Dear Parishioners and Friends,
One day recently, while waiting for the washing machine in the basement of the friary to finish a load of laundry (yes, we do our own laundry!), I wandered around the library in the Friary Meeting Room. There, I discovered a copy of the book Medieval Francis in Modern America, written by Fr. Adalbert Callahan, O.F.M. and published in 1936. This venerable old volume tells the story of how the Franciscan Friars came to the eastern part of the United States from Italy back in the mid-19th century and established themselves in New York and Connecticut. Later, Friars arrived from Fulda, Germany to minister in northern New Jersey. These two groups eventually grew to form two new Franciscan provinces: Most Holy Name of Jesus in 1901 and Immaculate Conception in 1910.
In October of this year, Holy Name Province, together with five additional Franciscan provinces which cover the rest of the continental United States, are due to form one province under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province. Immaculate Conception Province, whose Friars staff St. Joseph Parish in Winsted, has opted to remain a separate entity.
This week, June 4 to 9, the friars of Holy Name Province will meet for our final Provincial Chapter at Siena College in Loudonville, NY near Albany. It will certainly be a bittersweet moment for all of us, especially those of us who have spent the better part of our lives as friars. Holy Name Province was once one of the largest Franciscan provinces in the world, reaching just about 1,000 members. Our foreign missions once extended to Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Japan and China. However, today we number about 250 friars, many of whom are retired or in health care facilities. Once the six provinces are united, we will number about 700 friars.
St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church stretches its history back to 1829 when our parish was first established, making it the oldest Catholic parish in the State of Connecticut. However, Franciscans made their first presence in the Nutmeg State in 1865 when Bishop Francis P. McFarland invited the friars to serve in the Diocese of Hartford at Winsted. That parish was once served by friars from Holy Name Province, but in recent years it has been served by friars of Immaculate Conception Province. It wasn’t until 1990 that the friars of Holy Name Province were invited to serve here at St. Patrick-St. Anthony. With our parish’s bicentennial in 2029 just six years from now, it is my fond hope that the Franciscans will be here to celebrate it with you.
During this week’s Chapter, we will spend time reflecting on the past 122 years of fraternal life and ministry as members of Holy Name Province. We will celebrate, and offer thanks to God, for those many friars who did great things for the love of God, the Church, the Franciscan Order, our Province, and especially for the people we are privileged to serve. Our ministries, both present and past, have been numerous, including parishes; high schools and colleges; retreat houses; soup kitchens and direct service to the poor; foreign missions; hospital, fire and military chaplaincies; itinerant preaching; art and architecture; magazine and book publishing. You name it – the friars have done it!
Stories will be told (and re-told) of friars who were in the forefront of establishing Holy Name Province, including the many Provincial Ministers who led with courage and foresight. Perhaps more importantly, stories will be told of those friars who never exercised roles of leadership; but who worked and ministered quietly and behind the scenes, often bringing much humor to our fraternity. They are the real unsung heroes of our fraternity. Over the past 33 years that the Franciscans have served here, there have been many who are remembered fondly. Some, like Frs. Andrew Giardino, John Murphy, Jim Hynes, and John Ulrich have passed on to a greater shore, but their memory remains vibrant for all who knew and loved them.
I am also looking forward to a choral concert that will be sung during the Chapter, directed by Br. Kevin McGoff, who also served here. It will be a special musical means of celebrating and remembering our past, while also looking towards our new future. Several present and past members of our music ministry, including Allison Holst-Grubbe, Zachary Gilbert, Patrick Nay and Pam Johnson, will sing in the choir; Gabriel Löfvall will serve as piano accompanist. It will be a proud moment for us to be able to showcase our own talented musicians!
During the coming week several friars will be away at the Chapter. Confessions and Mass times will remain the same, but on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, at 7:30 AM, there will be a Liturgy of the Word with Communion led by Pat Curtis, our Pastoral Associate. Pray for us as we will for you!
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor