One of our most unique and long lasting ministries of Our Lady of the Angels Province is the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour. Through the use of radio broadcasts, purchasable recordings and program access on the internet, the “Rosary Hour” brings the Gospel message to all those hungering for the word of God, in Polish. It is the oldest Polish language Catholic radio program in the world; established by Fr. Justin Figas, OFM Conv. in 1932. Friar Justin Figas’ vision to “bring the message of Christ to the people of Polonia in the Eastern United States and to the large cities of the USA and Canada, and to aid them in carrying out this message in their own lives and develop a consciousness to aid their fellow travelers in order to attain their own good and the good of society” (Mission Statement) is continued today through the work of our friars, staff & volunteers at this Hamburg, NY based ministry. A great way to fully understand the desires of Fr. Justin is to listen to an English translated version of a 1937 program, read by our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv.

Recently, the lay director of the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour, Jerry Kornowicz, commissioned a new plaque depicting some of the history of the Rosary Hour so that visitors would never forget the work of Friar Justin.

This year, Our Lady of the Angels Province will gather to honor all of our Profession and Ordination Jubilarians at a special September 28th celebration, to be held at one of our ministries in New Jersey. Since this celebration is attended only by confreres and some family of the Jubiliarians, many have individual celebrations throughout the year, close the the actual Anniversary date, attended by friars, family, friends and of course the faithful to whom the friar serves.

On June 19, 2016, one such celebration was held for Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv., who currently serves as chaplain for the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice (the Felician Sisters) who live and work in Enfield Connecticut. They are an active-contemplative Order of Religious women, who blend a life of prayer with a life of service. There are many aspects of service provided by the Felician Sisters throughout the world but those in Enfield offer adults with cognitive impairments a day program providing safe, warm, individualized care.
Friar Noel has spent these past 40 years since his Ordination to the Priesthood serving in many capacities throughout our province. Prior to his work with the sisters and for the parishioners of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr (Chicopee, MA), he had been a teacher, a pastor, a vocations director, a shrine director and an English tour guide at the Basilica Papale di si San Francesco d’Assisi. He has also given of his time and talent to the province at large; serving as a member of several Commissions, Teams, Caucuses and Boards.

Some of the Friars, Sisters, and guests with Fr. Noel (front row). On hand were several of his confreres, including two of his classmates, Friar Jude Surowiec, OFM Conv. (currently serving as a professor at the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee, MA) and Friar Martin Kobos, OFM Conv. (currently serving as pastor of Mother Cabrini Catholic Church, in Shamokin, PA) and Our Lady of the Angels Province, Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv.

One last photo of Friar Mietek (3rd from left) with his confreres of St. John Paul II Friary (Holyoke, MA).

Fr. Mietek Wit, OFM Conv. arrived in 2001 to live and minister with the friars of our province.  After an initial few months serving at our New York based Radio Ministry of the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour – the oldest Catholic Radio Station in the world, and serving the parishioners of our pastoral ministry at St. Michael the Archangel Parish (Bridgeport, CT), he moved onto our pastoral ministry at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr (Chicopee, MA) where he spent 13 years as Parochial Vicar.  For the last two years, Friar Mietek has lived and worked with our friars in Holyoke (MA),  serving as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Cross Parish.
His native Prowincji św. Antoniego i bł. Jakuba Strzemię – Kraków, Poland (Province of St. Anthony of Padua and B. James of Strepa – Krakow, Poland) has now named Friar Mietek as the Guardian and Pastor at St. Stanislaus Kostka, in Rockford, IL.

“Dear Father Provincial and the Friars of the OLA Province,
At this time of my departure from your fraternal embrace I offer my sincere appreciation. I would like to express my gratitude for welcoming me into your province, in which, I ministered for the last 15 years. That is more than 2/3 of my priestly ministry. All of you made me really feel like a part of the Franciscan family.”
Fr. Mieczyslaw Wit, OFM Conv.

Looking at the Sacred Landscape of the National St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine: Renowned landscape designer Julia Watson from Stu-dio REDE toured the Shrine on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 with Our Lady of the Angels Province Friar, Fr. Mark Steed, OFM Conv. and Bill Jacobs the new Shrine Director. Julia is an Australian-born landscape architect, living and practicing in New York while teaching at Columbia University. She specializes in conserving Indigenous and sacred lands around the globe, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They were also joined by landscape architect Steven Yava-nian. The team is exploring new ways of conserving and enhancing the cultural, spiritual, historical, and natural resources of the Shrine in an integrated manner, to better attract visitors, pilgrimages, and youth. The aim is continue to preserve this sacred Mohawk (Kanien’kehaka) land in perpetuity. Julia describes this effort succinctly as, “A saint, a shrine, a sacred spring and a site with an incredible history. The beginning of something amazing.” For more information, please contact Bill Jacobs at bill.katerishrine@gmail.com.

One of our five friars serving in Rome, Italy is Fr. Timothy Kulbicki, OFM Conv.

He not only travels the world presenting the revisions to the Order’s Constitutions (how we live the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi) to the friars of our Order, he is also the Guardian of Convento S. Antonio Alle Terme (the Friary of St. Anthony at the Baths). The friary holds as their custom, in celebration of not only their Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua but also the end of the academic year, hosting an outdoor cookout, replete with with table cloths and quality dishware. This year, the friary hosted many guest including friars from the other General Houses of our Order: the Friary of the Twelve Holy Apostles, in Rome [housing the General Curia – the general government of our Order and home of our province friars Fr. Donald Kos, OFM Conv. and Fr. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv. who serves as Assistant General CFC, as well as ], The Friary of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, in Rome [where Friar Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculate and home of our province friar, Fr. Victor Manuel Mora Mesén, OFM Conv.], the Friary of the Theological Faculty “St. Bonaventure,” in Rome [Seraphicum – the institute of theological studies for our Order and home of our friar in formation, Friar Christopher Dudek, OFM Conv.] and the Friary of the College of Confessors at St. Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City [home of Fr. Kevin Hanley, OFM Conv. of our Custody of Blessed Agnellus of Pisa].

This year, four friars from La Vigna are finishing their Licentiates, and one his Doctorate. The friary began school year with nineteen friars. Of those, six friars will remain at La Vigna for the summer in preparation for the upcoming fraternal year. The others have either transferred, returned to their home jurisdictions or will spend the summer studying language and language practice. They will engage in more study, attending Chapters, doing pastoral work or research, and enjoy a bit of vacation time before returning to La Vigna.

Pastor of The Franciscan Church at St. Bonaventure, Friar Daid Stachurski, OFM Conv. (standing in back) welcomed the friars of the Basilica of St. Anthony of Pada (Italy) and their traveling Relic of St. Anthony to the parish for the Feast Day weekend.

On the weekend of the Feast of St. Anthony (June 11-13th), the Conventual Franciscans who serve at the Pontificia Basilica di sant’Antonio di Padova (Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua – Italy) traveling with the St. Anthony Relic to Canada this June, stopped first at our own pastoral ministry of The Franciscan Church at St. Bonaventure, in Toronto, Ontario. The weekend included the opportunity for Veneration each day, as well as Masses and prayers devoted to St. Anthony of Padua.

Traveling Reliquary from Padua, Italy

Our own Reliquary, located at our ministry of The Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) was gifted to us by our Paduan confreres. As you can see, it was created by the same artisan and looks very similar to the Traveling Reliquary from Padua. As it is stationary, it does have the addition of the flames behind the bust of St. Anthony of Padua. Located in the narthex of the Shrine’s Chapel, this gold-leafed bust depicts the Portuguese Franciscan whom the whole world would come to know as the “miracle-worker” and “finder of lost things.” In the middle of the flame is a precious first-class relic of the saint – a small piece of petrified flesh removed from his sarcophagus in Padua, Italy, in 1995. The friars in Padua sent the relic to the friars of Ellicott City in 1998. (It is a reminder to us all that) the human body is a “temple” of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and Director of the Shrine of St. Anthony, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. introduces the St. Anthony Feast Day featured speaker, Immaculée Ilibagiza, at the June 11, 2016 Feast Day Pilgrimage Celebration.

Today, June 13th, is the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua; a 13th century saint and one of the Church’s most popular. This truly universal saint, respected and venerated even by non-Christians, is known particularly as the patron saint of the lost. This past Saturday (June 11, 2016), our ministry of the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) celebrated the feast day early with a day of free events including opportunities for Adoration, Mass & Reconciliation – featuring live music, activities for the children and the featured presenter. This year, the special guest presenter was  Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who brings her inspiring tale of not only survival, but of forgiveness, and mercy. She was the perfect addition to this year’s pilgrimage, celebrated during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy! This was the 6th year that the Shrine (one of 7 locations of a Year of Mercy Holy Door in the Archdiocese of Baltimore) has held such a pilgrimage and each year brings more and more faithful to visit our beautiful Shrine of St. Anthony. For more information on this ministry location, or to see if there is a ministry location of Our Lady of the Angels Province near your area, please visit our Locations page.

Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., Immaculee Ilibagiza, and Director of the Shrine of St. Anthony, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv.

The Miraculous Responsory or “Si Quaeris”

If then you ask for miracles,
Death, error, all calamities,
Leprosy and demons fly,
And health succeeds infirmities.

The sea obeys and fetters break,
And lifeless limbs do you restore;
While treasures lost are found again,
When young and old your aid implore.

All dangers vanish at your prayer,
And direst need does quickly flee;
Let those who know your power proclaim,
Let Paduans say: these are of three.

To Father, Son, may glory be
And Holy Spirit, eternally.

Pray for us, blessed Anthony.
Make us worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Lord God, may the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, your Confessor and Doctor, be a source of joy for your people.  May they always be strengthened with his spiritual assistance and deserve eternal rewards.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Composed by St. Bonaventure in honor of St. Anthony of Padua ~ sung frequently in the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua and on every Tuesday, it is sung by the faithful throughout the world.

Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Dennis Mason, OFM Conv. (serving the pilgrims to the Shrine of St. Anthony) and Fr. Matthew Foley, OFM Conv. (serving the students of Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore, MD) concelebrate one of the Masses.

Fr. Emmanuel Acquaye, OFM Conv., a friar from Ghana who is has been living with and serving with the friars assigned to the Shrine of St. Anthony while he was earning a Masters Degree at Loyola University Maryland, helps distribute the Blessed Sacrament during one of the Masses.

Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Julio Martinez, OFM Conv. (serving at the Shrine) chats with a pilgrim while blessing her and her Rosary.