As we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua, I remember making a trip to Padua. Of course, I went to the Basilica of St. Anthony- a magnificent church that houses many of St. Anthony’s relics, including the body of St. Anthony. Thousands of pilgrims come here to ask for the intercession of the Saint of Miracles.
The late Tony Bennett sang about a city by the bay where “the morning fog may chill the air.” For San Francisco lovers, the image is a romantic one. But the morning chill means something different for those who live on the streets of the Tenderloin District. That’s where Brother Andrew Dinegar, OFM, comes in. He will frequently provide blankets, offering those most desperate a respite from the cold, as well as coffee and
A normal part of life in Butler, New Jersey, (population 8,000) are when the bears come down from the nearby hills, foraging for food. Only an hour’s drive from Manhattan, the northwest New Jersey borough, tucked away in Morris County near the New York border, also deals with other pressing issues. Its population is aging, its rubber manufacturing base is long gone, and new immigrants, many willing and able to work in low-wage jobs, struggle to get by. Fr. Matthew Pravetz, OFM, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Butler, leads a parish which responds in a way that lives up to its Franciscan heritage in its concern for the poor.
The aroma of baked butter pervades the friary at the Parish of Santa Clara de Assisi in Carolina, Puerto Rico. For chef and Bro. Eddie Caro, OFM, it is a way to spread joy. “Nobody is unhappy with a sweet treat,” he says. Bro. Eddie first learned to bake at home from his mother. Now he has extended his craft as an integral part of his Franciscan ministry, educating himself in the ways of producing delicious pastry.
June is often a time when we begin lifetime promises. It is when we frequently celebrate weddings and ordinations to the priesthood. Graduations in this season also unleash the hope of new beginnings and future commitments. At this time of marking promises, we invite you to provide for another kind of promise by creating a lasting legacy of care for the poor and marginalized by remembering the Franciscan
This Easter was a very good experience for me. It taught me a lot about the disciples and how they really reacted to the death of Jesus. They hid. They hid behind locked doors because they were afraid of others coming after them for having followed Jesus the disciples were hiding, “the doors were locked, for fear of the Jews.” (John 20:19).
Henry Carter Welles, a pharmacist in small town Waterloo, in upstate New York, knew what it was like to grieve. Little is known about the man credited with the idea of Memorial Day, but one poignant fact sticks out: he was a husband and father of three. All his children died young. Soon after the end of the Civil War, Welles suggested that a day be set aside to honor those who perished fighting for the Union and liberty.
When St. Francis of Assisi looked for followers, he found them among his friends. Centuries later, the Franciscan vocations still hear the invitation, but are more likely to do so via social media. It’s up to Fr. Greg Plata, OFM, vocations director for the nationwide Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, to respond with a touch of gratitude.
They come from different generations, different backgrounds. But the two friars ordained to the priesthood May 4 at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, are united by a shared vision of Franciscan ministry with a special concern for the need for sacramental ministry.
Father Ponchie Vasquez, OFM, shepherds one of the largest parishes, in area, and also among the poorest that can be found anywhere in the United States. San Xavier del Bac Mission lies just 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, and contains nearly 72,000 acres of Sonoran Desert. There you will find the Tohono O’odham people, whose name translates to Desert People. They total around 33,643 with about 2,300 being part of the parish mission area.
Powering the Friars’ work ad outreach ministries with the poor and marginalized coast-to-coast and beyond.
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