Celebrating 500 Years of Capuchin Life: First Came the Habit
Between April and May 2025, we commemorate half a millennium, 500 years, since a Franciscan Observant friar, Matteo da Bascio, felt God's call in his heart to return to the way of life that he perceived was intended by Francis of Assisi for his brothers. In the spring (April-May) of 1525, Matteo, wearing a simpler habit and a pointed hood, barefoot and carrying a cross, began his journey as an itinerant preacher. Although at first his desire for a more austere life was not well received, he obtained the verbal approval of Medici Pope Clement VII, who allowed him to live according to this ideal. What was born in the silence and humility of a single friar soon became a legitimized reform that revitalized the Franciscan spirit in Italy and would, ultimately, spread throughout the world.
We'll let Cuthbert Hesse of Brighton's narration mark the occasion (The Capuchins, vol. I, p. 21):
Our Cleveland Parishes Collaborate on a Lenten Revival
The parishes of St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Spirit in Cleveland sponsored the Collaborative Lenten Revival on the evenings of Ash Wednesday through Friday, March 5-8 at St. Agnes. It was in conjunction with the four African American Churches of the Diocese, presenting this three-day Revival as a jumpstart for the forty-day Lenten Journey.
"And Then Came Dawn" Gets Another Life
At our Capuchin archives in Pittsburgh, PA, we've digitized some of our videos that would no longer be available to posterity when the last VHS cassette player is laid to rest (and most may have already gone to their eternal pastures or friary basements?). The most recent is an important film in our Province story: And Then Came Dawn.
And Then Came Dawn, highlighting our mission work in Papua New Guinea which had begun in 1955, was filmed in the early '70s and produced by Karl-Heinz Stellmach, the photographer who filmed the outdoor scenes of Austria in the film The Sound of Music in the early '60s. The film was shown on national public television stations in Spring of 1973.
The Pittsburgh showing on WQED-TV was on Sunday, April 8th, 1973, at Noon, and arrived with a lot of fanfare among our brothers. It was acclaimed as a "masterpiece of anthropology and mission documentation." [Carnegie Alumni News, March 1973] The Pittsburgh incarnation included all three segments of the production in a 90-minute presentation. Now that it's been digitized from a VHS tape you can view all three together on our posted video. And we found quite a few faces of friars in their younger days as you can see in the collage.
March for Life 2025
January's March for Life certainly experienced a Capuchin presence . . . . As our brother Pablo Lopez, OFM Cap., our photographer and reporter wrote:
We had our brother Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., as the celebrant for the Mass for Life in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrines, joined with many concelebrants. Our Vocation Director, Br. Mike Herlihey, OFM Cap., was the homilist for the Mass." To round out the group, our Cap Corps Lay Volunteers, friars from Baltimore and Cleveland's Capuchin Formation Program were in attendance at the Mass and march, as well as as well as 14 candidates who were staying the weekend at Capuchin College to discern our way of life.
Allan Wasiecko, OFM Cap. (1942-2025)
The video of the Wake Service held for our brother Allan
on Sunday evening, February 2, 2025, appears here.
The Funeral Mass celebrated on Monday, February 3, 2025, appears here.
Our brother, Allan Wasiecko, OFM Cap., passed to the Lord’s eternal life on January 30, 2025 at a residential rehabilitation center in Pittsburgh, PA. He was 82. Allan was at the Center following a successful surgery to repair a broken femur he suffered from a fall at our St. Augustine Motherhouse on January 17th. His passing was not entirely expected, though health issues and increased memory loss weighed him down in his final years among us.
Born on October 19, 1942, to Stephen and Helen (Pack) Wasiecko in Pittsburgh, PA’s Mt. Oliver district, Allan entered St. Fidelis High School Seminary in Herman, PA, in 1955 and was invested as a novice in 1962, making his first profession of vows to our way of life on July 14, 1963. He was given the name Br. Donan, but he returned to his baptismal name when permitted to do so in 1968. Donan was part of the largest class of young men ever to join the community in one year, the height of the vocations boom in the 20th century. 25 young men joined him in professing vows that year, and 18 of the them went on to priesthood ordination following theology studies at Capuchin College in Washington, DC, on October 19, 1968 (which just happened to be Allan’s 26th Birthday!). Classmates included our confreres John Bednarik and Gene Emrisek. Other brothers would precede him to the “eternity fraternity:” Gary Powell (+1994), Ed Judy (+2003), future bishop Bill Fey (+2021) and Jerome Dunn (+2022).
The Friars' Table Is Open to Serve
A major December event, along with our ministerial outreach at Philadelphia's Annie's Home, was the blessing and opening of The Friars' Table at city of Cleveland's Playhouse Square. Our brothers serve the St. Paul's Shrine and at the parish of St. Malachy's in the city, but Cleveland's Ordinary, Bishop Edward Malesic, posted a special moment on his Instagram page:
Last evening, I was pleased to bless the newly opened The Friar’s Table restaurant at Playhouse Square. The eatery is a collaboration among Cleveland Capuchin Ministries, EDWIN’s Leadership & Restaurant Institute and Playhouse Square, offering training and job opportunities for many people who are trying to build a new life.
Among the guests for the event were our Provincial Minister, Robert Marva, OFM Cap., joining our brothers in Cleveland. The press for the new endeavor has been fast and frequent from various news outlets in the Cleveland area.
This November Article appeared in the Diocese of Cleveland's webpage on November 20th:
The Friars’ Table restaurant plans job fair,
prepares to begin service
See more photos & read more about our unique sponsorship . . .
Annie's Home Celebrates a Home In Philly
Our confrere and Vocation Director, Mike Herlihey, OFM Cap., reported on one of our two big Provincial ministerial events for December:
The Opening Mass of Annie’s Home went really well [on Sunday, December 8th]. Our whole Frankford fraternity was there along with our Brothers Tom Betz and Keon Tu who took time out of their busy Sundays to stop by and show support and join the 90 benefactors there. We had Mass, followed by a brunch (with some baked goods sent by our brother-master-chef Andrew Corriente), followed by Br. Alex Hostoffer's presentation on how God brought Annie’s Home's about. We ended the day with tours of the home. What stood out to me was how a high percentage of the people there were already involved in donating or in volunteering hours or in doing both. People were reflecting on how unique this Advent season is for them as they prepare for the Christ Child while also preparing for the mothers and children to find their home at Annie’s Home. St. Joseph went off to prepare a place for Mary to give birth to Jesus. These supporters have prepared a place here as well.
Merry Christmas!
Some of our friars in Washington, DC, celebrated this feast in song
"Gaudete Christus est natus (Rejoice, Christ is born!)
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A Visit to China
Our brother Tom Betz, OFM Cap., was on the road in November (but most likely made this trip from his work as pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Philadelphia, PA via an air flight!). On, Sunday, November 3rd, he was in Macau, a regional Province in China, where he celebrated two Masses. The first was for Filipino migrant workers (above). An evening Mass was celebrated at Macao's packed cathedral with a large congregation.
Thanks to Wikipedia, we know that Macau remained under Portuguese rule until its 1999 handover to China. A special administrative region of China, Macau maintains separate governing and economic systems from mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems." The article tells us, and friar Tom neglected to share, that its often referred to as the "Las Vegas of the East."
Read on about his retreat for priests and his press interview . . .
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