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.
Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv. (l-r), Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv., Friar Cristofer Fernández, Friar Raad Eshoo, and Friar Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.
As their Franciscan journey continues, Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv., Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., and Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv., made their Solemn Vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, at St. Louis Catholic Church, Clarkesville, Md. Each friars’ request to make solemn vows was granted by Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv., and the Definitory. Before Friar Michael, they proclaimed their vows, “for the entire time of my life.”
More than 60 friars attended the Mass.
The Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi from Holyoke, Mass.
“Our Lady of the Angels Province is so blessed to have Raad, Joe and Cristofer as full members of our Order,” said Friar Michael, who celebrated the Mass. “All three come from different backgrounds and experiences yet they are able to live together as brothers in fraternity. In a world that is so divided, the Franciscan Friars, and these three in particular, try to be a witness that living together, even with many differences, is possible. The love of Jesus Christ, and the example of Saint Francis unites us in a bond of fraternal love and charity.”
More than 60 friars joined the celebration, including Friar Bishop Michael T. Martin, bishop of Charlotte. Several members of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi from Holyoke, Mass. also attended. Friars Eshoo, Fernández, and Krondon completed their Solemn Vows Retreat in Holyoke. They decided that since Friar Raad is not allowed to travel due to visa issues, they would forgo their retreat in Assisi in order to prepare for vows together in Massachusetts.
A native of Mosul, Iraq, Friar Radd said solemn vows, “Embody a profound commitment that resonates deeply within me. They represent promises made with unwavering sincerity and conviction, binding me to a path of integrity and purpose. Each vow is a testament to my values and aspirations, a declaration of dedication to a cause or relationship with immense significance.”
Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv., (right) with Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv.
The son of Honduran and Salvadoran immigrants, Friar Cristofer said making solemn profession, “Reaffirms and binds the commitment I made at first profession of vows as a Franciscan friar. Through these vows and with all my imperfections, I consent to God remaking me in the invitation to a transfigured existence, that is religious life, so that through me God might christify the world!”
Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., (right) with Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv.
Friar Joe, who grew up in Baltimore, Md., not far from where Our Lady of the Angels Province is headquartered, said, “Solemn Profession is my saying, ‘Yes’ to being further conformed to Christ Crucified in the footsteps of Holy Father Francis, and that “Yes” being received by the Brothers who have helped form me into the man I am today. Solemn Vows for me is an outpouring of gratitude to a Community I can only hope to give back a portion of what I have received.”
Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv., (right) with Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv.
Current Assignment Taught at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, Md. During his fraternal apostolic year.
Assignments since joining Our Lady of the Angels Province His main assignment is finishing his studies at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.
Home Diocese Diocese of Saskatoon, Canada
Education B.A. Theology and Religious Studies, Catholic University of America, 2023
Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv.
Birthplace
Alexandria, Virginia
Parents Maybelis and Manuel Fernández
Siblings Alessandro, Amanda, Eric
Current Assignment Franciscan Northside Ministries, Syracuse, N.Y.
Assignments since joining Our Lady of the Angels province Summer Assignments St. Anne-Pacelli Outreach Center/St. Benedict the Moor Soup Kitchen/Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Columbus, Ga. (2021)
St. Junipero Serra Parish, Seaside Park, N.J. (2022)
Other Volunteering/Ministry during Formation Volunteer, St. Thomas of Canterbury Soup Kitchen, Chicago, IL (2018-19)
Elementary School Tutor, St. Thomas Canterbury School, Chicago, Ill.
Activities Volunteer, St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly, Palatine, Ill.
Volunteer, Little Portion Farm, Ellicott City, Md. 2019-22)
Spiritual Care Volunteer, Volunteer Services, Marian Regional Medical Center, Dignity Health, Santa Maria, Calif. (2019-20)
Spiritual Counselor Volunteer-Chaplain, Adult Jail Services, San Luis Obispo County Jail, Restorative Partners LLC, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Catholic Climate Justice Coalition (Semester) Intern, Catholic Climate Covenant, Washington, D.C., (Fall 2021)
Circle Facilitator and Graduate Student Liaison, Solidarity Circles Program & CCE Events, Center for Cultural
Engagement, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. (Spring Semester 2022)
Ministerial Assistant, Parroquia Inmaculada Concepcion, Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Ariz., (Spring 2023)
Fraternal-Apostolic Year Most Holy Trinity Friary, Brooklyn, N.Y., (2023-24)
Pastoral Intern, Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Friar Intern, Franciscans International, New York, N.Y.
Home Diocese Diocese of Arlington, Virginia
Education Hayfield Secondary School
Alexandria, Va.
B.S. Environmental & Conservation Biology
George Mason University, 2017
M.A. Theology, Religion, Culture
Catholic University of America, 2023
Certificate in Franciscan Philosophy
Franciscan School of Theology, 2023
Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv.
Birthplace
Baltimore, Md.
Parents Gail and Mike Krondon
Current Assignment Assumption Church/Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen, Syracuse, N.Y.
Assignments since joining Our Lady of the Angels Province Postulancy in Chicago, Ill.
Novitiate in Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Three years of post-novitiate in Silver Spring, Md. with at The Little Portion Farm, Ellicott City, Md.
Home Archdiocese Baltimore, Md.
Education Archbishop Curley High School
Baltimore, Md.
He studied at Catholic University of America and is finishing his degree at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.
During the Mass, the three friars lay prostrate during the singing of The Litany of the Saints.
Terry Steele, Shrine Advisory Council member and Catholic member of the Algonquin nation, explains the Native practice of the penitential rite.
The inspirational example of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was celebrated at her U.S. National Shrine July 12-14, 2024, in honor of her feast day.
The feast day of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, patron of ecology and the environment and of Indigenous Peoples, was celebrated over the course of three days at her U.S. National Shrine, outside of Fonda, New York. Celebrations began with a Spanish Mass on Friday evening and concluded with the semiannual burning of prayer petitions after Sunday Mass, which fell on Saint Kateri’s U.S. feast day, July 14. The occasion was also marked with a Vigil Mass on Saturday and presentation by Dr. Damian Costello, NAIITS, on the Old Testament tribal roots of the Eucharist, to which Saint Kateri had a great devotion. As is traditional at the Shrine that was the home of this Mohawk-Algonquin saint for most of her life, the penitential rite included purification with Native sacred herbs as the incense and the Four Directions blessing; the sung portions of the Mass took place in Mohawk, courtesy of the Akwesasne Catholic choir.
Friar Joe Freitag, OFM Conv., takes part in the penitential rite.
Anyone interested in learning more about Saint Kateri’s life is encouraged to visit her Shrine on Route 5, Fonda, New York, which is operated by Our Lady of the Angels Province, Conventual Franciscan Friars. The grounds, which include Saint Kateri’s baptismal spring and the archaeological site of the Mohawk Village of Caughnawaga, are available to the public year-round. Special events focusing on spiritual, cultural, and historical topics are held May through October. For more information about Saint Kateri or the Shrine or Historic Site, please contact info@katerishrine.org, call 518-853-3646, or visit https://www.katerishrine.org.
St. Francis of Assisi Novitiate in Arroyo Grande, Calif., was the setting on July 12, 2024, for the investiture of our three novices: Friars James Muzzey, Patrick Allen, and Paulo Moonjeli.
After being clothed in the habit of our Order, they will remain California for a year and a day in fraternity, in private and communal prayer, in classes, workshops, seminars, experiencing manual work, and other activities in line with the goals of this stage of formation. Please keep our novices close in prayer. They will profess their first vows on July 15, 2025.
The events of this past weekend give us an opportunity to look not only at our society, our Church, our Province, but most importantly to look inside of our hearts and recommit ourselves to love. We ask the Lord to cast out all anger, hatred, and violence in our hearts and lives. Our brother Maximilian Kolbe reminds us, “Hatred destroys. Only love creates.” Jesus, risen from the dead, stands before us to remind us that hatred never wins and that new life comes through love.
Friar Sebastian De Backer, OFM Conv., renewed his simple vows on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at Our Lady of Angels Chapel in Enfield, Conn., at the 4 p.m. Mass. Presiding and preaching at the Mass, Friar John Koziol, OFM Conv., received Friar Sebastian’s vows. The friars and sisters at the infirmary joined in the celebration.
Our three friars on their solemn vow retreat in Holyoke, Friar Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., Friar Raad Eshoo, OFM Conv., and Friar Joseph Krondon, OFM Conv., also joined the celebration as did Friars Brad Milunski, John Ruffo, Joseph Freitag, and Luis Palacios-Rodriguez. Friars Tony Kall and Vincent Vivian were the official witnesses for the renewal of vows. A fraternal gathering and pizza party took place after the Mass.
Friar Curt (Robert Curtis) Kreml, OFM Conv., 77, a Franciscan Friar of Our Lady of the Angels Province, died peacefully on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Born in Oak Park, Ill. on September 22, 1946, he was a son of the late Robert and Ellen (nee Dillon) Kreml. In addition to his Franciscan family, he leaves his sister, Bette Lybrook. brother, Thomas Kreml, both of Las Vegas, Nev., sister-in-law, Sandy Kreml, of Forest Grove, Org., as well as numerous nieces and nephews that he dearly loved. He was predeceased by his brothers Norman and Roger Kreml.
The Kreml family moved from Illinois to Phoenix, where Friar Curt was raised, eventually settling in Las Vegas. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of San Francisco in 1968. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army, stationed in Germany for three years and serving in Vietnam before his honorable discharge.
Friar Curt entered the Novitiate of the Conventual Franciscans in Lake Forest, Ill., in September 1972, making his first profession of vows on July 28, 1973. He completed theological studies at St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, N.Y., professing Solemn Vows on Oct. 7, 1975, before earning his M.Div. in 1976. He was ordained a friar preist on July 17, 1976.
Friar Curt served three years as the assistant pastor of Assumption Church in Syracuse. From 1978 to 1982, he attended St. Patrick’s College in Ireland, earning his S.T.L., a degree he used as a professor of Moral Theology at St. Anthony-on-Hudson. In 1988, he began an eight-year tenure as chaplain and campus minister at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. During this time, he served a term as director of Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte.
After taking a sabbatical year, Friar Curt served as director of Candidates in Philadelphia from 1997 until 2005, when he became pastor of St. Peter Church in Point Pleasant, N.J., ministering there through 2011. Returning to formation work for a few years, he became the co-director of the Post-Novitiate program in Silver Spring, Md. In 2014, Friar Curt began his last assignment, as parochial vicar of St. Lucie Parish in Port St. Lucie, Fl
Visitation hours in Florida will be held Friday July 19, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at St. Lucie Catholic Church (280 SW Prima Vista Blvd, Port St. Lucie FL 34983), with a Franciscan Wake Service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, July 20, at 11 a.m., at St. Lucie Catholic Church.
Additional visitation hours will be held in New Jersey on Thursday, July 25, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at St. Peter Catholic Church (406 Forman Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach NJ 08742), with a Franciscan Wake Service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Friday July 26 at 11am. Internment at a later date at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery, Trenton N.J. Memorial Donations may be made to the Franciscan Education Burse (12300 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City MD 21042).
On June 24-27, 2024, Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv., attended the annual meeting between the General Definitory and the Presidents of the Federations at the Friary of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome. The meeting was convened by the Minister General, Friar Carlos A. Trovarelli.
The attending presidents were: Friar Hillary Omondi Raduk for the African Federation of Conventual Franciscans; Friar Milan Kos for the Centralis Europae Foederatio; Friar Michael Earaly for the Federation of Asian Minor Conventuals; Friar Sidifredo de la Cruz Chaparro Gualdrón for the Federación América Latina Conventuales; Friar Wojciech Kulig for the Foederatio Europae Mediae et Orientalis; and Friar Gaspare La Barbera for the Federazione Inter-mediterranea Ministri Provinciali.
The program was modified and shortened to allow the Minister General and other friars to attend the funeral of our confrere Friar Gianfranco Agostino GARDIN, the 117th Minister General and Archbishop Emeritus of Treviso, Italy. The funeral took place on June 28, at the cathedral in Treviso.
The star of the meeting agenda was the next General Chapter, which will be held June 1-21, 2025, at the Seraphicum College in Rome. The General Definitory and the presidents engaged in extensive discussions following the pre-established agenda, namely, to evaluate how the Motions of the 2019 General Chapter have been implemented during the current six-year mandate; to examine the proposed topics for discussion that were sent in by individual friars and some Jurisdictions; to listen to the report on the financial status of the Order presented by the General Econom, Friar Nicholas ROSA and the General Exactor, Friar Leszek ŁUCZKANIN; to arrange the logistics and timetable of the Chapter giving precise details on the important services that will be needed: secretaries, translators, etc. All of this was in order to arrive at a list of topics that will be included in the Instrumentum laboris of the Chapter itself. The big job of summarizing the reports received from each individual Province, Custody and Delegation has been underway for some time now. The Assistants General have been asked to produce a text based on these summaries, which can help the Minister General and the Capitulars to frame the reality, the hopes and the challenges that our Order faces.
The countdown to the General Chapter has officially started thanks to this meeting, which was conducted in a fraternal atmosphere. The meeting was tasked with preparing for the General Chapter as thoroughly as possible so that it will be an event of grace for our Conventual Franciscan fraternity and an opportunity to creatively revitalize our dedication to our charism.
On the afternoon of Friday, June 21, 2024, news arrived from the Diocese of Treviso, Italy, that at the Clergy House in Treviso, after weeks of rapidly declining health, the Lord called to Himself Archbishop Gianfranco Agostino Garden, age 80, former Minister Provincial of the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy) and former Minister General of the Conventual Franciscan Order.
Born in San Polo di Piave, Italy, on March 15, 1944, during the war, he returned with his family to live in the Parish of Frari in Venice, where he met and often visited with the friars of the historic basilica there. At age 14, he asked to join the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.
After graduating high school in Brescia and completing his novitiate year in Padua, he made his temporary profession on September 20, 1961, and his solemn profession on October 4, 1965, each time in the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua.
He completed his high school studies in Brescia (1961-1964) and his philosophy and theology studies in Padua (1965-1970). After his priestly ordination on March 21, 1970, he earned a degree in moral theology from the Pontifical Lateran University-Alphonsian Academy in Rome.
He served as a formator in our seminaries, sharing his talents as a member of the formation team of the Theological Seminary (1973-1976) and as a professor of moral theology at the St. Anthony, Doctor Theological Institute affiliated with the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure in Rome (1973-1988).
He was a collaborator on the St. Anthony’s Messenger Magazine, starting in 1978. In 1981, he created the magazine Credere Oggi [Belief Today], a tool for orientation and theological learning, which immediately established itself in the field of theological study for its informative, monographic and systematic approach. He remained the director if Credere Oggi until 1988, the year he was elected Minister Provincial of the Province of Padua. He was re-elected Minister Provincial at the Provincial Chapters of 1991 and 1994.
In fulfillment of the plans that the Province made for itself during the years of his provincialate, Friar Gianfranco Agostino encouraged and promoted the path of fraternal life in the communities and gave impetus to missionary activity. During his provincialate, the mission in Ghana completed it development and became a Provincial Custody. Moreover, a plan to open a mission in Chile was given a concrete start.
On June 3, 1995, Friar Gianfranco Agostino was elected the 117th Minister General. During his mandate (1995-2001) he was committed to guiding the Order, making frequent visits to the various Provinces and paying particular attention to the Conventual presences in the countries of Eastern Europe which were recovering after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was attentive to all the mission presences and launched the Province of Zambia.
After returning to his home Province, on July 10, 2006, the Pope appointed him as titular Archbishop of Cissa (Croatia) and Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He served as the titular Bishop of Torcello (Italy) from November 1, 2007, to December 18, 2009; the Bishop of Treviso from December 18, 2009, to July 6, 2019. As Bishop Emeritus of Treviso, he lived in the Friary of Sant’Antonio, Dottore in Padua from 2020 until June of 2022 and then lived at the Clergy House in Treviso from June of 2022 until June 21, 2024.
Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., of Atlanta was elected chairman of the board of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for a three-year term earlier this week, the organization announced on June 6, 2024.
The largest, private professional education association in the world, the NCEA works with nearly 140,000 Catholic educators to serve 1.6 million students in Catholic education. The organization provides annual data on Catholic schools in the U.S. as well as professional development and public policy resources to support intellectual and faith formation.
“We want to be a continual resource for superintendents, principals, and faculties of Catholic schools as they continue to create Catholic leaders of tomorrow,” Archbishop Hartmayer told CNA.
Archbishop Hartmayer has worked in Catholic education for upwards of 10 years during his 44 years of priesthood and now serves on the board of trustees at two seminaries: St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, and St. John Vianney College and Seminary in Miami. He holds three master’s degrees: a master of divinity degree from St. Anthony-on-Hudson in Rensselaer, New York; a master of arts degree in pastoral counseling from Emmanuel College, Boston; and a master of education degree from Boston College — in addition to a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Massachusetts.
A member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, a religious community founded by St. Francis of Assisi, Archbishop Hartmayer has served Atlanta as archbishop since May 2020, following his service as bishop of Savannah, Georgia, in 2011. He has worked in Catholic education since the start of his priesthood. He served as a guidance counselor and then principal at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore from 1985–1987. In 1988, he was appointed principal at Cardinal O’Hara in Tonawanda, New York, and then served as principal of St. Francis High School in Hamburg, New York, until 1994.
He spent many years in New York and Massachusetts, but in 1995, he moved south to teach at a Catholic high school in Florida before being asked to serve as pastor of St. Philip Benizi Church in Jonesboro, Georgia, where he served for 15 years as a pastor.
Archbishop Hartmayer is currently the chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee for Communications and a member of the board for CLINIC. He made headlines earlier this year for advocating on behalf of an intellectually disabled Georgia man condemned to death.
