As one of the few remaining parish carnivals in the area, St. Clement Carnival is really a Rosedale community event that included a parade and awards for the best Fire Truck, the best float, etc. Friar Vincent is seated at the judges table, ready to award the table full of trophies.

A Franciscan brotherhood presence is not limited to the witness of those who are members of a Roman Catholic congregation, school or other ministry. As St. Francis stated in a letter to the friars (The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, tr. by Paschal Robinson [1905], at sacred-texts.com, p. 112.4), ” He has sent you through all the world that by word and deed you may bear witness to His voice, and you may make known to all that there is no other Almighty besides Him.” The friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province strive to share a Franciscan presence throughout the greater communities surrounding each ministry site. Friars working in the high schools and universities take students on mission and service trips. Friars ministering through our shrine ministries open up the facilities for use by local organizations and groups, and have events promoting fellowship and community life. Friars serving in healthcare and social outreach ministries care for all those who need their aide, regardless of religious affiliation. This community presence is not only witnessed through service. It is important for our friars to walk WITH God’s people, living as an example of God’s love for all, as a daily reflection of the Gospel.
One of our Baltimore parish ministries, which also includes its own elementary school and whose friary is home to two friar pastors of area churches, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Church, joins each year with the local fire department for a community Carnival and Parade, supporting the school and the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department. This year was the first for new pastor, Fr. Vincent Gluc, OFM Conv., who felt that the event provided “the chance to meet the wider Rosedale community. We will have tons of folks walking our property and supporting St. Clement School and the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department. It’s a great opportunity to evangelize and to promote St. Clement School.” He invited his parishioners to “come and spend some time ‘meeting and greeting’ those who will be visiting us.” The event was supported by local organizations and churches from several denominations, who provided their own strong clergy presence. This annual event does not rely on a financial boom to be considered a success each year. It is always a successful endeavor for the mutual support and collective benefits for the entire Rosedale Community at large.

Please keep these and all of the friars of our province in your prayers, as well as all of those with whom they come in contact through their ministries and daily encounters.