Consistent with our Franciscan charism and tradition of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our province is progressing in our efforts to more fully tap into this devotion from our Kolbean heritage, through the example of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv., and the continued efforts of his Militia of the Immaculata’s (M.I.) unconditional consecration to the Immaculate. With a view to promoting consecration to the Immaculate among the faithful served through the ministries of our friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv., who serves as our Province MI Assistant, has completed the sixth stop on our Province M.I Initiative Tour of our pastoral ministries. Over the next few years, Friar Jobe will preach at the Masses to encourage the faithful to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate and to enroll in the M.I.
Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary’s Parish, in Brooklyn, NY
On the weekend of August 24-25, 2019, Our Lady of the Angels Province friars ~ Fr. Raphael Zwolenkiewicz, OFM Conv (Friary Guardian and Pastor), Fr. Nader Ata, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar), Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. (Vocations Director) and Fr. Tomaz Ryba, OFM Conv. (Friar from Krakow serving as Parochial Vicar) welcomed Friar Jobe to our Most Holy Trinity Friary and Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary’s Parish (Brooklyn, NY) for the sixth stop on our M.I Initiative Tour of our pastoral ministries.
With the help of our friars serving at the parish, our message was well received in the parish’s three languages – Spanish, Polish and English. The weekend was made all the more special since that Monday, August 26th was the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa (see note below). Many of the parishioners who made their personal consecration to the Immaculate, after the 12.30 p.m. Mass, are pictured above, with Friar Raphael (center right in green vestments) and Friar Jobe (center left in dark grey habit).
Note taken from the parish’s August 27, 2019 bulletin: “The devotion to Our Lady of Częstochowa centers on the icon of our Blessed Mother. Painted on wood, the icon itself depicts Mary pointing with her right hand and holding the Infant Jesus in her left; technically, this depiction of the Blessed Mother is identified in iconography as Hodegetria. As in other icons, Jesus looks like a small man held by his Mother, an imagery that reminds the faithful that Jesus is fully mature in His divine nature. Over time, due to exposure to devotional candles, the image has darkened, and consequently, Our Lady of Częstochowa is also known as the “Black Madonna.” As to its origins, tradition holds that St. Luke painted the icon on a wooden table top made by St. Joseph, which Mary had kept when she moved to Ephesus and lived under the care of St. John the Apostle. Remember St. Luke included in his Gospel details of the annunciation, visitation, Christmas, the presentation in the Temple and the finding in the Temple, which were not included in the other Gospels and which he must have learned from Mary herself. St. Helena is credited with finding the icon.”
Friar Marius-Ciprian Tomulesei, OFM Conv. poses with a few parishioners of Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, gathered for the St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. Novena (Dublin, Ireland)
Friar Aidan Walsh, OFM Conv. and Friar Joseph Connick, OFM Conv. sharing fraternal joy inside of the friary. (Dublin, Ireland)
Friar James (center) with (left to right) Friar Solanus M. Simms, OFM Conv., Friar Robert Cojoc, OFM Conv., Friar Aquino Maliakkal, OFM Conv. and Friar Joseph Fenton, OFM Conv., at St. Francis Friary. (Wexford, Ireland)
Each year, on August 15th our friars serving at our pastoral ministry of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ celebrate a unique Mass with the community, for the Solemnity of Assumption of Our Lady. The Mass always includes the Blessing of the Sea. This is am important tradition for the people of Point Pleasant Beach because so much of their daily lives revolve around the sea. As the parish bulletin for August 12, 2018 explained: “It is a custom in many coastal regions in the US and Europe to have special blessings of the water –the sea or ocean– on the Feast of the Assumption. The custom originated in the 15th century Italy. A bishop traveling from Venice, during a storm at sea on the Feast of the Assumption, prayed and threw his pastoral ring into the sea from the ship. The waters were calmed. In these “blessings of the sea” celebrations, after the priest blessed the water, the people wade out into the water and fill bottles with it, and use the holy water in their homes.”
This year, Friar Brennan-Joseph Farleo, OFM Conv. remained at the parish to have Mass for those who could not attend, as hundreds of the Faithful joined Friar Pedro de Oliveira, OFM Conv. (Pastor), Friar Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) and Friar Richard Rossell, OFM Conv. for Mass on the nearby Boardwalk. Friar Pedro and Friar Marek then dipped a statue of Our Lady, into the sea after the procession of Faithful gathered at the water’s edge. Many on hand then gathered the blessed water for their homes.
Friar Marek carries a statue of Our Lady, as Friar Pedro processes with parishioners to the water’s edge.
Fr. José Guadalupe Matus Castillo, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) processes with the parishioners to the sea.
Blessing of the Ocean at Saint Junípero Serra Parish
Once again this year, the Parish of Saint Junípero Serra gathered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Seaside Heights, NJ, for the celebration of the Eucharist on the Solemnity of the Assumption with a procession to the shore and a blessing of the ocean.
Parishioners of Saint Junípero Serra Parish carry the Statue of Our Lady, in a procession from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Seaside Heights to the shoreline.
Consistent with our Franciscan charism and tradition of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our province is progressing in our efforts to more fully tap into this devotion from our Kolbean heritage, through the example of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv., and the continued efforts of his Militia of the Immaculata’s (M.I.) unconditional consecration to the Immaculate. With a view to promoting consecration to the Immaculate among the faithful served through the ministries of our friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv., who serves as our Province MI Assistant, has completed the fifth stop on our Province M.I Initiative Tour of our pastoral ministries. Over the next few years, Friar Jobe will preach at the Masses to encourage the faithful to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate and to enroll in the M.I.
On the weekend of August 17-18, 2019, Our Lady of the Angels Province friars ~ Fr. Miroslaw “Mirek” Podymniak, OFM Conv (Friary Guardian and Pastor), Fr. Herman Czaster, OFM Conv. and Fr. Stanisław Czerwonka, OFM Conv. (Friar from Krakow serving as Parochial Vicar) welcomed Friar Jobe to our St. Adalbert Friary and St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church (Elmhurst, NY) for the fifth stop on our M.I Initiative Tour of our pastoral ministries.
All four Sunday liturgies were well attended and the parishioners warmly received the invitation to make their personal consecration and join the M.I. In the photo are Fr. Jobe (green vestments) and Fr. Mirek (standing behind in habit) together with some of the faithful at the 11.30 Mass who made their consecration. On the weekend of August 24-25, 2019, our M.I. Initiative Tour moves to Most Holy Trinity Parish in Brooklyn, NY.
Event coverage featuring friar Raad Eshoo, OFM. Conv., one of the recently professed friars of our Province Delegation of St Francis of Assisi (Canada), born in Mosul, Iraq.
Little Portion Farm’ Restores Land While Providing Produce For Those In Need: “Those who lovingly work their small expanse fields reap enough not only for ourselves but for others,” Friar Mike said.
Friar Lucjan was arrested by the Soviets around the time St. Maximilian Kolbe was arrested by the Germans. He professed his Simple Vows three days before the war broke out in Poland, in the presence of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
A sampling of the St. Ignatius Martyr Church Parishioners in attendance gathered with friar Raad (holding flowers) and the friars who concelebrated Mass: Fr. James Fukes, OFM Conv. (top row second from left), Fr. Sebastian Karamvelil, OFM Conv. – Pastor of St. Ignatius (2rd from left), Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv. – Provincial Delegate (center front) and Fr. Ed Debono, OFM Conv. (5th from right)
Over the weekend of August 9-10, 2019, several of the friars of our Province’s Canadian Delegation of St. Francis of Assisi came together in Ottawa, Ontario to honor friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv.; the first friar of the new Delegation to Profess his Simple Vows, since it was erected on February 14, 2019. Friar Raad was on hand for Friday Mass at St Ignatius Martyr Church, and the Saturday Evening Vigil Mass at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. After both, he shared his vocation story with the parishioners. A reception followed Saturday’s Mass, affording those in attendance the opportunity to meet and congratulate Friar Raad. Both events were successful and helped to raise awareness of the need for an increase in Vocations.
A sampling of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Parishioners in attendance at the reception, gathered with (left to right front row) Fr. Sebastian, Fr. Jobe, friar Raad, and Fr. Dominic Lim, OFM Conv. – Pastor of Assumption.
In 2011, several years before the late +Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, OFM Conv. returned to our Order, where he spent the last two years of his life as a Franciscan Friar Conventual of our Province, he recorded this video Novena at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Lacrosse, Wisconsin; a ministry of the Franciscans of the Immaculate. +Friar Peter Damian was welcomed by Sister Death on May 8, 2018, but we are grateful that his writings and his gifted words are a great source of prayerful comfort and peace.
Friar Juan Lopez, OFM Conv. (left – a Transitional Deacon Friar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province in Mexico, who has been studying in the USA and assisting at Assumption this summer.) and Friar Ed Falsey, OFM Conv. (right – Guardian of St. Francis Friary, serving as a Psychotherapist at a local counseling center) listen to a presentation by FrancisCorps Director – Mr. AJ LaPointe
Mayor Walsh, Friar Jim, Bishop Cunningham, and Friar James
July 19-25, 2019: FrancisCorps celebrated their 20th Anniversary with an alumni reception at Assumption Church, an alumni reunion at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, and a banquet at the Embassy Suites attended by over 280 Syracuse community members, alumni and friars.
Special guests included the Syracuse Mayor – Ben Walsh, Retiring Bishop of Syracuse – Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham, and the Minister Provincial of our Province – the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., as well as the Vicar Provincial of our Province – Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. who served as Homilist for the Mass at the conclusion of the weekend, held at the Franciscan Church of the Assumption, in Syracuse, NY, with principal celebrant, Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. – Chaplain and Pastor of Assumption.
Members of FC1 with the Founder of FrancisCorps – Br. Jim Moore, OFM Conv. (center) and former Co-Minister – Br. Tom Purcell, OFM Conv. (right)
A few weeks later, on August 4, 2019, Fr. James (lower right) returned to welcome the six volunteers of FrancisCorps 21. They are pictured above with FrancisCorps Staff Members: Chaplain and Pastor of Assumption – Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. (lower left), Director – Mr. AJ LaPointe (top right), and Associate Director and member of FC17 – Ms. Johanna Cajina (top left). Missing from the photo is CoMinister – Sr. Caryn Crook, OSF.
FrancisCorp 21 volunteers were commissioned during 10:00 a.m. Mass, at our pastoral ministry – the Franciscan Church of the Assumption, in Syracuse, NY.
