October 23-27, 2017: The Ministers Provincial and Custodial of the CFF (Conventual Franciscan Federation) convened in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a city with historic ties to the Franciscan Order, the friars having arrived here in 1610. Fr. Jude Winkler, OFM Conv., (top left) a friar of our province who has served as Assistant General of our Order for North America, Australia, Great Britain and Ireland since September 2010, presented preparatory protocols and solicited enquirers regarding the upcoming 2018 Ordinary Provincial Chapters of the four U.S. provinces. The meeting was also devoted to the tentative slate of potential formation directors for our Order’s five consolidated formation houses of CFF. This lengthy process of selection began several months ago with the Provincial and Custodial formation Commissions, adding further input from the CFF Initial Formation Commission.
In 2018, the name of the Director and Guardian of each of the four consolidated formation houses in the U.S. will be presented for approval and election by the respective Provincial Chapter in whose Province the House of Formation is located. In September 2017, the Custodial Chapter of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody in Great Britain and Ireland already elected Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Giles Zakowicz, OFM Conv. as Director of Formation and Guardian at CFF’s fifth House of Formation, in Oxford.
In North America, our province friars in formation begin as Postulants at the St. Bonaventure Friary Postulancy in Chicago (IL), under the direction of Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Br. Paschal Kolodziej, OFM Conv. (Postulancy Director) The next phase of formation takes place at the St. Francis of Assisi Friary Novitate in Arroyo Grande (CA), under the direction of St. Bonaventure Province friar, Br. Joseph Wood, OFM Conv. (Guardian and Director of Novices) and Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Maurice Richárd, OFM Conv. (Associate Director of Novices). In the last stage of formation, our friars are mostly in studies at The Catholic University of America, living in the St. Bonaventure Friary Post-Novitiate in Silver Spring (MD), under the direction of Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Br. Jim Moore, OFM Conv. (Guardian and Director) and Fr. Brad Milunski, OFM Conv. (Province Vicar).
The Minister Provincial for our province is the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. (pictured third from right). Friar Ciprian Budău, OFM Conv. (pictured top right) is the Provincial Custos of our Blessed Agnellus of Pisa Custody (Great Britain/Ireland).
The Vocation Director for Our Lady of the Angels Province is Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. who welcomes all inquiries from men in discernment. He can be reached at vocations@olaprovince.org or by calling 718-510-5822. Read more on the Vocations Page of this website.
