One year ago this month that we planted the first plants on Little Portion Farm. At that point the farm consisted merely of two beds of tomatoes in an otherwise empty field. Now, we have 67 beds planted, two wildflower sections, and a woodchip path which outlines the shape of the farm and welcomes visitors to take a reflective walk.
On Thursday, June 25, 2020, during a special Mass celebrated at our pastoral ministry of St. Casimir Church (Baltimore, MD), Kenny Clapp – a member of our Archbishop Curley High School Class of 2020 – was received into the Church as he professed his faith in Jesus and received the Sacraments of Initiation; Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
The Sacrament of Baptism
Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Chris Dudek, OFM Conv., who serves as an instructor and as campus minister at Archbishop Curley High School, was the main celebrant of the Mass and the minister of the Sacraments.
Sacrament of Confirmation
The celebration was originally scheduled at the school in March, but had to be postponed as the school was closed due to COVID-19.
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
Many of Kenny’s family and friends were able to be present to witness his commitment to Jesus, as were members of Archbishop Curley High School faculty (including Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Br. Lawrence LaFlame, OFM Conv. and Fr. Bryan Hajovsky, OFM Conv.) and Our Lady of the Angels Province Vicar Provincial, Fr. Michael Heine, OFM Conv. (at left above)
Kenny’s Family
A small social distancing reception took place in the park across from the church after the Mass.
Several of the Archbishop Curley High School students, faculty and friars who came out to celebrate with Kenny
Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv. is looking forward to seeing you as you begin your college years at Syracuse University, where he serves as Catholic Campus Minister.
Franciscan Action Newtwork (FAN) and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities have planned a 3-part webinar series on Laudato Si’ for college age students and young adults.
The first part will be next Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. ET via Zoom.
RISE UP TO PROTECT OUR FUTURE: A Guide to Living out Laudato Si’ Presenters: Daniel P. Horan, OFM, and Meghan Clark, PhD Moderator: Stephen Schneck, PhD., Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network Date/Time: Tuesday, June 30 @ 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
RSVP to attend here: https://bit.ly/3djuEhn
If you have any questions, please contact Janine Walsh of FAN at 203.685.1856 or at: jwalsh@franciscanaction.org
NOTE: Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. serves as our Province Chairman of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC). He is also the President of the Board of FAN.
On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. met the President of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Andrzej Duda, and other dignitaries and representatives of our Order and the Polish Government, in Washington DC.
H.E. Andrzej Duda awarded posthumouslyFriar Łucjan Królikowski, OFM Conv.with the Order of the White Eagle – Poland’s highest order awarded to both civilians and the military for their merits. (article in Polish)
In his Acceptance Remarks, Friar James stated, “As you know, Father Łucjan was a member of the Order of Franciscan Friars Conventual. We Franciscans first came to Poland in the year 1236. Today’s ceremony marks a unique moment in the 800-year-long history of the Franciscan Order. For the first time in Franciscan history, and in Polish history, the Order of the White Eagle is being conferred upon a Franciscan Friar. How fitting, indeed, it is that the humble Polish Franciscan Łucjan Królikowski is the recipient! ” Friar James (far left) was accompanied by six of Friar Łucjan’s closest friends, including Kraków, Poland’s St. Anthony of Padua and B. James of Strepa Province (Prowincja św. Antoniego i bł. Jakuba Strzemię w Polsce) Delegate for the USA – Fr. Piotr Sarnicki, OFM Conv. (2nd from right) and Our Lady of the Angels Province friar – Fr. Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (far right), who serves as Parochial Vicar for our pastoral ministry of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.
The President was presented with a 1st Class Relic of St. Maximillian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. by Friar James, alongside Helena Knapczyk – one of Fr. Łucjan’s Polish orphans from Siberia & the Tengeru refugee camp.
On June 19, 2020, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we join in a World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests. Occurring annually on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this World Day of Prayer was established by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002, and encourages each priest to reflect upon the importance and dignity of his vocation. St. Francis of Assisi always had a great respect and admiration for priests, because it is from their hands that Jesus gives us His Body and Blood, in the Eucharist. Please join us as we pray for priests and all consecrated religious.
Perhaps, your prayer may invite you to consider being a Franciscan Brother or Priest. Let us join the Church in prayer, praying in gratitude for the gift of the Priesthood as well as for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
“Our altar of gold is the Heart of Christ.
We must enter into the Holy of Holies,
which is this same Heart of Jesus,
and gather up the riches of His love.”
~St Anthony of Padu
This new website represents a joint-endeavor of friars from across the CFF, seeks to update and unify our online branding, and reimagines how we proclaim the Gospel as Conventual Franciscans in the digital town square.
As our province ministries are mostly spread throughout the East Coast of North America (Ontario, Canada down to Florida, USA), the re-opening dates and procedures of each ministry varies greatly. Our friars ask that you please check the individual ministry website for the unique re-opening situations at each location. The list of websites for our province ministries can be found on our “Locations” page of this website. If you are unclear from the ministry site’s webpage information (as some ministries staff has not been able to return to onsite work yet), check on their social media pages for the possibility of finding the most up to date information. The friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province miss you and are working diligently to be able to join in celebrations and events with you again, as soon as is safely possible.
Burlington, NC: The Little Portion Food Pantry, sponsored by our pastoral ministry of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community, serves those experiencing food insecurity in North Carolina’s Burlington and Almanace Counties. They hosted their latest food distribution on Friday, June 5, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., serving 640 families (3,047 individuals) with enough food to last several days. Through the generosity of benefactors, donors, supporters, the Burlington Police Department, the City of Burlington and their fantastic volunteers, they provided not only the staples of dry and canned goods, but also fresh produce – such as potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce and even fresh garlic, parsley & basil grown in the parish garden. Follow the parish and school on Facebook for updates.
Ellicott City, MD: Operating under the same English translation for the St. Francis of Assisi’s Portiuncula (Read More), our Province’s Little Portion Farm has been successful again this year in providing fresh vegetables donated to the Franciscan Center in Baltimore City, MD. The overarching mission of Little Portion Farm is to “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor (Read More). Harvests from the farm include lettuce, potatoes, dill, peppers, spinach, radishes, and much more. Follow Little Portion Farm on Facebook for updates.
Atlanta, GA: On Friday, June 12, 2020, from noon until 6:00 pm, and on Saturday, June 13, 2020, from 8:00 am until 2:00 p.m., our pastoral ministry of Holy Cross Catholic Church will hold summer blood drives. Although an event held often at the parish, during this difficult time the Red Cross is in great need of blood donations. The parish sponsored ministry of St. Vincent de Paul is another important resource during these trying times. This is a lay organization at the parish; leading women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the community at large, by praying with them, assisting with rent or mortgages, utility bills, food, clothing and screenings. You can follow the parish event and happenings on the Holy Cross Atlanta Facebook page.
Syracuse, NY: The Poverello Health Center is part of the Franciscan Northside Ministries of our pastoral ministry of Assumption Church. The center provides free health services to those in need who have no other alternatives of financial resources for medical care. It will open for walk-ins Wednesday June 10, 2020, from 6-7:30 p.m. For more information on the varied social outreach ministry of the parish community, follow Assumption Church – Syracuse Facebook page.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to social and charitable activities for the benefit of Polish war orphans, victims of forced displacement from the Eastern Borderlands into the USSR, for pastoral work, and a sacrificial attitude in helping other people. Below is an English Translation of the decree from the President of Poland honoring Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, the late +Fr. Łucjan Królikowski, OFM Conv. with Poland’s highest state decoration, the Order of the White Eagle. (Original Article Source)
___________________________
President Andrzej Duda met Father Łucjan on September 22, 2019, during a visit to New Britain, CT. (source: https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/ordery-i-odznaczenia/art,544,order-orla-bialego-posmiertnie-dla-o-lucjana-krolikowskiego.html)
The Order of the White Eagle [Awarded]
posthumously to Father Łucjan Królikowski
The President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda has awarded the highest state decoration:
In recognition of outstanding services in social and charitable activities for Polish war orphans, victims of forced displacement from the Eastern Borderlands into the depths of the USSR, for his pastoral work and sacrificial attitude in helping others.
A citizen of the Republic of Poland and Canada has been awarded
THE ORDER OF THE WHITE EAGLE
Posthumously
Father Łucjan Królikowski
A Polish Conventual Franciscan, Siberian exile,
soldier of the army of General Anders
and guardian of Polish war orphans from the Polish refugee camp in Tengeru (Tanzania)
– the children whom he took to Canada in the first days of June 1949,
protecting them from repatriation to a country controlled by the communist regime,
He died on October 11, 2019 in the Franciscan community of Chicopee in the USA.
Ministries throughout our province have missed out on “standard” graduation ceremonies and celebrations for the students served by our friars who are part of the Class of 2020. This includes students from PreK classes through University level graduates. Although these events were canceled or postponed, each of our ministry sites has tried to still make these milestones special. One such ministry is the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community, in Burlington NC. The parish school celebrated the 8th Grade Students, while still observing safety protocols in place during the pandemic.
We have been sharing these events, as they have occurred on our Province Facebook page, such as Fr. Matt Foley, OFM Conv. and other staff members at the Graduate Yard Sign Distribution at our St. Francis High School, in Athol Springs, NY, (at left). To view more celebrations of the Graduating Class of 2020 within our ministry sites, be sure to check out Franciscan Friars Conventual of the Our Lady of the Angels Province.
On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. met the President of the Republic of Poland, 
