New province brings new adventures for these friars
By Eli Pacheco
One year after the legacy provinces united to form the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, friars who have relocated to new parts of the country have welcomed the opportunity to meet new brothers and experience ministry in new places.
Friar life comes with an understanding that they will go where the need is greatest. In a province that stretches from coast to coast, those moves could take brothers to places far from home.
Among the friars who have transitioned to new time zones are:
Br. Michael Haney, OFM, departed Michigan for New Orleans – only to face another move two years later
Br. James Vacco, OFM, who sought a return to rural ministry
Br. Manuel Viera, OFM, a canon lawyer who became pastor of a 2,700-family parish
Such change has engaged the friars in a profound discernment process, rediscovering where – and how – God wants them to serve. All three answered the summons to embrace the new province's coast-to-coast nature.
“The beauty of Franciscan life is the unwavering trust in God's plan,” said Br. Michael. “No matter where he sends us, we believe it will always work out.”
(Photo courtesy of Br. Michael Haney)
Challenging moves
In September 2021, Br. Michael moved from Michigan to St. Mary of the Angels Church in New Orleans, a predominantly Black parish. He hoped to stay, but when the province relinquished the ministry two years later, he found himself looking for a new assignment. Br. Rommel Perez Flores, OFM, recommended Casa Guadalupe in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
An unshakeable proponent of unification, Br. Michael entered this new chapter with joy and optimism, even though his new home did not have ministries like ones had he served in while in New Orleans, ministering to the homeless and others down on their luck.
Shortly after he arrived, he was appointed guardian of the friary, tasked with caring for the friars’ spiritual and temporal needs.
“I felt unqualified as the new guy on the block,” he said. “I had just moved in and got appointed soon after. There is a lot to being a guardian.”
Drawing momentum from the Franciscan Provincial Synod, Br. Michael, 77, loves that people can see “how we live and the joy we have for being together,” he said. “You cannot be witness to unity without that.
“We have, throughout the centuries, had a big impact as Franciscans on the world in our work with the poor. We are known for justice and outreach to help so many in different places. People are important to us. We share God’s love with others.”
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Br. Manuel Viera, second from right, with Br. Hugh Macsherry and two parishioners from Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of Br. Manuel)
From canon lawyer to pastor
In November 2023, Br. Manuel moved from Tuscon, Arizona, to Atlanta, Georgia, intending to continue his work as a canon lawyer. Within two weeks of his relocation, the provincial minister asked him to consider moving to Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina, 2,100 miles from his desert home.
Although he was apprehensive about serving as pastor of a large parish, migration was nothing new to this native Cuban, who had previously moved and adapted to a new culture.
“In that way, I am very easygoing,” Br. Manuel said. “I am also strong in some opinions, and that comes from being a stubborn Cuban and a church lawyer.”
Br. Manuel manages well for an almost 20-year hiatus from serving in a parish. Amid his pastoral duties, he still fits in some work as a canon lawyer.
He's also 70 and considering retirement. Daily, however, his soul and spirit are fixed on the people he serves.
“As we enter my second year (as pastor), what needs to change?” he said. “I can tell (the parish), we did it this way. Now, can we do it this way? Are you open to this kind of change?”
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Br. James Vacco, third from right, with a group of parishioners. (Photo courtesy of Br. James)
Coming full circle
Br. James started his friar life ministering to rural communities in Croghan, New York. His friar life took him all over the East Coast, from a busy parish in New Yersey to a suburb of Washington, D.C.
When he moved to his current assignment in Pulaski, Wisconsin — a thousand miles west of Croghan — he became pastor at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, another country community with notable congruencies.
Dairy farming, lumber, and mills drove Croghan's economics. Guess what Pulaski’s primary industries are?
“It is back to the future!” said Br. James.
With his perspective — as the son of a vegetable farmer and an alumnus of St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York (pop. 7,493) — he landed in Pulaski ready to build trust in the parish.
“You must let (the parish) know you enjoy being there,” Br. James said. “If they do not get the sense you want to be here, you will not get let in.
“It is that old cliche that spreads among clergy: You do not change anything for a year,” he added. “That has a lot of wisdom.”
At 70, Br. James is one of the youngest of seven Pulaski friars, ages 69-89. He considers this his final assignment but is happy to take on the challenge.
The opportunity ahead of these friars far outweighs the obstacles. In a jubilee year of hope, they are some of the new province’s pioneers, learning and growing from differences and contributing to the renewal of Franciscan life in the United States.