Most often, although our friars live in one friary, their ministries vary. One great example is the “family” of friars who live in the St. Paul Friary, in Kensington, CT. While most of the friars living there primarily serve the people of St. Paul Catholic Church, one of the resident friars serves as the pastor of a parish that is less than 10 miles away.
Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv. is pastor of St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT, where our friars have been serving in leadership roles since 1995. This pastoral ministry will be the July 4th stop in the Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. that remains in the New England area through mid-July. He and the St. John Parish community welcome all to join them for a special Independence Day Mass at 9:00 a.m., at which veneration of the relics will be available. This is a wonderful way to celebrate freedom and the sacrifices that help protect that gift. The closing of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Fortnight for Freedom is July 4th; the day we in the USA celebrate our cherished liberty, as a nation.
Witness to Freedom: This year, the USCCB showcased women and men of faith who bore or continue to bear witness to freedom in Christ, as part of the Fortnight for Freedom 2016, that runs from June 21 – July 4, 2016.
Included in that list is St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. (Follow link to PDF) The photo used by the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, for this publication, is one of our small shrine of St. Maximilian located on the grounds of the Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD. At the October 10, 1982 canonization of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. many items were blessed by the Holy Father (Pope Saint John Paul II). Among them was the centerpiece statue of St. Maximilian Kolbe, now housed within the small shrine. The end of our 2016 relic tour, takes place where it all began. All are welcome to join our friars in this celebration at the Shrine of St. Anthony, on the Feast of August 14, 2016 Closing Ceremonies, in celebration of the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th. While you are with us, take a few moments to visit our small outdoor, open air shrine and pray with our beloved Martyr of Charity.
