On Saturday, September 8, 2018, the celebration Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at our Shrine of St. Anthony included the Celebration of Mass for the Solemn Profession of Vows of  Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Brother Emmanuel Wenke, OFM Conv.
During the Rite of Religious Profession, the Director of Formation for our province, Fr. Mark Szanyi, OFM Conv. called the name of the candidate (Br. Manny) for profession, who stood and responded, “Present.” Our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. then asked of Br. Manny, “My dear brother, What do you ask of the Lord and of his Holy Church?” By standing and responding, Br. Manny indicated his desire to profess. Friar James served as the Main Celebrant and Homilist for the Mass and when he had completed the homily, he again addressed Br. Manny; questioning his readiness to consecrate himself to God and to seek perfect charity according to the Rule and Constitutions of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.
The Litany of the Saints was then sung, as Br. Manny lay prostrate before the altar; a symbol of petition, submission and adoration.
Br. Manny rose and joyfully knelt before Friar James with his hands between our Minister Provincial’s palms, resting on the Book of the Gospels, as he recited the formula of profession. “To the praise and the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, I, Friar Emmanuel Wenke, inspired by Divine Grace to follow the Gospel more closely, in the footsteps of Our Lord Jesus Christ, with firm faith and will, in the presence of my brothers, into your hands, Friar James, vow to God, the Holy and Omnipotent Father, to live for the entire time of my life, in obedience, without anything of my own, and in chastity, and I also promise to observe faithfully the Life and Rule of the Friars Minor, confirmed by Pope Honorius, according to the constitutions of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. Therefore, I commit myself to this fraternity with my whole heart, so that by the working of the Holy Spirit, the example of Mary Immaculate, the intercession of our father Francis and all the saints, with the help of my brothers, in the service of God, the Church and humanity, I may attain perfect charity.”
Friar James then accepted the reception of the Solemn Vows of Br. Emmanuel Wenke, OFM Conv. and they proceed to sign the Book of Profession, as witnessed by Fr. Joseph Dorniak, OFM Conv. and Fr. Dennis Mason, OFM Conv. Friar James confered a Solemn Consecration of the Professed and all of the friars present joined in the traditional Franciscan antiphon,  “O Patriarcha Paperum.” The friars ended the Rite with a Fraternal Embrace, as all of the Solemnly Professed friars came forward to welcome Br. Manny as newly professed into the Order.
Also serving at the Mass were Friar Christopher Dudek, OFM Conv. (Deacon), Br. Nicholas Romeo, OFM Conv. (Master of Ceremonies), brother Timothy Blanchard, OFM Conv. (Server), friar Franck Sokpolie, OFM Conv.(Server), friar Bede Thigpen, OFM Conv. (Server), friar Christopher Garcia, OFM Conv. (Server), Br. Manny’s brother – Jude Wenke (Lector), Trisha Dorgan (Pianist/Organist), Christine McComas (Cantor) and Gene Jancuk (Vocal/Guitar). The gifts were presented by the father and mother of the professed, Matthew & Mary Wenke, & Sr. Eleanor Beret, OSF.

The Mass was presented via LIVEFEED on our Province Facebook page.

On Friday, September 7, 2018, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar,
Fr. Lucjan Królikowski, OFM Conv. celebrated his 99th Birthday
with fun and fellowship, alongside his confreres, friends and the school families of the
St. John Paul II School of Culture and Polish Language
(a ministry of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Bridgeport, CT).
More Pictures posted by the school.

Read more one the incredible life of Friar Lucjan

Today, September 5th, we fondly remember Saint Teresa of Calcutta, on her Feast Day. She and our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. (pictured here in 1997) enjoyed a rich friendship. He was blessed to be in attendance at St. Peter’s Basilica as she was canonized by Pope Francis, on Sept. 4, 2016.

Read more from the Spring 2017 Edition of the online St. Anthony Companion

Monday, September 3, 2018: Having been approved for re-admission to the Order by our Minister General, the Most Reverend Fr. Marco Tasca, OFM Conv. and his General Definitory. Br. Vincent Vivian, OFM Conv. was re-invested in the habit of the Order as a member of Our Lady of the Angels Province, by our Minister Provincial – the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., during Mass in the Provincialate chapel.  He will now begin the canonically required 3-year period of probation – living with and ministering as a healthcare assistant with our friars of St. Catharine of Siena Friary in Seaside Park, NJ.

On August 15, 2018, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Reto Davatz, OFM Conv. moved from the sunny state of Georgia, USA (where he served as chaplain at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) to Flüeli-Ranft, Switzerland, where the Swiss Franciscan Friars Conventual have a friary located at the pilgrimage site of the birthplace, hermitage, and final resting place of Switzerland’s patron saint, Niklaus von Flüe, aka “Bruder Klaus” (1417-1487). Friar Reto will minister with the friars of the Konvent St. Franciscus, serving with his confreres as chaplains to the pilgrims who visit the Bruder Klaus Pilgrimage Site.
Our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. visited Friar Reto, from August 27-30th. There, he met with Friar Daniele Brocca, OFM Conv., the Custos of the Provincial Custody of St. Leopold and St. Nicolas of Flüe (of the Province of St. Elizabeth – Germany) and with the local friars with whom Friar Reto be living and working. These friars will help in the efforts to rebuild the presence of our Order, in the Alpine region – North of Italy.

Konvent St. Franciscus – Gemeinschaft der Franziskaner Konventualen (St. Francis Friary – Community Franciscan Conventual)

The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi ~ October 3rd
The Solemnity of Our Seraphic Father Francis ~ October 4th

Known as the Transitus (Latin: crossing/passage), the Vigil of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated by Franciscans all over the world with prayer, scripture readings, joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving. It is the night commemorating the death (in 1226) of our beloved Seraphic Father, as he crossed over from life on earth to eternal life with the Lord. Just as with all of the saints, he holds a special place in the Body of Christ, of which Christ is the Head (Colossians 1:18). Through intercessory prayers, saints in heaven (members of the Church who have arrived at perfect union with Christ) play an integral role in the life of the Church, by praying for those still on our earthly pilgrimage of faith.

Traditionally the celebration of a Saints’ Feast Day is marking the date of the saint’s death and is remembered by the faithful with special mention, prayers, and scripture readings.  For Franciscans, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th) is so much more. It is a day filled with celebration and joy, including the traditional Blessing of the Animals and gatherings of fellowship with our brothers and sisters, in Christ. Join our friars for the celebrations surrounding the Feast Day. To find contact information for our ministry nearest to you, please visit our Locations page.

One such celebration will be held at our Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) and co-hosted by our student friars studying at The Catholic University of America (Washington DC).

Our province has two shrines where our friars serve. In addition to the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD) we have a shrine in Fonda, NY ~ The Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site. They will also host a Transitus celebration the night of October 3, 2018, including a 7:00 p.m. Candlelight Procession and service in the Shrine’s St. Peter’s Chapel. All are Welcome!

Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., a friar from our province serving as Bishop of Savannah, GA, issued this August 23, 2018 letter regarding the “Morality Crisis” in the Catholic Church today.

“Vision of St. Francis of Assisi” by Vincente Carducho – 1631

O Virgin of the Angels,
who has for centuries established your throne of mercy at the Portiuncula,
hear the prayer of your children, who trust in you.
From this truly holy place and the habitation of the Lord,
so dear to the heart of Saint Francis, you have always invited all men to love.
Your tender eyes assure us of a never failing motherly help
and a promise of divine help to all those who humbly have recourse to your throne,
or who from afar, turn to you to ask for help.
You are, indeed, our sweet Queen and our only hope.
O Lady of the Angles,
obtain for us, through the intercession of blessed Francis,
pardon for our sins,
help us to keep away from sin and indifference,
so that we shall be worthy of calling you our Mother for evermore.
Bless our homes, our toil and our rest,
by giving us that same serenity we experience within the walls of the Portiuncula,
where hate, guilt and tears turn into a song of joy
like that once was sung by the Angels and the seraphic Francis.
Help those who are in need and hungry,
those who are in danger of body and soul,
those who are sad and downhearted,
those who are sick and dying.
Bless us, your most beloved children,
and we pray you, bless also with the same motherly gesture,
all those who are innocent, together with those who are guilty;
those who are faithful, together with those who have gone astray;
those who believe, together with those who are in doubt.
Bless all humanity,
so that all men acknowledging that they are God’s children,
would find through love, real Peace and real Good.
Amen

Alphonse Legros (May 8, 1837 – December 8, 1911): The Blessing of the Sea

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 year, hundreds of the Faithful joined our friars for 9:00 a.m. Mass in the Jenkinstown Beach Pavilon (a resort space donated by the Storino family, owners) followed by a procession on the beach to the sea. There, after the blessing of the ocean with holy water by Friar Pedro deOliveira, OFM Conv. (Pastor), he and Friar Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) dipped Friar Marek’s personal statue of Our Lady, into the sea. Friar Pedro then climbed up a lifeguard stand with the statue and held her high for all to see, as he made the sign of the cross. The procession of Faithful then went down to the shoreline to gather the blessed water for their homes. As Friar Pedro explained in the August 17, 2018 Issue of The Ocean Star, this is am important tradition for the people of Point Pleasant Beach because so much of their daily lives revolve around the sea.
The parish bulletin for August 12th also 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.”

All four of our friars, who live in the St. Peter Friary and serve the people of the parish and school, celebrated Mass that day, including Friar Richard Rossell, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar) and Friar Brennan Joseph Farleo, OFM Conv. (Parochial Vicar).

See more photos from the day from The Ocean Star