Our Lady of the Angels Province Vicar, Fr. Brad Milunski, OFM Conv. was nominated by The Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) and approved by The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the USCCB for 2018-2021. The Council’s membership of approximately 50 people is drawn from the laity, deacons, priests, women religious, religious brothers, and bishops from around the country. Members are recommended by their diocesan bishop, CMSM, Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), etc. and represent the 15 geographical regions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Council’s work is to review, discuss, and advise the bishops on the agenda items from Administrative Committee meetings that may be coming before the full USCCB for action at the bishops’ annual fall general assembly. The NAC meets each year in March and September.
On January 15, 2018, posts and fencing were installed around 3 acres of our farm land near our Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD). After a year to replenish the soil, in the summer of 2019, we hope to plant & harvest fresh vegetables to be sent to the Franciscan Center Center of Baltimoreemergency outreach.
JPIC Update…HOW is our land being farmed in Ellicott City, MD?
What is sustainable agriculture and what does it have to do with us? In simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, be it plants or animals, using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations’ ability to do the same.
Ok. But what does that have to do with us? For many decades, the friars in Ellicott City have leased 85 acres of their property to a tenant farmer. Using the standard methods of farming in industrial countries, the tenant farmer planted one crop on the entire 85-acres each year, requiring extensive use of chemical herbicides and pesticides to protect the vulnerable monoculture from pests and disease. In order that the plant itself could survive the level of herbicide use required for protection, the farmer planted genetically engineered crops designed to withstand very high levels of herbicide application. While the corn crop itself is engineered to withstand the fatal doses of herbicides applied, the bacteria, fungus, and other biological life in the soil that is essential for plant life, however, are killed.
In addition to chemical herbicide and pesticide, standard farming methods employ heavy applications of fertilizers made from fossil fuel. While this fertilizer produces extraordinary plant growth, it also kills the biological life in the soil.
This combination of heavy applications of fossil fuel fertilizers and harsh herbicides on genetically engineered crops, applied repeatedly over the years, has resulted in soil that is sterile of life and depleted of nutrition.
Each year the tenant farmer alternated between a variety of commodity crops like corn and soybeans grown not for human consumption as part of a healthy diet, but rather to be processed into fuel like ethanol, food additives like high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated soybean oil, or feed for industrial livestock production.
Considering that the method of agriculture currently employed on its land was unsustainable without dangerous—and growing—chemical applications, and that the very crops grown were not even adding to a healthy food source for humans, the friars looked for a different farmer, a different method, and different human outcomes.
The farming method now being implemented on our land is called permaculture (a portmanteau of permanent and agriculture) and restorative or regenerative farming. These concepts all point in the same direction: using farming practices that strengthen the relationships between parts of our ecosystem rather than weakening them. Permaculture tries to use annual crops and perennial crops, as well as land and water use, in ways that let each element strengthen the other elements, creating a perpetual, self-reinforcing food system. Restorative and regenerative farming are, as their names suggest, similar projects: to farm in such a way that the farming itself helps restore the soil and regenerate healthy plants and animals for future generations.
In short, in the past products of the farm were not destined to strengthen human life, they were not fulfilling the mission of the Church. Now, in partnerships, our land is being farmed Laudato Si’ Style!
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A side note from Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv.
Our Lady of the Angels Province
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Ministry
This past week, I was able to spend several days at our Novitiate, in Arroyo Grande, CA teaching about social justice and care for creation. We explored Franciscan Prayer and Spirituality in light of JPIC and the history of Catholic Social Teaching form 1891 to the present. During a tour of the grounds, I discovered that they have enlarged their vegetable garden and are taking the time to air dry their clothes on an old fashioned clothes line!
In addition, new apostolates for the novices include both hospital and prison ministry.
At the foot of a beautifully adorned statue of Our Lady, stood three reliquaries, during Pope Francis’ Saturday, January 20, 2018 visit in Trujillo, Peru. They housed the relics of our martyred Polish confreres, Bl. Michał Tomaszek, OFM Conv. & Bl. Zbigniew Strzałkowski, OFM Conv. (martyred on August 9, 1991) and of the Italian Missionary Bl. Alessandro Dordi (martyred on August 25, 1991). These three missionaries, known as the Blessed Three Martyrs of Chimbote, were beatified together on December 5, 2015, by His Eminence, Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B.. Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Read More
Pictured here alongside the reliquaries, is Friar Rafael Dryjanski, OFM Conv., the current Guardian and Parish Priest in Pariacoto.
Pariacoto is the town in the Peruvian Andes where the terrorist guerrillas of the ‘Shining Path’ murdered Bl. Michał and Bl. Zbigniew claiming: distributing food received from imperialists was humiliating for the people, religion was the opiate of the people, and preaching peace & works of charity were tools to restrain the people from revolutionary uprising. These martyrs are buried at the parish church at Pariacoto, now served by Friar Rafael.
In August 1991, the guerrillas increased violence against the Catholic Church and publicly threatened to kill a priest of the diocese of Chimbote, each week. The first priest escaped from an instant execution, but on August 9, 1991 the two Polish Francisan Friars Conventual, Bl. Michał and Bl. Zbigniew, were taken out of the church at the end of the Eucharistic celebration and shot, along with the mayor.
On August 25, 1991 it was Bl. Alessandro (aka “Don Sandro”) who was ambushed after returning from a Eucharistic and Baptismal celebration in a distant chapel. Bl. Alejandro was shot getting out of his car. The three priests were the first beatified martyrs of Peru, and Friars Michał and Zbigniew were the first beatified Polish missionary-martyrs. The sacrifice of the three missionaries brought a greater awareness to the importance of Christian witness, even unto death.
On January 18th, four days after his Ordination as a Transitional Deacon, Friar Luis returned to serve as Deacon for a Mass with our friars of St. Hyacinth Friary, in Chicopee, MA, celebrated by their Guardian, Fr. Jude Surowiec, OFM Conv. who also works as a professor at nearby College of Our Lady of the Elms. This past year marked Friar Luis’ Fraternal Apostolic Year in dual ministry working for our pastoral ministry of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr parish & school while caring for the needs of our aged and infirmed friars of St. Hyacinth Friary, as well as those in the Felician Sisters’ Our Lady of the Angels Care Center, in Enfield, CT. Friar Luis will still be living with our friars in Chicopee, but our friars of St. Hyacinth enjoyed celebrating Friar Luis’ “Farewell Mass” in the company of his mother, Carmen who was there to visit the locations where her son had been serving.
Now that he is ordained a Transitional Deacon, Friar Luis will have a new ministry assignment. Although he will still be serving at St. Stanislaus, he will be doing so as a Transitional Deacon for the English speaking parishioners & students. In addition he will also be in part time ministry to the Spanish Speaking community of another one of our pastoral ministries, the Chicopee area – St. Anthony of Padua Parish.
Friar Luis with many of the Friars of St. Hyacinth Friary, Chicopee, MA
We friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province currently have three friar serving as Transitional Deacons: Friar Luis Palacios Rodriguez, OFM Conv., Friar Maximilian Avila Pacheco, OFM Conv. and Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, OFM Conv. Please keep them in your continued prayers as they prepare for their Priesthood Ordinations this June, alongside Friar Milton de Jesus, OFM Conv., of the Provincial Custody of Our Lady of Coromoto (Venezuela).
(A special thank you to Br. Hugh – 2nd from right above – for proving these pictures.)
January 19, 2018: The Custos of the Custodial Nuestra Señora de Coromoto en Venezuela – Fray José Luis Avendaño, OFM Conv. and the Vicar, Fray Carlos Ortiz, OFM Conv. celebrated Mass at St. Bonaventure Friary house of studies (Silver Spring, MD), served by Friar Milton Torres Albarran (Milton de Jesus), OFM Conv., after his January 14th Ordination as Deacon, along with Friar Luis. This was a beautiful continuation of their visit with Friar Milton who is of their Venezuelan Custody and living with our friars in Silver Spring.
Photo Cred: Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and Pilgrim Guide at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Fr. Martin Breski, OFM Conv.
Friar Ciprian Budău, OFM Conv., (second from left) the Provincial Custos of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody (Great Britain & Ireland) recently visited the Custody’s Novices, studying at the Novitiate at the Sacred Convent in Assisi. They were invested this past September after spending several months at the Sacred Convent in Italian studies. The time in Assisi has been joyful for friar Joseph David Freeman, OFM Conv. (left), friar Osvaldo Lopez-Figueroa, OFM Conv. (second from right), and friar Kieran John Murphy, OFM Conv. (right) and they also enjoyed having this personal time with their Custos.
Please keep them, and all of our friars in formation, in your continued prayers.
Our much anticipated celebratory weekend is finally here! During the Noon Mass at our Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD, this Saturday, January 13, 2018, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar Luis Palacios Rodriguez, OFM Conv. will Profess Solemn Vows, in the presence of pilgrims, confreres, family & friends. 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/Retreat with other members from our Order – Franciscan Friars Conventual (OFM Conv.) as well as those other 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 next day, Friar Luis will return to the Shrine and be joined by our confrere Friar Milton de Jesus, OFM Conv., of the Provincial Custody of Our Lady of Coromoto (Venezuela), as they both are Ordained to the Diaconate. Friar Milton professed his Solemn Vows in Costa Rica, in May of 2017, and has been living with our friars for a few months. We are all so happy to be able to share this day with him.
We welcome you to please visit our Province Facebook Page at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 14th, for the Facebook Live presentation of the Ordination Mass. If you are in the area and want to join us in the Shrine’s Chapel, all are welcome, but for those who are not in the area, we encourage you to join us online. Check back later to see some photos from these events and please keep these and all of our friars in your continued prayers.
January 13, 2018 Liturgy of the Eucharist with the Rite of Solemn Profession: Friar Luis Palacios Rodriguez, OFM Conv. is flanked by his mother, Carmel (left) and his sister, Ruth (right) who traveled from Mexico to share in the celebrations. An album of the day’s festivities can be found on our Province Facebook page.
January 14, 2018: Liturgy of the Eucharist with the Rite of Ordination of Deacons: Friar Milton Torres Albarran (Milton de Jesus), OFM Conv. and Friar Luis Palacios Redriguez, OFM Conv. were Ordained as Deacons at our Shrine of St. Anthony, by Most Rev. John Stowe, OFM Conv., Bishop of Lexington. They are pictured here as (left to right: Custos of the Custodial Nuestra Señora de Coromoto en Venezuela – Fray José Luis Avendaño, OFM Conv., Friar Milton, Bishop Stowe, Friar Luis and Minister Provincial of Our Lady of the Angels Province, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. An album of the days festivities can be found on the Province Facebook page.
For the past six years, our province has helped to fund “bush clinics” served by nursing students of Elms College School of Nursing (Chicopee, MA), led by their Project Coordinator and Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Br. Michael Duffy, OFM Conv., DNP, APRN, ANP-BC. Br. Duffy also serves at the University as the Accelerated Second Degree Program Coordinator and as a Professor, having launched the ELMS caRe vaN, a 32-foot converted camper serving as a mobile nursing unit with two treatment stations, a full exam room and a five seat waiting area which doubles as a warming area as needed, providing free health and nursing care to the homeless and underserved of Chicopee, including blood pressure checks and monitoring, blood sugar checks, foot care, episodic first aid, minor wound care, frostbite checks, patient education on these and other topics, and other healthcare needs that arise.).
Br. Duffy formerly served our province as a missionary in Jamaica and the areas served there each year by his students are chosen because of their lack of access to healthcare or lack of finances to access the care they need. In addition, for the past four years, the groups have run an annual worming clinic at the Sisters of Mercy – St. John Bosco Boys Home; treating 100 boys. Traditionally the group utilizes a parish church or basic school as a make shift clinic. They set up registration on the porch, triage in the back, exams in the sacristy or side room, and a pharmacy in the front. Each patient is seen free of charge and is then given sufficient medications such as blood pressure medicine, oral hypoglycemics, antibiotics, vitamins and ibuprofen (donated through one of our pastoral ministries: St. Paul Catholic Church, in Kensington, CT). After their time in Jamaica, the students leave behind additional funds for medication that will be distributed later through the diocesan dispensary and clinic, which both accept prescriptions written by Br. Duffy.
The students also do their own fundraising in order to participate, which allows the funding provided by our province and other supply donors to be used for bush clinic patient care.
Br. Duffy explains that this continued “Mission” experience for the next generation is an opportunity to expose the need and the service now, as students, so they can pay it forward after graduation. The students spend several weeks in service where they learn to make use of the resources they have, while attending to the needs of those who have little. Over the years, the students have learned much about the culture of those they serve while attending to the medical needs of well over 1000 patients, in the Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, WI.
We congratulate our brother friars, Frei Ricardo Elvis, OFM Conv. and Frei Jesus Amaral, OFM Conv., from our Immaculate Conception Custody (Brazil), as they Profess Simple (Temporary) Vows on February 8, 2018, at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, in the Rio Comprido neighborhood, at the center of Rio de Janeiro.
Please keep these, and all of our friars in formation, in your continued prayers.
Each year, our Friars celebrate Epiphany Extractions. Franciscans hold great reverence for the saints. We customarily celebrate the Epiphany as a feast for promoting personal holiness. During the para-liturgical ceremony of the Extractions, each friar draws the name of a saint (who becomes his patron for the year) and a short spiritual exhortation (as a focus for spiritual refinement). During Epiphany the community also renews the sanctity of our homes (friaries) by processing to bless each room. Early in Franciscan history, this tradition developed for our friars. We Franciscan Friars Conventual would like to share this cherished tradition with you and encourage you to add it to your holiday celebrations. The ritual is simple. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Choose a card randomly. On the card will be the name of a saint, a mystery in the life of Jesus or perhaps a particular devotion. Announce your choice to the people praying with you. Some of them may have their own experience with your choice. Read up on it in Catholic literature or on the internet. With the help of the Holy Spirit, look for some direction in your life and spirituality from these “living words of God.”
You may be surprised how your choice touches your journey of faith. Remember too, that we are all saints. Sinners too, but saints nonetheless. What can others see in us that reflects “the living word of God?” Your Epiphany patron may help you plan your resolutions or just be your companion in prayer, in the New Year. Look at this as just one more gift from God on Epiphany, the Feast of Gifts.
Peace!
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us Pray: God, Who instructs the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that we may be truly wise in the same Spirit and ever rejoice in His consolation.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Dr. Stanley Chai & his wife Sylvia, a Secular Franciscan, joined our friars of St. Mark (Boynton Beach, FL) to celebrating the Extraction Rite on January 1, 2018.
On a bitterly cold evening, the friars from the mid-Atlantic area gathered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Friary (Baltimore, MD) for Evening Prayer and the Extraction of yearly patron saints in celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. A festive atmosphere and a good dinner was enjoyed by all.
Our student friars and their formators, of the St. Bonaventure Friary (Silver Spring, MD), gathered to celebrate their House Blessing, on January 7, 2018.
Syracuse Volunteers of FrancisCorps 19 celebrated with the friars of St. Francis Friary
Our friars of the Most Holy Trinity & St. Adelbert Friaries gathered in our San Damiano Mission (Brooklyn, NY) to celebrate with The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi & The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Our New England Friars, including 36 friars of four friaries and special care residences, were hosted by our friars of St. Paul’s Friary (Kensington, CT) on the 7th of January.
At the North American Franciscan Friars Conventual Novitiate (Arroyo Grande, CA), our friars in formation welcomed our OFM & OFM Cap brothers in formation for the Epiphany Celebration.
On Epiphany Sunday, the Shamokin Friars of Mother Cabrini Friary invited the local IHM Sisters to join them for dinner as well as for their annual “Extraction” Festivities.
January 16th Epiphany Celebration at the Mercy Nursing Facility at OLV where Friar Canice is in residence. Standing – Friar Ken Lucas, OFM Conv., Friar Joe Bayne, OFM Conv., Friar Romulus Rosolowski, OFM Conv., Friar Ross Syracuse, OFM Conv. and seated is Friar Canice Connors, OFM Conv.
December 13, 2017: Our friars serving from St. Anthony Friary (Kingston, ON), Friar Jim Fukes, OFM Conv., Friar David Collins, OFM Conv. and Friar Ed Debono, OFM Conv., were on hand for the blessing of the new St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School. Fr. Jim serves as pastor of Holy Family Parish and assisted The Most Reverend Brendan M. O’Brien (Archbishop of Kingston) and Principal Dan Finn in welcoming the Kingston mayor, the minister of education, the Catholic School Board president, parishioners, and school families to the official school opening. St Francis of Assisi Elementary School replaces Holy Family, St Patrick’s and St. Peter’s Schools where our friars have been assisting the staff and ministering until the recent school consolidation of students and resources. The new school incorporates new technologies, open space education methods and small communities concepts.
Pictured here alongside the reliquaries, is Friar Rafael Dryjanski, OFM Conv., the current Guardian and Parish Priest in Pariacoto.
On January 18th, four days after his
The next day, Friar Luis will return to the Shrine and be joined by our confrere 
Each year, our Friars celebrate Epiphany Extractions. Franciscans hold great reverence for the saints. We customarily celebrate the Epiphany as a feast for promoting personal holiness. During the para-liturgical ceremony of the Extractions, each friar draws the name of a saint (who becomes his patron for the year) and a short spiritual exhortation (as a focus for spiritual refinement). During Epiphany the community also renews the san
The ritual is simple. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Choose a card randomly. On the card will be the name of a saint, a mystery in the life of Jesus or perhaps a particular devotion. Announce your choice to the people praying with you. Some of them may have their own experience with your choice. Read up on it in Catholic literature or on the internet. With the help of the Holy Spirit, look for some direction in your life and spirituality from these “living words of God.”
On a bitterly cold evening, the friars from the mid-Atlantic area gathered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Friary (Baltimore, MD) for Evening Prayer and the Extraction of yearly patron saints in celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. A festive atmosphere and a good dinner was enjoyed by all.
