister Provincial of our province. Friar James accepted the office and the Most Reverend Fr. Marco Tasca, OFM Conv., the Minister General of our Order, has ratified the election.
Exactly four years prior, on March 6, 2014, friars of the former Immaculate Conception Province and the former St. Anthony of Padua Province elected Friar James to be the 1st Provincial of our new Our Lady of the Angels Province that was established May 5, 2014.
In April 2018 our Provincial Chapter will convene. At that time, Friar James will take an Oath of Office and our friar delegates will elect our new Definitory. The Definitors collaborate with the Minister Provincial to articulate our province vision, determine our initiatives, and discern our friars’ assignments. Together the Minster Provincial and the Definitory will lead the friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, in addition to those of our Immaculate Conception Custody (Custódia Provincial Imaculada Conceição – Brazil) and Blessed Angellus of Pisa Custody (The Greyfriars – Great Britain & Ireland).

Most High and Good God,
we ask You to send us Your Spirit,
as we prepare to gather in Chapter.
Inspired by our common life
of prayer and fraternity,
may we bring Your Gospel to those
who long to hear Your voice.
By our following more closely
in the footsteps of our Father Francis,
may we find You and serve you
in the poor, the marginalized,
and in our care for creation.
We ask this in the name
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Saint Francis ~ Pray for Us!
Our Lady of the Angels ~ Pray for Us!

For over 20 years, The Franciscan Place at Destiny USA has provided a spiritual sanctuary for quiet reflection in Syracuse’s Destiny USA; NY State’s largest shopping center. The mall is visited by approximately 26 million guests every year and The Franciscan Place provides shoppers, mall employees and tourists, with a refuge from the fast-paced commercial atmosphere.
With help from mall management and generous benefactors, renovations in 2014 doubled the size of the Chapel and Religious Goods Shoppe, which supports the ministry. The Chapel holds 100 faithful and is separated from the store area by glass doors. There is also a conference room facilitating extension programs such as book clubs, a children’s story hour, movie nights and discussion groups.
Under the direction of Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Nader Ata, OFM Conv. (who also serves as Parochial Vicar at The Franciscan Church of the Assumption) and with the support of our friars living in the St. Francis Friary, the Franciscan Place is an outreach of our pastoral ministry, The Franciscan Church of the Assumption, with a mission to reflect St. Francis of Assisi’s presence in the marketplace.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in the Chapel, Monday through Friday, but it is not offered on the weekends, so as to encourage the faithful to attend the Masses of their home parishes. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered Monday-Saturday. In the Religious Goods Shoppe, visitors can purchase an assortments of Religious Articles including Rosaries, Holy Cards, Medals, gifts for Sacramental celebrations, greeting cards, educational and inspirational books, CDs, and DVDs.

Enjoy a recent video from the 2018 Ash Wednesday Services:

While in Rome for some Canonical Visitations and meetings, our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv.(center right purple vestments), caught up with the pilgrimage group from our pastoral ministry of St. Lucie Catholic Church, Port St. Lucie, FL.
Their parish pilgrimage was led by our province friar, Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. (center left purple vestments) and Fr. John Cella, OFM, Franciscan Pilgrimages (far right).  In addition to his work with Franciscan Pilgrimages, Friar Russell is also the Vocation Director for our province. Also joining the pilgrims as they celebrated Mass together at the altar of Pope St. John XXIII in St. Peter’s Basilica was our Fr. Kevin Hanley, OFM Conv., a friar of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody who serves as a Confessor at the Vatican. It was wonderful that Fr. James was in Rome at the time and was able to visit with pilgrims from one of our pastoral ministries, as well as celebrate Mass with them, and preach.

Friar James McCurry, OFM Conv. ~ Minister Provincial, Friar James McInerney, OFM Conv. ~ Definitor, Friar Dariusz Davidowski, OFM Conv. ~ Definitor, Friar Ciprian Budău, OFM Conv. ~ Custos and Friar Maximilian McKeown, OFM Conv. ~ Definitor & Vicar somewhat enjoying a bit of snowfall at Scotland’s University of Aberdeen.

From February 20-28, 2018, Our Lady of the Angels Province – Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. visited with our friars of our Province Custody of The Blessed Agnellus of Pisa, in Great Britain & Ireland, for his Canonical Visitation. On February 27th, he met with the Custos, the Custodial Definitory and the Bishop in Aberdeen (Scotland), the Rt Rev. Hugh Gilbert OSB.

A part of their Annual Novices’ Southern Tour, the West Coast Dominican Novices shared in the joyful fellowship that is so evident within our Franciscan Novitiate Family. The Novices of the Dominican Friars of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, along with their Novice Director of 18 years, Fr. Anthony Rosevear, O.P., passed through the three California Franciscan Novitiate houses (Capuchin Novitiate – Santa Inez, OFM Novitiate – Old Mission Santa Barbara & Conventual Novitiate – Arroyo Grande) this week to share in our fraternity.
Our friars of our Conventual Franciscan Novitiate hosted a cookout on Saturday, February 24th, and in between the hot dogs, hamburgers and freshly squeezed lemonade from the Novitiate’s own trees, the novices asked each other some perennial questions like, “How do you keep those white habits so clean?” They all hope to get together again for a few shared conferences before the end of this novitiate year.

If you would like more information on becoming a
Franciscan Friar Conventual, please contact our Vocation Office:

Vocation Office
Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. – Vocation Director
vocations@olaprovince.org
Franciscan Friars Vocation Office
223 Bedford Avenue #306
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-510-5822

This past weekend, many friars of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody gathered at the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Fairview Strand (Dublin, Ireland) to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Profession of Vows of Fr. Aidan Walsh, OFM Conv. (left – behind altar) and Fr. Joseph Connick, OFM Conv. (right – behind altar). The main celebrant for the Mass was Fr. Ciprian Budău, OFM Conv. (center – behind altar), the Custos. He was joined by many more friars serving throughout other ministries of the custody, including Fr James Mary McInerney, OFM Conv. (far back left) who serves as Guardian of the Our Lady of the Visitation Friary (home to Friar Aidan & Friar Joe), Fr. Aquino Maliakkal, OFM Conv. (far back center) who serves as Guardian of St. Francis Friary, in Wexford Town (County Wexford, Ireland), and all the way from Rome, Fr. Kevin Hanley, OFM Conv. (not pictured here) who serves as a Confessor at the Vatican. The festivities continued as parishioners, friars and guests gathered for a celebratory meal. For more pictures from the day’s events, visit the Visitation Fairview Facebook Page.
Thank you Friar Aidan and Friar Joseph for your great example of 50 years of brotherhood, as Franciscan Friars Conventual!

On the evening of Thursday, February 15, 2018, friars, priests, bishops, sisters and laity who knew +Friar Donald Kos, OFM Conv. gathered at the Basilica Santi Apostoli our Curia’s Basilica of the Twelve Apostles in Rome) for a Mass in his remembrance. The Major Penitentiary of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza JCD celebrated the Mass along with three other bishops and over 100 concelebrating priests. The Minister General of our Order, the Most Reverend Fr. Marco Tasca, OFM Conv. presented +Friar Donald’s various ministries and accomplishments throughout his tenure in Rome and Cardinal Piacenza delivered a beautiful homily in his remembrance.

A few weeks ago, Fr. Jacek Leszczyński, OFM Conv. organized a three-day workshop for the Hispanic Servers of Iglesia Catolica de St. Julia, in Siler City, NC. Topics included how to be a committed server, the image of the parish portrayed at Mass, reconciliation with God and our brothers and sisters, and much more. Participants worked on what individual ministry groups accomplished in 2017 and proposed activities to support spiritual enhancement and contributions.
More on Friar Jacek and his ministry:
Known as Friar Jacek (to his Polish speaking parishioners), as Padre Jacinto (to his Spanish speaking parishioners) and as Friar Jack (to his English speaking parishioners), he is a Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar Missionary who in 2008 came to the United States, after serving for 10 years in Peru. At the request of our Minister Provincial, he has served the multicultural parish (American-Spanish-Polish) of St. Julia, since 2014, while residing in our Our Lady of Guadalupe Friary, in Pittsboro, NC, alongside Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Br. Raymond Sobocinski, OFM Conv., Fr. Joseph Madden, OFM Conv. and Friar Gregory Spuhler, OFM Conv.
The parish is part of the Diocese of Raleigh. Each weekend, he celebrates at least seven Masses (in English, Spanish and Polish), as well as Weddings Masses, and Quinceañera Masses. Over these past few years, Friar Jacek has facilitated many improvements to the property, including new bathrooms, floors, and stairs, as well as upgrades in the offices and courtyard, catechesis tools, a more secure roof, new paint for the church, offices and parish rooms, and new statues & artwork. The parish was gifted a new statue of St. Francis of Assisi and in the sanctuary space, they were able to mount a three dimensional work of Last Supper, painted by an Polish artist, from Raleigh.
Although the parish is large, it is a poor community of mostly those who have come to this country to work; providing a future for their children and helping family they left in their home countries. However, they are very devout and spiritually connected community, closely and lovingly involved in the work of the parish. As a whole, they do everything for the glory of God. The Masses in Spanish are overcrowded, with a major lack of parking, causing hardship for the neighborhood. So, in November of 2017, St. Julia purchased 10 acres adjacent to the parish. They plan on expanding the parking area and building a Franciscan Spiritual Center. 

Proposed plan for the expansion.

Read more about this vibrant community in the Zycie Zakonne
The information service of the Conference of Major Superiors of Male Orders in Poland.