24 friars from Our Lady of the Angels Province who have a combined 950 years of service were honored at a Mass at The Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City, Md., on Nov. 14, 2024. 15 of the jubilarians celebrated their professions with another nine marking their ordination anniversaries. Friar Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., bishop of Charlotte, was the principal celebrant. Concelebrant was Friar Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Atlanta.

Eight friars renewed their vows of profession. L-R: Fr. Santo Cricchio, Fr. Andrew Santamauro, Fr. Gregory Spuhler, Fr. Lawrence LaFlame, Fr. Emmanuel Acquaye, Fr. Robert Benko, Fr. Robert Schlageter, and Fr. Paul Gabriel.

 “I am honored to be here today in the presence of our brothers who have dedicated so much of their lives to the ministry but more important, the walk of St. Francis of Assisi that has inspired all our lives to give of ourselves in service of the Gospel,” Bishop Martin said.

The Mass which was attended by 11 of the jubilarians and about 70 friars. “We give God, thanks for our jubilarians who encourage all of us friars to be faithful to our vows and our ministry to the people of God. I’m glad we’re here to celebrate that,” said Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv.

Six friar priests renewed their preistly commitment: L-R: Fr. William Robinson, Fr. Jude DeAngelo, Fr. Michael Lorentsen, Fr. John Ruffo, and Fr. Marek Stybor.

In his homily, Friar Andrew Santamauro, OFM Conv., a 25 year priestly ordination jubilarian, said, “The kingdom is manifest in our friaries when we’re patient, kind, merciful, empathetic, and yes, forgiving. As we look back on the years that have brought us to this jubilee, in those same friaries, among those same friars, we see countless instances of God’s grace — times when we have experienced His love, mercy, and guidance. We just had to have our eyes open to the possibility. “

Friar Priest Jubilarians with Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, and Bishop Michael T. Martin.

Friars celebrating ordination anniversaries:

Friar Paul Varga, OFM Conv. – 60 years

Friar Germain Kopaczynski, OFM Conv., Friar William Robinson, OFM Conv., and Friar John Ruffo, OFM Conv. – 50 years

Friar Jude DeAngelo, OFM Conv. and Friar Daniel Fink, OFM Conv. – 40 years

Friar Michael Lorentsen, OFM Conv. – 30 years

Friar Abelardo Huanca Martinez, OFM Conv. and Friar Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. – 25 years

Friar Jubilarians with Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, and Bishop Michael T. Martin.

Friar Jubilarians celebrating profession anniversaries:

Friar Raymond Borkowski, OFM Conv. – 70 years

Friar Joseph Angelini, OFM Conv. and Friar Julian Zambanini, OFM Conv. – 65 years

Friar Robert Schlageter, OFM Conv. – 50 years

Friar Santo Cricchio, OFM Conv. and Friar Lawrence LaFlame, OFM Conv. – 40 years

Friar Robert Benko, OFM Conv., Friar Pedro De Oliveira, OFM Conv, Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv., Friar Vincent Rubino, OFM Conv., and Friar Gregory Spuhler – 30 years

Friar Emmanuel Acquaye, OFM Conv., Friar Paul Gabriel, OFM Conv., Friar Daniel Lutolf, OFM Conv., and Friar Andrew Santamauro –   25 years

Friar Santamauro concluded his homily by saying, “As we continue to celebrate our jubilee anniversaries, let us give thanks to God for His faithfulness and grace. Let us rejoice in the many ways His Kingdom has been revealed among us and commit ourselves anew to being instruments of His love and peace.”

Friar Santamauro: “As we look back on the years that have brought us to this jubilee, in those same friaries, among those same friars, we see countless instances of God’s grace—times when we have experienced His love, mercy, and guidance.”

Bedford, VA – The National D-Day Memorial will host its annual Veterans Day observance ceremony on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at 11a.m., at the Memorial in Bedford. Veterans in attendance will be recognized during the ceremony. Memorial admission on November 11 will be free until noon for the public and free all day for all veterans.

Mitchell Yockelson, Keynote Speaker

Mitchell Yockelson manages the National Archives and Records Administration Archival Recovery Program, leading investigations of thefts of historical documents and museum artifacts. Additionally, Yockelson is a professor of military history at Norwich University and author. His latest book, The Paratrooper Generals: Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell Taylor, and the American Airborne from D-Day through the Normandy Campaign was published by Stackpole in 2020. Yockelson’s next book, The Lion and the General, a story about the friendship between Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower, will be published in fall 2025. Yockelson will sign books following the ceremony. Books are available online at store.dday.org and in the Memorial’s gift shop.

Name Addition to Memorial Wall

After years of research and verification, the Memorial will add the name of Father Ignatius Maternowski, OFM Conv., to plaque W-48, on the Memorial Wall. The Memorial Wall represents the world’s most complete account of D-Day fallen, with this addition bringing the total to 4,427 Allies killed on June 6, 1944, during the Normandy invasion. In his address, Yockelson will share Friar Maternowski’s story of valor before a special blessing of the plaque. The Memorial will also dedicate a narrative plaque honoring the 102nd Calvary Group and brick additions to the Annie J. Bronson Veterans Memorial Walk.

Whiskey 7 Flyover

The ceremony will include a flyover by the famed C-46, Whiskey 7. Among the more than 900 C-47s that flew on D-Day was Whiskey 7 (W7) part of the 9th Air Force, 316th Troop Carrier Group, 37th Troop Carrier Squadron. Whiskey 7 was the lead plane of the second wave of airborne paratroopers on D-Day. She carried 21 members of the 82nd Airborne, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, H Company with the designated drop zone of Sainte-Mère-Église.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, Our Lady of the Angels friars and faithful gathered for the Third Annual Franciscan Pilgrimage at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Drawing from the thought and spirituality of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Friar Louis Maximilian Smith gave an inspirational conference entitled, “Mary, Mother of the Church in the 21st Century.”

To celebrate an essential element of our charism, namely our devotion to the Immaculate Conception, our minister provincial, Friar Michael Heine, presided at a Votive Mass of the Immaculate Conception, at which our former Provincial, Friar James McCurry, gave a much appreciated homily that wonderfully complemented Friar Louis’ conference. At the end of Mass, the friars and faithful gathered for a group photo.

Friar Paul Lininger, OFM Conv, director of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC) of Our Lady of the Angels Province, and Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., who also serves on JPIC, were among the attendees at Siena College’s Laudato Sí Integral-Ecology Symposium in Albany, N.Y., Oct. 10-11. Laudato Si’ is an encyclical of Pope Francis published in May 2015. It focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth. The encyclical’s subtitle, “Care for Our Common Home,” reinforces these key themes.

During the conference, Friar Cristofer and Gabriela Martinez (pictured below) from the Franciscan Action Network presented, “Integral Ecology: A Franciscan Response to the Cry of the Poor and of The Planet,” addressing the importance of young people engaging the issues of climate change.

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres delivered the keynote address, “Global Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and Urgency to Act Now.” He noted St. Francis and the Holy Father in his recorded remarks: “The patron saint of ecology has much to teach us about making peace with nature. So, of course, does Pope Francis. Including through his inspiring 2015 encyclical Laudato Sí, after which this Center is named. Pope Francis tells us that, ‘When we exploit creation, we destroy the sign of God’s love for us.’ He reminded us that human beings are “custodians” of this creation, not masters of it.

“We must stop intentionally destroying our natural world and its gifts. We must protect people from the destruction we have unleashed.  We must deliver climate justice for the vulnerable. And, crucially, we must limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius – as countries agreed to do in the landmark international climate pact – the Paris Agreement,” the secretary general said.

People shared their stories about the storm and its impacts. (Gabriel Swinney)

SWANNANOA, N.C. — About 200 people lined up outside St. Margaret Mary Church in the small mountain town of Swannanoa, one of the area’s hardest hit by the Sept. 27 floods. They waited for a visit by Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv. – some with smiles, but also many in tears or shocked despair.

They brought the bishop stories of ruined houses, lost possessions and life without electricity or water – and no idea when those things would be returned to them. Many also knew of worse stories from farther up the Swannanoa Valley, where some people went looking for family members or friends and discovered they were missing, their houses washed away.

The bishop comforted people and prayed with them, listened to dramatic and frightening stories of living through the storms, and blessed babies and children.

A look at the devastation just outside St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa.

To get to the church, many had to make a grim drive through downtown Swannanoa, where the town’s namesake river exploded from its banks a week ago and left much of the area looking like a war zone. Houses, trailers and cars were torn apart by the water and flipped upside down. Roads have washed away into jagged small cliffs, water pipes and propane tanks litter the riverbanks, and people’s possessions – bed sheets, clothing, a child’s wading pool, a picnic table – dangled from trees along the river.

“The bishop has lifted a lot of people up by coming here,” said Claudia Graham, secretary at St. Margaret Mary Parish, who has been leading relief efforts as they await the appointment of a new pastor. She announced Bishop Martin’s visit on Thursday afternoon and by Friday morning people had come from all around the area – many taking long circuitous routes because their usual roads were wiped out.

Whole families came out to greet the bishop, who wanted to survey the damage firsthand and offer spiritual comfort.

Parishioners Joe and Mary Lewis drove 40 minutes instead of their usual 10 from Scenic Mobile Home Park, a senior citizens community in east Asheville, just for a moment of prayer with Bishop Martin. While their home and most of their neighbors wasn’t destroyed, the complex is without power or running water, and residents have been collecting buckets of water from a community swimming pool to flush toilets.

“This whole thing is devastating, but I know we’re going to get through it,” Joe Lewis said.

Mary Lewis wiped away tears and said the couple is coping by providing what help they can. They own a generator so have opened their home to neighbors who need to charge cell phones or get some cool air.

“Those who help people don’t realize how much they’re doing for others,” she said. “We had some people show up the other day who had a carload of dog food. They don’t realize that with a gesture like that, they’re not just feeding somebody’s dog but also feeding people’s souls.”

Candy brought by the diocesan team was a hit with local kids.

While the bishop greeted people outside, inside the small church some people prayed, seeking a moment of peace against the constant buzz of helicopter blades above the Swannanoa Valley. A fleet of helicopters – Chinooks from the U.S. Army, Coast Guard search and rescue, Forest Service and some privately owned ones – crisscrossed the sky overhead, some surveying damage and others transporting supplies and flood survivors.

Parishioner Cecilia Meredith was happy to see the bishop and said her faith has helped her get through the past week as she’s worked on one of the medical response and search-and-rescue teams in the area.

The bishop joined in prayer and offered spiritual consolation to those who had gathered on the church lawn. (Gabriel Swinney)

“We’ve been doing wellness checks, looking for some missing people, and bringing supplies to people,” Meredith said. “I woke up crying this morning because I know people who have died and I’ve had to see people suffering.”

Directly across from the church, Grovemont Park is serving as a green island of peace in the middle of the flooded valley. For the past week, area residents have met there daily for support and fellowship. Volunteers cook free hot meals and others offer supplies including fresh vegetables, household cleaners and toiletries.

“This is one of the good things that has come out of all of this,” one woman said, gesturing at the crowded park. “People are connecting with each other again.”

You can make a disaster relief donation to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte through this link.

— Christina Lee Knauss

Reprinted with the permission of the Catholic News Herald

Friar Joseph Benicewicz, OFM Conv., a Franciscan Friar of Our Lady of the Angels Province, died unexpectedly on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Kensington, Conn. Born on Feb. 29, 1960, in Baltimore, Md., he was the son of the late Walter and Theresa (nee Niemczyk). He was predeceased by his brother, Walter, Jr.. He is survived by his sister, Lorraine Ludwig, along with several nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

Upon graduation in 1978 from Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, he entered the Franciscan Friars novitiate in Ellicott City, Md. He attended St. Hyacinth College Seminary in Granby, Mass., where he earned a B.A. in philosophy in 1983. He taught for a year at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, N.Y., then continued his studies in theology at St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he was awarded a Master of Divinity in 1988.

Friar Joseph was ordained a friar priest on May 28, 1988, in Albany, N.Y. Following his ordination, he re-joined the faculty of St. Francis High School for 18 years. While at the school he was a math and religion teacher, baseball coach, department chairperson, assistant principal, principal, and lastly president of St. Francis.

In 2005, he was elected to serve a five-year term as treasurer of St. Anthony of Padua Province. In 2010, he was appointed president of Archbishop Curley High School where he served until being appointed pastor and rector of St. Stanislaus Basilica in Chicopee, Mass. His final assignment was as pastor of St. Paul Catholic Church in Berlin, Conn.

Visitation hours will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at St. Paul Catholic Church, 461 Alling St., Berlin, Ct., with a Franciscan Wake Service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m., at St. Paul Catholic Church. A second Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 14, followed by interment at St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Baltimore. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Franciscan Education Fund (12300 Folly Quarter Rd., Ellicott City MD 21042).

The Boston-born Black missionary to Brazil died 25 years ago this summer (June 22, 1999) and was the first African-American to join the Conventual Franciscans.

A devotee holds a Portuguese prayer card of Servant of God Martin Maria de Porres Ward at his grave on June 22, 2024, in Andrelândia, Brazil.

The sainthood cause for Servant of God Martin Maria de Porres Ward has received approval from the Vatican to proceed to its next stages, according to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.

Br Douglas McMillan, OFM Conv., shared that an official biography of the late African-American friar is now underway, part of the Roman Phase of the canonization process. Ward, a Boston-born missionary who spent his ministry in Brazil, died 25 years ago this summer and in 2020 became the seventh Black Catholic sainthood candidate from the United States.

“As of July 1, we received notice, through the Brazilian Historical Commission, that we have official approval from the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints,” McMillan told BCM. “We are now in the process [of] working on putting together the final copy of the positio for the dicastery.”

The positio is an official dossier on the life of a sainthood candidate that, if approved by Rome, allows the pope to issue a decree of heroic virtues, granting the title “Venerable.” There are currently four African Americans to have reached that stage—the most recent being Venerable Mary Lange, who founded the nation’s first order of Black nuns.

Raised in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.,  Ward converted to the Catholic faith as a teenager and felt a call to religious life thereafter, first to the Salvatorians before a health condition precipitated his exit from the seminary. He followed his call in an era when African Americans were typically barred from entering formation for the priesthood in the United States, save for a few religious communities.

Ward later overcame the obstacles of American racism to become the first African-American member of the Conventual Franciscans and was ordained in 1955 in upstate New York. He is revered as a uniquely holy figure in Brazil, where he worked for more than four decades as a missionary teacher, pastor, vocations promoter, spiritual director, and chaplain.

He was christened a “Citizen of Andrelândia” in 1995, an honor named after the municipality in Southeast Brazil where he worked for most of his priesthood. Four years later, Ward suffered a series of heart attacks and died at the age of 81.

On June 22 of this year, the local province of friars marked the 25th anniversary of Ward’s death with a special Mass and procession, the latest in a series of regular celebrations honoring his legacy of service and holiness.

“For many of the faithful, his simplicity and joy were a sign of the presence of God,” the province shared after the event, where devotees prayed for Ward’s intercession at his tomb.

Ward’s cause for sainthood is headed by the Diocese of São João del Rei, with the Brazilian research commission aided by friars in the U.S., including McMillan. The Archdioceses of Washington and Boston, where Ward lived before becoming a priest, are not expected to officially join the cause.

Should the efforts succeed, and with a miracle approved by the Vatican, Ward could become the first beatified African-American in history. He would also be the second in Brazil, after Blessed Francisco de Paula Victor, a formerly enslaved man who later became a priest and was beatified in 2015.

On the Feast Day of Saint Clare of Assisi (Aug. 11, 2024), six young adults were commissioned as the 26th group of FrancisCorps volunteers by Friar Gary Johnson, OFM Conv., vicar provincial of Our Lady of the Angels Province. The commissioning was held at Assumption Church in Syracuse, N.Y.

On their Facebook page, FrancisCorps 26 said, “Thank you for saying ‘Yes’ to the Spirit of Assisi, ‘Yes’ to service of others, and ‘Yes’ to FrancisCorps. We are so excited and blessed to accompany FrancisCorps 26 during the next year! As they begin their first day at their service sites, we ask for your continued prayers.”

The FrancisCorps experience is a year of real Gospel service for young adults aged 21 to 25. The FrancisCorps experience is not one of prayer, service, or community at any one given time, but an experience of prayer, service, and community at all times.