Br. Ponciano Macabalo, OFM, is a Franciscan friar of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe who is serving in the Galilean region of Israel. He recently shared this update from the friars in the Holy Land: 

In this present Israeli-Palestinian conflict started two years ago on Oct. 7, 2023, the friars here in the Holy Land are on alert. Those who experienced previous wars have learned a lot about how to cope with this kind of conflict. 

Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, speaks with parishioners at the Sts. Simon and Jude Parish auction in Huntington Beach, California. It was the first parish where he served after ordination. (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM).

Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, greets military personnel on Veterans Day.  (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM)

Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, is a man of many talents. Here, he gives Br. Franklin Fong, OFM, a fresh haircut. (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM)

Through learning iconography, the study of symbols, themes and subject matters in visual arts, Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, discovered how to blend his childhood perceptions of Christ with the idea of the resurrected savior, enriching his artistic expression. Here, he paints a 9-foot San Damiano Cross for Saint Luis Rey Parish in Oceanside, California. It is the second of three he has painted. (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent)

Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, painted his third San Damiano cross for the Conventual Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is smaller and modified at the bottom to feature Our Lady of the Angels. (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent)

Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, developed his gift for art by learning iconography in school. This is St. Francis at Greccio, delighting in the baby Jesus. (Photo courtesy of Br. Vincent Nguyen, OFM)

Hope is a communal experience rather than being an individual one, calling us to fraternity and mutual support during challenging times. The Franciscan way entails fostering hope and healing through encounter, outreach and relationships.  

In the next installment in our Franciscan Wisdom series, Br. Murray Bodo, OFM, priest, author and poet, emphasizes that hope is a fundamental attitude that thrives in community, where individuals find strength and identity within the collective experience of fraternitas. He notes that fraternitas is a source of healing and mentions the concept of “working mercy” together. As exemplified by St. Francis, a reciprocal relationship that fosters hope and joy, even amid crisis, is thus created. This interaction can be a transformative force that invites others to join in a shared experience of love and support.

In the next installment of our Franciscan Wisdom series, Br. Thomas Nairn, OFM, an educator, author, moral theologian and expert in health care ethics, discusses the concepts of hope and solidarity as emphasized by modern popes, particularly in the context of a more interconnected world. He highlights the significance of community and mutual love as essential elements in fostering hope and solidarity among individuals, especially the marginalized. 

The Franciscan vision emphasizes familial language, portraying all creatures as siblings in God’s community, which encourages a more relatable understanding of solidarity. Reinforcing the importance of being present for one another, Br. Thomas encourages all of us to actively engage in showing solidarity and hope to those facing darkness and marginalization.  

Pope Francis, “The End of the World? Crises, Responsibilities, Hopes” 

This is precisely the time 
When artists go to work. 
There is no time for despair, 
No place for self-pity, 
No need for silence,  
No room for fear. 
We speak, we write,  
We do language. 
That’s how imagination heals. 
~Toni Morrison 

“Hope” is a very important Franciscan word that becomes so much more than a word when I begin to meditate on it—especially in a context like this so-called time of “polycrisis.”  I quickly realize that I am helpless and alone without the “we” of what Pope Benedict calls “a people,” and what we Franciscans call a “fraternitas.” 

Age, and playing with words for ages, has convinced me that THE gift of Franciscans for the world today is our own interrelating as brothers, our “fraternitas.”  In our “fraternitas” we find our own identities defined and clarified and thereby find the hope that carries us on as well.  And to the extent that we open that ever-expanding circle of “fraternitas” to others—and let them in, let them, too, experience a joyful place of hope—to that extent we jointly create what St. Francis called “fraternitas.” In “fraternitas,” there emerges a “we” that is defined and focused by those separate individuals who together are becoming a “we.”  

St. Francis rejected other founders’ definitions of who we, as religious, become through the faithful keeping of the Rule.  Instead, he embraced the descriptive definition God gave to him, and by extension to the brothers:  that they were to become new kinds of fools in the world, wisdom figures who emerge strangely sane and full of hope as they open their arms to those who would join them in the mad dance of love--even in the midst of war, climate change, energy problems, epidemics, the migratory phenomenon, and technological innovation, all erupting simultaneously.   

As God did with St. Francis and the lepers, God now asks us to open our arms and “work mercy” with one another and with those who would join us on our mad pilgrimage here on earth. 

Fraternitas seems to happen when we begin to “work mercy with one another,” not when we have compassion or have pity, both attitudes dripping condescension and self-importance. Francis says instead that the Lord led him among lepers, “et feci misericordiam cum ipsis” (“and I made mercy with them”).  He and the lepers were mutually working mercy with one another; it was a reciprocal gesture. 

Fraternitas is a redeemed and redeeming interaction that shines like the sun of justice and calls others to want to be a part of that reciprocal relatedness.  Call it hope or joy or re-birth.  It unites and heals, and that is a big part of what we believe.  We believe further that if we put this belief into practice, then new kinds of fools start healing the world.  Hope is the witness that foolish wisdom is alive and well and living wherever making mercy is still happening. 

“La esperanza es la actitud fundamental que nos sostiene en el camino. No consiste en esperar con resignación, sino en esforzarse con fervor hacia la vida verdadera, que lleva el estrecho perímetro individual mucho más allá.  Como el papa Benedicto XVI nos hizo recordar, la esperanza "está ligada a la unión vivida con un 'pueblo', y para cada persona solo puede alcanzarse dentro de este 'nosotros'". 

Papa Francisco, "¿El fin del mundo? Crisis, responsabilidades, esperanzas". 

Este es precisamente el momento 
Cuando los artistas van a trabajar. 
No hay tiempo para la desesperación, 
No hay lugar para la autocompasión, 
No hay necesidad de silencio,  
No hay espacio para el miedo. 
Hablamos, escribimos,  
Trabajamos el lenguaje. 
Así es como la imaginación cura. 
~Toni Morrison 

"Esperanza" es una palabra franciscana muy importante que pasa a ser mucho más que una palabra cuando comienzo a meditar sobre ella, en especial en un contexto como este supuesto tiempo de "policrisis".  Con celeridad me doy cuenta de que me encuentro indefenso y solo sin el "nosotros" de lo que el papa Benedicto llama "un pueblo", y lo que los franciscanos llamamos una "fraternitas". 

La edad, y el jugar con las palabras durante años, me ha convencido de que EL regalo de los franciscanos para el mundo hoy es nuestra propia interrelación como hermanos, nuestra "fraternitas".  En nuestra "fraternitas" encontramos definidas y clarificadas nuestras propias identidades y, con ello, encontramos también la esperanza que nos anima.  Y en la medida en que abrimos ese círculo cada vez más amplio de "fraternitas" a los demás (y les permitimos entrar, dejamos, también, que experimenten un lugar alegre de esperanza), en esa medida creamos en conjunto lo que San Francisco llamaba "fraternitas". En la "fraternitas" surge un "nosotros" que es definido y centrado por aquellas personas separadas que, juntas, se convierten en un "nosotros".  

San Francisco rechazó las definiciones de otros fundadores sobre en quiénes nos convertimos, como religiosos, mediante la fiel observancia de la Regla.  En su lugar, abrazó la definición descriptiva que Dios le entregó y, por extensión, a los hermanos: que debían convertirse en nuevas especies de locos en el mundo, figuras de sabiduría que surgen extrañamente cuerdas y llenas de esperanza mientras abren los brazos a aquellos que quisieran unírseles en la loca danza del amor, incluso en medio de la guerra, el cambio climático, los problemas energéticos, las epidemias, el fenómeno migratorio y la innovación tecnológica, todos en erupción de forma simultánea.   

Como Dios hizo con San Francisco y los leprosos, Dios nos pide ahora que abramos los brazos y "obremos la misericordia" unos con otros y con quienes se unan a nosotros en nuestra loca peregrinación aquí en la tierra. 

La fraternitas parece darse cuando empezamos a "obrar la misericordia unos con otros", no cuando tenemos compasión o lástima, actitudes ambas que gotean condescendencia y arrogancia. En cambio, Francisco dice que el Señor lo condujo entre los leprosos, "et feci misericordiam cum ipsis" ("y obré la misericordia con ellos").  Él y los leprosos se obraban la misericordia mutuamente; era un gesto recíproco. 

Fraternitas es una interacción redimida y redentora que brilla como el sol de la justicia y llama a los demás a querer formar parte de esa relación recíproca.  Llámenla esperanza, alegría o renacimiento.  Une y cura, y eso es gran parte de lo que creemos.  Creemos además que, si ponemos en práctica esta creencia, entonces nuevas especies de locos empezarán a sanar el mundo.  La esperanza es el testimonio de que la sabiduría ingenua se encuentra viva y bien, y vive allí donde todavía se obra la misericordia. 

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These ways of interpreting the world and its evolution, with the unprecedented forms of relatedness that correspond to it, can provide us with signs of hope, which we are seeking as pilgrims during this Jubilee year (cf Bull Spes non confundit, 7). Hope is the fundamental attitude that supports us on the journey. It does not consist of waiting with resignation, but of striving with zeal towards true life, which leads well beyond the narrow individual perimeter. As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us, hope “is linked to a lived union with a ‘people’, ad for each individual it can only be attained within this ‘we’’ (Encyclical Letter Spe salvi, 14). Pope Francis, “The End of the World? Crises, Responsibilities, Hopes,” March 4, 2025 

The idea that Pope Francis described in this paragraph is what modern popes, since the time of Pope Pius XII, have called solidarity. Pope Pius XII was the first to use this term, linking human solidarity to the virtue of charity (cf. Summi pontificatus, 35). The term grew in importance with the great social encyclicals of Pope John XXIII (Mater et magistra and Pacem in terris) and Pope Paul VI (Populorum progressio). Pope John Paul II described solidarity itself as a virtue and explained that it is “not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual” (Sollicitudo rei socialis, 38). As we see in the above quote, Pope Benedict XVI connected solidarity with hope, adding that “while this community-oriented vision of the ‘blessed life’ is certainly directed beyond the present world, it also has to do with the building up of this world” (Spes salvi, 15). 

These documents of Catholic social teaching, however, can be rather formal and abstract. They are important documents. They accurately articulate Church teaching. However, the language of solidarity and that of the common good are often misunderstood in the United States. Some condemn these ideas as “socialist,” while others misinterpret them in utilitarian terms of the greatest good for the greatest number. People can get lost in debates about the meaning of the words and lose the vision that our Catholic social tradition is trying to convey. 

Perhaps the simplicity that is part of our Franciscan vision can help explain the Catholic understanding of hope and solidarity – of moving to a more interrelated world – in a more compelling way. St. Francis used the familial language of “brother” and “sister.”  He experienced himself as being profoundly loved by God, and this experience impelled him to see the expansiveness of God’s love for all. Like us, all creatures have their origins in God, are loved by God, and are therefore our very sisters and brothers in God’s loving family, a holy community. 

That understanding of community, that all are sisters and brothers, can inspire us in ways that an abstract call to solidarity may not. In his autobiography, published shortly before his death, Pope Francis wrote: “The word community gives out a pleasant feeling, whatever the term might mean. Companies and societies may even be bad; community no. Community is always a good thing. It evokes everything for which we feel the need and which we lack in order to feel confident, calm and self-assured. . . . The aspect of community is not decoration but an integral part of Christian life and evangelization” (Hope, p. 138). 

Citing the encounter of St. Francis with the leper, our 2021 General Chapter invited us to go out to the many people in our world today “that our societies have deemed ‘too bitter’ to be seen or even loved. It is these people that the Holy Spirit first invites us to accompany and bear witness to the Gospel through loving and merciful actions” (Final Document, par 38). As friars, we are called into community, and this affects our understanding of solidarity, personalized into fraternity. For us, being in solidarity with others is walking together with them, being a brother to them, accepting responsibility for them, caring about them, taking care of them, and allowing them to care for us. For us friars, solidarity is mutual love.  

In the late 1990s, I was the Visitator General to the then Vice-Province of St. Francis in East Africa. I will never forget one of the young friars who told me his story during our visitation. He was from the Tutsi ethnic group in Rowanda. One night in April of 1994, his entire family was massacred – mother, father, brothers and sisters, their spouses and their children. All except him and a younger brother who were not in the area. He came to Uganda, where he met the friars. On the first anniversary of the massacre, he left the village early to be in the bush and pray for his family. The friars searched for him, and it was not until late afternoon that they found him. Without saying a word, they formed a circle around him and prayed in silence. When he was ready, later that evening, they all accompanied him back to the village – again without saying a word. The friar told me that it he was born again on that day. That was when he decided to become a friar, moving from darkness to hope. 

So many in our present day are experiencing fear, disconnection, disassociation, loneliness – so many forms of darkness. Many of our fellow citizens do not have hope, see no future for themselves or their children. We are called to turn their darkness into hope. For many of us, this may involve political engagement, for others direct service to or advocacy for those who have been shoved to the margins of society, but for all of us it may be as simple as giving others an encouraging word, listening to their stories, or just being present in silence. 

At a time when so many have become mere bystanders to the events affecting the lives and well-being of others, hope calls us friars to stand by others, especially our sisters and brothers who have in some way been marginalized. This is how we show solidarity and bring others hope – by showing them by deeds more than by words that they belong, that we care. This is not some “woke” ideology but rather our 800-year tradition of being Friars Minor – little brothers in God’s amazing family. 

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Estas formas de interpretar el mundo y su evolución, con las maneras de relación sin precedentes que le corresponden, pueden otorgarnos los signos de esperanza que buscamos como peregrinos en este año de Jubileo (cf. Bula Spes non confundit, 7). La esperanza es la actitud fundamental que nos sostiene en el camino. No consiste en esperar con resignación, sino en esforzarse con fervor hacia la vida verdadera, que conduce mucho más allá del estrecho perímetro individual. Como nos ha recordado el papa Benedicto XVI, la esperanza "está vinculada a la unión vivida con un 'pueblo', y para cada persona solo se puede alcanzar dentro de este 'nosotros'" (Carta Encíclica Spe salvi, 14). Papa Francisco, "¿El fin del mundo? Crisis, responsabilidades, esperanzas", 4 de marzo de 2025. 

La idea que el papa Francisco describe en este párrafo es lo que los papas modernos, desde los tiempos del papa Pío XII, han llamado solidaridad. El papa Pío XII fue el primero en utilizar este término, vinculando la solidaridad humana a la virtud de la caridad (cf. Summi pontificatus, 35). El término cobró relevancia con las grandes encíclicas sociales del papa Juan XXIII (Mater et magistra y Pacem in terris) y del papa Pablo VI (Populorum progressio). El papa Juan Pablo II describió la solidaridad en sí misma como una virtud y explicó que "no es un sentimiento de compasión vaga o de angustia superficial ante las desgracias de tanta gente, tanto cercana como lejana. Por el contrario, es una determinación firme y perseverante de comprometerse con el bien común; es decir, con el bien de todos y de cada uno" (Sollicitudo rei socialis, 38). Como podemos observar en la cita anterior, el papa Benedicto XVI unió a la solidaridad con la esperanza, al agregar que "aunque esta visión comunitaria de la 'vida bienaventurada' se dirige ciertamente más allá del mundo presente, también tiene que ver con el desarrollo de este mundo" (Spes salvi, 15). 

Sin embargo, estos documentos de la doctrina social católica pueden ser bastante formales y abstractos. Son documentos importantes. Expresan la doctrina de la Iglesia con precisión. En Estados Unidos, sin embargo, el lenguaje de la solidaridad y el del bien común es por lo general malinterpretado. Algunos condenan estas ideas como "socialistas", mientras que otros las malinterpretan en los términos utilitaristas del mayor bien para la mayor parte. La gente puede perderse en debates sobre el significado de las palabras y perder la visión que procura expresar nuestra tradición social católica. 

Quizá la sencillez que forma parte de nuestra visión franciscana pueda ayudar a explicar la comprensión católica de la esperanza y la solidaridad, la de avanzar hacia un mundo más interrelacionado, de una manera más convincente. San Francisco usaba el lenguaje familiar de "hermano" y "hermana".  Se percibió como amado profundamente por Dios, y esta experiencia lo promovió a ver la amplitud del amor de Dios por todos. Como nosotros, todas las criaturas tienen su origen en Dios, son amadas por Él y, por tanto, son nuestras hermanas y hermanos en la familia amorosa de Dios, una comunidad santa. 

Esa comprensión de la comunidad, de que todos somos hermanos y hermanas, nos puede inspirar en formas en las que una llamada abstracta a la solidaridad no podría. En su autobiografía, publicada poco antes de su fallecimiento, el papa Francisco escribió: "La palabra comunidad transmite una sensación agradable, sin importar la acepción del término. Las empresas y las sociedades pueden incluso ser malas; la comunidad, no. La comunidad siempre es algo bueno. Evoca todo aquello de lo que sentimos necesidad y de lo que nos falta para sentirnos confiados, tranquilos y seguros de nosotros mismos… El aspecto de comunidad no es de decoración, sino una parte integral de la vida cristiana y de la evangelización"(Esperanza, p. 138). 

Citando el encuentro de San Francisco con el leproso, nuestro Capítulo General de 2021 nos invitó a dirigirnos hacia las muchas personas en nuestro mundo actual "que nuestras sociedades han considerado 'demasiado amargas' para ser vistas o incluso amadas". Es a estas personas a las que el Espíritu Santo nos invita primeramente a acompañar y dar testimonio del Evangelio con acciones de amor y misericordia" (Documento final, par 38). Como frailes, somos convocados a la comunidad, y esto afecta nuestra comprensión de la solidaridad, personalizada en la fraternidad. Para nosotros, ser solidarios con los demás es caminar juntos, ser un hermano para ellos, aceptar la responsabilidad por ellos, preocuparse por ellos, cuidarlos y permitir que ellos cuiden de nosotros. Para nosotros, los frailes, la solidaridad es el amor mutuo.  

A fines de los años noventa, fui el visitador general de la entonces Viceprovincia de San Francisco, en África Oriental. Nunca olvidaré a uno de los jóvenes frailes que, durante la visita, me contó su historia. Provenía de la etnia tutsi de Ruanda. Una noche de abril de 1994, toda su familia fue masacrada: la madre, el padre, los hermanos y hermanas, sus cónyuges e hijos. Todos menos él y un hermano menor que no se encontraban en la zona. Llegó a Uganda, donde conoció a los frailes. En el primer aniversario de la masacre, salió temprano de la aldea para estar en el bosque y rezar por su familia. Los frailes lo buscaron y no lo encontraron hasta casi la noche. Sin decir palabra, formaron un círculo a su alrededor y rezaron en silencio. Más tarde en la noche, cuando estuvo listo, todos lo acompañaron de vuelta a la aldea, de nuevo sin decir una palabra. El fraile me dijo que ese día había vuelto a nacer. Fue entonces cuando decidió hacerse fraile, pasando de la oscuridad a la esperanza. 

Actualmente, muchas personas sienten miedo, desconexión, disociación, soledad: muchas formas de oscuridad. Muchos de nuestros conciudadanos están desesperanzados, no ven un futuro ni para ellos ni para sus hijos. Estamos convocados a convertir su oscuridad en esperanza. Para muchos de nosotros, esto puede implicar un compromiso político; para otros, un servicio directo o la defensa de aquellos que han sido arrojados a los márgenes de la sociedad; pero para todos nosotros puede ser tan simple como dar a los demás una palabra de aliento, escuchar sus historias o simplemente estar presentes en silencio. 

En un momento en que tantos se han convertido en meros espectadores de los hechos que afectan la vida y el bienestar de los demás, la esperanza nos llama a los frailes a estar junto al resto, en especial de nuestros hermanos y hermanas que han sido marginados de alguna forma. Así es como mostramos solidaridad y llevamos esperanza a los demás: demostrando con hechos, más que con palabras, que son parte, que nos importan. No se trata de una ideología "woke", sino de nuestra tradición de 800 años de ser Frailes Menores, hermanos pequeños en la asombrosa familia de Dios. 

Br. Patrick Fereday, OFM, 70, passed away on July 20, 2025, at Preakness Healthcare in Wayne, New Jersey, after a long illness. He was known as a woodworking artisan who also crafted stained glass. 

Visitation for Br. Patrick will be held on July 25 at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony Church, 65 Bartholdi Ave., Butler, NJ 07405, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. The Mass will be livestreamed on the funeral home's website. Interment will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery.  

A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Br. Patrick was born to Thomas and June (née Jackman) Fereday on March 28, 1955. He earned a theology degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, prior to being received into the Franciscan Order on June 20, 1990. Br. Patrick professed simple vows on June 1, 1991, and solemn vows on Sept. 16, 1995.    

For the past 30 years, Br. Patrick had been the head of the maintenance department at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey. His encyclopedic knowledge of the friary’s physical plant led him to compile a book of documents to guide future maintenance leaders. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Br. Patrick collaborated with the late Jim "Butch" Struble, custodian of St. Anthony Church, on projects benefiting both institutions.  

In recent years, the relocation and expansion of the St. Anthony Parish Food Pantry highlighted Br. Patrick's talent in converting the former St. Anthony School library into a facility serving the needy citizens of surrounding counties. 

Br. Patrick is survived by family members, including his brother Thomas and sister-in-law Sharon Fereday of Waterloo, Iowa; nephews and their spouses Christopher (Megan) Fereday, Charles (the late Angela Lefler) Fereday and Andrew (Ann Marie) Fereday, all of Iowa; and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The homily. It’s that insightful moment after a Scripture reading and before the Eucharist when a priest delivers commentary, linking the two, and offers spiritual guidance gleaned from years of study and experience, tailored for the moment and the audience before him.  

Men like Br. Bill Burton, OFM, guide prospective pastors on the art and soul of the homily, calling upon interpretation capabilities that form in seminary and develop for a lifetime. “Jesus came to take away your sins,” Br. Bill tells seminarians. “Not your minds.” 

Brother Bill, who received training as an alcohol and drug counselor, has been a Scripture teacher at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore since September 2019. 

He taught for seven years at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, mentoring seminarians in biblical studies and homily preparation. The province facilitated this shift early in his ministry. 

“My interest in Scripture was deeper than I thought, even when I studied it in college,” he said. “I couldn't get enough of it. It was a wonderful, happy accident that I was told to forget about the counseling and get a doctorate in Scripture.”  

For fun, Br. Bill Burton, OFM, exchanged habits with a friend and colleague, the late Bishop Robert Christian, OP. Br. Bill’s ministry sent him all over the globe to meet with many memorable people. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bill Burton, OFM)

'The friars just found me’ 

Br. Bill was born in St. Louis. He began his religious life after moving to Quincy, Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Quincy University, which was established by friars in 1860. 

As a child, he was surprised when a young friar visited his home for the parish census. He hollered, “Mom! There’s a man in a brown dress on the porch!” Years later, he became one of those men. 

Br. Bill’s mother worked as the parish bookkeeper and secretary, and after school, Bill helped the brothers at the friary. “I was born a Franciscan and the friars just found me,” he said. “Oh, I’ve been waiting for you guys to show up.” 

Nice homily, Father 

Br. Bill encourages biblical literacy via teaching, study groups, pilgrimages and multimedia. His book, “Abba Isn’t Daddy and Other Biblical Surprises”, inspires lay Scripture study, and he has presented at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. 

He mentors seminarians, helping them see their relationship with God and develop the ability to deliver meaningful homilies. Among his courses: Introductory New Testament Greek, The Book of Revelation, The Bible in Church Teaching and Jesus at Table. 

He brings a wealth of experience in fraternity with friars worldwide, having lived and learned among 150 brothers at the Antonianum while studying at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. 

Br. Bill’s world studies and interactions with friars provide him with insights he shares with his students, who find him both meticulous and full of humor and joy – traits his friar formators modeled for him. 

“Friars have a good time with one another,” said Br. Bill. “That is important for us.” 

Br. Bill Burton, OFM, with pilgrims in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. His shared journeys with people of different faiths have deepened his understanding of a benevolent God and his incredible creation. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bill)

'Apply your intellect’ 

The pastoral year is a critical period for seminary evaluation, as Br. Bill describes it. Seminarians devote two years to study at St. Mary’s, a year to pastoral work in their diocese, and then return to the seminary for two more years.  

Diocesan priests often must assume demanding roles early, becoming pastors quickly and sometimes leading large parishes without any assistants. 

“You must apply your intellect,” he said. “The authors of these biblical texts were divinely inspired. I’m not. That’s when we’re in contact with the inspired Word of God. It is our intellect that makes this awareness come alive in our minds and hearts.”  

Br. Bill compares it to giving seminarians new toys. 

“I have these great toys of biblical scholarship, and I get to show you how to use them, and then we get to play with them,” he said. “I want them to find biblical study fulfilling and enjoyable; not just work. Students don’t often feel the same, but that’s my approach.” 

Until they have to write a homily. “Then, it's ‘Oh, gosh, Burton said that, now I remember,’” he said. 

“You need to understand the text so that you can make that Sunday morning homily in Mass, or bring it to your pastoral care, that’s the fundamental value, at least for me, teaching it,” Br. Bill said. 

Br. Bill Burton, OFM, chats with pilgrims at the Church of the Beatitudes in Galilee. Pilgrimages are an integral part of learning, he believes. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bill)

For everything, a season 

““I assume you seminarians love God, well, you are called here to study the object of your affection, God!” Br. Bill tells seminarians from the start of their spiritual development. 

“You’ll learn more about your beloved here and will never have this opportunity for such focused study again.” 

One class ends, and another class starts. 

“All you can do is hope that something good was done there, and that I’ve helped them do their work,” Br. Bill said. “Now I have an incoming class I must prepare lectures for.” 

Br. Bill notices how student questions often lead to meaningful discussions, which highlight the link between Franciscan theology and practical values. 

“It’s not just living side by side with the students, but in engagement with them,” he said. “It’s not ignoring each other so we don’t fight. We will seek engagement with the seminarians and accept the person as they are. 

“That’s the opening gambit.” 

As America sees a rise in backlash against programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe recommits itself to doing its part to help dismantle racism in our communities. 

The current reality in our world invites Franciscans and all people of goodwill to explore how to promote and bring to fruition the Gospel message of inclusion for those on the margins of society. This is no small challenge.   

We encourage you to take time to deepen your knowledge, skills and spiritual depth to confront racism and white supremacy through reading, videos and reflection. Here are some anti-racism resources for Catholics to help you get started. 

Anti-racism resources for Catholics 

• White Supremacy and American Christianity Series – In a series of programs sponsored by NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Fr. Bryan Massingale and Dr. Robert P. Jones explore the intersections among white supremacy, authoritarianism in government and white Christian nationalism. They further share how the white Christian churches in the United States (including significant numbers of white Roman Catholics) are participants, often unknowingly or unreflectively, in the backlash against “D.E.I. programs” meant to promote inclusion and equity and increase representation and participation from diverse groups. 
   
  They provide a framework to assess and evaluate the intersection of our Christian practice and the ways that racism and white supremacy continue to impact life in the United States. They offer clear commentary and a ray of hope on how we can move forward as a Church and a nation, while not downplaying the challenges and dangers we face. These are great discussion starters for small groups. 
  

• Just Faith Ministries offers programs for ongoing adult and church formation, including three exploring antiracism. Each provides an excellent introduction for a small faith group to better understand the challenges faced through racism. These are done in a multi-week program of prayer, reading, videos, and reflection. If you want to start to build a foundation in your local ministry to confront racism, these are an excellent way to begin. 
  

• “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church” by Fr. Bryan Massingale outlines and challenges the Catholic Church to use its social teaching to confront its own history and the larger world. 
  

• “Unlearning White Supremacy: A Spirituality for Racial Liberation” by Alex Mikulich brings social psychology and deep spiritual practice to bear on the way that people of faith need to confront the structures of racism in our Church and world. 
  

Coming in 2026 

Our Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is developing a program to help ministries train people to lead their local communities in developing anti-racism awareness and action. Thanks to grant funding from the ACTA Foundation, we are working with an anti-racism Catholic scholar and consultant to develop and test the program. The program is in the testing phase and we hope to make it available for wider use in 2026. 

Brothers Ricardo Ferrer, OFM, Seraphim (Christian) Rito Gonzalez, OFM, and Jesus Heber Lara Romero, OFM, have taken the next step on their journey of faith.  

Surrounded by their brother friars, friends and family, the men professed their first vows as Franciscans on July 2 at Old Mission Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California, embracing fraternal life with humility and gratitude.  

As the rite of profession began, Novice Master Br. Gene Pistacchio, OFM, offered thanks to the many people who have supported the novices: friars who have visited and shared daily life with them, ministry partners and supervisors, spiritual directors, Secular Franciscans, parish friends and family members, and the nearby Capuchin and Conventual friars. 

He also reminded Brothers Ricky, Seraphim and Jesus, that “Our novitiate is never truly finished. It is a container, a catalyst, a process, a foundation. Some call it bubble which is about to be burst; a beginning upon which to build your lives upon stone; an ever-deepening spiral of spiritual intimacy with God and God's people.  

“We are very grateful to the Lord, dear brother novices, that you have decided to come even closer to us by the bond of the three evangelical vows you will profess in our presence today,” he continued. “And we are proud to walk by your side as you begin your life as a simply professed Friars Minor.” 

Provincial Minister Br. Larry Hayes, OFM, receives the vows of Br. Seraphim (Christian) Rito Gonzalez, OFM. (Photo by Br. Octavio Duran, OFM)

Learning to listen  

During the homily, Provincial Minister Br. Larry Hayes, OFM, said, “I hope the novitiate has been a very special year for you, a time for learning how to listen. Learning to listen to God’s word and recognizing God’s voice. Learning to listen to your own personal story in light of God’s word. Learning to listen to your brothers, through whom God often speaks. Learning to listen to reality, especially the voices of the poor, where God also speaks. 

“Listening is the first step in loving one another, because it means that we are not closed in on ourselves,” he continued. “Listening means that we are willing to trust others. Listening means that we are willing to allow ourselves to be changed by the encounter with God and others.  

“Listening, Jesus tells us, makes us friends. Listening, in no small part I am sure, has led you to the ‘yes’ that you are about to give as you profess your first vows.”  

Br. Ricky Ferrer, OFM, receives the knotted cord of the Franciscans. The three knots represent the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. (Photo by Br. Octavio Duran, OFM)

Humility and gratitude  

Br. Ricky admitted that during the ceremony he initially felt “unworthy and not ready,” but when Br. Larry received his vows “’in the name of the Church and of our brotherhood and on the part of almighty God,’ that all melted away,” he said. “Hearing those words, it became between me and God, through the person of Larry, and I was overwhelmed with joy.  

“I feel very humble for the opportunity to respond to God’s call and live out this life,” he added. “This is God’s vocation, not mine, and he gave me the grace to respond to his vocation through the friars, my family and my friends.”  

His parents, Fe and Ricardo, and several other relatives were present and shared Br. Ricky’s emotions. “My mother said she couldn’t really explain what she was feeling. She was teary eyed and was filled with joy to witness my vows,” he said. “And my dad is very happy because he prayed for me to be a Franciscan, and his prayer has been answered.”  

Br. Jesus Heber Lara Romero, OFM, joyfully accepts an embrace after professing his simple vows. (Photo by Br. Octavio Duran, OFM)

Driven by love  

Br. Seraphim chose his name because “It captures the journey I have been having with God. Seraphim is Hebrew for ‘the burning ones.’ My conversion to the faith has felt like a new light has been shone on my life and my love for God feels like a fire.” 

For him, “The feeling of professing vows was one of peace. There is excitement for the newness, fear of the unknown, sorrow in denying myself to pick up the cross and joy in giving myself to our Lord. The decision to profess is driven by love for God and love for my brothers.  

“The most meaningful part of the ceremony for me was looking into the eyes of my brothers during the profession as I said the words, ‘I give myself to this fraternity with all my heart so that, through the efficacious action of the Holy Spirit, I can constantly strive for perfect charity in the service of God, of the Church and of mankind,’” Br. Seraphim said. “I looked into the eyes of my brothers so that I could see who it was that I was entrusting my life to. Looking at them as I said this overwhelmed my soul with love.”  

From left, Provincial Minister Larry Hayes, OFM, with Brothers Ricky Ferrer, OFM, Seraphim Rito Gonzalez, OFM, and Jesus Heber Lara Romero, OFM. (Photo by Br. Octavio Duran, OFM)

New opportunities  

The newly professed brothers have a busy summer ahead with plans to visit family, attend the solemn professions and ordinations of their fellow friars in August, and engage in various ministries. Brothers Ricky and Seraphim will eventually head to the Franciscans’ mission in Jamaica to participate in the province’s post-novitiate ministry immersion program. These next steps on their journey will build on the foundation of prayer, love for God, the Church and all of creation instilled during the postulancy and novitiate.  

“I’m looking forward to living out the vows, ministering with the other friars and spreading my wings,” said Br. Ricky.  

Added Br. Seraphim, “I hope that God will work through me.”  

Fr. Claude Lenehan, OFM, 97, passed away on July 5 at St. Lawrence Friary in Beacon, New York. During his nearly 75 years as a Franciscan friar, Fr. Claude served at parishes on the East Coast and traveled extensively throughout the United States preaching and giving retreats as part of the legacy Holy Name Province’s Ministry of the Word. 

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony Church, 63 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, NJ 07405, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.  

Fr. Claude was born to Daniel and Rosamund (née Prall) on March 23, 1928, in Wallington, New Jersey. He attended grammar school in Passaic, New Jersey, and St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, New Jersey.  

He was received into the Order of Friars Minor on Aug. 12, 1949, in Paterson, New Jersey, and made his first profession there on Aug. 14, 1950. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Bonaventure’s College (now University) in Allegany, New York, in 1952, and professed solemn vows at Mount St. Sepulchre Church at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, 1953. He was ordained to the priesthood there on June 9, 1955, and graduated from the Washington Theological Union with his Master of Divinity in 1956. 

Fr. Claude began his friar ministry as parochial vicar at St. Francis Parish in New York City from 1956 to 1958, and St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, from 1958 to 1964. He served as pastor of St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Wyckoff, New Jersey, for three years, before going to Boston for one year to update his theological education following the Second Vatican Council. He returned to Holy Name College in Washington, D.C., to work in justice and peace from 1974 to 1982. He was part of the team ministry at St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia from 1982 to 1987. 

In 1987, he began traveling to preach and give retreats throughout the United States as part of the legacy Holy Name Province’s Ministry of the Word. He was based for one year in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, before moving to St. Anthony Shrine in Boston as an associate from 1988 to 1994.  

The rest of his ministerial work was spent traveling, preaching and giving retreats as part of the Ministry of the Word. He was based in East Rutherford, New Jersey (1994 to 1995); Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey (1995 to 1996); Paterson (1996 to 2001); Ho-Ho-Kus and Belleair Bluffs, Florida (2001 to 2006); the Bronx, New York (2006 to 2008); and Butler (2008 to 2012), where he retired from full-time ministry but continued to work in the Retrouvaille marriage retreat program and assist local parishes.  

In 2022, he moved to St. Catherine of Siena Nursing Home in Caldwell, New Jersey, and then St. Lawrence Friary later that year. 

In the Summer 2020 issue of The Marian, Fr. Claude reflected on his life and ministry, saying “The time has just flown by and as I look back, I can only see all those wonderful people who have come into my life through my ministry. Most of my ministerial life has been spent giving retreats around the country, meeting those individuals who have been seeking to grow in their relationship with the Lord. I have been privileged to be an instrument of His peace, bringing consolation and comfort to souls that have struggled in their lives and finally have responded to His grace, His call. I have also been involved in parish ministry, social action work and urban ministry at our downtown churches. 

“All these experiences have helped me to realize that the Lord works in strange ways with people, including myself. Why, I have no idea, but I am grateful to the Lord for calling me to be a Franciscan friar.” 

Fr. Claude is survived by his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

It’s the kind of testimonial often heard by Sandy Sieben, vice president for operations at the Friars Club of Cincinnati for the past four years.   

“I played here. My son played here. And I want my grandson to play here,” said one grandpa bringing a child to enroll in the Friars Club program, which offers basketball, baseball and martial arts, along with a variety of sports programs and education to urban youth.  

Sometimes Friars Club alumni will come by. One, with a good job, a successful life, married and with children, noted, “I have to be honest. I didn’t have a lot of family and strong support growing up. Without the Friars Club, I would have ended up on the street or in jail.”   

Every year, more than 1,000 young people enter the doors of the facility, located in the St. Bernard neighborhood. Volunteer coaches and counselors, along with four full-time staffers and two part-timers, are there to guide them.  

Programs include a popular day camp. Sports are not the only emphasis. A Catholic Inner-City Scholars Education Program brings together 300 students from urban Catholic schools for after-school educational enrichment.   

The place bustles with activities, including a Dribblers Academy for four-year-old aspiring hoopsters and the Ron Walker Youth Sports program for older students in basketball, volleyball and baseball.   

A Leadership program trains high school student volunteers to coach grade-schoolers.  

“The cool thing is that we are from all over. You don’t have to live in a certain zip code,” said Sandy. Programs are geared to promoting sportsmanship and good behavior as much as winning skills.  

“The skills they learn on the court are life skills to be used away from the court as well,” she said, noting the focus is on what she describes as “the Franciscan way.”   

A team huddles up at the Friars Club court. Basketball is just one offering for youth enrichment in this Franciscan program. (Photo courtesy of Friars Club Cincinnati)

A proud history 

The Friars Club remains a Franciscan ministry, formerly of the St. John the Baptist Province based in Cincinnati. Now, it's part of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The organization's board includes Cincinnati community leaders and three Franciscans.  

A congenial atmosphere pervades. No swearing is allowed. Players learn to treat each other with respect, a quality lacking in some youth leagues. Still, the Friars Club boasts alumni who played basketball at Division I schools and the NBA.  

There’s been several changes to the program, including new facilities, relocations, and the emergence of lay leadership under the direction of President Annie Timmons.  

The Friars Club began 164 years ago when friars devoted themselves to providing an after-school outlet for the children of German immigrants who crowded into Cincinnati. It began in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and moved to a new facility during the Great Depression. 

German immigrants are now rare in Cincinnati, but new generations replenish the program.  

Participants now come from all over the city, its suburbs, and nearby areas of Kentucky and Indiana. Scholarships help defray the costs for those who cannot afford to go.  

At one time, the Friars Club included services for dependent youth, homeless families, and community empowerment programs. Now its focus is on sports and education for youth, particularly for younger children.  

The Friars Club opened a facility next to the Franciscan-founded Roger Bacon High School in the St. Bernard neighborhood in 2014. Funding came from the Province and a facilities steering committee project that called for community support.  

Big Smiles on Junior Dribblers: At the Friars Club, outstanding junior and high school students can volunteer to coach and mentor more than Jr. Dribblers K-2nd grade. The coaches get the training, and the kids score the points—and the cupcakes! (Photo courtesy of Friars Club Cincinnati)

Learn more

For more information about the Friars Club, call 513-488-8777, email info@friarsclubinc.org or visit them online at www.friarsclubinc.org.   

This story appeared in The Franciscan Way, a publication of Franciscan Friars Charities.  

In a powerful act of unity and remembrance, Br. Jose Luis Peralta, OFM, and three postulants joined a group of 40 participants for the weeklong Migrant Trail Walk in May. 

They traveled along the sun-scorched borderlands, bearing witness to lives lost and many missing along the U.S.-Mexico border – not only to raise awareness, but also to honor every name and narrative that might be forgotten. 

Carlos Velazquez Estrada, Kevin Fox and Francis Llamas joined Br. Jose in a 75-mile trek from Sasabe, Mexico, to Tucson, Arizona, carrying crosses with names of the deceased or missing. The group is the latest to represent the Province of our Lady of Guadalupe. 

The walkers, diverse culturally and spiritually, included people from all over the United States and Mexico. They walk for those who did not make it across the border and pray for those who might attempt the journey in the future. 

According to KOLD-13 News, over 8,000 people have died at the border since the 1990s, with 4,376 remains found in Arizona. In 2024, officials in Pima County discovered 154. 

Kevin wrote about the experience on his blog, Kevin’s Corner.  

In it, he wrote “Not everyone on the walk was a practicing Christian, and ... not everyone reading this reflection will agree on immigration policy. However, I hope all that read my reflections do have the care for human life.” 

Participants in the Migrant Trail Walk gather along the wall separating the United States and Mexico. Postulant Francis Llamas said that he walked to better understand the experience of migrants. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Fox)

‘Eye opening’ experience 

Kevin called the walk “one of the most emotionally, physically and spiritually powerful weeks” of his life, and expressed hope friars would continue to participate. 

“The Franciscan presence proved fruitful to me in my early stages of discernment because it is exactly where I hope the province will be, on the margins with those who are most vulnerable,” he said.  

The walk was “eye opening” for Francis. 

“I walked to experience what the migrants have gone through with a more visceral feeling,” he said. “To understand the plight of the migrants and to realize that they make this trek because they seek a better life, not just for themselves, but for their families.” 

He envisions a world where nations will welcome migrants with care and compassion. 

“We believers are to love one another, so let us press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus, as Paul encourages us to do in his letter to the Philippians,” he said. 

Walkers covered 75 miles in the sometimes harsh conditions migrants often encounter as they try to enter the United States. “The Gospel compels us to respond to the needs of the poor, marginalized (including women) and vulnerable persons, and our common home,” reads Priority 2 of the concrete initiatives the province adopted after the synodal meetings in January. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Fox)

Synodal emphasis 

Participation and support of events such as the Migrant Trail Walk aligns with Priority 2 of the concrete initiatives the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe adopted following the synodal meetings in Kansas City in January. It reads: 

“The Gospel compels us to respond to the needs of the poor, marginalized (including women), and vulnerable persons, and our common home.” 

It also highlights Priority 7, which says: 

“In light of the Gospel, we will read the signs of the times and respond with creativity and hope to the reality we encounter.” 

As a friar Air Force chaplain, Br. Bob Bruno, OFM, blended Franciscan spirituality with the demands of the military in a dynamic ministry of care, faith and adventure. 

In 34 years, Br. Bob moved 15 times, serving in extreme climates from the intense heat of Nellis Air Base in Nevada to the frigid Arctic Circle at Greenland’s Thule Air Base. His distinguished record includes work at the Pentagon and Ramstein Air Base in Germany. 

He met two presidents and worked for two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He flew shotgun in an F-16 fighter three times and jumped out of a perfectly good airplane five times to earn his jump wings. 

Now retired from active duty, he serves as auxiliary Catholic chaplain in Hampton Roads, Virginia at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Fort Eustis Army Base in Yorktown and Navy Base (NAVSTA) in Norfolk.  

Throughout his ministry, he has literally served God and country.  

“It was the people, most importantly, the young men and women in service to America and their families, trying to live their faith for themselves and their children” that meant the most to me, Br. Bob said. 

Br. Bob Bruno, OFM, rides in an armored Humvee in Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bob Bruno, OFM)

Franciscan ‘lifer’ takes flight 

Br. Bob joined the Franciscans’ high school seminary in his teens, professed his solemn vows as a Franciscan friar on June 30, 1973, and was ordained in 1977, just as the Apple II computer launched and Seattle Slew won horse racing’s Triple Crown. 

Inspired by another friar chaplain, Br. Bob pursued military chaplaincy to minister to young service members and experience flying.

He recalls being fascinated as a child by a tour of the former Griffiss Air Force Base in New York, where his uncle worked as a jet engine mechanic.  

At 64, Br. Bob retired from his final active post at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was set to minister as an auxiliary chaplain in “God’s Country,” as he calls Colorado, when he got a call about the sudden death of a civilian priest at Joint Base Langley–Eustis in Virginia.  

They asked if he could come out. 

"I didn't want to leave Colorado," he said. "Four seasons, low humidity, the Rocky Mountains, and no mosquitos or cockroaches. But I prayed to the Lord and said, 'I want to be where you need me to be.’” 

After holding that position for five years, he retired again. Today, he helps at military bases that serve all branches, including the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Space Force. “It’s a good place for me to be now,” said Br. Bob. 

Br. Bob Bruno, OFM, with Technical Sergeant James, USAF, who served as his enlisted teammate while deployed to Ali al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. The pair supervised the transfer of mission of the port mortuary (center for battlefield fatalities) in Kuwait City from the U.S. Marine Corps to the U.S. Air Force. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bob)

Leading with the Franciscan spirit 

Leadership is a mainstay in Br. Bob’s service, whether in friars’ habit or Air Force service dress uniform. That's how it goes for a man who served as a Provincial Councilor and as Wing Chaplain at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. 

“As Command Chaplain for Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Illinois, I had pastoral visitation responsibilities covering 21 bases in the U.S. and overseas,” Br. Bob said.   

His fair and kind demeanor as a friar shaped his military career. As a colonel, he managed a staff of 50 at the academy, providing needed resources and support. 

“People can fear that rank unless you de-claw it,” he said. He would tell his staff: “If you can’t get something – training, personnel, funds – in the chain of command, please come see me.”  

Br. Bob motions to the silver eagle insignias that would be on his uniform, marking him as a field-grade officer. “I can fly these eagles to get us past the hurdles of bureaucracy. I didn’t want the team to be afraid to ask.”   

His staff understood the balance between military authority and Franciscan kindness. One night, as cadets left a meeting while Br. Bob worked in his office, they tapped on the window. When he turned around, he saw all 23 of them posing humorously for him. 

“A Kodak moment,” Br. Bob remembers with a smile. “I’ll never forget that.” 

Br. Bob Bruno, OFM, seated to the right of the rock, with The Chaplain Corps Team (386th Air Base Wing, Kuwait). This version is not a formal pose, a testament to the team’s comfort level in his presence. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bob)

Chaplain knows his audience 

Both friar life and military life are filled with changing assignments and connecting with people. Like delivering a homily, he must know his audience when he speaks. 

In the chapel audience, “we have Airmen from an array of career fields,” Br. Bob said. “That makes it exciting and rich. You have to know your ground to stand your ground, but you also have to know when to go with the flow.  

“You have to be able to relate to young people. These guys are sharp and at the top of their game. You gotta be at the top of your game, or you will lose them. Not once, but for good.” 

Br. Bob, influenced by tradition, is one of the latest Franciscan military chaplains. Some young personnel seek him out, curious whether such a dual role is for them, too. 

“They might say, ‘he wears a habit. He wore an Air Force uniform. This guy had a pretty exciting life,'” Br. Bob said. “That sounds appealing to them. So, we dialogue.” 

Br. Earl (Robert) Benz, OFM, 95, peacefully passed away on June 26, 2025, at Blessed Giles Friary in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He spent most of his 66 years as a Franciscan friar caring for his brothers and working as a carpenter. 

A memorial service for Br. Earl will be held in the chapel of Blessed Giles Friary, 1820 Grand Avenue, Manitowoc, WI 54220 at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2. His cremains will be taken to Quincy, Illinois, for a final Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 2223 St. Anthony Road, Quincy, IL 62305, followed by the interment of his cremains in the Frank H. Benz plot in the parish cemetery. 

Br. Earl was born to Francis and Mary (née Wolf) Benz on Nov. 14, 1929, in Quincy, Illinois, and received the sacraments at Quincy’s St. Anthony of Padua Church, where he met the friars. He became a tertiary brother on May 17, 1955, in Westmont, Illinois, and was received into the Order of Friars Minor on June 21, 1958, at the novitiate in Teutopolis, Illinois, professing first vows on June 22, 1959.  

He lived at Our Lady of the Angels Friary in Cleveland, Ohio, for one year before moving to St. Paschal’s Brothers School in Oak Brook, Illinois, where he worked as a carpenter, creating the staircase in the entry hall, the doors and much of the wooden furniture. Br. Earl professed solemn vows on June 22, 1962, in Cleveland, Ohio, and continued serving at St. Paschal’s in Oak Brook until 1992. During that time, he was also the friary’s vicar (1978 to 1981 and 1987) and guardian (1981 to 1986, 1988 to 1992), providing fraternal care to the brothers.  

In 1992, he became administrator of St. Francis Village, a faith-based retirement community in Crowley, Texas, and vicar of the friary. He worked there for five years before returning to Illinois in 1997 to work in maintenance at St. Gratian Friary in Countryside. 

Two years later, he moved to Our Lady of Angels Friary in Sherman, Illinois, where he was vicar and assistant caretaker of the community of retired friars and helped shepherd them through their move to Springfield, Illinois, in 2001. After many years of service to the retired friars, Br. Earl retired himself in 2018, settling at Blessed Giles Friary in Manitowoc, where he lived until his death. 

Br. Earl is survived by a nephew, Charles Benz, his wife, Christi, and their four children,  Samantha, Jessica (Taylor) Brown, Max and Alexandra; a niece, Geri Ann Black, and her two sons, Kris and Zach (Ally) Weaver and her husband, Trenton; two great great nephews, Wyatt and Eli Brown, as well as other relatives and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

With gratitude in his heart and tears in his eyes, Br. Manuel Mendoza, OFM, professed his solemn vows as a Franciscan friar of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe on June 23 at Mission San Jose Church in San Antonio, Texas. Provincial Minister Br. Lawrence Hayes, OFM, presided at the Mass, and many other brothers were present to share Br. Manuel’s joy.  

“I just feel so wonderful right now and very thankful,” Br. Manuel said. “When Br. Larry was asking me questions during my solemn vows, it was very touching for me. When I answered ‘yes’ to his questions, it made me cry.”  

Provincial Minister Br. Larry Hayes, OFM, receives the vows of Br. Manuel Mendoza, OFM (Photo by Br. Jose Luis Peralta, OFM)

The culmination of a journey 

Br. Manuel’s path to the Franciscans illustrates that God’s timing doesn’t necessarily coincide with ours. Originally from Santa Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico (about 300 miles southeast of Mexico City), Br. Manuel recalls that at 12 years old, he wanted to become a missionary, to live a life of spirituality and service to others. At the time, though, he needed to finish high school, so those plans didn’t come to fruition.  

He met the Franciscans in Querétaro, Mexico, while searching for a spiritual director and was invited to explore friar life. Br. Manuel joined the province in Michoacán in 2014, before eventually moving to the United States, where he studied philosophy and theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  

He was drawn to the Franciscans, said Br. Manuel, due to their public witness and example. “It was interesting for me in Mexico to see so many friars wearing their habit. I wanted to be like them – a person of service and prayer who loves others and helps them be closer to God.”  

Br. Manuel also relates to the Franciscans’ founder on a very personal level. Like St. Francis of Assisi, who faced his father’s wrath when he renounced his wealth to embrace a life of poverty, Br. Manuel’s decision to join the friars caused conflict between father and son.  

“My father was angry with me because my parents are indigenous people and have different traditions,” he said, noting that St. Francis’ experience, deep prayer life and relationship with God strengthened and inspired him on his faith journey.  

In San Antonio, Br. Manuel has shared his faith and Franciscan spirit in a variety of ways: ministering in charismatic renewal, teaching catechism and ACTS – Adoration, Community, Theology and Service, a project that strives to deepen parishioners’ relationships with God and others through conversations and activities during retreats. 

Br. Manuel Mendoza, OFM, poses for a picture. (Photo by Br. Jose Luis Peralta, OFM)

For God and neighbor  

During his homily at Br. Manuel’s solemn profession liturgy, Br. Larry reminded those gathered that “Our gift of self to God will be transformed by the Spirit and our gifts strengthened as we exercise them out of love of God and neighbor. Ultimately, it’s not about us. Rather, it’s about what God can do with, in and through us.”  

To Br. Manuel, he said, “In few minutes, you will make God’s heart sing for joy as you declare your resolve, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to spend your whole life generously in the love of your brothers and in service of the people of God. Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for the gift you are to the Order and to the Church. May God bless you most abundantly and make you a blessing to countless others.”  

Following the liturgy, Br. Manuel was overcome with joy. “Right now, I don’t have many words,” he said. “I’m just very happy because of my solemn vows.”  

For now, Br. Manuel will remain in San Antonio, but will be moving to live with a group of friars in Tijuana, Mexico, soon. He anticipates spending a year there, and while unsure what his ministry will be, he trusts in God’s guidance and his brothers’ love.