While we update the pages
for our newest brothers,
take some time to read
the tributes and memories
of our brothers
who have died
in the past year.
It's the newest addition to this page: "Gone Before Us"
You can find the link below.
The Capuchin friars are blessed with men who wish to follow the Lord through Francis' inspiration. Nearly forty young men are in various stages of formation. The College Program at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe, OH, our candidates (postulants) in Philadelphia, PA, our novices in Mission San Lorenzo, CA, our men in temporary vows in Washington, DC, and our priesthood candidates there -- all testify to God's goodness and to the continued call to bring
his peace and goodness to a world that cries out for it.
Capuchin friars had been at SS. Peter and Paul Parish since 1875, when friars from the Westphalian province sought refuge from the Bismarck regime in Germany. The Capuchins were not the first religious community of men, however, at the parish. It was also the home to Redemptorists and later the Carmelites. Saint John Neumann chose this site in 1849 and built the church and monastery, and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos lived here for five years. In 1866 the Carmelites purchased the property. SS. Peter & Paul was important to the Capuchins. Here they housed the school of theology, and later the novitiate. It was also the formation center for lay friars. In 2011, the parishes of Western Maryland merged to create an ambitious and creative new reality - and our brothers are there to serve a united parish dedicated to our Lady of the Mountains.
Our Lady of the Mountains
Cumberland MD
Located in west Philadelphia, this parish is a beacon of good will and hope for the neighborhood. Although relatively small in numbers, OLBS is a remarkably visible community of faith, reaching out to young and old alike. The parish school is a great ministry for the families of the neighborhod, and the parish is a superb host for the Capuchin postulants who live at the friary and worhip with the members of the church. The church worships well and reaches out to the community with compassion and a sense of justice. About 400 families belong to the parish and all are proud of their African American Catholic heritage. Capuchin friars have been present at OLBS for eight years.
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish
Philadelphia PA
Founded in 1905, St. Joseph Parish is a thriving community that emphasizes worship and service to the community. Nearly 1,000 families make up the parish and many are committed pro-life advocates, making the annual trip to Washington, DC, for the Pro-Life March on Washington. Many parishioners have long-time roots in the area. There are also many "new" parishioners, folks who have moved here to be close to work. St. Joseph Parish seems to have the best of a rural setting and nearness to a major metropolitan area. Friars have served the parish since it's beginning as a mission of St. Mary Church in Herman, one of the first friaries of the province.
St. Joseph Parish
Cabot PA
Founded in the early 1900's, St. Anthony Church was first named Saint Ladislaus, serving Polish immigrants who labored in the mills and factories of this city on the Kanawha River. Soon, however, Italian immigrants flooded into the city, and the newly established parish was named after the famous Franciscan saint. The first friar to work among the immigrants in Charleston was Father Cyprian Gehrling, himself an immigrant from Bavaria. Today, with a pervasive decline in jobs, Charleston is losing population, and this historically working class parish is situated in an economically distressed neighborhood. With its school and outreach to the neighborhood, the church community is a life line of hope and charity to people who are struggling to find a way to survive.
St. Anthony Parish
Charleston WV
Founded in 1928, this parish is a gem in the middle of a struggling neighborhood. The members of the church are faith-filled and devoted to the community. Capuchin friars accepted the invitation to serve at St. Ambrose in 1991 and were welcomed warmly by the people of the parish. Its thriving school , vibrant outreach to the community, and wonderful worship are hallmarks of this proudly Catholic African-American church. Capuchins are proud to serve in this northwest Baltimore community of faith.
St. Ambrose Parish
Baltimore MD
Quite new to the Capuchin roster of ministries, St. Francis of Assisi Church is located on Market Street, a very busy residential area of Pennsylvania's capitol. In 2005 Bishop Kevin Rhoades asked that the Capuchins minister to the people of this parish named after their founder. Harrisburg has attracted large numbers of immigrants, primarily from Mexico. Obviously there are a good number of people who have been long-time members of the parish, but the vast majority are relatively new and some very new to the parish and the USA. The two Spanish Masses are crowded to standing room only. The humble church and friary are a perfect fit for the friars who live and work at St. Francis.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
Harrisburg PA
More than 150 years old, Saint Cecilia Parish only recently built a new church in this Ohio River valley section of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Until the late 1970's the area was bustling with industry. Many large steel mills and a vast railroad yard employed tens of thousands of workers, many of them children of immigrants from all parts of Europe. As in many parts of the "Rust Belt," Rochester and the surrounding communities have felt the devastation of economic displacement. Despite the difficulties, the 2,000 members of St. Cecilia parish continue to have their faith nurtured and, in turn, are invited to respond to the needs of their neighbors by the lively faith of their parish.
St. Cecilia Parish
Rochester PA
The Capuchins do not operate the United States Catholic Conference; that is the work of the bishops of the USA. However, one friar, Father Thomas Weinandy is the primary theologian for the USCCB. Prior to working for the bishops, Fr. Tom was Greyfriars Hall at Oxford University in Great Britain. Fr. Tom is also teaching a course at the Catholic University of America, just up the block from USCCB headquarters in Northeast Washington.
United States Catholic Conference
Washington DC
It had been the site of the Capuchin seminary for more than a century, but the parish of St. Mary's remains, served by Capuchin friars. After the first Bavarian friars arrived in the US, they were intent on establishing a "seraphic school" and decided to locate it in the tiny village of Herman, PA, which retains its rural atmosphere even to this day. The parish continues to function well, despite a downturn in population. The parishioners are fiercely proud of their parish and support it in many ways, including a team of men who see to all the maintenance needs and a large group of people who pitch in for the Lenten fish fry's that have become legend in Butler County. It is a parish with a long history and a bright future.
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
Herman PA
Formerly a mission of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral (a former Capuchin parish in Charleston), St. John's is a small parish by most accounts, but it is large in compassion for the many economically distressed people of the local community. The near-collapse of steel and chemical factories has left Belle without a propserous base on which to sustain its residents. St. John's parish, however, never seems to tire of its goal to take the words of Jesus seriously: "When I was hungry, you fed me ...." While strong in its mission to the neighborhood, the parish is also a closely-knit community of resilient and welcoming members.
St. John Parish
Belle WV
Saint Agnes - Our Lady of Fatima Parish is new for the Capuchin Friars. Previously pastored by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, the parish is a dynamic African-American community, which focuses effective attention on youth and young adults of the Hough neighborhood of east Cleveland. On any Sunday nearly half the congregation for Mass is under the age of thirty, and many of them function in the various ministries of the Church. Essential to the outreach of the parish is the nearby Fatima Family Center that houses various programs for folks of all ages. Fatima proudly reflects the heritage and culture of the Catholic African-American community and shares its lively faith with its neighbors.
St. Agnes - Our Lady of Fatima Parish
Cleveland OH
It's the mid-town church of Cleveland. Located on Euclid Avenue, the Shrine of the Conversion of St. Paul is home to the fullness of the Franciscan Family; all three 'Orders' are present here: Capuchin-Franciscans who are part of the First Order; Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, members of the Second Order; and Secular Franciscans, part of the Third Order. The Shrine, originally an Episcopalian church, was purchased by the Poor Clares and became a Shrine of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A larger community of lay people from the metro area are a vital part of the Shrine and contribute to its prayerfulness, works of charity and justice, and engaging fellowship.
Shrine of the Conversion of St. Paul
This newly established parish is the newest ministry in the repertoire of Capuchin endeavors. Before friars were on the scene, though, the people of three parishes worked with one another to establish one church for the extensive neighborhood that straddles Cleveland and Garfield Heights. Unlike other parishes that face difficult decisions, the people of St. Timothy, St. Catherine and St. Henry negotiated their way to becoming Holy Spirit Parish. Bishop Richard Lennon happily approved the plan and asked the Capuchins to pastorally lead the new parish and build a firm foundation for a bright future of the Catholic community and its involvement in the struggling neighborhood.
Holy Spirit Parish
Thirty years ago the Capuchins closed St. Fidelis College in Herman, PA, and became part of Cleveland diocese's Borromeo Seminary. The friars and their college-aged seminarians were welcomed warmly and immediately became a vital part of the diocesan seminary. For many years all the classes for both Capuchin and diocesan students were conducted at the seminary. Now most classes are taken at nearby John Carroll University, a Jesuit-run institution of higher learning. The Capuchin Formation Program (CFP) focuses on the religious and spiritual development of the Capuchin students, preparing them for religious life and ministry. Three friars are assigned to work in all aspects of Borromeo Seminary.
Borromeo Seminary
Wickliffe OH
There is a rich tradition in Capuchin-Franciscan history, inspired by St. Francis himself, of friars living intensely in contemplative prayer. St. Joseph of Leonissa Hermitage is dedicated entirely to living that contemplative life. This friary is structured to embrace this lifestyle in its daily routine. The hours of prayer and regimen of fasting also includes fraternal and pastoral responsibilities that make the hermitage self-reliant. One element of the hermitage is following the instruction of St. Francis for friars to take turns praying and doing domestic chores. Originally housed in western Pennsylvania, the hermit friars were invited by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to take up residence near the Paul VI Pastoral Center.
Hermitage of St. Joseph of Leonissa
Wheeling WV
The Church of St. John the Evangelist is the Center-City church of Philadelphia. It's daily sacramental schedule is daunting, with Masses being celebrated in the upper and lower churches simultaneously. There is also a large number of people who come for confession, which is available throughout most of the workday. St. John's, in addition to having a good number of parishioners, also serves the thousands of office workers in downtown Philadelphia. The very large and nearby Jefferson Hospital is in the pastoral care of friars as well. The Capuchins accepted Cardinal Bevilacqua's invitation to care for St. John's in 1991. It was the Capuchins first presence in the archdiocese.
St. John the Evangelist Parish
This parish has its roots in four previous parishes: St. John, St. Mary, Holy Family, and St. Augustine (the parish after which this province of Capuchin friars is named). The parish was formed in 1993 and initially experienced a common trauma to that of other city parishes that have been reconfigured to account for the decline of urban neighborhoods. Today it is thriving in unity, devoted to becoming a beacon to the surrounding Lawrenceville neighborhood. Capuchin friars from Bavaria made their very first foundation at St. Augustine in 1873 and continue to minister in the parish, along with the Mercy Sisters. The parish has a wide range of ministries to foster the faith and reach out to those in need.
Our Lady of the Angels Parish
Pittsburgh PA
Located in Philadelphia's Chinatown, Holy Redeemer is a mission of St. John the Evangelist Church (below), serving Chinese Catholics of the city. Founded in 1941, Holy Redeemer has three Masses each Sunday, one each in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. The school enrolls 290 students, all of whom are Chinese. A health clinic sponsored by Holy Redeemer sees about 50 people each week. Many parishioners have strong ties to China, some being recent immigrants and others who are second and third generation US citizens. When the Capuchins arrived at St. John's in 1991, they were also entrusted with the care of Holy Redeemer, becoming a member of the Capuchin family of ministries.
Holy Redeemer Mission
Capuchin Friars made their first appearance in the Diocese of Harrisburg in 1979. They were welcomed warmly by the people of St. Joseph Parish, and it has been a match made in heaven ever since. Founded in 1913, the parish was located in the center of York for most of its history. As the city spread and grew, it became necessary to re-locate and build a larger church, which was dedicated in 1996. With 2,000 member families and a broader community in need, along with a large parish school, it is a parish with much activity, rooted in prayer and social action. Parishioners and friars alike are proud and thankful for the presence of St. Joseph Parish.
York PA
Ministry
Fr. W. David Nestler, OFM Cap
Provincial Minister
Hailing from Boyers, PA, Father David was born in 1962. He
attended several parish schools and a public school in
Pittsburgh before attending high school at St. Fidelis Seminary,
from which he graduated in 1980. Father David graduated from
Borromeo College of Ohio with a degree in psychology and social and behavioral sciences in 1984. After his graduation he was admitted into the Capuchin novitiate and professed his first vows on July 13, 1985. He then attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and achieved a Master of Arts degree in theology in 1988. One year later, on July 22, 1989, Father David was ordained to the priesthood. After an initial assignment at St. Cecilia Parish in Rochester, PA, he was assigned to the novitiate staff at St. Conrad Friary, Allison Park, PA, in 1995. In 1997 he was named the Director of Novices, after earning a Master of Arts degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Father David was elected to the Definitory in 2004 and again in 2007. He was appointed director of Paul VI Pastoral Center in Wheeling, WV, in 2006 and recently completed a Master of Science degree in church management from Villanova University. Father David was elected Provincial Minister at the June 2010 provincial chapter.
Fr. Michael Joyce, OFM Cap
Vicar Provincial
The son of James and Mary Joyce, Father Mick was born in Pittsburgh, PA, on September 6, 1955. He attended St. Lawrence O'Toole Grade School and Central Catholic High School before transferring to St. Fidelis Seminary, from which he graduated in 1974. In 1978, Father Mick received his BA in Sociology from St. Fidelis College and entered the Capuchin novitiate at St. Conrad Friary in Annapolis, MD. Upon profession of temporary vows on July 21, 1979, Father Mick began graduate studies in Sacramental Theology at the Washington Theological Union; he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Sean O'Malley on June 8, 1985. Father Mick was parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in York, PA, until 1992 when he joined the provincial vocation team. In 2003, he was named pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Baltimore, MD. And in 2004, he was assigned to the formation faculty at Borromeo Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio, where he serves as the Director of Pastoral Formation. Father Mick was elected Vicar Provincial at the provincial chapter of 2010.
Fr. Thomas Betz, OFM Cap
Second Definitor
Born in 1957 in Wampum, PA, Father Thomas attended
elementary school in Ellwood City, PA, and graduated from St. Fidelis High School in 1975, and St. Fidelis College in 1979 with a degree in psychology. Father Tom enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh school of law and received his JD in 1983, after which he practiced as an attorney until 1986, when he was received into the Capuchin novitiate and made his first vows as a friar one year later on July 11, 1987. He received his MA in theology from the Catholic University of America in 1990. Father Thomas was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1991. Since his ordination he has been based in Philadelphia, serving first as a parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist Church, and eventually was named administrator of its mission church, Holy Redeemer, the Chinese church of center city Philadelphia. Father Thomas was elected to the Definitory in 2001, 2004, 2007, and most recently at the provincial chapter in June 2010. He was assigned to Vocation Ministry in 2005. He has served as coordinator of the Chinese Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia since 1995.
Fr. John Pfannenstiel, OFM Cap
Third Definitor
A native of Hays, Kansas, Father John was born in 1953, having graduated from the Capuchin high school, Thomas More Prep in 1971. He made his temporary profession of vows on August 20, 1974, and graduated from St. Fidelis College in 1976 with a BA in counseling psychology. After receiving his MA in theology from the Washington Theological Union, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 1982. Father John founded and ran several shelters for homeless men in Washington, DC, after his ordination until 1991. He was then named pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Baltimore, MD, after which he was assigned to administrative responsibilities at the provincial office in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2005. Father John was elected as Vicar Provincial in 2007 and most recently as Third Definitor at the Chapter of 2010.
Br. Robert Toomey, OFM Cap
Fourth Definitor
Br. Bob, a native of Pittsburgh, was born in 1942. He
attended St. Kieran grade school and Central Catholic High School, graduating in 1960. Following service in the US Army he worked as office manager for a long haul trucking company and then as Municipal Bond Supervisor for Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. A late vocation, Br. Bob knew the Capuchins all of his life, growing up in a neighboring parish. Entering the novitiate in 1994, Br. Bob made his temporary profession of vows in July, 1995 and moved to Capuchin College in Washington, DC, where he completed his initial formation in 1998 and was named director of the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps. He lived in Baltimore and Washington, DC and served as director of the volunteers for 6 years before being named to the formation staff at Capuchin College in Washington, DC, where he served for 3 years. In 2007 Br. Bob was selected to be the Executive Secretary for the province, a ministry in which he still serves. He was elected Fourth Definitor at the Provincial Chapter of 2010.
Leadership
Anselm Martin, OFM Cap.
1919-2012
Born: January 1, 1919
First Profession: July 14, 1940
Ordination: May 22, 1945
Died: January 11, 2012
(Homily delivered at the funeral Mass for Fr. Anselm Martin at St. John the Evangelist Church in Center City, Philadelphia, PA, on January 14, 2012.)
Last evening at the wake service for Fr. Anselm, Fr. Ben Regotti focused on the Paschal Candle and the “Light of Christ” that was given to Anselm and that he in turn gave to so many people in his 93 years, 66 of which were as a priest (Anselm was ordained six months before I was born).
Two men who were the most influential “lights” in my life were Father Thomas More Janeck, Capuchin who died on June 8, 2008, and our beloved Father Anselm Martin. Both of them were tremendous leaders, great examples, and Capuchins whom I deeply loved and admired. It is a grace for me that I am able to participate in both of their passings to new life – two men who did so much to bring light and life to me and to my vocation. Both of these men, too, bridged our two provinces. Anselm, of course, remained in this province, while Thomas More joined the Mid-America Province and lived for many years in Denver.
Father Simon Conrad reminded me that he – Father Simon – is now the last remaining member of the class, a class that included Fidelis and Christian, Don Nally and Jude, and Cajetan and several diocesan priests. It is a grace, and an honor, to speak about Anselm at this funeral Mass and in the context of the Gospel which was his chosen and vowed way of life. So many friars who are now passing into new life make up the foundation of our two provinces and continue to be inspirations to so many friars and people from Baltimore and Washington to Denver – people and friars who have been touched by them, their leadership, and by their goodness and holiness.
When I came to St. Joseph’s Military Academy in 1959 as a skinny geeky freshman with a flat top haircut, using “Butch Wax” to keep it straight up, Father Anselm Martin was the president of the school. Thirteen years later when I came back to the school in 1972 after seminary training, profession, and ordination, the name of the school was changed, but Anselm Martin was still there as president. In working alongside him as one of his faculty members, I was confirmed in what I experienced of him when I was a student. I found that he was a man admired by college professors, by educational administrators throughout the state of Kansas, by the leaders in the National Catholic Educational Association, and by both state and local government leaders. He was a man with connections. He was a man with credibility. He was a leader with integrity.
“His pronounced jaw,” Fr. Simon once told me when we discussing classmates, “reminded me of the prow of a ship moving steadily across the sea.” In other words, he “looked” like a leader. Fr. Ben said last night that Anselm always appeared “manly and austere.” I would add that he appeared as a “manly and austere leader.”
His leadership showed itself in the dedication he had to the school and to education of young people, in his steadfast love for and adherence to the Catholic Church, in his faithfulness to his Capuchin way of living, as well as in his fabulous memory of names and faces, and his wholesome sense of humor.
I stand here as one who was formed, who was “brought to life” so to speak, by Anselm Martin. And I know that I cannot claim that for myself alone. There were literally thousands of young people brought to life by Anselm in his 26 years in high school teaching and administration, 22 of which were as president of St. Joseph’s Military Academy and its successor school, Thomas More Prep. That is why I felt drawn to the Gospel that was proclaimed to you at this funeral Mass for Anselm.
When Jesus saw the young man being carried to his burial (Lk. 7:11-17), followed by a grieving mother who was undoubtedly crying over a promising life now ended, Jesus felt compassion. Jesus was an only son, too. Perhaps he saw his own mother in that mother who was following the coffin. Jesus saw a potential for life in that young man. So he touched the coffin, the dead man’s stretcher. Those who were ready to bury the lifeless young man stopped. Jesus called the young man to live. He called him to life. To rise up. And the young man heard, sat up, and began to speak.
The son of the widow of Nain, coincidentally, was an only son. Anselm was an only son, named “George” by his mother and father. What is this “life” that Jesus gave to the dead young man? It is much like the life, I believe, that Anselm gave to so many young people who were in need of someone to challenge them to speak, of someone to challenge them to get up and get on with life and to lead as Christian leaders should. I remember, in my early days on the “prefect” team at Thomas More Prep when the director of student life (chief disciplinarian at the school) would meet with Anselm to inform him about a decision that a certain student must be dismissed. So often, after hearing out the decision and the reasons, Anselm would say, “Oh, give him a wee bit more time and that there….” When Anselm wanted to stretch a rule or disagree with a decision, he would always use that phrase: “…a wee little bit and that there.” Give the kid another chance.
Certainly, this compassion and this continual offer of new life was not limited to Anselm’s years of working with young people. When he ministered at St. Mary of the Point in Pittsburgh, when he was the chaplain at the VA Hospital in Oakland; and when he came here to St. John’s in Philadelphia, at an age (72) when most people are either retired or seriously thinking about retiring, Anselm continued to give new life as he celebrated the Eucharist, as he reconciled penitents, and as he preached and encouraged – again, thousands over his twenty years here – to rise up and live, to find new life in Jesus Christ, to try again.
Those of us who had the pleasure of living with Anselm knew a side of him that often didn’t get beyond the walls of his life in Capuchin community…although I assure you that it sometimes did, and it caused lots of smiles and chuckles. Anselm had a “wholesome” sense of humor. He had a wonderful talent of putting excitement into friars’ lives and making them laugh, mostly at themselves. Last night, when Father Ben Rigotti asked us, during the wake service, to share a story and a word that we would use to remember Anselm, I was sitting next to Fr. Bob McCreary. I used the word, “leader.” Fr. Bob used the word, “iconoclast.” “What do you mean?” I asked. Bob told me, “Well, Anselm knocked people off their pedestals by making them laugh themselves.”
How true! Anselm loved practical jokes. And I have to admit that he was my own prime mentor and – I must say – encourager of my own penchant for these kinds of things. In fact, Anselm, when he found out I liked to engage in those activities, even came up with ideas that he would encourage me to carry out. Oh, he was the master – without doubt – but I will cherish some of the ideas he gave me – whether it was secretly substituting a basketball film for a psychology film to be viewed by a teacher; or connecting telephones to wrong intercom lines. Together with the “victim” we laughed and enjoyed the moments. Of course, he took the credit if the joke went well; if not, I got the blame. God only knows what would have transpired if Anselm had remained in Mid-America after the split of our provinces. But, I assure you, I did carry out his tradition of practical jokes long after he left Mid-America. I also know that Anselm continued these activities all through his life. “Nemo Tutus,” (no one is safe) was a motto Father Blaine Burkey bestowed on me. Perhaps it fit Anselm even better.
I will remember Anselm as a friar who gave life and light to me and to so many people – to young and old, rich and poor, people of all cultures and races. In our memories of him he still gives us that light and life. He still brings a chuckle to my heart. But now Jesus has touched this only son of his mother and father, Eleanor and Philip, and has given him new light and life. He has been called to speak a new language, to walk in a new way, to rise up and live life as he never lived it before. May God generously give this new life to Anselm, as Anselm was so generous in giving life to so many in his 93 years.
Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on him. May he rest in peace.
Fr. Charles J. Polifka, OFM Cap.
January 14, 2012
Charles O'Connor, OFM Cap.
1942 - 2011
Date of Birth: September 30, 1942
Place of Birth: Wayne, PA
Temporary Profession: August 22, 1962
Perpetual Profession: August 22, 1965
Date of death: September 15, 2012
“In baseball, you don’t get too upset about losing.
There’s always next year."
On September 14, the Phillies became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a 1–0 win at Houston. Three days later, on September 17, they clinched the National League East title for the fifth consecutive season. With 102 wins, the Phillies had the best record in baseball for the second year in a row and broke the franchise record for most regular-season wins. What a season. Unfortunately, the record books do not record that the Phillies lost one of their most ardent fans on September 15. Br. Charles O’Connor died quietly, as he lived, at Vincentian Home in North Hills, Pittsburgh, PA. His loss may have contributed to the astonishing heartbreak of the Phillies that followed: they lost in the first playoff series to the inferior St. Louis Cardinals, who went on to win the 2011 World Series.
But baseball was not the only game Charlie loved. If there was a High School Basketball Game and some friends were going, he was there. If there were tickets available to a football game, he’d grab them. Charlie was not just a fan. He was a fanatic, and unless you lived with him, you’d never have known the kind of energy and enthusiasm he could muster. He loved to watch sports on TV when he couldn’t get out for a game, and he spent a good amount of time watching it. He was faithful to prayer and present to the fraternity, but you always knew that his absolute devotion was with the Phillies.
Francis O’Connor was born on September 30, 1942, in Wayne, PA, about a 30 minute train ride from downtown Philadelphia. His father, also Francis, was an Irish immigrant whose love for Ireland and for the Catholic faith were unwavering. After the famous Easter Uprising of 1916 in Dublin, having witnessed the death of his own brother, Francis ventured to the United States where he met his first wife who tragically died in childbirth. His second wife, Anna Dougherty, was a woman of intense faith. It’s said she would often be found praying the rosary in the back yard of their home. Following the birth of her first and only child to survive, their son “Frankie” (whom we know as “Charlie”), she too ultimately died in childbirth after many attempts. Little Francis was only 4 years old.
It was Mr. O’Connor’s third wife, Isabella, whom “Frankie” knew as “mom.” Isabella had known his father well, and after the death of Anna, she accepted Mr. O’Connor’s proposal for marriage. They had a daughter together, Isabel (now Isabel Gibson), and Frankie was 12 years old before he discovered that Isabella was his stepmother, not his birth mother.
“Frankie” grew up in fine style on the estate of the Joseph Sill Clark family where his father served as the family chauffer to both Mr. Jos. Clark, Sr., Champion tennis player and Philadelphia lawyer, and his son Mr. Jos. Clark, Jr., future mayor of Philadelphia. The families spent their summers together on the beaches of Long Island, NY, and “Frankie” grew fond of the animals that populated the estate. He loved horses and dogs, and the family remembers that when some horses ran away, it was only our brother Charles who could find them and gently lead them back.
Mr O’Connor had always wished to see his son secure and happy in the priesthood, and “Frankie” asked to go to the St. Fidelis Seminary in 1956. The then 9-year-old half-sister, Isabel, remembers the family visit to the seminary that first year, over and back to and from Philadelphia. Plus, they were inconvenienced by the changing of a flat tire on the way! Tragically, that would be one of the last times the father and son would see one another: Mr. O’Connor died of a heart attack in March 1957 at the age of 57. Isabella and her daughter Isabel had “lost” both men in the house in their first year. “Frankie” offered to move back home, to leave the seminary and be of support for them, but Isabella insisted that he stay where his father would have wanted him to persevere.
Francis completed high school and his initial studies in philosophy in Herman, but as he prepared to move on to novitiate in 1961, he was presented with another obstacle to his path. His Capuchin formators felt that his call was not to the priesthood. Instead, he entered his novitiate and received the Capuchin habit in August 21, 1961, joining the group of lay brother candidates. He was given the name “Charles.”
Br. Charles was professed the following year, just shy of his 20th birthday, and took part in the formation provided by the Brothers Training Center in Cumberland, MD. There, he learned the essentials of being in “fraternity service” to the community, and he professed his perpetual vows on August 22, 1965.
Serving only one year at Capuchin College in Washington, DC, Br. Charles moved to the General Curia in Rome, Italy, at the request of the Order’s English language Definitor, Fr. Giles Staab from our Province. They were not easy years. The attitude toward “lay brothers” was slowly changing, but one doesn’t look to Italy to ever be accused of being au courant. The lives of the lay brothers there was difficult and the isolation from one’s culture and one’s language (and, of course, from the Philidelphia Phillies) made it a difficult situation to bear for long. He returned to the Province in 1970 and was assigned to St. Mary’s in Herman.
Br. Charles was proud to be a lay brother. He was one of the few lay friars from the Province who rarely missed an annual meeting of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). His associations with other brothers at the annual meeting were a support and a comfort for him.
Charles had a deep seated desire to be a religious educator. To that end, he would eventually spend various semesters trying to complete his Bachelors’ Degree near the places he served. Courses at the then Carlow College, LaRoche College and Butler Community College would eventually allow him to achieve that goal, all the credits being accepted by St. Fidelis. Yet, he would serve only twice as coordinator of religious education at St. Cecelia in Rochester, PA (1973-74) and St. Mary Parish in Herman, PA (1974-1978), and he came to learn that his talents were not best suited to the leadership and management required of him.
Various assignments to fraternity service followed in Herman, Annapolis, Wheeling and Pittsburgh, before he was stationed for nine years of Pastoral Service to St. Joseph Parish, York, PA. Families remember his smile and his readiness to help deliver food and other necessities to the poor through the St. Vincent DePaul Food Bank. Some friends relate that Br. Charles became a “member of the family,” and would drop by to talk, to watch some TV, and even to help himself to their refrigerator. Besides all that, he was the closest to Philadelphia and his beloved team than he would ever be. Charlie took advantage of that.
But another obstacle crossed Br. Charles’ path in those years: diabetes. It was often difficult to get his blood count at their best levels, and it would be the eventual cause of continued struggles with his health as the years continued. He again lived and served at St. Augustine Friary from 1995-2000, but the need for his presence brought him to another parish: St. Clare of Assisi in Clairton, PA. Failing kidneys caused his brief return to St. Augustine’s in 2007 where his hope for kidney transplant surgery never materialized. Regular dialysis and the need for more attentive nursing care led him to Vincentian Nursing Home for the final four years of his life where he died on September 15, 2011.
The Provincial Minister, Fr. David Nestler, presided at his Funeral Mass on September 19, 2012. “Charlie’s” own wishes were so seldom verbalized that one looks to some deeper meaning in his only expressed funeral wishes: that Psalm 103 be prayed, that a reading would come from 1 Corinthians , and that Ubi Caritas and Gift of Finest Wheat would be sung.
Did he want us to hear “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in kindness”? Did he want to encourage us to “strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts” or to realize that “there are but three things that last: faith, hope and love -- but the greatest of these is love?” Was he ever moved by the lyrics which sang out “You give yourself to us, O Lord, then selfless let us be” or by the haunting chant which led us to know that “where charity and love abide, there is God? As of most things in Charles’ experiences, we’ll never know.
Br. Charles’ loss to us, however, is a victory for him, and we all know that “victories” meant everything to Charlie.
--
Andrew Hohman, OFM Cap.
1920 - 2011
Date of birth: July 28, 1920
Temporary Profession: July 14, 1949
Perpetual Profession: July 14, 1952
Ordination: May 29, 1954
Date of death: August 28, 2011
“All of my prayers to the BVM were answered.
I found another good job for the rest of my life.”
Our Fr. Andrew Hohman used to relay the story of his mother who brought him to the Miraculous Medal Novena at St. Anthony’s in East Wheeling when he was a teenager. These were the days of the Great Depression. In the stillness of the church, the two processed to Our Lady’s altar where his mother lovingly prayed that Mary would take care of her Son and find him a good job. “Here is my son Andrew,” she is told to have said. “He is too much for me to handle; you take care of him.” And handle him she did.
Vincent Hohman was born on July 28, 1920, one of four sons and three daughters born to Robert and Gertrude (Dei) Hohman. From the family, there were to be two priests and a Sister of St. Joseph, Wheeling, so we are assured that their faith and its practice were central to the family’s life. After attending St. Vincent and St. Alphonsus elementary schools (the latter parish staffed by our friars), he graduated from Wheeling Central Catholic High School in 1938. Training at the Elliott Business School followed, enabling him to do well on a Civil Service Exam (fortuitously, it followed the prayers to Mary mentioned above)!
Assigned to the US Army Corps of Engineers, he was involved in managing contracts for construction projects which dotted pre-war America, seeing that both the country and an individual’s sense of human worth can be of lasting benefit to a depressed economy.
