Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainer, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Harrisburg, will celebrate the 4:00 p.m. Vigil Mass with the friars of Mother Cabrini Friary (Fr. Martin Kobos, OFM Conv. – pastor, Fr. Edward Costello, OFM Conv., Fr. Adam Ziolkowski, OFM Conv. and Fr. Steven Frenier, OFM Conv. – pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Coal Township & St. Patrick Parish in Trevorton), staff and parishioners of Mother Cabrini Catholic Church and Our Lady of Hope Parish, on April 30, 2016. Bishop Gainer is joining in the celebration as part of the “Jubilee Year of Mercy” and to welcome the “Pilgrimage Relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv.” Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Rev. James McCurry, OFM Conv. will be the guest homilist. St. Maximilian was a Franciscan priest and took the place of a fellow prisoner who was about to be executed in the WWII Auschwitz Concentration Camp. 2016 marks the 75th Anniversary of St. Maximilian’s death. Our Province is sponsoring an East Coast of North America pilgrimage of St. Maximilian’s relics to commemorate this historic anniversary.
(Please note: the Mass will still occur on the 30th but the Bishop is no longer available to preside.)
In addition to the relic’s visit to Mother Cabrini Parish on April 30th, the relics will also visit the State Correctional Institution Coal Township Prison on Wednesday May 4th, for a 7:00 p.m. Vespers and Veneration. All are invited and encouraged to join Mother Cabrini Catholic Church for the April 30th Vigil Mass. On the weekend of May 6-8, 2016, St. Patrick Parish (Trevorton, PA) will welcome the relics. St. Patrick Parish is a beautiful church, full of rich history and along with Mother Cabrini Parish and Our Lady of Hope Parish, is one of the three pastoral ministries of our friars, in the area. Check out this St. Patrick Parish post on our website for more information.
Congratulations Friar Martin!
n Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2016, at the 11:00 a.m. Mass, Mother Cabrini Parish Community will celebrate the 40th Priesthood Ordination Anniversary of their pastor, Fr. Martin J. Kobos, OFM Conv.
The parish will host an 1:00 p.m. Anniversary Banquet, at Masser’s Banquet Hall and ask those who wish to attend to please RSVP to the parish office (570-648-4512) by noon, Monday, May 9th. There is limited seating so they ask that you please honor your reservation commitment if you plan to attend.
Fr. Berard Dudek, OFM Conv.
On a brilliantly clear, crisp March morning, I could not imagine the day would get any brighter until I met, for the first time, Friar Berard, the subject of this article.
He was born in Baltimore, August 31, 1927, the last of Martin & Catherine Dudek’s four boys, in a modest and established Baltimore family. His grandparents were immigrants, of Russian and Polish descent. He is now the only surviving son.
He appears much younger than his 88 years with a broad smile and kind, affable nature. He is on in-home hospice at this stage of his life, but seems as happy and content as one might imagine a much younger, healthier man. He was diagnosed with an incurable breathing disorder about four years ago. His daily life is now confined by the limits of his lifeline; an oxygen compressor and tubing. This, however, does not confine his spirit. He refers to the oxygen tubing as his “Angel Line,” knowing that when he no longer needs it, he will be with the Angels.
The conversation began with a litany of his long career, almost too much to list, so I will give you the highlighted version here. His first schooling was at St. Casimir Parish’s School (one of our many province pastoral and parochial school ministries), where he later became Assistant Pastor (1971) and then, after three more pastoral assignments and several education and leadership positions, he served the people of St. Casimir Parish as Pastor (1996).
At the age of 14, he was off to St. Francis High School (one of our province high school ministries), in Athol Springs, New York, which was then an all-boys boarding school and still ministers as a “Roman Catholic, Franciscan, college preparatory school that serves young men of diverse faiths and backgrounds from throughout Western New York.” His tuition for the year, including room & board was $300.00!
He became a novice at St. Lawrence Novitiate in Becket, Massachusetts in 1945, at the age of 18. His education consisted of the years he spent at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, St. Joseph Cupertino in Ellicott City, Maryland, and St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts. He went on to graduate studies at the University of Buffalo and Laval University in Quebec. He was ordained on June 24, 1954 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Most Reverend Christopher Weldon, Bishop of Springfield.
When asked when or how he knew he wanted to be a member of the Religious Order, he has no “come to Jesus” moment. He does recall a conversation his mother had when he was in the third grade. A Franciscan Sister of St. Joseph at the school felt he had a calling. From that point it seemed to be a gradual acceptance and understanding of the path he should follow. Following Ordination, he taught at Bishop Ryan High School in Buffalo New York (1954), serving as the last principal before the school closed in 1971.
At various times he served as a teacher, Parochial Vicar, Associate Pastor, or Pastor at numerous and diverse parishes, mainly in the northeast. From 1982-1984, he was Associate Pastor at The Basilica of The Assumption in Baltimore, the first Catholic Cathedral in America. He has also been chaplain to the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph in Hamburg, New York. Add to that, time spent as Vicar Provincial, Definitor, Senior Friars Commission and Franciscan Discipleship Commission Member for St. Anthony of Padua Province (now in union with Immaculate Conception Province, creating our current Our Lady of the Angels Province) and member of the Priests Council of Rochester, New York. At one point, he actually taught his current Guardian of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Friary, Fr. Vincent Gluc, OFM Conv.!
In 1995, he took a five-week sabbatical to study in Italy and trace the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. He returned to ten more years of parish work before coming home to Baltimore and semi-retirement in June 2005 at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Parish, where he currently resides. When asked which assignment he liked the best, his eyes just sparkle as he says he could not choose. He says they are like colors of the rainbow, all different.
His activities are limited by his lack of mobility and the oxygen tether. He has left the residence just four times in the past four months for medical appointments. He attends Mass daily at the residence. Visiting medical professionals call on him every other day to assure his care is on target. The normal tasks and activities of daily living that are usually taken for granted, take considerable time for Friar Berard to complete. He gets out of breath, even with the “Angel Line,” just walking across the room. It takes about an hour to get up and dressed in the morning, all of which he does with a smile. He is in no pain, other than the sometimes frightening discomfort of not being able to catch his breath. He eats well and looks great! Friar Berard has many visitors; family and otherwise. Some still come for confession. His one brother had 12 children, one of which is a niece who aspires to be a nun. If you visit, be prepared to have your picture taken, as he is very adept with his iPad and his memory is on point. He does paintings on glass, which resemble stained glass (as exampled by the one featured here). He takes many phone calls, answers e-mail, and snail mail. As our time spent together ended and a fatherly embrace was shared, I left with two blessings–a personally blessed Rosary that will be cherished for life, and the blessing of sharing the morning with this holy and wonderful Franciscan Friar.
~ by Mr. Rick Sipes,
Assistant in the Our Lady of the Angels Province Healthcare Ministry Office
From April 19-24, 2016, the PILGRIMAGE OF THE RELIC OF ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE will be at our pastoral ministry of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, in Jonesboro, GA.
The friars living and serving there Fr. John Koziol, OFM Conv. (Guardian of the friary and pastor of St. Philip Benizi), Fr. Paul Miskiewicz, OFM Conv., Fr. Santo Cricchio, OFM Conv., Fr. Piotr Tymko, OFM Conv. and br. Colton Rodgers, OFM Conv. join with the staff and parishioners of the parish to invite everyone to the week’s events.
Tuesday, April 19th ~ 7:00 pm Reception of Relic, with a Prayer Service and Veneration
Wednesday, April 20th ~ 7:00 pm Archdiocesan Mass, with Veneration and Reception
Thursday, April 21st ~ 7:30 pm Mass in Spanish, with Veneration
Friday, April 22nd ~ 7:00 pm Movie on the life of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, OFM Conv.
Saturday, April 23rd ~ Relic on display in Gathering Space for Personal Veneration
Sunday, April 24th ~ Relic on display in Gathering Space for Personal Veneration
The relics as they were on display at Archbishop Curley High School, in Baltimore, MD. Note the reliquary on the left that holds a portion of his beard that in 1938 was shaved from Friar Maximilian. The base is shaped in the form of Poland covered in the “thorns” of occupation by the Third Reich. Out of those thorns, burst a lily of purity and a tulip of martyrdom. The relic strands of beard are encased in a glass circle entwined with our Franciscan knotted cord representing our Order’s vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. As this reliquary is delicate, there is an additional reliquary on the right also used for veneration.
Our 2016 Province Pilgrimage of the Relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. has traveled from our ministries in Maryland to those in Washington DC, North Carolina and Florida. On April 15th it will move onto our pastoral ministry of Holy Cross Catholic Church, in Atlanta, GA. The friars living in the friary there and serving the people of the parish and community, (Fr. Jude Michael Krill, OFM Conv. – pastor, Fr. Abelardo Huanca Martinez, OFM Conv. – parochial vicar, and Fr. Gary Johnson, OFM Conv. – parochial vicar) and as chaplain of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School (Fr. Reto Davatz OFM Conv.) invite everyone to join them in the celebrations planned for the weekend, as well as veneration after each regularly schedule weekend Mass (Saturday, April 16th ~ 5:00 p.m. in English & 6:30 p.m. in Spanish) (Sunday, April 17th ~ 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. 1:15 p.m. {Spanish} and the 5:30 p.m. Family Mass).
Friday April 15th ~ 7:00 p.m. Bilingual Evening Prayer Service of Welcoming
Saturday April 16th ~ 9:15 a.m. Mass in Honor of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv.
Holy Cross Catholic Church has many unique spiritual and festive events schedule throughout the year. On Saturday, May 21st they have organized a 5K Mass and Dash race to raise money for the Holy Cross Youth Scholarship Fund. Check out their website for more information about this ministry.
Original recording on March 5, 2016 at Marytown in Libertyville, Illinois for the Presentation and Celebration of the release of the first English translation of the complete works of Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
St. Bonaventure University will honor four outstanding Buffalo community members with the 2016 Gaudete Medal on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. John G.,’88, and Suzanne Berger, Jack Connors and Fr. Joseph Bayne, O.F.M., Conv., will receive Gaudete (pronounced gow-DAY-tay) honors for their selfless contributions to society at the event chaired by Greg Bruno, ’74, of Williamsville.
“The purpose for Gaudete, which in Latin translates to ‘rejoice,’ is to recognize brothers and sisters who are successful in their careers and exhibit the Franciscan spirit of service, love and joy in all their daily endeavors. This is what we define as the Bonaventure spirit and what makes our community so special,” said Bruno.
The celebration will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. and continue with dinner at 7 p.m., followed by the medal presentations. For information concerning tickets, sponsorship and event advertising, contact Monica Mattioli at mmattiol@sbu.edu, or visit www.sbu.edu/gaudete.
The honorees are: John, ’88, and Suzanne Berger –John G. Berger Jr. serves as a partner at Lawley Benefits Group, where he has been since 2009 and leads the financial, underwriting and reporting unit. He serves as a member of the board of directors and committees for several Western New York organizations such as the St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Advancement Committee, where he is a 2015 Signum Fidei Society inductee. John and Suzanne Berger were corporate co-chairs of the 2015 Catholic Charities of Buffalo Appeal and served as the chair couple for the 2014 Lasallian “Bright Futures” Dinner and Auction. The Bergers reside in Williamsville, where they are parishioners of St. Gregory the Great parish. John Berger received his bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Bonaventure in 1988. Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First, is a lifelong resident of Buffalo. He began his esteemed journalism career at the Buffalo Courier-Express and is the founding editor of Business First. Connors currently serves as the chairman of the board of trustees of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, treasurer of the Library Foundation of Buffalo and Erie County and as a member of the Workforce Investment Board. A graduate of Canisius College and SUNY at Albany, Connors resides in Hamburg with his wife, Maureen. They have three grown children, two of whom — son Darcy, ’09, and daughter Maura, ’05 — are St. Bonaventure graduates. Fr. Joseph Bayne, O.F.M., Conv. (Our Lady of the Angels Province friar), a native of Baltimore, serves as the executive director of The Franciscan Center, Inc. of Buffalo. Since 1990, Fr. Bayne has worked to help at-risk teenagers transform their lives and re-enter family life or independent living through goal-setting. His work also includes helping men, women and children in crisis situations through outreach, counseling and referrals. Among many other things, he dedicates much time and energy serving as Chaplain to the Buffalo Fire Department, the Town of Hamburg Police Department and the Erie County Emergency services. In 1980, Fr. Bayne received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts. He also attended St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary, where he was ordained a priest in 1985.
About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #5 best college value in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.
The Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial, celebrates Mass with the friars of Convento e Paróquia São Sebastião, in Araruama, Rio de Janeiro – Brazil (on March 31, 2016)
Friars, Postulants, and Apirants for whom Fr. James celebrated Mass in Portuguese at our Church of Saint Sebastian in Araruama
Over 100 lay associations of Catholic families, living in voluntary poverty, engage themselves in the Church’s social mission. In Araruama, Friar James visited with Anderson and his wife Aparacida (pictured with their six daughters and neighbors) who oversee a therapeutic farm for the rehabilitation of youth with alcohol and drug abuse problems.
Fr. Cláudio Vieira Pereira, OFM Conv. and Fr. James at the cloister of the Poor Clares of Rio de Janeiro, whom they visited on Divine Mercy Sunday.
On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Minister Provincial celebrated Mass in Portuguese for the nine postulants and aspirants at our Custody’s St. Bonaventure Formation House (Convento e Casa de Formação São Boaventura) in Petrópolis, Brazil. He was joined by the Custos (Custódio Vicar), Fr. Ronaldo Gomes da Silva Pároco, OFM Conv.
Excerpt from an April 6, 2016 letter to the friars, by Fr. James:
Having returned yesterday from our Custody in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I can happily report that Our Lord’s Easter Rising is being mirrored in the upbeat accomplishments of Rio’s new Vicar-Custos (Ronaldo Gomes da Silva Pároco) and his administration… My week with the Rio friars affirmed their resilience on several levels – fraternal, economical, formational, canonical, administrative, and apostolic. A spirit of optimism prevails, as next year’s Custodial Chapter looms.
The year 2016 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Order’s presence in Brazil… Rio stands as the first implantatio Ordinis in all of South and Central America, where we now have fraternities in 15 countries. The Order will convoke a Congress in July to commemorate the Order’s 70th Anniversary on this continent. Preparations for the Congress are well underway. The Custos and his Definitory are working with the Assistant General for FALC (Federación Conventuales America Latina) to cover every detail. There will be 80 invited friars from all over the world converging on Rio, including the Minister General and his General Definitory. The friars took me to the Regina Coeli Spirituality Centre, where we shall be hosting the Congress. The facility is simple and homey, with a welcoming Mother Superior (“Irma Aparecida”) whose heart is as big as herself. Our Franciscan Congress will take place less than a month before the Rio Olympics.
…Since the friars were celebrating the Easter Octave, they organized a fraternal day of relaxation at “Leisure Island,” a resort owned by one of the parishioners in Araruama. We had the whole park to ourselves for swimming, boating, enjoying the small zoo replete with flamingos, black swans, toucans, araras (macaws), ostriches, and peacocks.
…After years with a dearth of vocations, the Custody is now enjoying a resurgence of new vocations. The recent decision of the new Vicar-Custos and his Definitory to re-open the formation house in Petrópolis is proving to be farsighted. We now have 9 aspirants and postulants in Petrópolis. I celebrated Mass for them on Divine Mercy Sunday. During their one year of aspirancy and three years of postulancy, our students attend the Catholic University in Petrópolis,… the former “Imperial City” of Brazil… the students often use the formation community’s single computer to access websites of the Order. Among their favorite discoveries was a photo of Bishop Gregory Hartmayer (of Savannah) throwing out the pitch at a Georgia baseball match. (Bishop) Gregory now has rock-star and sports icon status among our Brazilian aspirants and postulants!
At one point during my visit, (Friar) Ronaldo took me to meet a gentleman named Anderson who founded a lay Catholic community. The commune, named “Divina Cruz,” comprises several families, who live in voluntary poverty, and engage in farmwork and therapeutic care for young adults fighting addictions. Anderson and his wife Aparecida have six daughters. Prayer, work, community, charity, service, and poverty are the hallmark of their Catholic lives. Joy radiates.
…In terms of future development and financial solidarity, the friars have been seeking ways to exercise good stewardship under the careful scrutiny of the Custodial Bursar (Pároco e Ecônomo Cust), Friar Ariel who has a fine working relationship with the Province Treasurer. One of our financial initiatives includes the Order’s property in Andrelandia, where we now have paying tenants renting some of the facility of our former St. Bonaventure College and Seminary. For some years the friars were absent from Andrelandia. In the past three months, we have undertaken the re-establishment of our presence at the site, with an experimental “hermitage” fraternity. The local folks in Andrelandia have been thrilled to welcome back the friars. They have an enormous esteem for the late missionary friar from Massachusetts, Fr. Martin de Porres Ward, OFM Conv. I had no time to visit Andrelandia on this trip, but heard all about it, and shall stop there during my canonical visitation later this year.
…On my last day in Rio, two of the friars and I visited with a benefactor businessman, to discuss future development projects that have some realistic possibilities. The friars are trying to work towards financial self-reliance at the same time as they are discerning the needs of the local Church, and ways in which our Franciscan charism can be put at the service of the greater community. To say that I was impressed by this visionary outlook would be an understatement.
No visit with the Brazilian friars would be complete without their taking the Minister Provincial to visit the Poor Clare nuns in Rio. The legendary Mother Pacifica has been the Abbess there for 46 years. She still rules the roost, albeit with a velvet glove… Before I left, the nuns said a prayer together – and sang – for all of the friars of the Custody and Province. With the likes of Mother Pacifica and the Poor Clares supporting us, is it any wonder that the Friars of Rio are on the upswing?
Your brother James ~ 6th April 2016
Friar Nicholas Swiatek, OFM Conv, and his Kindergarten teachers at the End of Year party.
Fr. Nicholas Swiatek, OFM Conv. is currently serving the parishioners of Our lady of the Assumption, the Akabane Catholic Church, in Kita-ku, Tokyo-to, Japan. He recently send a “Happy Easter” letter to one of our friars, with a few updates on his ministry there. He speaks of his pastoral duties, such as marriage preparation, Religious Education classes and talks such as the Saint of the Month presentations to the women’s club, a talk on the Year of Mercy, St. Maximilian’s origination of the Militia of the Immaculata, as well as writing articles for the parish newspaper. He spoke of the March 11th, 5th Anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Fukushima area of Japan and how there is till a very long road to recovery for the people of the area. Anniversaries are very important to the Japanese people and often the news is filled with memorials and Buddhist prayer services or the Prime Minister offering perspective, speaking of politics and current events. US political election drama is often in the news, as well but mostly it is news of the severe and sometimes tragic weather of the area. He is strengthened by the presence of about 15 “hardy parishioners” at the 6:30 a.m. Mass each day, which he concludes with the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer of the Church before heading to his breakfast. Another source of great joy are the students. He has 45 kindergartners headed to 1st grade on April 8th with 125 of them moving onto the next level of kindergarten. Periodically he gets to teach the older students some English, as well. He says that Tokyo is gearing up for the 2020 Olympics with lots of preparations for logistics as well as for the athletes. He finds it interesting that they are refurbishing many old buildings and the landscape is always changing.
At the parish Easter Vigil, they celebrated 15 baptisms and on Easter Sunday, 8 children received their First Eucharist. Just as we on the East Coast celebrate the revelry that surrounds the Springtime National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., (commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington), so do the people of Tokyo look forward to each April and not only those beautiful blossoms but all of the bounty of their gardens. It is a great joy for Friar Nicholas to see his garden blossoming bounty of sweet peas, leeks and leaf lettuce. He will come visit the US in May and extends his thanks to all of his confreres who remember him on his Names Day. Prayers are always helpful and forever needed.
Please keep Friar Nicholas and all of our friars serving over seas, in your continued prayers.
NewsItem.com May 1, 2106 Article
Our Province is sponsoring an East Coast of North America pilgrimage of St. Maximilian’s relics to commemorate this historic anniversary. 
