The recognition of 65 years as a friar is something extraordinary. What is even more extraordinary is that this year (2017) our province proudly has 6 friars celebrating just that: Friar Ronald Sermak, OFM Conv. (August 15, 1952) Friar David Stopyra, OFM Conv. (August 15, 1952) Friar Giles VanWormer, OFM Conv. (August 17, 1952) Friar Duane Mastrangelo, OFM Conv. (August 17, 1952) Friar Alvin Somerville, OFM Conv. (August 17, 1952) and the focus of this post – Friar Briant Cullinane, OFM Conv. (August 17, 1952).
Friar Briant is still quite active in our province work and currently serves as Pastor Emeritus of our pastoral ministry Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community as well as the Guardian of our Friary there; home to four of our friars.
The responsibility of a Guardian is extensive. He is responsible for all that pertains to the community and prayer life of the friars, and for the necessities of life of the friars in the local fraternity (friary), each of which is made up of at least four friars, and is led and governed by the Guardian, either alone or with the Friary Chapter. The Guardian and Director of Ministry for each friary collaborate through fraternal dialogue, particularly with regard to scheduling and calendars, to ensure that each can faithfully fulfill his respective responsibilities. The purpose of this service is to correctly order the life and mission of the entire fraternity. Guardians are bound to their friary residence so as to be available for service to the friars assigned to them. It is the duty of the Guardian to safeguard the rights of each individual in the friary and to respect and implement the decisions of the majority in matters which require a deliberative vote.
Fr. Briant is a well respected and knowledgeable friar, who friars characterize as someone known for his equanimity, gentleness and wisdom. He professed his Solemn Vows on September 17, 1955, was Ordained to the Priesthood on February 8, 1958 and has served in varied ministries throughout his 65 years as a friar, including pastor-ships, diocesan offices (Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Toronto) and roles of high province leadership. Even though he will be turning 85 this year, he continues to give freely to the Province, the needs of our friars and of our ministries.
If you “Google” Fr. Briant you will find more information that you would have time to read, but here is a very nice blurb from the “About Us” page of our pastoral ministry, The Franciscan Church of St. Bonaventure (Toronto, ON).
“The appointment of Friar Briant Cullinane (OFM Conv.) as pastor in 1970 was very well received, since he had already been a lively, energetic part of the parish team for more than seven years. Nobody worked harder than he did, though it’s fair to say he pushed many parishioners to try! And they did try, since Friar Briant showed himself to be a truly inspirational leader, capable of getting the best out of his flock. The Franciscan community was very vibrant and various friars lived among us including Friar Raymond Sobocinski, (OFM Conv.) and Fr. George Sabol, (OFM Conv.). They and Friar Regis Rodda, (OFM Conv.) were also involved in the establishment of our “daughter” parish of Blessed John XXIII. In his 13 years with us (6 as pastor) Friar Briant helped create a warm spiritual home that was also the focus of many social and sporting interests. Friar Briant led the renovation of St. Bonaventure’s Church and expansion of the Parish Centre. He brought an exceptional level of care to this project which resulted in the excellence and beauty of our parish facilities. St.Bonaventure became the jewel of the Archdiocese. Friar Briant’s farewell party at the parish hall in 1976 (he was elected Vicar Provincial for his province) is remembered as a joyous occasion tinged with more than a little sadness. It was attended by just about the whole parish as well as fellow priests, well-wishers and clergy of other denominations. It would come as no surprise when, shortly afterward, Friar Briant was elected Minister Provincial ...”
November 2016: Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Paul Lininger, OFM Conv. (at left) and Fr. Briant Cullinane, OFM Conv. (at right) welcomed Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge to Blessed Sacrament School, Burlington to celebrated his his final school Mass before his departure to the Diocese of Arlington.
Here are the other 2017 Jubilarian Friars of our Province.
Our friars will hold a special celebration in their honor at the
Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD,
starting with noon Mass, on July 24, 2017.
A message from Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. May 18, 2017: “Today I had the privilege of becoming a citizen of The United States of America. While forever grounded in my Canadian roots and values I commit myself to this generous and great nation, its founding principles and Constitution. In these turbulent times there is no place for spectator citizens but rather active participation in shaping the future.”
The General Secretariat for Mission Animation (SGAM) had an opportunity to share with the community of seven students from the four Provinces of the United States. The students are currently studying theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., guided by their formators, Friar Brad Milunski, OFM Conv. and Friar James Moore, OFM Conv.
Tuesday, May 15, 2017: The Minister General of our Order, Friar Marco Tasca, OFM Conv. (pictured in front row in the chasuble), installed six friars as acolytes and four friars as lectors, at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure – International College Seraphicum, in Rome. The home nations and provinces of these friars include Venezuela, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Poland, Italy and the USA. Among them was our own Friar Chris Dudek, OFM Conv. (far left front row). The evening Mass was attended by the members of the community at the Seraphicum along with the General Definitory.
These friars ask for your prayers, as they continue their studies and formation in Rome. Friar Chris Dudek, OFM Conv. (left) is in Rome in study at the Seraphicum. He was one of the six friars installed as acolyte by the Minister General of our Order, Friar Marco Tasca, OFM Conv.
With praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God,
we Franciscan Friars Conventual of Our Lady of the Angels Province
joyfully announce the ordination of Friar Nicholas Carmelo Spano & Friar Nader Nabil Ata
to the sacred Order of Presbyter
through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit
by the Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham, Bishop of Syracuse
on Saturday, the twenty-seventh of May, two thousand and seventeen
at eleven o’clock in the morning
Br. Michael Duffy, OFM Conv. and Fr. Joseph Benicewicz, OFM Conv. help cut the banquet cake.
Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Joseph Benicewicz, OFM Conv., pastor and rector of our pastoral ministry at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr, in Chicopee, MA, prepared his parish with this post in the April 30th parish bulletin:
Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. (Mass homilist) enjoyed visiting with parishioners at the banquet.
“Our year-long 125th Anniversary celebration will come to a close this coming Saturday, May 6th. We will begin with the Closing Mass at 4:00 p.m. Bishop Mitchell Rozanski will be the Principal Celebrant and Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., our Provincial, will be the homilist. Part of the prayers to be offered are the My Acts of Faith booklets that you received last year. At the Closing Mass during the Offertory Procession we offer all of our prayers and good works to God. So, please return your booklet any time now or bring them to the Closing Mass. They can also be dropped off in the Parish Office. The evening will conclude with a banquet at the Castle of the Knights. Let us join together to give God praise and honor for all of the blessings that He has so lavishly heaped upon us these first 125 years and pray for His grace for the parish and ourselves as we continue our mission of proclaiming the Good News.”
The Diocese of Springfield’s Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski served as Principal Celebrant.
The parish celebrated all year and concluded with this May 6, 2017 Mass and Banquet. They have posted many more photos from the day’s events on their newly refurbished parish website. https://ststansbasilica.org/
In his own words… Friar Christopher Dudek, OFM Conv.: Memorable moments of my formation include ministering with the Latino community in Silver Spring and Central America. Through these experiences, I have come to understand immigration from immigrants in the US, as well as those who live in Latin America. This issue is not about numbers, but real persons with hopes, desires, and difficulties. My experiences became amplified with my living at the Seraphicum with friars from all over the world, each with their own viewpoints and experiences. In a very Franciscan way, a chance dinner conversation about immigration one evening evolved into a morning symposium on the topic of immigration. I presented on immigration in the USA, while Friar Victor Mora from the delegation in Costa Rica offered a biblical perspective. There were other presentations, including a powerful and moving talk by refugees, whom the General Curia has taken into La basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli(Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, in Rome). My presentation (a great personal accomplishment for me, giving a presentation for 45 minutes in Italian) included a panorama of the situation on the US/Mexican border. I spoke about the many social problems facing many in Latin America and the great problem of inequality in the Americas. I also spoke about the dangers immigrants face while trying to cross the border. One of the most moving and accurate accounts of the dangers involved in migration through Mexico and over the US border is Sonia Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize winning book ENRIQUE’S JOURNEY, our JPIC book of the month! This is story of a Central American boy’s dangerous journey to reunite with his mother in North Carolina. Our own Friar Luis Palacios tells the story of how, as a kid, he and the members of his youth group used to go to the hill by the train tracks to throw clothes and food on top of the passing trains. The migrant children, riding on the top of the trains, relied on such charity as they were often robbed and exploited throughout the long and perilous journey. Another part of my presentation focused on what the US bishops have taught in recent times, along with the texts of the 2000 pastoral statement: Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity and the 2003 pastoral statement: Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope. This was an enriching and challenging experience for me. I learned that many, including myself, are in many ways ignorant to the current situation of immigration. This makes it difficult for us to truly understanding the debates we are currently having. One of the best aspects of our symposium was the ability to share various points of view from many different cultural and experiential backgrounds. Through such an expression of the universal church, coming together and sharing ideas and viewpoints, I realized that the world could be truly united around the call for human dignity that is given to all of us equally by God.
Monday, May 8, 2018 ~ Ludlow, MA: Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. has visited the Basilicia da Nossa Senhora de Rosário (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary), of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima (Portugal ~ where the Marian Apparitions occurred), more than 35 times. On May 8, 2017, he shared his expertise with those gathered at St. Elizabeth Catholic Community, in the Diocese of Springfield.
A great way to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations!
On Sunday, May 7, 2017, Our Lady of the Angel Province friar, Fr. Nick Rokitka, OFM Conv. was the guest Mass celebrant and speaker at the Annual Communion Breakfast, sponsored by the Blessed Virgin Sodality of Christ the King Catholic Church (Glen Burnie, MD), held in the parish hall at the Holy Trinity site. Over 60 parishioners and guests gathered in the hall after the usual Sunday, 8:30am Mass to enjoy a delicious breakfast provided by the Father McGivney Knights of Columbus, and served by one of the Confirmation Class Small Groups, before Friar Nick’s presentation on Franciscan Marian Charism. The morning was a wonderful example of community, faith, food and fellowship. Friar Nick will celebrate his 1st Ordination Anniversary on June 25, 2017. He earned his BA at Hilbert College in Buffalo, NY and his M.Div and S.T.B. from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. and he currently serves as a Theology and Business Instructor at our Archbishop Curley High School (Baltimore, MD) ministry. He spoke on Sunday of the great love of the Blessed Mother held by St. Francis of Assisi, on which he founded his Franciscan Order. He touched on the birthplace of the Order, whose patroness we share as a province; Our Lady of the Angels, also known as the Portiuncula or “Little Portion” in Assisi. This small chapel, now housed within the vast Papal Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi, Italy) is where Jesus’ called to him: “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.”
Friar Nick compared both Mary’s & Francis’s answer “Yes!” to our own need to answer “Yes!” to be a vessel for Jesus, so He can be better gifted in our world. He also shared a reflection on St. Francis’ prayer of praise to Mary, the Mother of Jesus:
Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen, Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin. You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven, consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good. Hail, His Palace. Hail His Tabernacle. Hail His Robe. Hail His Handmaid. Hail, His Mother. and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state, they may be made faithful servants of God through you.
During his presentation, Friar Nick noticed Sodality’s statue, present at every meeting and function, and how it was a perfect reflection of “Hail His Robe,” from the prayer, as Mary’s robe is artistically depicted covering and sheltering her Son, Our Lord.
On April 22, 2017, Our Lady of the Angels Province Friar, Fr. Joseph Bayne, OFM Conv. was exemplified in the 4th Degree of the Knights of Columbus and was honored by the Fourth Degree Knights of the Fourth NY District in the St. Isaac Jogues Province, at the dinner following. Friar Joe also participated in the April 30 – May 3, 2017 Annual Conference of the NYS Fire Chaplains, held at the Niagara Falls Air Force Base, where he offered a major presentation on “Line of Duty Death” in the Fire Service.
Friar Briant is still quite active in our province work and currently serves as Pastor Emeritus of our pastoral ministry Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community as well as the Guardian of our Friary there; home to four of our friars.
A message from Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv.
Tuesday, May 15, 2017: The Minister General of our 
Friar Chris Dudek, OFM Conv. (left) is in Rome in study at the 
