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.
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).
July 6, 2018: Friar Gerard Mary Toman, OFM Conv., a friar of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody in Great Britain/Ireland (aka The Greyfriars), was Ordained to the Priesthood by the Right Reverend William Kenney CP, Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. The 1:00 p.m. ordination took place at the Church of The Precious Blood of Our Lord and All Souls, in Coventry, England. Fr. Gerard Mary’s First Mass was celebrated on July 7th, at All Souls and he now serves at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Congratulations, Fr. Gerald Mary Toman, OFM Conv.!
Fr. Maximilian Avila Pacheco, OFM Conv., one of the recently ordained friars of our province, shares a reflection on his summer pilgrimage:
“From Sunday July 22nd to Saturday 28th, I walked the last portion of ‘El Camino de Santiago.’ El Camino, know in English as ‘The Way of Saint James,’ is a pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle James the Greater in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. I started walking at Ponferrada, about 130 miles away from Compostela, where the Spanish Conventual Franciscan province has a house to care for pilgrims, and walked an average of 20 miles daily. Needless to say, it was a demanding adventure, but the prize is worth a thousandfold. Once I arrived in Compostela and prayed at the tomb of Saint James, all physical pain disappeared and joy came to my soul. After six long and excruciating days of walking, the feeling and the emotion of reaching the resting place of the apostle is something that words cannot describe. Simply, it was a wonderful experience! Moreover, I was able to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral on Saturday and Sunday, where I prayed for the Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, and specially for each ‘James’ in the province.”
Friar Max is a new instructor at our St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, NY) ministry.
Please keep him, and all of the members of the St. Francis High School family, in your prayers.
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” (
I started walking at Ponferrada, about 130 miles away from Compostela, where the Spanish Conventual Franciscan province has a house to care for pilgrims, and walked an average of 20 miles daily. Needless to say, it was a demanding adventu
re, but the prize is worth a thousandfold. Once I arrived in Compostela and prayed at the tomb of Saint James, all physical pain disappeared and joy came to my soul. 
After six long and