Las Antorchas Guadalupanas (Guadalupe Torch) is a relay race in which the united popular traditions and faith of Mexican heritage are in focus to express the message that they are “Messengers for the Dignity of a People Divided by the Border.” The torch is a symbol of purification as people are illuminated by the symbol of the Virgin, as love of the migrant and the realization that the message of Christ’s redemption is for all who honor her. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas. She appeared in 1531 in Mexico, on the site of the Basilica in her honor, to a the peasant, St. Juan Diego. The miracles shown through him helped unite the people and continue to convert millions to Catholicism.
Our Siler City, NC pastoral ministry of St. Julia Catholic Church hosted the runners and event organizers this year. The torch arrived at 6:00 p.m. on November 23, 2016, and the parish celebrated with a 7:00 p.m. recitation of the Rosary and then gathering for Holy Mass, as a community. The faithful held vigil all night that included singing, dancing and sharing a community meal. At 11:00 a.m. the following morning (November 24th), the runners left from St. Julia to move onto the next stop, in Greensboro NC.
Friar Jacek Leszczynski, OFM Conv., pastor of Iglesia Catolica de St. Julia (St. Julia Catholic Church) holds the torch as the runners reach the parish grounds.
Throughout the night the faithful filled St. Julia’s with song, dance and joy in preparation for the morning departure of the runners.
The visitors also brought along two large portraits put on display in the sanctuary space, of Our Lady of Guadalupe and of St. Juan Diego
In celebration of the December 12th Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the parish will start at noon on December 11, 2016, as the faithful celebrate throughout the night with Holy Mass, followed by dancing, music and and praise to Our Lady of Guadalupe, a 9:00 p.m. Rosary, 10:30 p.m. Mass, Midnight Mariachi, 4:30 a.m. Mañanitas (morning songs of awakening), 5:00 a.m. Holy Mass, a 6:00 p.m. Rosary and finish with 8-10:00 a.m. Mariachi.
Our Lady of Guadalupe ~ Pray for Us!
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin of Guadalupe,
that in your apparitions on Mount Tepeyac
you promised to show pity and compassion to all who,
loving and trusting you, seek your help and protection.
Accordingly, listen now to our supplications
and grant us consolation and relief.
We are full of hope that, relying on your help,
nothing can trouble or affect us.
As you have remained with us through your admirable image,
so now obtain for us the graces we need.
Amen.
CONVENTUAL FRANCISCAN PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY AND POLAND
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Militia Immaculata
Founded by St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. August 7-18, 2017
All Inclusive from New York – $3,395
All Inclusive from Toronto – $3,480
(Single Room Supplement – extra $750)
A visit to the Niepokalanów Friary founded in 1927 by St. Maximilian Kolbe is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th
Included among many events that Our Lady of the Angels Province Friars have been planning in celebration the 100th Anniversary of the October 16, 1917 founding of the Militia Immaculata (MI) by St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv., as well as the 35th Anniversary of his Canonization on October 10, 1982, is an 11 day pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Warsaw, Niepokalanów, Częstochowa, Auschwitz, Wadowice, Kraków, Łagiewniki, and Wieliczka.
Leading this August 2017 pilgrimage will be our Province MI Assistant and Professor of Canon Law at St. Paul University in Ottawa ~ Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv. (Pilgrimage Director), the Pastor The Franciscan Church at St. Bonaventure, in Toronto ~ Fr. David Stachurski, OFM Conv. (Pilgrimage Liturgist) and our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. (Pilgrimage Spiritual Guide).
The veiling of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa will be on the itinerary for August 13th. Pope Francis made a visit to the Black Madonna to the Jasna Gora‘ shrine in July 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)
On August 16th, visit the magnificent chapels, religious sculptures carved in salt, and unique views of the Wieliczka Salt Mines (Kopalnia soli Wieliczka)
2016: Taken by Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Martin Breski, OFM Conv., as Franciscan Friars renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, at The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi), home of the Portiuncula
November 29th is a special feast day for all Franciscans. On this day in 1223, the definitive Rule of Life of St. Francis of Assisi was approved by Pope Honorius III. St. Francis and his first companions presented themselves to Pope Innocent III in 1209, seeking oral approval of their evangelical form of life. At Santuario di Fonte Columbo, Francis drew up the final Rule that was approved by the Bull Solet Annuere, issued by Honorius III, November 29th. The original copy of the Rule is preserved in the Basilica Papale e del Sacro Convento di San Francesco (Papal Basilica of Saint Francis), the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor Conventual, in Assisi. Permission was granted, allowing the Fraternity to expand to become the Friars Minor (Lesser Brothers). Following the Lateran Council IV, Pope Honorius III approved the definitive Rule and that Christmas, the Pope also consented that St. Francis re-enacted a living nativity at Greccio.
The Feast Day: To commemorate the November 29, 1223 approval of the Rule of Life, each year on that date, all of the saints of the Franciscan Order are remembered at Franciscan churches and communities around the world, as we celebrate the Feast of All of the Saints of the Order. Although St. Francis died in 1226, he left the great legacy of the Franciscan Order and its almost 800 years of saints, giving credit only to God’s Grace and following in the footsteps of St. Francis. Friars all over the world renew our vows, at our ministries or in our smaller friary community (symbolically, as our vows are perpetual/permanent).
Excerpt from a sample “Renewal of Vows” celebrated during Morning or Evening Prayer:
Let us pray that, with the help of God and the intercession of St. Francis,
all our Franciscan saints, and Mary, Queen of the Franciscan Order,
we may rekindle our initial fervor and recommit ourselves
to the ideals of the Franciscan way of life.
RENEWAL OF VOWS All praise be Yours, O Lord, for all creation gives You glory. All praise be Yours, O Lord, for all good things come from You. All praise be Yours, O Lord, for You call us to the life of Your Risen Son.
Today, we Your sons, renew and re-dedicate ourselves to the call You have given us. We renew our profession of the Rule of our Father Francis, and we ask Your help to continue to live the life of the Gospel with obedience to Your Spirit and Your Church, with poverty that imitates the life of Your Son and His holy mother, and with chastity that frees us to love You and Your people, with unmeasured love. All praise be Yours, O Lord, now and forever. Amen.
As mother of Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Tom Reist, OFM Conv., Mrs. Kathleen Reist holds the distinction of being the eldest living parent of a living friar of Our Lady of the Angels Province. Friar Tom serves with the Greyfriars in Great Britain (our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody), as the Guardian of St. Anthony of Padua Friary and the Principal of the Franciscan International Study Centre – Canterbury, Kent. Since Friar Tom is currently in the the USA for a visit, on November 22th, our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. took the opportunity to join Friar Tom and his sister Kathy in Boston, to celebrate Mrs. Reist’s 99th birthday. Over tea and cake, Friar James was able to present her with the “Golden Walking Stick.” Despite Friar Tom’s fears that his mother would “clobber” someone with it, the ever-spunky Mrs. Reist resisted the temptation. Famous for her quips and wisecracks, Mrs. Reist did not disappoint. When Friar James told her that he hoped to return next year to celebrate her 100th, she quipped: “If you’re still around!”
Our Province’s most recent holders, may the Rest in Peace, of the “Golden Walking Stick” were: +Mrs. Helen Sabol (mother of Fr. George Sabol, OFM Conv. – who currently serves at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Church, Baltimore, MD); +Mrs. Mary Cymerman (mother of Fr. Alex Cymerman, OFM Conv. – who currently serves at St. Francis of Assisi Novitiate, in Arroyo Grande, CA); +Mrs. Kathryn Curesky (mother of Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv. – who currently serves as pastor at St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT); and +Mrs. Violet Maslar (mother of Fr. George Maslar, OFM Conv. – who currently serves at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, in Bridgeport, CT as well as chaplain at the Bridgeport Health Center).
Prayer for Parents O Almighty God, You gave us the commandment to honor our father and mother. In Your loving kindness hear our prayers for our parents. Give them long lives and keep them well in body and spirit. Bless their labors; keep them always in Your care. Bless them generously for their loving care for us. Grant that, through Your Grace,
we may always be their support and comfort, and that, after our life together on earth, we may experience the joy together praising You forever. Amen
At the 10:30 a.m. Mass, on Sunday October 29, 2016, during “Family Weekend” at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. was officially installed as Chaplain of the Catholic Campus Ministry by the Bishop of Syracuse, Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham. Our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. was also on hand for the celebration.
Students from the Duke Catholic Center, along with Our Lady of the Angels Province friar – Fr. Brad Heckathorne, OFM Conv. spent time during their Fall Mission Trip serving from their “home base” at our pastoral ministry of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church (Baltimore, MD), under the leadership of our friar and their pastor, Fr. David Kashen, OFM Conv. He housed the trip members and our friars of Immaculate Heart of Mary Friary (serving Archbishop Curley High School – Baltimore, MD), St. Casimir Friary (serving St. Casimir Church – Baltimore, MD), St. Joseph Cupertino Friary (serving the Shrine of St. Anthony – Ellicott City, MD) and the Portiuncula Friary (serving the Provincialate – Ellicott City, MD) provided further hospitality and meals for the mission students. They were very grateful for the generosity of our friars and hope to be able to repeat the trip in the future.
The Provincial and Custodial Assistants for the Militia of the Immaculata (MI) in the English-speaking Conventual Franciscan Federation convened at our Provincial House, in Ellicott City, MD, on October 15, 2016 with Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv, who is the Conventual Franciscan Federation (CFF) Liaison to the MI.
Pictured with the reliquary containing 1st Class Relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. that toured Our Lady of the Angels Province Ministries, in 2016, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of his Martyrdom: Friar Tom Czech, OFM Conv. (St. Joseph Cupertino Province), Friar Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv. (Our Lady of the Angels Province), Friar Waclaw Sokolowski, OFM Conv. (Provincial Custody of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, of the Province of Gdansk, Poland), Friar John Grigus, (St. Bonaventure Province), and Friar James. The Our Lady of Consolation Province Assistant for the MI, Friar John-Raphael Hadnagy, OFM Conv., was unable to attend because of weekend parish duties. Various strategic initiatives were shared and plans made for further promotion and collaboration.
Founded on October 16, 1917, at the International College of the Conventual Franciscans in Rome (known then as the “St Bonaventure” Pontifical Theological Faculty), St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv., the Militia of the Immaculata (MI) is a worldwide evangelization movement encouraging total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a means of spiritual renewal. The charter drafted by St. Maximilian, and six like-minded young friars, established one of the most influential Marian apostolates ever and a blueprint of spiritual progress for MI members still used 100 years later. Employing prayer as the main weapon in the spiritual battle with evil, members of the Militia Immaculata also immerse themselves in apostolic initiatives throughout society, either individually or in groups, to deepen the knowledge of the Gospel and our Catholic Faith in them and in others. Read More Here
To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the MI, Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Donald Grzymski, OFM Conv. (Definitor and President of Archbishop Curley High School), Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv. (MI Assistant for our Province) and Fr. Richard-Jacob Forcier, OFM Conv. (Definitor, Province Secretary, Spiritual Guardian of the Companions of St. Anthony and Media Coordinator for the Province) began the year-long celebration with their personal reflections on what it means to them to be Concentrated to Mary.
As our Minister Provincial explains:
“Consecration to Mary” has a rich tradition in our Franciscan Order and in the Church. When our Seraphic Father Francis approached the moment of his so-called “perfect conversion” – at the Portiuncula on the Feast of St. Matthias in 1208, he consecrated his vocation to Our Lady as he entered the small stone chapel for Mass. St. Bonaventure records the scene: “In the church of the Virgin Mother of God, her servant Francis lingered and, with continuing cries, insistently begged her who had conceived and brought to birth the Word full of grace and truth, to become his advocate. Through the merits of the Mother of Mercy, he conceived and brought to birth the spirit of the Gospel truth.” (LM3:1)
Before departing this mortal coil, St. Francis entrusted the whole Order to the perpetual advocacy of the Blessed Mother. Celano writes of this consecration: “He embraced the Mother of Jesus with inexpressible love, since she made the Lord of Majesty a brother to us. He honored her with his own Praises, poured out prayers to her, and offered her his love in a way that no human tongue can express. But what gives us greatest joy is that he appointed her the Advocate of the Order, and placed under her wings the sons he left behind, that she might protect and cherish them to the end. Oh Advocate of the Poor! Fulfill towards us your duty as protectress until the time set by the Father! (2 Celano 198)
Three Our Lady of the Angels Province Frairs who are de familia to Mother Cabrini Friary (Shamokin, PA) but living at their individual ministires, Fr. John Voytek, OFM Conv. (pastor of All Saints Church, Boswell, PA), Fr. Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv. (pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Johnstown, PA) and Fr. Karl Kolodziejski, OFM Conv. (pastor of Holy Family Parish, Hooversville, PA) began their observance of the MI Centenary Year by gathering as a fraternity to make a common Franciscan “Consecration to Mary.”
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS PROVINCE CONSECRATORY PRAYER Centenary of the Militia of the Immaculate 2016- October 16 -2017
O Immaculate Virgin, Mary Our Mother,
we consecrate ourselves and our community to You today
so that You may make use of us especially for the spiritual
good of our brothers and sisters.
(As we celebrate the centenary of the MI), we ask you
O Queen of the Franciscan Order and Mother of the Church
to cooperate fully in your mission for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the world.
We off you, O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
our prayers, actions and sacrifices of this day
so that we know to give witness to the joy and hope of the
Risen Lord
in our daily gift of self to our brothers and those we serve.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you
and for those who do not have recourse to you
especially for the enemies of the Church
and for those who are recommended to you.
Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and Assistant General of the Order (responsible for the well-being of friars in the English-speaking world) worked as the translator for the National President of the Militia of the Immaculata in the US, John Galten, at the Fatima: International Congress of the MI.
A special thank you to Friar Christopher Dudek, OFM Conv., who is currently studying in Rome at the Seraphicum (Pontificia Facoltà Teologica San Bonaventura), for sending in the picture and article.
Friday October 14, 2016: Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Victor Manuel Mora Mesén, OFM Conv. defended his doctoral thesis at the Biblicum (The Pontifical Biblical Institute), in Rome. His thesis was entitled “He aqui que saliò el sembrador. La intención comunicativa del discurso parabólico de Jesús en MC 4:1-34” (“Behold, the sower went. The communicative intention of the parable of Jesus in Mark 4:1-34”). Along with many of the local friars who live and serve in Rome, and members of the Biblicum, the ambassador of Costa Rica to the Holy See was also in attendance.
Good job and congratulations Victor!
Las Antorchas Guadalupanas (Guadalupe Torch) is a relay race in which the united popular traditions and faith of Mexican heritage are in focus to express the message that they are “Messengers for the Dignity of a People Divided by the Border.” The torch is a symbol of purification as people are illuminated by the symbol of the Virgin, as love of the migrant and the realization that the message of Christ’s redemption is for all who honor her. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas. She appeared in 1531 in Mexico, on the site of the Basilica in her honor, to a the peasant, St. Juan Diego. The miracles shown through him helped unite the people and continue to convert millions to Catholicism. 
Now in its 15th year and arranged by the Asociación Tepeyac de New York, this year’s race began on September 18th, at the Insigne y Nacional Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe (the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe), in Mexico City and will end in New York City on Monday, December 12, 2016.
CONVENTUAL FRANCISCAN PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY AND POLAND
