Several of the friars of province offer special reflections to aid in your personal prayer life and spiritual journey, throughout the year. Fr. Michael Martin, OFM Conv., who serves as the Director of Campus Ministry of Duke Catholic Center often provides a series each season. For Lent 2021, a new video is added each week. We will continue to share them in this post, as well as on our Facebook page. Check out the Duke Catholic Center on YouTube for all of the videos presented through the years, including weekly Masses.
Friar Michael and his team provide students with not only these video reflections, but several other tools can be found on their website (Lent at Duke) to help the faithful to be more engaged in their Lenten Season. For those who are unable to join in person for Ash Wednesday Mass, the Duke Catholic Center has created a “Lent 2021 Memo,” with spiritual tools for growth, calming prayer, penance ideas and tips on finding a saint to identify with this season.
In conjunction with the efforts of the Maryland Catholic Conference, Little Portion Farm’s Outreach Coordinator & JPIC Assistant Director ~ Farmer Matt Jones, and student friar ~ br. Cristofer M. Fernández, OFM Conv. lead us in today’s prayer for elected officials, on location at our province’s Little Portion Farm on the grounds of The Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD).
Little Portion Farm uses sustainable methods that respect and care for the land. The produce harvested from the farm is donated to help people in need in Baltimore. For more information on Catholic Advocacy Day (February 16, 2021) visit the Advocacy Day Virtual Site.
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., Friar Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv., the current Assistant General for the Centralis Europae Foederatio (CEF) will be ordained a bishop by the imposition of hands and consecratory prayer of His Eminence, Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The ceremony will take place at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.
Sixteen-year-old Joseph Pontisso, a Grade 11 student at Mary Mother of God School in Toronto, was touched by the personal testimony of Friar Tim Blanchard, a Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Conventual brother who studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The 23-year-old Blanchard, who served in Toronto for part of 2020, impressed Pontisso by how he handled the search for a life purpose in high school.
“I was particularly moved when Friar Tim mentioned the fact that he had very high aspirations through high school,” said Pontisso. “As a high school student myself concentrating very hard on my academics, I found it inspiring that he was able to find his vocation to religious life even though he had originally been focused on other things.”
The General Secretariat for Mission Animation (SGAM) of our Curia is working to use new media resources to share news about our Order’s Mission Efforts. One of the new presentations is a multipart installment on the Curia’s website, under the title of “Missionary Vocation – The Mission of St. Francis of Assisi and the First Friar.”
Click on the image & description to read each new installment presented by
Friar Dariusz Mazurek, OFM Conv. – General Delegate for Mission Animation:
Over the weekend of February 6/7, 2021, Syracuse University, including SU Catholic Chaplain – Our Lady of the Angels Province friar: Fr Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv., welcomed students back to campus to begin the Spring Semester, two weeks later than usual. Returning also was an SU Catholic tradition, begun by students in the Fall Semester, called Pasta and Penance with Padre. After Sunday Mass, one of the students asked if he could bring the pasta. His choice: Strozzapreti (aka priest-choker) pasta. For a little levity, the students decided to dramatize the name of the pasta for the others (at right). They ate like “real” Italians, standing in the kitchen, so as to stay socially distanced (above). Those not participating in Penance after lunch are always on clean-up and dish-duty!
The recipient of the 2021 Barry Brownlee Excellence in Teaching Award is Fr. Chris Dudek, OFM Conv. Fr. Chris is a theology instructor, Curley’s campus minister and moderator of Franciscan Youth Ministry (FYM.)
Although February is a short month, it is a rich month for the faithful. Fr. Richard-Jacob Forcier, OFM Conv. ~ Province Secretary, Spiritual Director of the Companions of St. Anthony, and Rector/Director of The Shrine of St. Anthony on:
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