Franciscan Friars Province of the Immaculate Conception

Provincial Update - October 2020

Fratelli Tutti I hope all the friars have had an opportunity to read the encyclical of Pope Francis “Fratelli Tutti,” which he signed at the tomb of St. Francis on October 3 and officially released on the Feast Day, October 4.  As Franciscans we should be very proud that Pope Francis continues his tradition of basing his encyclicals on the words and spirit of our Holy Father St. Francis.  The opening words of the encyclical are most moving:  “Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him.   In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives. This saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy, who inspired me to write the Encyclical Laudato Si’, prompts me once more to devote this new encyclical to fraternity and social friendship. Francis felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh. Wherever he went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters.” In this encyclical, Pope Francis goes on to describe the famous meeting of St. Francis with the Sultan Malik-el-Kamil in Egypt, and how he came bearing peace, despite so many differences in their culture and in their beliefs.  This is something that has continued through the centuries, as our friars in the Holy Land continue to give such great witness.  Pope Francis, in effect, holds up our order as an example of what he is trying to teach us in his encyclical- the importance of coming together as brothers and sisters despite our many differences.  Pope Francis specifically mentions the divisions among people- something we see so heightened in our society today.  It seems that no one is listening to each other, no one even wants to hear what others have to say.  This has implications throughout society: inequality and injustice in so many ways, in human rights, in economics, the rejection of international coopereation among nations and peoples, an increase in terrorisum and persecution, the absence of human dignity,  and an abandonment of any desire to work together for justice and peace.  Pope Francis also points to the great advances in communications that we see through the internet also having a detrimental side-effect, increased advances of fringe hate groups influencing the general population. Pope Francis points to the scriptures and our relationship with God as a source of hope for the future.  A godless atheistic world is not the answer.  He reminds us, using the example of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, that we cannot pass by and look the other way while still claiming to be disciples.   Someone has described “Fratelli Tutti” as Pope Francis’ love letter to the world and to the church.  It is also a love letter to all of us who follow in the footsteps of the Poverello.  May we take it to heart as we seek to follow Jesus more closely every day.   O God, Trinity of love, from the profound communion of your divine life, pour out upon us a torrent of fraternal love. Grant us the love reflected in the actions of Jesus, in his family of Nazareth, and in the early Christian community. Grant that we Christians may live the Gospel, discovering Christ in each human being, recognizing him crucified in the sufferings of the abandoned and forgotten of our world, and risen in each brother or sister who makes a new start. Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty, reflected in all the peoples of the earth, so that we may discover anew that all are important and all are necessary, different faces of the one humanity that God so loves. Amen. With blessings and peace,

Fr. Robert Campagna, OFM Provincial Minister

News from the Convento San Francesco, Rome Post Novitiate Program From Friar Daniel Cavalieri, OFM Il Signore vi dia la pace ! Tanti saluti dal nostro convento San Francesco qui a Roma. Back to School! Like the 1986 film with Rodney Dangerfield here in Rome we are back to school at the Antonianum University (in person for the time being mind you) . We are entering our third week of classes already and as I am writing this article, tomorrow will be the inaugural mass for the school year celebrated by the general of our Order Br. Michael Perry. There is excitement as well as anticipation in the air as we all continue our prospective vocational journeys. During this phase the emphasis is placed on mental formation or studies. However the work doesn't stop in other areas of formation such as spiritual or interpersonal. Speaking of interpersonal, the fraternity here at the Convento grows! Fr. Pierre Farrugia has become the new student master and we are all looking forward to sharing the journey with him. We welcome with open arms two solemnly professed students, Francesco and Vincenzo who are finishing their theology degrees and hail from the Benevento Province, Sannito-Irpina. They have assimilated themselves right into the life of the community. This year we also welcome first year students Brs. Luis and Oscar who just finished their novitiate at San Damiano and will be studying philosophy in the theology program. Brother Daniel Luna also has begun his first year of studies after becoming part of the fraternity back in January of this year. Another welcomed addition to the Convento is Br. Marco Antonio who finished his postulancy year in Brooklyn and was simply professed back in the summer. Marco has begun his first year of theology with philosophy already under his belt. Br. Carl will do another year of theology and Brother Jack and I (Daniel) have started our second year of philosophy on track for the theology degree. So as you can see brothers, the fun has just begun! Enough of school (at least for now) in their own words I will let the guys tell you all a little bit about their summer experiences which also includes the month of September as the school year here doesn't begin until after the feast of Saint Francis. Brs. Luis and Daniel Luna: “From September 9th to 29th Bro. Daniel Luna and myself were sent to the Madonna delle Grazie friary in Benevento, which belongs to the province of the “Sannio e Irpinia”. We were serving one of the daily masses and 2 of the masses on Sunday that the friars have at the Basilica. Besides helping in the basilica, we also did some work in the vegetable garden. We also had the chance to visit some places in the area like Pietrelcina. We also took part in some celebrations that this province had in the days we were with them. One of the most beautiful was the solemn profession of two of their friars.“ Br. Jack: “This summer I was stationed at St. Francis Centre in Caledon, Ontario, with Fr. Pierre Farrugia and Fr. Peter Furgiuele. During my stay, I helped with the upkeep of the property and helped Mary and Lina apply the Health Department’s COVID safety measures. The Centre remained closed during the summer, so I didn’t get to experience the retreat ministry; however, I’m glad to have been able to visit our parishes, meet all our brothers in Toronto, and experience some of the sights Canada has to offer” Br. Carl: “ This summer I spent at our parish in Toronto, St. Francis of Assisi. It was a great experience to see what parish life is like. I enjoyed reading at the masses and watching people come back to mass after lockdown. It was a humbling and rich experience.”    Br. Marco Antonio: “We arrived in Rome on August 21st. Upon entering the country we did the mandatory quarantine for 15 days. The welcome and the care we received made the transition process much easier. On September 7th we celebrated the birthday of our brother Kevin, and on September 8th, we participated in the investiture ceremony of our brother novices at San Damiano. After a couple of days, Br. Victor, Br. Oscar and I remained at home in Rome. We shared fraternal moments such as prayer, mass in the parish, cooked meals, and also moments of recreation. We celebrated Central American Independence Day (September 15th) and it was great. We also visited some places close to home, always with attention and care. It was a beautiful experience, before we had to start classes at the Antonianum University. Peace and good.” Br Daniel Cavalieri: “I had the privilege this summer to stay with the brothers at Padua Friary which for me was a great experience. It was a plus to be in the SoHo area of Manhattan but the real benefit for me was to live with and get to know the friars in that area. I learned a lot about this way of life by just observing and listening to older friars who have been in the habit (non pun intended) for many more years than I have. I helped the brothers with the day-to-day operations of the house. I also got to serve mass and help out at our mother church St. Anthony's on Sunday and also at Most Precious Blood. I got to see as much of New York City as I was able to during some free time based upon the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus. (and also eat some good food like Arturo's, the friars know how to eat!) I am extremely grateful for my experience this summer; to all those who made it possible thank you!” Br. Oscar: “I arrived at the Convento San Francesco in Rome, the student house of our province, on the 30th of August. That day was a really a beautiful day because after our profession we left San Damiano to head for my new home which is here at the Convento. Waiting for us in Rome was Br Marco together with the then postulants Nelson Aldaire and Kevin to share with us newly professed a nice moment of fraternity – to celebrate our profession. After a few days Brs. Luis and Daniel Luna left for Benevento. Brs. Victor, Marco and I remained home at the Convento to pass the time together sharing fraternity, praying and also seeing some of Rome by walking around – it was a little bit of vacation. Then we undertook a new adventure which is the studies at the Antonianum University of Rome.” We are all excited about what this year will bring and also about having a larger fraternity.With this, brothers, I would like to wrap up the article and sincerely ask all of you for your prayers going forward for all of us here in formation and also our formators Frs. Pierre and Antonio. May the Lord continue to call each on of us to follow him and help us mature in our faith journeys. Thank you brothers for all the support and prayers we will be praying for all of you – God bless you all.

Jack in Toronto ......................................Daniel in NYC

Carl having a day off in his hometown- Toronto Daniel out with the NYC brothers, enjoying a meal "Al Fresco"

Marco, Oscar, and Victor in St. Peter's Square

Daniel, Marco, Oscar, and Luis

Victor, Marco, and Oscar celebrate Independence Day!

Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti Of the Holy Father Francis On Fraternity and social friendship A Short Summary

Shadows over the closed world (Ch. 1) are spreading everywhere, leaving injured people by the roadside, cast out and discarded. The shadows plunge humanity into confusion, loneliness, and desolation. When we come upon ​an injured stranger on the road (Ch. 2), we can assume one of two attitudes: we can pass by or we can stop to help. The type of person we are and the type of political, social or religious group we belong to will be defined by whether we include or exclude the injured stranger. God is universal love, and as long as we are part of that love and share in it, we are called to universal fraternity, which is openness to all. There are no "others,” no "them," there is only "us”. We want, with God and in God, an open world (Ch. 3), a world without walls, without borders, without people rejected, without strangers. To achieve this world, we must have an ​open heart (Ch. 4). We need to experience social friendship, seek what is morally good, and practice a social ethic because we know we are part of a universal fraternity. We are called to solidarity, encounter, and gratuitousness. To create an open world with an open heart, it is necessary to engage in politics, and a ​better kind of politics (Ch. 5) is essential. Politics for the common and universal good. Politics that is “popular” because it is for and with the people. It is politics with social charity that seeks human dignity. The politics of men and women who practice political love by integrating the economy with the social and cultural fabric into a consistent and life-giving human project. Knowing how to ​dialogue is the way to open the world and build ​social friendship (Ch. 6) which manifests an open heart and provides the basis for a better politics. Dialogue seeks and respects the truth. Dialogue gives rise to the culture of encounter, which becomes a way of life, a passionate desire. Whoever dialogues is generous, recognizing and respecting the other. But it is not enough just to engage in encounter. We have to face the reality of the injuries of past mis-encounters, and so we have to establish and walk the ​paths of re-encounter (Ch. 7). ​We need to heal the wounds, which requires seeking and offering forgiveness. To forgive is not to forget. We need to be daring and start from the truth—the recognition of historical truth—which is the inseparable companion of justice and mercy. All this is indispensable for advancing towards peace. Conflict is inevitable on the road to peace, but violence is inadmissible. ​That is why war is a recourse that must be rejected, and the death penalty a practice that must be eliminated. The different religions of the world recognize human beings as God's creatures. As creatures, we are in a relationship of fraternity. The religions are called to the service of fraternity in the world (Ch. 8). In dialogue and with hearts open to the world, we can establish social friendship and fraternity. In our openness to the Father of all, we recognize our universal condition as brothers and sisters. For Christians, the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is what inspires our actions and commitments. This path of fraternity also has a Mother called Mary. Faced with those injured by the shadows of a closed world and still lying by the roadside, we are invited by Pope Francis to make our own the world's desire for fraternity, starting with the recognition that we are “​Fratelli tutti”​ , ​brothers and sisters all.

Pope Francis signing his Encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" on October 3, 2020 at the tomb of St. Francis at the Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi.

November Birthdays Take time to wish our friars a Happy Birthday! Oscar Valle Perez - November 6th-29 Ronald Bolfeta- November 7th- 71 Rafael Fernandez- November 10th- 66 James Goode- November 18th- 78 Amedeo Nardone- November 18th- 78 Conrad Fernandes- November 22- 36

Franciscan Missionary Union Provincial Mission Office

Brothers, May God give you peace! As Church, we are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by our words and even more by our very lives. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has encouraged each of us to take on the role of evangelizer that all might know the joy of the Gospel message. What an opportunity we have right now during this period of upheaval and unrest to reassure people of God's constant presence and ever-abiding love for them! What an opportunity we have to let others know of the works of our friars in this country and in Central America, as well as the works of Franciscans world-wide. What an opportunity to invite others to work with us in helping our brothers and sisters who face the greatest challenges. World Mission Sunday, which is on October 18 this year, is our gateway to the opportunities before us. While it is true that the number of friars who can travel to make mission appeals is limited, we know that support of our missions can be inspired not only from the pulpits of our parishes, but also in our Centers, our friaries....wherever we encounter people of good will who are open to spreading the Gospel. Your promotion of FMU enrollments in the past has allowed us to help so many in our ministry to the poor. We appreciate all you have done in the past and ask you for your help once again. Enrollments can be obtained at the FMU office at 125 Thompson Street, NY or through the FMA office in Mount Vernon, NY. Br. Vincent dePaul Ciaravino, OFM Promoter of the Franciscan Missionary Union

Fr. Roderick Crispo, O.F.M. Former Minister Provincial May 30, 1928 - September 30, 2020

Father Roderick A. Crispo, OFM passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, September 30, 2020 at Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Chestnut Hill, MA. He was 92 years old and had been the seminary's Spiritual Director. Affectionately known as Fr. Rod, prior to joining Redemptoris Mater Seminary in 2008, Fr. Rod had served in various ministries with the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception Province, including as pastor of various parishes in New York and as Provincial Minister from 1989-1995. Fr. Roderick had a love for life. He adored Frank Sinatra and Doris Day's songs and he could listen endlessly to In the Mood by Glenn Miller and laugh his head off enjoying the Jack Benny Program. He was also a devoted Yankees fan, an ice cream enthusiast and, as he used to say, hopelessly a "sun worshiper." Fr. Rod, however, reserved the greatest part of his heart for those whom he served, especially the seminarians and priests who asked him for spiritual advice and confession. Fr. Rod was a gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor who always had a word of encouragement for everyone. His intense love for life was only second to his greater love of eternal life. Fr. Rod lived and died wearing the brown habit as a true son of St. Francis and a brother to all those who knew him. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends, and especially by the priests, faculty and seminarians at Redemptoris Mater Seminary. Fr. Rod is survived by many nieces, nephews and grandnieces as well as an older (Elizabeth A. Crispo) and two younger sisters (Carmel M. Crispo and MaryGrace Warren). The Wake and Prayer Vigil for Fr. Rod will be at St. Lawrence Church, 774 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, MA on Monday, October 5, from 8PM until Tuesday, 6AM. The Funeral Mass will be on Thursday, October 8, at 11:30AM in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Troy, NY, followed by the Burial at St. Francis Cemetery in Andover, MA. Photo below is at St. Francis Cemetery, Andover.

News from Central America From Friar Victor Treminio, OFM Valle de los Angeles Dear brothers, receive fraternal greetings of peace and all good;    I want to take the opportunity to tell all of you in my Province of the Immaculate Conception: Thank you for the closeness and attentiveness to my diaconal ordination that was celebrated on June 27.  Best regards from Guatemala “The country of eternal spring”.    Here in Guatemala our fraternity is made up of six people; three solemnly professed brothers and three aspirants: Gabriel Rojas from Nicaragua, Kevin Hernández from Guatemala and Alberto Molina from El Salvador.   They began their training in our province in October 2019, they are conducting their second year here in “Valle de los Ángeles”, Guatemala. As a part of the training program they are taking philosophy courses at the Jesuit University, and since November last year they have been attending an intensive Italian course at the “European Academy”. They are very enthusiastic young people in love with the Franciscan charism and very available in the occupations and responsibilities here in the valley project.    I am sharing  with you some activities that we have carried out as a fraternity;   *On October 4th we celebrated the feast of our father Saint Francis together with the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception who reside here in Valley and the Poor Franciscan Sisters of Jesus Christ; a Brazilian foundation who have shown sympathy with us.  After the Eucharistic celebration, we had a fraternal lunch in our convent, we shared some songs and edifying experiences.    *On October 6 we celebrated the 76th birthday of our brother Friar Nery Aguirre, Happy Birthday Fr. Nery!.  For this very special celebration we counted on the participation of some families close to the father, a celebration that lasted throughout the week with the visit of some friends and gifts.     *On October 15 we traveled to Moyuta, a border town where some of our students' families reside. As you know due to the restrictions of the pandemic, our boarding school students are at home with their families and every month we provide them with food to help their families.    *On October 16, due to immigration issues, we traveled to El Salvador and visited Fray Rafael Fernández, the president of the foundation and the Agape brothers. We had the opportunity to greet Fray Flavian Mucci, who had just returned from the hospital. It is always good to visit the brothers. (see photos below)   I am still in Guatemala serving as a deacon in the fraternity with daily masses and in the church of the Valley on Sundays. I had the opportunity to serve in the solemn mass of the Patroness of Guatemala and in some presbyteral ordinations.     I hope you are doing very well, we entrust our “Valle de los Angeles” project to your prayers, especially in these times of pandemic when we have had a significant reduction in donations. Please say a Hail Mary for our aspirants.    Fraternally Br. Victor.  Peace and good

Feast of St. Francis- New York Region

Friars Mario Julian and Chuck Trebino hosted the New York friars for the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis. The Solemn Transitus was celebrated on October 3 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, followed by a late buffet in the church hall. On Sunday, October 4, they hosted a festive dinner in the church hall for the Feast of St. Francis. The friars thoroughly enjoyed being together again, especially in these days of COVID isolation. Photos below of Transitus and Our Lady of Peace, Brooklyn. Thanks, Mario and Chuck, for your hospitality. Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum!

Transitions Fr. Claude Scrima transferred from St. Leonard Friary, Boston, to St. Christopher Friary. Fr. Claude has returned home after his hospital and rehab stay. Welcome home, Claude.

From Latin to English From Chant to Folk Songs From Organs to Guitars A First-Hand Look at the Liturgical Music Changes of Vatican II

One of the younger friars asked me what it was like living through the changes in the Mass that took place from Vatican Council II.  I was very fortunate to be in the seminary at the time, so I witnessed first-hand the gradual changes that took place in the transition from the Tridentine Mass to what became later known as the “Mass of Paul VI”, and even later, the “Novus Ordo.”   I had even more of an advantage, having been head organist for many years and going through the changes from the Latin Mass to the use of the vernacular.   Although we often identify the changes of the Mass as coming from the Vatican Council II, many changes were already being made for some years before.  However, when I first entered the minor seminary, we were still using the Tridentine Mass, or the Mass of St. Pius V,  dating from 1570.  We were well aware of the Vatican Council II meeting in Rome at the time, and everyone anticipated the many changes that would come from the Council   When I entered St. Francis Seraphic Seminary in 1963, Mass was celebrated on the high altar, while the other priests on the faculty and in the community celebrated their Masses on the side altars.  Very often, depending on who was celebrating, there was almost a cacophony of voices, as it seemed the private Masses were almost competing with the Mass on the main altar.  As seminary organist, I had to prepare the Gregorian chant that was used for daily Masses. These were taken from two books:  The Liber Usualis, which used the traditional Gregorian chant notation, and the Kyriale, which had organ accompaniment in modern notation.  There were several sung Masses that were most popular: The Mass of the Angels; Gregorian Mass XI , also known as Missa Orbis Factor;  Mass No. IX;  and, for Masses for the Dead, the Gregorian Requiem Mass.  I remember how much I loved the music of the Requiem Mass, especially the sequence “Dies Irae.”  On Sundays and Feast Days, we would often use some more elaborate sung Masses that were written for the choir.  “Missa Salve Regina,” by Carlo Rossini, was a seminary favorite. There were other mass settings that we would use also.  On Sundays the Mass would begin with the blessing of the congregation with holy water, accompanied by the “Asperges Me”, or  “Vidi Aquam” during Lent.  There were also occasions when we would sing special Latin and English hymns, such as Mozart’s “Ave Verum”,  “O Sacrum Convivium”, but English hymns were usually relegated to the end of the Mass.  Many of these were taken from the St. Gregory Hymnal.  We would also use some music from Fr. Ludovico Tucciarone, OFM, who was a composer and a member of our province.     On December 4, 1963, the Vatican Council document “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, was solemnly promulgated by Pope Paul VI.  This, of course, stirred excitement in the seminary community, as we anticipated the many changes that would take place.  The Constitution treated many different topics, including the promotion of the active participation of the laity, the communal nature of the liturgy, the Mass and sacraments, the Divine Office, sacred music, sacred art and furnishings, and the use of the vernacular in these rituals.  The implementation of these principles would be gradual, accompanied by prayer and instruction, and was left to the individual nations and dioceses.  Liturgical books would have to be translated and adapted.   It wasn’t until almost two year later, March 7, 1965, on the First Sunday of Lent, that these changes were actually implemented on the local level.  This is when we would say that what was called “the New Mass” was beginning to take shape, and the Tridentine Mass was no longer used.  Gradually, for us at the seminary, English began to replace Latin.  At first the Mass was celebrated with the celebrant facing the people, then the readings were proclaimed in English by laypeople.  Slowly but surely, changes were made until 1969, when English was used for the entire Mass.     On January 25, 1964, Pope Paul also issued the apostolic letter “Sacram Liturgiam,” the Decree on Sacred Music.     This was not an easy transition.  There was much opposition to these changes, particularly from the older friars in the province.  But eventually, the conflicts subsided and the “New Mass” was accepted.     Later on, we began introducing folk music to the Mass, with music from some of the prominent composers of the time- Ray Repp, Joe Wise, Sebastian Temple, and Joseph Gelineau.  The most used hymnal at the time was The People’s Mass Book and Glory and Praise.   The music situation blossomed through the late 60’s and early 70’s.  In my opinion, some of the early folk music was very trite and primitive, but it served its purpose and got us through the transition.  Later on, composers like the St. Louis Jesuits, Marty Haugen and David Haaas, Michael Joncas, and others added their own special touch.     Through my seminary years, some what we called the “moldy oldies” were still favorites, and even at our Provincial Chapters, it was exciting to hear the 70 or 80 friars gathered together belting out “Panis Angelicus.”     Sometime during the 1965-66 school year, we had our first concelebrated Mass.  The main celebrant was the rector of the seminary, Fr. Matthias Pastore, OFM.  The concelebrants were Fr. Isaac Calicchio, the prefect of discipline, and Fr. Roland Petinge, the vice-prefect.  Since it was the first time the priests were concelebrating, there was obviously some confusion as to the prayers and the roles each one would serve.  The biggest blunder came at communion time.  When it came to receiving the Precious Blood from the common cup, Fr. Matthias, out of habit, seemed to consume the entire chalice.  As he was in the midst of doing this, Fr. Isaac whispered something to him, reminding him that he had to save some of the Precious Blood for the other two concelebrants.  There was a brief look of panic on the face of Fr. Matthias, and he suddenly spit some of the Precious Blood back into the chalice.  He then looked at the two concelebrants, who immediately shook their heads, indicating that they were not going to consume the Precious Blood.  There were smiles through the congregation, as we all realized what had happened.  It was obvious that our first attempt at a concelebration was a misfire.     Nowhere did I witness the conflicts stirred up in liturgical and musical circles than the summers I spent at St. Pius X School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York.  St. Pius X was at the time the premier liturgical music school in the country.  After my first profession, Fr. Matthew DeBenedictis, OFM, our Provincial, sent me to St. Pius X for studies in Liturgical Music.  St. Pius X was in session for eight weeks each summer as part of Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart.  There were assembled the leading liturgical music experts of the country and the world, along with the many religious men and women, priests, seminarians, and laypeople involved in liturgical music ministry. It was a very exciting time for me, living in the dorms on campus and rubbing shoulders with so many famous people in liturgical circles.   The mornings were spent with our typical music classes- history of music, musicology, chant, composition, music theory, liturgy, and other classes.   Evenings were spent in the many private practice rooms where pianos and electronic organs had been installed. There were several pipe organs on campus also that we could reserve for practice time.  Our daily schedule centered around Masses and various services, and many famous artists would come and perform recitals and concerts.  Each summer the session ended with a  concert of classical religious music given by the students and faculty.  However, it was in the afternoons that the conflicts were most obvious.  There were three music seminars which were mandatory for all the  students.  The first was Gregorian chant, given by monks from the Abbey of St. Pierre in Solesmes, France.  St. Pius X School featured a particular way of teaching Gregorian chant, called the “Ward Method.”  Even though Gregorian chant was not being widely used, it was felt that this was an important legacy of the church which must be preserved.  The second session was usually in modern liturgical music.  One of the favorite instructors in this was Dr. C. Alexander Peloquin, Music Director of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Providence, and founder and director of The Peloquin Chorale.  Alex Peloquin was much loved by the students, and hosted great parties in his faculty suite.  At the time he was composing the “Freedom Songs, “ based on the writings of Martin Luther King, Jr.  His sessions left everyone hoarse, not a great way to participate in our third session, “Classical Chorale Music,” given by Dr. Ralph Hunter, founder and director of the Hunter Chorale.  We would learn such classics as “Mass in Time of War” by Haydn, “Requiem” by Mozart, and other classical pieces.  Dr. Hunter would rail against Peloquin, stating that he was ruining the church with his “crazy music.”  Of course, no one had the courage to remind Dr. Hunter that he himself wasn’t Catholic.  But it did make trying to sing the nuances of these classical pieces a challenge.    Anyone who lived through these times would have to admit that they were exciting, but also a great challenge.  As a musician, I had a special interest in all of this.  It definitely colored my ministry as a priest and pastor years later.   Fr. Joe Lorenzo, OFM

Around the Province Repairs to Catskill bell tower are now complete. Below are before and after pics.

Prayer Requests

PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE FRIARS  WHO HAVE RECENTLY DIED Friar Andres Felix Rivero, OFM (St. Barbara Province) Friar Roderick Crispo, OFM (Immaculate Conception Province) Friar Andres Felix Rivero, OFM (St. Barbara Province) Bishop Capistran Heim, OFM (Holy Name Province) Friar Conrad Harkins, OFM (Holy Name Province) Friar Joseph Zermeno, OFM (St. Barbara Province) Friar Valerian Vaverchak, OFM (Holy Name Province) Friar Richard Duffy, OFM (Sacred Heart Province) Recently Deceased Family and Friends Bishop Odore Gendron (Retired Bishop of Manchester NH) Maria Elena Middleton (Niece of Fr. Louis Troiano-18 years old) Giuseppe LaSelva (Father of Friar Giacomo LaSelva) Paul Poirier (Brother of Friar Dominic Poirier) Let us pray for our infirm friars: Friar Pierre Farrugia, OFM Friar Claude Scrima, OFM Friar Amedeo Nardone, OFM Friar Albin Fusco, OFM  For our Infirm Family and Friends Anna Palmarozzo (Mother of Friar Rick Martignetti) For all infected and affected by the virus.  For our friars in skilled nursing and rehab facilities: Friar Amedeo Nardone, OFM Friar Albin Fusco, OFM Friar Isaac Calicchio, OFM Friar Daniel Morey, OFM Friar John Bavaro, OFM Friar Philip Adamo, OFM Friar Lawrence Stumpo, OFM Friar Clement Procopio, OFM Please pray for all friars, families, friends, and benefactors, living and deceased. For all those affected in any way by the coronavirus. For medical personnel and first responders. For those in our nursing homes and hospitals. For families separated from their loved ones due to quarantine.

BROTHERS: Please print out a copy of this newsletter to share with those in your community who do not have email. We hope that every friar in our province will have access to the Newsletter and that a printed copy will be posted on your friary bulletin board. Thank you The Management

Province of the Immaculate Conception, New York NY 125 Thompson Street New York NY 10012 212-674-4388 NEWSLETTER CONTACT Please send any articles, news items, or photos to Friar Joseph F Lorenzo, O.F.M. Provincial Curia 125 Thompson Street New York NY 10012 Cell: 917.337.9833 Office: 212.674.4388 Xt. 113 jlorenzo@icprovince.org VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.ICProvince.org