Provincial Letter- Summer 2008

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Peace and Good Things!

There is an ancient proverb attributed to the Chinese that reminds us, �When you are drinking the water, don�t forget who dug the well.�� These words of wisdom admonish us to be mindful of those who have gone before us.� It is due to their dedication and hard work, their willingness to make sacrifices and their selflessness that we are in the place where we are today.

On May 20, 2008, the Feast of Saint Bernardine of Siena, Fr. Christopher Panagoplos, T.O.R., the Local Minister of the Monastery which bears Saint Bernardine�s name, hosted a celebration to mark the 80^th year since the establishment of the building that has served our Province as Motherhouse, novitiate, friary, and retirement residence.� Those who attended the dinner and Vespers were treated to a sumptuous meal prepared by Fr. Christopher and spent time in prayer and fellowship marking this auspicious occasion.� Although there seems to be some confusion about the actual year the building was completed and opened for use�the inscription near the roof reads 1928 while the cornerstone reads 1929�the Monastery stands as a tribute to those pioneers who were the founders of the Province of the Immaculate Conception.�

As a novice and a young friar, I recall hearing stories of some of those first friars�how they would walk for miles from parish to parish soliciting pennies for the building of the Monastery.� I heard about the fundraising dances and events they would hold and their determination to raise a building at Kladder Station that would serve as the headquarters of this new fraternity; a place where future generations of friars would be formed to serve the needs of the Church as Franciscan Friars.� This handful of men with a vision and a dream �dug the well� from which we continue to drink and we can never forget the generosity, the determination, the love for the Church and the Order that gave them the strength to persevere and realize their dream in the face of sometimes insurmountable odds.�

Although for many of us these friars are but names on the headstones at the cemetery, they are the ones to whom we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude, for they have left us a legacy not only in brick and mortar, but also�and perhaps more importantly�in terms of a spirit of determination, of love for the Province and the Church, and of willingness to work and sacrifice to build on the solid foundation they laid for us.�

As we look around us now, and as we look to the future, we often lament that we are too old and too few.� While it is true that our median age may be approaching 70 and that we now number �more under the ground than above the ground� we do number more than those pioneers who labored so long and hard so that we might have a future.� Their legacy challenges us to channel our energy in a more positive direction by continuing to respond to the promptings of the Spirit, to work to meet the needs of the Church and the world in which we find ourselves, and to build the Reign of God in all we do.�

May the months ahead afford you some time to break out of your usual routines so that your bodies and spirits might be renewed.� Together may we work to keep the well that was dug for us filled with water that will nourish and refresh us�and those who will come after us.

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Fraternally in Saint Francis,

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������������������������������������� (Very Reverend) Anthony M. Criscitelli, TOR
Minister Provincial

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