July 2017 THE

Issue Province Press #2 from The Communications Office

Guardians: All letters were sent out last week with documents to be signed and returned to the Provincial Office. If you would like a council member to be present for your installation, you must contact Provincial Minster, Jim Gannon or the Provincial Definitor assigned to your region. Provincial Administration Regional Responsibilities:

Provincial Definitor Fr. John Cella- Queen of Peace Friary: Burlington,WI St. Francis Friary:Burlington, WI San Dominonio: Onalaska,WI

Provincial Definitor Fr. Ed Tlucek- Assumption BVM Friary: Pulaski, WI St. Mary of the Angels: Green Bay, WI Holy Family Friary: Manitowoc, WI Francis and Clare Friary:Franklin, WI

Provincial Definitor Br. Craig Wilking- San Junipero Serra Friary: McAllen, TX St. Anthony Friary: St. Petersburg, FL Holy Name Friary: Pittsburgh, PA

Provincial Definitor Fr. Joachim Studwell- St. Francis Friary: Greenwood, MS Holy Dormition Friary: Sybertsville, PA

Provincial Definitor Fr. Jerome Wolbert- Holy Name Friary- Chicago Lourdes Friary: Cedar Lake, IN Chaplin’s Residence: Mishawaka, IN

Fr. Jim Gannon- Plans to visit every friary each year. SAVE THE DATE: Extraordinary May 29th- 30th, 2018 1 Henry Howaniec To some, Bishop Henry Howaniec, OFM may seem like a humble man who has dedicated his life to the Church, but his résumé and stories paint an even bigger picture.

Howaniec entered the Franciscan Order at the age of 17 in Pulaski, and attended classes at St. Francis College in Burlington and at the Lourdes Seminary in Cedar Lake. One of his favorite positions was as hospital chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. He enjoyed his time there because of the people and the ability to spend time in Northern Wisconsin. Growing up in Chicago, he always felt at home living in the Midwest. “I loved living near the water. It was a true joy to live near Lake Michigan for most of my young life,” said the Bishop.

His ministry eventually brought him far from anything he had every experienced. He traveled halfway across the globe to Rome where he was named the Director of Protocol for the Order of Minor, a position he held for nearly 25 years. “Rome is Rome,” he said with a smile. “It is a place that is unlike any other.” While his ministry in Europe was very important to him and shaped his life in the Church, it was his next journey that took him by surprise.

At the age of 62, Bishop Henry was chosen to be a missionary for the CIS Project in Russia. He was assigned to the city of Almaty to carry out pastoral, social, and charitable work. “I had to learn Russian, which to some would’ve been difficult, but with a background in Polish I was able to pick up the language quickly.” In November 2000, he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Almaty in the of the Most Holy Trinity. In the years since his appointment, he was able to dedicate his life to those in need and showed his parish- ioners all the good God has in store for us. Since his retirement in March 2011, he has made his mark on those who work and live at the Milwaukee Catholic Home in Downtown Milwaukee where he lives.

Bishop Henry Howaniec is many things: a lover of literature; a true Chicagoan at heart; a world traveler; and quite possibly most important of all, an example for how to live as a Franciscan , in the footsteps of St. Francis. FRIAR 2 St. Francis Mission’s

Three mission groups again came to St. Francis Mission in Greenwood for their annual spring and summer outreach to the children of this area.

In late May, students from the St. Albert Catholic Student Associ- ation of Southeastern Louisiana University arrived to assist with various projects at St. Francis School and the surrounding communi- ty. Sr. Renée Daigle, MSC, campus minister, and Fr. Michael Miceli, the groups’ chaplain, joined the students as they assisted the teachers during the final week of school with various activities, including the traditional May Day Celebration. At the same time, another group of students, assisted by Mr. Robert Little and Javier Guerrero, built a playground for children at one of the area trailer home parks.

“The kids at the trailer park – many who are members of St. Francis parish and school, are thrilled,” said Greg Plata, OFM, of St. Francis. “Each year, these college students give up a week of their summer vacation to outreach to the people in this part of the Delta.”

Besides the playground, the missionaries also put up soccer goals and a basketball hoop at the trailer park.

On June 10, close to 80 members of Resurrection in Wayne, IL, came for their annual outreach. Staying at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, this group of teens, college stu- dents and adult chaperones host a city wide Vacation Bible School. Youth from St. Francis and IHM partner with the Resurrection youth, providing both the Vacation Bible School and set- ting up work crews to clean, scrape, and paint homes in Greenwood. During the last nine years, over 100 homes have been painted, as Sherwin-Williams has been a cor- porate sponsor.

“The Catholic community is small in Mississippi, but we make a big impact in Greenwood due to our mission outreach these past 9 years,” commented Greg Plata. “The people in town actually look forward to what we call ‘Greenwood Mission Outreach’ each year.”

One of the high- lights of the week is the catfish fundraiser. The fish and trimmings are prepared by the Knights of Columbus, raising money for next year’s paint supplies. Not only do people throughout the city of Greenwood come out to support the mission activity, but it is also an opportunity for Greg Plata to thank all those who volunteer their time and put their disciple- ship into practice.

Continued on Page 4 On June 23, members of the Lakeside Ecumenical Organization (LEO) from Manitowoc, Wis- consin arrived for the annual Discovery Zone. Hosted by St. Francis, this program is for children ages 5 and up. It involves educational and recreational opportunities for nearby children. Barba- ra Londo Gelhausen, part of the LEO staff, taught eight of the girls how to sew, giving them their own sewing machines after their four day, intensive course.

“It is definitely our love for the kind and the friendly folks of this classic southern town and their entrusting us with their richest treasure, their kids, who ultimately melt our hearts each time we come and brings us to tears every time we head back north,” said Richard Bahnaman, director of LEO. “Bless you, Greenwood Mississippi for changing us forever.”

The Milwaukee Catholic Home held a Jubilee Celebration on Thursday, July 7th. Fr. Joel Szydlowski was celebrating his 50th Jubilee of Ordination. Joining him for the special occasion was (from left to right) Fr. Jim Gannon, Br. Justin Kwietniews- ki, Fr. John Cella. (Front row) Br. David Typek and Fr. Tom Kaminski 4 Chapter Visits

“And God gave me brothers…”

WOW!!! How true this was for me. It was a wonderful experience and bless- ing for me . The friars from St. John the Baptist Province were very welcoming and this was from the very start. Their warmth and their sense of caring for one another became contagious. It was just like being with the friars from my own province (ABVM). The friars were open to the Holy Spirit and this was evi- dent by how they worked so well with each other. They have the same joys and sorrows that I have experienced. Working together makes every thing easier. The friars were also open to sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. The Br. Andre Lemay guest friars were encouraged to participate in small group discussions, which gave me a better insight into how friars from the other provinces are thinking. Togeth- er, we can accomplish much – I’m ready!”

“The Chapter itself was quite like our own Chapter held a couple of weeks later, following almost the same procedures. Perhaps because of our same ideals and way of life, it’s amazing how similar Friars are all over the world in many situations. I was also impressed with how many Friars I already knew from living together with some of them in the Philippines and mix- ing with them when we were having our restructuring meetings etc. be- tween our two Provinces. I also knew many by face, if not by name, from interprovincial retreats or meetings. It was very much a “homecoming”. It was a very good experience.” Br. Mario Nagy

It was like attending a family reunion joining the friars of St. John The Baptist Province. Their hospitality was welcoming and attending the gathering with Bros. Mario and Andre was an added treat. We observers took part in all sessions except for the voting for Minister Provincial and Council. It was a foundational experience of fraternity and gave great hope for the future. I hope we have further experiences of inter-provincial gatherings.

Fr. Richard Tulko Humor Hymn A pastor’s wife was preparing pancakes for her young sons. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their Mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, “Let my have the first pancake. I can wait.” The oldest boy turned to his younger brother and said, “You be Jesus.”

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The made a note, and posted on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, “Take all you want. God is only watching the apples.

July 1st- David Kelly July 2nd- Anthony Gancarz July 4th- United States of America July 5th- Jim Esser July 6th- Jude Lustyk July 9th- Emmanuel Bialoncik July 11th- Francis Affelt July 17th- Randy Roberts July 21st-Joachim Studwell July 22nd- Terrence Gorski July 23rd- James Kendzierski July 25th- Placid Stroik July 27th- Linus Kopczewski, Joseph Molinari

Content of this newsletter was penned Provincial Offices 6 by Fr. James Gannon, OFM Provincial 9230 W. Highland Park Ave Minister of the Assumption BVM Prov- Franklin, Wisconsin 53132 ince, Fr. Greg Plata, OFM, and The Phone 414.525.9253 Communications Office. Email [email protected]