SPRING NEWSLETTER ENGLISH SPEAKING CONFERENCE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR April 2017 Swords, Ireland FOR A NEW BEGINNING (excerpt) By John O'Donohoe In out of the way places of the heart Where your thoughts never think to wander This beginning has been quietly forming Waiting until you were ready to emerge. Awaken your spirit to adventure Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk Soon you will be home in a new rhythm For your soul senses the world that awaits you. Shared by Fr. Hugh McKenna, OFM, Conference President Opening Homily, April 3, 2017 MINISTERS & CUSTODES OF THE CONFERENCE Provincial Ministers and Custodes of the English Speaking Conference in front of The Emmaus Centre retreat house. Also pictured: General Definitor Caoimhin O'Laoide, OFM, and Conference Executive Secretary Thomas Washburn, OFM.
Spring Conference meeting held in Ireland Hosted by the Province of Ireland SWORDS, IRELAND - The Provincial Ministers and Custodes of the English Speaking Conference held their annual Spring meeting at The Emmaus Centre, a Christian Brothers retreat center here, from April 3-7. Swords is a suburb of Dublin located just north of the capital city near the Dublin International Airport. The Emmaus Centre is a retreat and conference center operated by the Christian Brothers. The site was built in the 1960s to serve as a novitate for their community. The Emmaus Centre is located on beautiful grounds with walking paths. Here a path curves along a river. Attending the week-long meeting were:provincial Minister Richard Grech, OFM (St. Paul, Malta), Custos Patrick Lonsdale, OFM (Immaculate Conception Custody, Great Britain), Provincial Minister Marc Le Goanvec, OFM (Province of St. Joseph, Canada), Provincial Minister David Gaa, OFM (St. Barbara Province, USA), Provincial Minister Algirdas Malakauskas, OFM (Province of St. Casimir, Lithuania), Provincial Minister and Conference President Hugh McKenna, OFM (Province of Ireland), Provincial Minister and Conference Vice-President Kevin Mullen, OFM (Holy Name Province, USA), Vicar Provincial Patrick Boyle, OFM (Immaculate Conception Province, New York, USA), Provincial Minister James Gannon, OFM (Assumption BVM Province, USA), Provincial Minister Jack Clark Robinson, OFM (Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, USA), Provincial Minister Jeffrey Scheeler, OFM (St. John the Baptist Province, USA), Provincial Minister William Spencer, OFM (Sacred Heart Province). NEW FACES. Conference members welcomed a new member to the group, Provincial Minister Phillip Miscamble, OFM, new Provincial Minister of the Province of the Holy Spirit in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia. During the meeting, the Provincial Ministers of the United States and Canada each met separately in sub-conference to discuss matters relevant to their regions, in particular, the reconfiguration processes currently underway in North America. COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS The Conference also received updates on various committees and commissions. Among them: Provincial Minister Phillip Miscamble preaching during Mass on Friday. Franciscan Mission Service: Has concluded its national search for a new Executive Director following the departure of Kim Smolik, who ran the agency for
the last seven years. Elizabeth Hughes, most recently director of the international program for the Jesuit Service Corp, has been hired as the new Executive Director. She takes up the helm at FMS later this month. Ongoing Formation: The Ongoing Formation Subcommittee of the Conference has been called back together and held a meeting in February at the Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, DC. Executive Secretary Thomas Washburn, OFM, convened that meeting. During the meeting, Ken Laverone, OFM (St. Barbara) was elected chair of the group and Pat McCloskey, OFM (St. John the Baptist) was elected as vice chair. CFIT: The members of the Conference encouraged the work by the Commission for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition as it prepares to release the latest volume of its Heritage Series. The new work is by Sr. Mary Beth Ingham. This is the first new work in this series in four years. The U.S. Digital Media Committee has informed the Conference that it has changed its name to the USFranciscans Communications Task Force. The name change is to make the communication work of the group more clearly understood. Members discussed the House of Prayer which is currently located in Ava, Missouri. Any friar interested in living a life of prayer in that community should contact their Provincial Minister of Custos. Stabilized cash flow and management Stronger cash position Stronger balance sheet Positive debt management - controlling what we're paying and paying off the riskiest areas of debt Response from the entities has been limited, but good. Improved communication with entities At the conclusion of the meeting, there were "thank-yous" all around. Provincial Minister Hugh McKenna, OFM, (Ireland), outgoing President of the Conference, expressed his deep thanks to all those who have been members of the Conference over the course of his six years as Minister, and in particular to those he has worked closely with during his time as vice-president and then president of the Conference. With the conclusion of the meeting, Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM (Holy Name) becomes the new Conference President. A new vice-president will be elected when the Conference next meets in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico. All the members expressed particular gratitude to Hugh and the members of the Province of Ireland for hosting the meeting and making everyone feel welcome and at home. New Conference President Kevin Mullen, OFM (HNP) Update on the financial situation of the Order Economo General John Puodziunas, OFM, speaks to the friars SWORDS, IRELAND - Economo General John Puodziunas, OFM (ABVM), joined the Conference on Tuesday to update members on the financial situation of the Order. The news from the Economo was positive. Over the last two years, the financial situation of the Order has improved tremendously. In particular, Fr. Puodziunas thanked the members of the English Speaking Conference for their continual support of the general administration of the Order and their assistance during the recent financial crisis. The greatest level of support in these last few years has come from the ESC. Of the funds that have been sent in from the various conferences to assist the General Curia with its debt, the ESC has been the greatest contributor: Here are the top four: ESC: 39.3% of the debt assistance Conference of Trans Alpine Franciscans (COTAF): 27% Spain-Portugal: 20% Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceana Conference (SAAO): 5.9% He detailed the continuing work of the General Administration in dealing with the financial situation of the last few years. Some of the things he highlighted: Successes:
Improved understanding of the financial reality Challenges moving forward: Implementing efficient and effective structures Broader debt planning Investment portfolio Buildings and property management Fraternal approach to gathering and using resources Creating/modeling a culture of transparency and accountability. The Ministers and Custodes of the Conference expressed their deep thanks to Fr. John and all that he is doing for the Order. Economo General John Puodziunas, OFM (Assumption BVM), speaking to the members of the Conference on Tuesday. Study day with Rev. Eamonn Conway Evangelization in light of Pope Francis SWORDS, IRELAND - One of the primary purposes for the existence of a Conference is that it is a source of fraternal support in the ministry of the Provincial Minister. One of the ways that the Conference offers that support is by providing to the Ministers opportunities for ongoing formation. To that end, the ESC always includes a study day as part of the annual Spring meeting. This year's study day was offered by Rev. Eamonn Conway. Eamonn is a priest of the Tuam diocese. He was appointed Head of Theology and Religious Studies at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick in Rev. Eamonn Conway 1999 and in 2000 he also became co-director of the Centre for Culture, Technology & Values. He is the author of several books and other publications. For this year's study day, the Conference asked Eamonn to reflect upon the topic of "Evangelization in the light of Pope Francis." Eamonn took the major works of the pontificate of Pope Francis - Lumen Fidei, Evangelii Gaudiem, Laudato Si, and Amoris Laetitia - and discuss their implications for the work of evangelization.
Revitalization continues for U.S./Canadian friars Highlights of the two North American sub-conference meetings SWORDS, IRELAND - The movement towards the revitalization and reconfiguration of Franciscan life continues to move forward in the North American provinces of the Conference. Both the Canadian and U.S. sub-conferences continued their discussions about this renewal during the meeting this week. U.S. RECONFIGURATION Provincial Ministers of six of the seven U.S. Provinces added an additional day to the meeting to devote time to their Revitalization and Restructuring Process. They were joined by Moderator Lawrence Hayes, OFM (HNP) and Assistant Moderator Dan Anderson, OFM (SJB). The U.S. process is currently moving forward to the next major gathering point in the discussions, the annual meeting of provincial administrations which will take place this August at Mount Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls, NY. The goal of the Wappingers Falls meeting is to have a proposal which can then be advanced to all the friars in the U.S. to consider either one national province or two regional ones. The Provincials also did considerable work on the white paper which is now titled "Making Fraternity Our Mission.' They expect the paper to be finalized by mid-may and distributed to the friars for discussion in chapters or however they choose to discuss it in the United States. The U.S. process now involves six of the seven U.S. provinces as Immaculate Conception Province stepped out of the process earlier this year. CANADIAN RESTRUCTURING The Canadian Provincial Ministers also met and discussed the ongoing process of reconfiguration in their country. Each of the two Canadian provinces have confirmed decisions to move to a union of the two. A proposed date is October 2018 for the chapter of union. The provinces have already begun to work on joint communications including a new joint Canadian website (http://www.franciscanfriars.ca/). They have also held joint Definitory meetings. "Things seem to be going well. I don't expect any real upset and we should be on board for 2018," said Provincial Minister Robert Mokry, OFM (Christ the King, Western Canada). Friar Peter Williams, OFM, has been appointed as General Delegate for the process. "Looking to the Future Together: Beyond ITE VOS"
Gathering of OFMs, Caps, Conventuals in November In response to Pope Francis' request that the First Order of the Franciscan Family make a collaborative effort to bring the vision of St. Francis to our world today and to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of ITE VOS, the papal bull that formally divided the Franciscans into Conventuals and Observants, the English Speaking Conferences of the First Order (OFM., OFM.Conv., OFM.Cap. - NAPCC) have announced a study day for the members of the First Order. This will be held at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago on Saturday, November 4, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and participation is free. Theme: "Looking to the Future Together: Beyond ITE VOS" Speakers include: Dominic Monti, OFM. "The History and Context of ITE VOS" Regis Armstrong, OFM.Cap. "Common Franciscan Values" Jude Winkler, OFM.Conv. "Common Franciscan Projects today" Details, schedules, registration forms, etc. will be forthcoming. Planning Committee: Joseph Rozansky, OFM. Michael Kolodziej, OFM.Conv. John Celichowski, OFM.Cap. Franciscan Ireland Recreation day in Dublin DUBLIN, IRELAND - Strengthening the fraternal bonds between the ministers and custodes is one of the great aspects of the bi-annual meetings of the Conference. Those gathered always take an opportunity mid-week to recreate together and get to know the host country and province better. This year's recreation took the friars to the National Museum of Ireland located at the former Michael Collins Barracks in Dublin. The Collins Barracks were originally called the Royal Barracks under British rule and were once known as the largest military establishment in all of Europe. The name was changed to Michael Collins Barracks when Ireland became a free state in 1922. The National Museum at the Michael Collins Barracks in Dublin. The friars visited the Museum to explore two exhibits in particular. The first is called Franciscan Faith: Sacred Art in Ireland 1600-1750. The exhibit is in partnership with the Province of Ireland and boasts a great number of items used sacred worship by the friars in Ireland. The Province of Ireland is one of the oldest in the Order dating its founding to 1230. Today, the Province of Ireland is made up of about 100 friars as well as friars in its two dependent custodies, the Custody of the Good Shepherd in Zimbabwe and the Custody of the Immaculate Conception in Great Britain. The liturgical items in the exhibit represent not only the long history of the friars in Ireland, but the difficulty of that history as they continued to exist during the difficult
historical periods that this island nation has endured, periods that were often hostile to the Catholic faith. Historian John McCafferty, who guided the friars through the exhibit, said, "It is a miracle that these items even exist as it would have been illegal to possess them in certain historic periods." Among the items included in the exhibit is called "Adam and Eve's Chair." The wooden chair with a carving of Adam and Eve on its back piece, dates back to 1629. The chair was used in a room attached to the Adam and Eve Tavern in Dublin. When the friars were expelled from their home on Francis Street nearby, they settled in a small house on Cook Street at the rear of the tavern. Each Sunday Catholics would pretend to be headed to the tavern, but were actually going to the friars for Mass, a practice that was illegal in its time. On St. Stephen's Day in 1629, the Protestant Archbishop of Dublin led a group of soldiers into the tavern and arrested two of the friars. But, as they Adam and Eve's Chair, 1629 were being marched off women from the area attacked the soldiers, freed the friars, and forced the Archbishop and his men to flee. Today, the Church attached to Provincial headquarters, officially Immaculate Conception Church, is more commonly called "Adam and Eve's". Another of the beautiful items is a gold chalice from the friary in Roscommon, also from the 17th century. While notable for its beauty, the chalice is also a testament to the times in which it was produced. One of the recognizable features of liturgical works of this time is the wide base that chalices typically have. This is very different than the protestant liturgical items of the time which were not illegal in Ireland. Historians believe that the difference can be explained by the fact that chalices like these were serving more than one purpose. In addition to their liturgical use, they were also being used as items for catechesis. The base is wider to support a variety of faith themes artistically displayed there that clergy and religious could then use to teach the faithful. Professor McCafferty stated, "We see that the whole burden of sacred art had moved from the walls of a church to the base of a chalice." Rising." Roscommon Chalice The second exhibit that the friars visited at the National Museum was one that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Uprising called "Proclaiming a Republic: The 1916 The Easter Rising was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in the First World War. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798, and the first armed action of the Irish revolutionary period. The friars were then hosted at the Irish Provincial headquarters at Merchants Quay and then were free to explore the city for the afternoon.
Church sign at the entrance of Immaculate Conception Church (Adam & Eve). By the Numbers Current stats from the Order 11,354 friars in the Order 1,346 friars in the ESC - 12% of the Order and the second largest Conference. 1,653 friars in Italy - 14.6%, the largest Conference. 242 friars in ConoSur (Argentina, Chile) - 2.1% and the smallest conference in the Order. Photos from the Spring meeting of the Conference Ireland Friars gathered during the meeting at The Emmaus Centre, Swords.
Worship booklet prepared for the Conference by Dan Anderson, OFM (SJB). Heading into the National Museum lead by historian John McCafferty.
Study day with Rev. Eamonn Conway Monday presider: Hugh McKenna (Ire) Tuesday presider: Jeffrey Scheeler (SJB)
Wednesday presider: James Gannon (ABVM) Thursday presider: William Spencer (SH) Download the Friar App Today Interactive online community continues to expand The Franciscan Friars of the United States created a first-of-its kind app for smart phones that creates a unique communal space for prayer by allowing you to post your prayers, join in the prayers of others and have friars across the country and others pray for you. The app also allows you to have a real candle lit for your prayer, or someone else's prayer, in a Franciscan church. The new "Find US" feature allows you to find the closest Franciscan place of ministry to you. The "News" feature allows you to stay up to date on the latest US Franciscan news. The app is available in both the Apple App Store for iphone and the Google Play Store for Android smart phones, and can be found by searching for "friars" or using a QR code (found below). There is no cost to install the app or to submit or join in prayer requests. There is a small fee to cover the cost of lighting an actual candle. Download it today!
English Speaking Conference Order of Friars Minor Thomas Washburn, OFM, Executive Secretary Quick Links