Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. hosted  Br. Nick Romeo, OFM Conv. – Vocations Director for our province, as they share about life as a Franciscan Friar Conventual and about the process of discerning the call to life as a friar.

The mural {created by our own Fr. Joe Dorniak, OFM Conv.} painted above the Sanctuary Space of our Chapel in The Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) depicts St. Francis receiving the Stigmata.

September 17th – Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

Excerpt from the January 27, 2010 General Audience with Pope Benedict XVI:
“In 1224, at the hermitage in La Verna, Francis had a vision of the Crucified Lord in the form of a seraph and from that encounter received the stigmata from the Seraph Crucifix, thus becoming one with the Crucified Christ.” Read More

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, 1483–1486, fresco, Sassetti Chapel, Santa Trínita, Florence.

Note: The Franciscan Coat of Arms can be found throughout the ministries, friaries, missions and sites served by the many Orders of Franciscan Friars, around the world. Each version (or artistic interpretation) has the same key elements: the image of the crossed arms with nail wounds in the hands – one representing Christ and the other St. Francis of Assisi who bore the Stigmata. There is also a form of the cross often depicted as the letter “T.” It is actually a “Tau,” the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
A favorite passage for St. Francis of Assisi was Ezekiel 9:4 “… and the LORD said to him:Pass through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a T (X in English translations) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced within it …” The faithful of God were signed with the ‘tau’ and spared. “… But do not touch anyone marked with the T …” (Ezekiel 9:6)
St. Francis’ love of this verse was cemented through Pope Innocent III’s use of this imagery during his November 11, 1215 homily at the Fourth Lateran Council, the most important religious event in the time of St. Francis. Every Catholic in the Church of that time was challenged to take the symbol of the Tau Cross as the sign of their own Passover and Pope Innocent III ended his homily with “Be champions of the Tau!”

Each year, the Church celebrates Priesthood Sunday on the last Sunday in September. Priesthood Sunday is a time set aside to celebrate our priests, without whom the Sacraments could not be celebrated. A great way to participate this year (September 27) is to take the opportunity to promote vocations within your families, schools, teams, workplaces, organizations, groups of friends, and local communities.

Here is a tip to get the conversation started:
While it is good and necessary for everyone to “pray for more priests,” it would be even better if you also ENCOURAGE young men to become priests. Follow these steps:
1. Think of a young man in your life, who you think would make a good priest.
2. Ask him, directly and clearly, if he’s ever considered priesthood.
3. Tell him the specific gift you see in him that led you to ask the question, and encourage him to keep his heart open.
4. Give him our Vocation Director’s contact information.

Br. Nicholas Romeo, OFM Conv.
Vocation Director – Our Lady of the Angels Province
202-681-6051
vocations@olaprovince.org

This summer, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Peter Tremblay, OFM Conv., Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life at Elon University, took some time in the woodworking worship to build a new altar for the Elon Catholic Campus Ministry (at left). The altar was built using wood from oak trees that had grown on campus and were felled when new buildings were being constructed. The needs of the ministry require an altar that can be stored when not in use. This altar is easily [dis]assembled and was an original design by Friar Peter.
On Sunday, September 6, 2020, Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zarama ~ Bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, came to campus to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, for the blessing of the new academic year. At that time, he also blessed the new altar (pictured above with Friar Peter at the far right and Fr. Vincent Rubino, OFM Conv., Guardian of the Blessed Sacrament Friary where Friar Peter resides at the far left. Friar Vincent serves as Parochial Vicar at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community, in Burlington/Graham, NC).
Pictured below with Friar Peter is Bishop Zarama, Dr. Constance “Connie” Ledoux Book, Ph.D. ~ Elon’s President, and Mr. Russ Smith ~ a community member who helped Friar Peter build the altar.

After working with our senior friars and the other residents at Our Lady of the Angels Care Center (Enfield, CT), a group of Master of Occupational Therapy students from Bay Path University (Longmeadow, MA) shared some photos of their favorite moments.

Friar Augustine Pilatowski, OFM Conv. works with a student therapist.

Friar Dennis Sokolowski, OFM Conv. enjoys a snack.

Friar Vincent Lachendro, OFM Conv. enjoying his therapy.

Our province appreciates all those working with and serving our senior friars at the Care Center.
Gracious God,
today we remember in particular all who work in Occupational Therapy.
They serve the physical needs of so many
whose bodies labor to be whole and strong.
Steady their hands and hearts in this service
and give them the patience that comes from You,
a patience born of love for all those who need their skill and care.
May they know the gratitude of those whom they serve
and be strengthened in the knowledge that what they do,
they do in Your name.
Amen.

Our Lady of the Angels Province Director of Vocations, Br. Nick Romeo, OFM Conv. visited our friars of St. Francis Friary, in Syracuse, NY, over the August 28-30, 2020 weekend. He was on hand to present a reflection during Mass at Assumption Church, (video of Mass), served by Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. – Pastor & Chaplain of FrancisCorps, Friar Nicholas Spano, OFM Conv. – Pastoral Associate & Chaplain of the Franciscan Place Chapel & Gift Shoppe at Destiny USA, and Friar Gregory Spuhler, OFM Conv. – Director of the Food Pantry & Soup Kitchen.

Br. Nick was also able to share his message (audio below) during Masses in Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel (photo above) and in the St. Thomas More Chapel, after he is introduced by Friar Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. who celebrated the Masses and who serves as Campus Minister at the SU Catholic Center.

St. Francis Friary of Syracus, NY is home to ten friars. Still in active ministry are Friar Ed Falsey, OFM Conv. – Friary Guardian & Psychotherapist with Brightpath Counseling Center, and Friar Robert Amrhein, OFM Conv. who serves in Priestly Ministry at the Franciscan Place Chapel. Also residing in the St. Francis Friary are three more retired friars living in community there and one visiting friar from India who is continuing his studies at Syracuse University.

Includes a Memorial for Fr. Brad Heckathorne, OFM Conv. (JULY 11, 2020)

During this age of the Corona virus pandemic, the Friars of the Our Lady of the Angels Province have been doing their part to comfort, inspire, motivate and serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of their communities.

Our province includes the Province Delegation of St. Francis of Assisi (Canada). The Provincial Delegate, Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM  Conv. also serves as our Delegate to the M.I., Guardian of the St. André Bessette Friary, in Ottawa, Ontario and as the Vocation Director for the Delegation. Approved as a delegation in 2018 and officially stablished on February 14, 2019, the Delegation of St. Francis of Assisi (Canada) celebrated its first new profession last August 2019, as Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv. visited our parishes and friars in Ontario.
If you live on the East Coast of Canada, are a single, Catholic male, 18-40 years old, in good health, and have a desire to learn, serve, sacrifice, and share a common life, contact Friar Jobe at vocations.ofmconv.canada@gmail.com or 613-558-1962, for more information.