AROUND THE PROVINCE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART [email protected]—March 15, 2018 Fr. Robert Leonhardt , OFM, Laid to Rest he journey of life life continued at at his brother’s funeral. The friar covers miles of Blessed Giles, but de- community also welcomed Mike terrain, and that is clining health took its Haney, OFM, Harold DeGrave, especially true for toll and, in the early OFM, and Bob Sieg, OFM, to the Tour brother, Robert Leon- part of this year, Bob service. The scriptures chosen for the Liturgy were: 1 Kings 19, 8-13; hardt, OFM, who was entered hospice. In ear- 1 John 4: 7 – 11, 16 -18, and John born in Iowa and grew up ly February, he knew 17: 20-26. in Chicago. He was a man that he needed more who loved the open roads care and willingly on his motorcycle and the moved to St. Mary’s wide open skies during Nursing Home. It was the years he flew an air- there that he died on plane. He sailed the seas during his the evening of February 18th, in the years in the U.S. Navy, earned a de- company of his brother, Fr. Lou, and gree in Electrical Engineering from the guardian of the community. the Institute of Technology On the morning of February 20th, Fr. in Chicago, joined our Sacred Heart Lou, the friars from Blessed Giles, Province and was given the religious and Bob’s caregiver, Sue Severson, name “Hildebrand”. He passed gathered at the Pfeffer Funeral through all the levels of formation in Home for a prayer service and fare- the province, was ordained as part of well before his body was to be cre- the class of 1959, and continued on mated. The funeral was set for mid- his journey as a teacher, formation March. team member, pastor, and chaplain th during his many years as a friar, liv- On the evening of March 11 , Fr. ing until the age of 91. Lou Leonhardt presided over a wake service for Bob held at Blessed Giles In his homily, Fr. Lou spoke of the Bob’s last 30 years were spent in the Friary. Present were the friars, the ‘tiny whispering sound’ in which South with his last year and a half in Felician sisters, the Knights of Co- God spoke to Elijah and how he speaks to our lives yet today; about the North at Blessed Giles Friary in lumbus, and other guests. Fr. Lou Manitowoc, WI. His enthusiasm for how we are loved, not because of began his remarks with the anything that we do, but because words: “Let it be known God loves us first and always; and that I have another family Jesus’ Last Supper prayer in the saint in heaven.” Time Gospel is a prayer that reaches down was also given for remarks to us yet today. Fr. John Dom- from the friars and other browski, OFM, offered the Prayers guests. of Final Commendation at the chapel and, the Rite of Committal at On Monday morning, Calvary Cemetery in Manitowoc, March 12th, at 10:30 am, a WI. After military honors, his cre- Liturgy of Resurrection mains were interred in the friars’ was held at the Blessed plot. A luncheon followed at Blessed Angela Chapel at Felician Giles Friary. Village. Fr. Lou presided Remembering Our Brothers He drew the plans also for the Franciscan college at St. Bonaventure, N.Y.; the Benedictine abbey Br. Adrian Wewer, OFM church and monastery at Conception, MO; St. 1836-1914 Anthony Church in Evansville, IN; the Benedic- tine abbey church at St. Meinrad, IN; many hos- rother Adrian is one of the most famous pitals and various motherhouses of women reli- of the lay brothers of Sacred Heart Prov- gious. ince. He and his work are the subject of a doctoral thesis as well as many articles After the great earthquake of , B about church architecture in the 19th and Brother Adrian moved to the western commis- early 20th century. sariat to assist in the rebuilding and restoration of the churches and friaries that had been damaged. He Brother Adrian came to the mission of Sacred Heart returned to St. Louis only once for his golden jubilee, Commissariat in 1862 with Father Eugene Puers and choosing to continue working in as a jubilari- Brothers Camillus, Martin, and Victorin. Two years after an. There, he was responsible for the construction of his arrival, he pronounced his solemn vows. many of the churches and friaries all up and down the A carpenter by trade, Brother Adrian possessed great skill coastline. as a builder; and soon he was employed as an architect of Brother Adrian enjoyed health well into his senior years, churches and friaries. Architects were rare at this time, and the unassuming brother fully justified the confidence his last illness lasting a scant ten weeks. He died in San that his superiors placed in him. His services were in de- Francisco, CA, just one month shy of his seventy-eighth mand throughout the Province of the Sacred Heart and birthday. He was buried in the cemetery in Oakland, CA, even beyond its limits. He made the plans and superin- after his funeral at St. Boniface Church. Brother Adrian tended the construction of the churches, friaries, and was the uncle of Father Bernard Wewer (see Dec. 19), the schools in Chillicothe, Quincy, Chicago (St. Augustine), celebrated pastor of St. Anthony Church in St. Louis, , Teutopolis, and at other places of the prov- which had been designed and built by his nephew. ince in Nebraska, Minnesota and . From SHP Necrology

DEACON ORDINATION AT ST. PETER’S CHURCH IN THE LOOP

On Saturday, March 10, 2018, friars, friends, family and classmates, gathered at St. Peter Church in the Loop, Chi- cago, IL, to attend the deacon ordination of Sacred Heart Province friars, Dat Hoang, OFM, and Ed Tverdek, OFM, and Holy Name Province, friar, Casey Cole, OFM. Pictured L-R: Dat Hoang, OFM, Casey Cole, OFM (HN), Joe Rozan- sky, OFM (HN), Bishop Ferd Cheri, OFM, John Aherne, OFM (HN), Ed Tverdek, OFM, and Provincial Minister, Tom Nairn, OFM. Photo: Mike Fowler, OFM

RETREAT AT IL RITIRO Fr. Wayne Hellmann is a Conventual Franciscan of “: Learning to Pray” the Midwest Province and co-editor of the three vol- April 7, 2018 - 9am—3pm ume series Francis of Assisi – Early Documents. He is a Presenter: Wayne Hellmann, OFM, Conv. Professor of Historical Theology at St. Louis Univ.

During four thirty-minute sessions, Friar Wayne Hell- Registration: $30 (non-refundable). Register before mann will lead participants through several of the March 25, 2018. Lunch is included. prayers written by St. Francis. This will be done in Call: 636-274-0554. email: [email protected]. chronological order of their composition so that par- www.il-ritiro.org. Overnight accommodations are ticipants will enter into the maturing development of available for retreat attendees at $25 per night per his life of prayer and of his ever deepening under- person in the building that we have assigned as the standing of God. Time for personal reflection upon St. Hospitality House. (Limited space available.) Francis’ experience of prayer may help us to under- IL RITIRO FRANCISCAN RETREAT CENTER stand our own journey. P.O. Box 38 7935 St. Francis Lane Dittmer, MO 63023 Local Priest Recalls Meeting, as a high school English teacher. It was at a rally, as I recall, to prepare Photographing Dr. King marchers for a demonstration to pro- By Christian Reuter, OFM test test discriminatory “redlining” Special to The Messenger real estate practices. Since I super- vised the school newspaper and I saw Dr. Martin Luther yearbook at Hales Franciscan, I had King, Jr., up close twice in a handy darkroom to develop and the summer and fall of print the pictures I had taken. That 1967. In those days I al- was before the days of digital pho- ways carried a 35mm tography. camera in my pocket; so I’m not sure on which oc- Looking back, I remember being very frightened at casion I snapped the imag- these events. Not only did we need to worry about being es (left and right) that I arrested, but we also had to face hostile reactions from now treasure. fellow religious and Catholics—some of whom openly labeled Dr. King “a Communist agitator.” When he was The first time was on a hot assassinated in 1968 not even a Saturday afternoon in Cleveland, Ohio, where I was in a year later, it was a painful pas- summer program to learn pastoral ministry skills right toral duty to accompany my after completing my studies in the Franciscan seminary. students during the unrest and My supervisors thought that I was out visiting orphanag- rioting that engulfed Chicago es and nursing facilities, but I now confess that I was and so many places in America. actually on street corners registering voters. I also volun- teered my time with an ecumenical pastors’ association I still have the three close- that was organizing a boycott of a major grocery chain up photos that I snapped back that practiced racial discrimination. When King came to in 1967. As we commemorate town for a series of outdoor speeches, I drove the flatbed his death fifty years ago, I truck on which his podium was mounted. treasure them as personal The second encounter was at a churchyard on the “icons” of a prophet whom I south side of Chicago, where I was beginning my career was privileged to briefly meet.

Province; and Jerry Bleem, OFM, Sa- cred Heart Province. More information on the exhibition, the four Sundays of performances, and the gallery is availa- ble at http://romansusan.org/ nevernotmusic; photo by Esther Espino.

Submitted: Jerry Bleem, OFM

On March 3, recently installed Archbish- op, Charles Thompson, visited Sacred Three members of St. Joseph Friary, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Heart Parish in Indianapolis, IN.. He cele- Chicago, recently performed in the brated the 5pm Parish Mass, and after- midst of the exhibition wards greeted the people. Larry Janezic,  March 17 Tom Fox (83) of nevernotmusic mounted by Udita  March 18 Ildephonse Skorup (88) OFM, and Justin Belitz, OFM, concele- Upadhyaya, at the Roman Susan Art brated, and Gary Jeriha, OFM, was at the  March 18 Tom Nairn (70) piano with the choir. Dennis Schafer, Foundation, Chicago. From bottom  March 19 Joe Rogenski (70) OFM, was celebragin Mass at St. Pat's. to top are Joshua Critchley, OFM,  March 20 Gilbert Ostdiek (85) This cordial and very pleasant visit was Immaculate Conception Province;  March 21 Pauli Johnson (85) warmly received by everyone. Nick Carbuto, OFM, Holy Name  March 21 Larry Janezic (67) Submitted: Justin Belitz, OFM

Around The Province—Weekly Newsletter of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart Pepe Martínez, OFM—Office of Communications—1820 Grand Avenue—Manitowoc, WI 54220 815-272-3907—[email protected]