Friar Michael & some of the Board Members and the Center’s Executive Director – Mr. Jeffrey Griffin (at right)

On December 1, 2022, Our Lady of the Angels Minister Provincial, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. was awarded the Spirit of St Francis Award at the Voices from the Heart Gala: A Stary Night. This Annual Gala is the Franciscan Center of Baltimore’s signature event held each Fall, celebrating those who built and supported them, and of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children they have served together for over 54 years. Funds raised from the event allow The Franciscan Center to continue to serve their clients, students and neighbors through the tough winter months.

This year, they honored Friar Michael with the Spirt of St. Francis of Assisi Award, highlighting the work our friars have done, alongside The Franciscan Center, through the efforts of our province’s local ministries, including Little Portion Farm, The Shrine of St. Anthony, Archbishop Curley High School, the Archdiocese of Baltimore Pastorate of St. Casimir and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Churches, and our student friars of the St. Bonaventure Friary Post-Novitiate, in Silver Spring, MD.

Top Row: Matthew Jones (Outreach Coordinator & Farmer ~ Little Portion Farm), Kelly Neale (AmeriCorps Volunteer ~ Little Portion Farm), Friar Michael, Fr. Donald Grzymski, OFM Conv. (President ~ Archbishop Curley High School) Bottom Row: Fr. Dennis Grumsey, OFM Conv. (Pastor ~ AOB Pastorate including St. Casimir and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Churches), Fr. Bart Karwacki, OFM Conv. (Guardian of St. Casimir Friary), Br. Ed Handy, OFM Conv. (St. Casimir Friary), and Fr. Jacob Carazo, OFM Conv. (a friar of the St. Joseph of Cupertino Province in California, who serves as Assistant Formation Director of our St. Bonaventure Friary Post-Novitiate)

See more photos on The Franciscan Center’s Facebook page.

Megan Knight of ABC2News is a board member. Here is her post about the Gala: