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Prot. N� 6/2004 Rome, January 10, 2004
Subject: Notification of the death of Fr. Alfonso
Marcelino Moreno,
TOR, of the Vice Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico
In the hospital Sat�lite di Citt� del Messico at 3:45 p.m. on the
afternoon of Monday, January 5, 2004, our brother
Fr. Alfonso Marcelino
Moreno L�pez, TOR.
was called home to the house of the Father.
From the beginning of his time in the Order, Fr.
Alfonso was known by the nickname "Kempes." He was born to Jesus Moreno Olvera
and Leonor Lopez Trujillo in Mexico on June 2, 1957. He is survived by his parents, four
sisters and three brothers. Alfonso was a parishioner in the Parish of Divine Providence
(Colonia Moctezuma) where he was also a member of the Franciscan Youth. He was a
passionate soccer player during most of his life.
Fr. Alfonso was baptized in the Parish of Sagrario
Metropolitano di Mexico on February 19, 1958, and received the sacrament of Confirmation
on July 2, 1960, in the Cattedrale di Mexico from Bishop Dar�o Miranda.
Alfonso entered the Order as a postulant on August
15, 1983 in the house for professed students - which at that time was the student house of
the Mexican Commissariate on Via Viena. He was admitted into the novitiate on August 21,
1983 and was invested and professed his first vows on August 19, 1984, into the hands of
Fr. Esteban Jasso Gonzalez in the chapel of the seminary of Our Lady of the Angels. He
received the ministry of Lector on December 24, 1987, in the house of formation, Raymond
Lull, from the Minister Provincial, Fr. Sebastian Taberner Adrover. He was admitted into
Solemn Vows by Fr. Esteban Jasso Gonzalez on August 13, 1988, in the Parish "Santo
Reyes."
Alfonso was ordained to the deaconate on August 20,
1988, in the Parish of Divine Providence (Del Valle) and was ordained to the presbyterate
on February 19, 1989, in the Parish of Divine Providence (Moctezuma). Bishop Abelardo
Alvarado Alc�ntara was the ordaining bishop for both occasions.
He finished his philosophical studies in the
Istituto Teologico di Studi Superiori (1983-1984) and in the Universit� Intercontinental
(1984-1985) and continued his studies in theology at the Universit� Intercontinental
(1985-1989).
After his ordination to the priesthood, Alfonso had
the opportunity to complete his studies in Madrid, where he finished a License in Theology
at the University of Salamanca. He was then assigned to the Collegio of Raymond Lull from
August 25, 1989, to July 15, 1991. At the same time he was assigned as parochial vicar at
the Parish of San Diego di Alcal� in Madrid. Upon his return to Mexico in the Spring of
1991 he was assigned to the house of formation, Antonio Ripoll (Coyoacan) as the director
of the students in Solemn Vows who were close to ordination.
Alfonso was named Local Minister of the fraternity
of Our Lady of the Angels in Atizapan and director of the Casa della Giovent� in October,
1993. During this same period (1993-1997) he was also a part of the Council of the Mexican
Commissariat. From 1997 to 2001 he served as Local Minister of the house of formation,
Raymond Lull of Tlalpan. In November of 2001 the Provincial Congregation gave its
permission for him to establish a Franciscan Center for the catechesis and formation of
children.
The activities in the field of education that Fr.
Alfonso was able to facilitate were numerous. He collaborated in a dynamic and creative
way in the pastoral department at the Universit� Intercontinental (1991-1992) and at the
Universit� de La Salle (2001-2003). He founded and directed the pastoral departments at
the Collegio J.F. Kennedy of the Dominican Sisters (1992-1997) and the Comunit�
Ispanoamericana (1997-2003). During this time he also helped out occasionally in the
Centro Universitario Mexico of the Marist Brothers, the Collegio Francesce Pasteur of the
Sisters of Providence, and the educational community of St. Thomas More.
During the time he was a student of theology in
1986, Alfonso contracted cancer which he fought for the rest of his life. Everyone who met
him reports that the battle was truly miraculous because the fight made him holy and it
appeared at one time that he had defeated the cancer. Perhaps in beating it one time made
him hope that he would be able to do it again. However, this time the disease was much
more aggressive. In August of 2003 he started to suffer from a cancer in the stomach which
eventually also affected his liver. He embarked on months of medical visits and tests and
finally was hospitalized on December 15 at the hospital Sat�lite di Citt� del Messico.
Alfonso bravely fought the cancer for 21 days in the hospital, but finally fell asleep in
the Lord on January 5, 2004.
On the day of his death a Mass was celebrated for
Fr. Alfonso in the parish of Our Lady of Hope in the presence of his family, a number of
his religious brothers, and a numerous group of friends. The Mass was celebrated by the
Minister Provincial, Fr. Mateo Garcia Redondo. On January 6 another Mass was celebrated
for Fr. Alfonso by Fr. Celso Francisco Pirron Robles, a friend and brother which whom he
shared a great friendship and who had accompanied him during his final days in the
hospital.
Alfonso was a person well respected and appreciated by many friends who
stayed by him during the most difficult times of his cancer. To all these people we
express our most sincere gratitude.
On January 13, 2004, at 8 p.m. the Mass of Christian Burial was
celebrated for Fr. Alfonso in the parish of Our Lady of Hope by the Minister Provincial,
Fr. Mateo Garcia Redondo, in the presence of his family and all the members of the Vice
Province. At this time, the Minister Provincial, in the name of all the brothers bade a
final farewell to our brother "Kempes".
His body was laid in the crypt in the parish of Our Lady of Hope.
Please apply the prescribed suffrages according to articles 61-67 of
the General Statutes for the repose of the soul of Fr. Alfonso Marcelino Moreno, TOR.
Fraternally,
Fr. Corpus Izquierdo, TOR
General Secretary
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Barker TOR
Subject:
Death of Father Barnabas W. Barker,
T.O.R.
Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA
General Constitution 110
In imitation of Saint Francis, let the friars accept death
joyfully as the last offering of their lives and as the passageway to
the glory of God. The celebration of death
should give clear witness to the faith and hope they place in the resurrection of Jesus. As a sign of fraternal union, deceased
friars, relatives,
friends and benefactors are remembered with gratitude in accord with the proper law.
On 3 February 2004, at the age of
seventy-nine, our brother,
Fr. Barnabas Barker, T.O.R.
died unexpectedly at Saint Anthony Friary, Salem, Iowa. The small friary where Father Barnabas lived alone
in Iowa caught fire. The primary cause of
Father Barnabas’ death has still not been determined.
He was not unprepared, though, for Sister Death. In a letter to the
Provincial Secretary, dated 19 October, 2003, he included his own obituary. The obituary was prefaced by the remark: “I
am moving up in years. I would like to be
prepared in case Sister Death gives me an unexpected visit.”
Father Barnabas was born in
Brooklyn, New York on November 8, 1924. His
father William Joseph and mother Helen (Whittman) Barker preceded him in death. He is survived by his sister Grace and
brother-in-law, Richard Bausch of Deer Park, New York, and the friars of the Franciscan
Province of the Immaculate Conception.
Father Barnabas’ name at birth was William George. He converted to the Roman Catholic faith at the
age of twenty-one and was baptized on March 31, 1945 at Saint Clement Catholic Church in
South Ozone Park, New York. In 1948 he became
a postulant at Highland Hall, Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
He entered the novitiate at Saint Bernardine Monastery, Kladder Station,
Pennsylvania in 1949. He was the last
surviving member of his novitiate class. Father Barnabas professed his first vows on
September 2, 1950 and made solemn vows on the same date in 1953. Father Barnabas attended Catholic University
of America, Washington, D.C., where he studied theology and psychology. He was ordained a priest on June 7, 1958 at the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by the Most Reverend John McNamara.
After completing a fifth year of theological studies at
Highland Hall, Father Barnabas began active ministry as a retreat director and confessor
for communities of sisters in Pennsylvania. In
1963 he moved to Little Falls, Minnesota and served as chaplain at the motherhouse for the
Franciscan sisters while living at Saint Francis Friary.
After a further year of studies in the psychology department at
Catholic University, Father Barnabas became the Catholic chaplain at the Mental Health
Institute in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. In another Province correspondence, Father Barnabas
wrote: “I had a great desire to help the
mentally ill and God gave me that joy.” Father
Barnabas also served for many years as the chaplain at the Mount Pleasant Correctional
Institute. He retired from active ministry in 1997 but continued to volunteer to offer
Mass for the prisoners.
Father Barnabas will be fondly remembered for his uniqueness,
sense of humor, and frankness. He lived a
quiet life among his beloved animals, his friends and the outcasts of society that he
served so faithfully for many years. Messages
of condolence may be sent to Mrs. Grace Bausch, 240 West 19th Street, Deer Park,
New York 11729.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Saint Bernardine
Monastery, Kladder Station, Pennsylvania on Monday, February 16th at 11:00 a.m. Visitation took place at Saint Bernardine
Monastery one hour before the funeral. Father
Barnabas will be buried beside his confreres in the community cemetery at Kladder Station.
In Christ,
Br. David Liedl, T.O.R.
Provincial Secretary
General Statutes
64.
�1 For the soul of every deceased friar, each priest of
the Province to whom the deceased belongs celebrates
one Mass. In other Provinces, one Mass for the deceased is
celebrated in each fraternity.
66.
Besides the suffrages previously mentioned all the
friars shall pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a suffrage on the indicated days.
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Prot. N� 48/2004
Subject: Notification of the death of Fr. Bono Mazic,
TOR,
of the Province of St. Jerome, Croatia
Fr. Bono Mazic,
T.O.R.
On the feast of St. Anthony 2004, at the age of 81, 63
years in religious life and 56 years a priest, our confrere Fr. Bono Mazic
met Sister Death in our house for the aged beside the St. Francis Friary in
Odra, Zagreb.
Fr. Bono was born to his parents Rocco and Maria (n�e
Soric) Mazic on August 20, 1923. After elementary school in Perko, he went
to our minor seminary in which he completed his program in classical
studies. In 1940 he entered our order and the following year he made simple
vows. In 1947, he professed solemn vows. After his philosophical and
theological studies, begun during the war in our convents in Skoljic and
Zaglav, and completed after the war in Split and Zagreb, he was ordained a
priest in 1948 in Zagreb.
After his priestly ordination until 1962 he served as
parochial vicar in Krk, Zagreb, and Split, and for three years as pastor in
Tounj. In this period and after, when he was the superior first at Zadar
(1972-1976) and then at Split (1976-1982), he was very active as a popular
confessor and mission preacher. Very often he even gave retreats to
religious communities. From 1966 til 1971 he was master of the professed in
Zagreb.
In 1977 he became a member of the neo-catechumenate
movement and remained active in it as an itinerant preacher almost until the
end of his life, visiting many cities outside of Croatia. In 1991, he went
to Valjevo, Serbia, and, in accordance with those responsible for the neo-catechumenate,
asked the Archbishop of Belgrade, Franc Perko to serve as pastor of a small
community of the catholic faithful. He undertook this mission for two years
during a very difficult period due to the Serbian military aggression in
Croatia after their declaration of independence.
In 2000, he returned from Serbia to Split. Because of his
progressive sclerosis he was transferred to the house for the aged, first at
Split and later in February of this year to Odra, next to the friary, where
he died.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated for Fr. Bono
Mazic by Bishop Ivan Prenda, the Archbishop of Zadar. Many of our friars,
diocesan clergy, religious sisters, and numerous faithful friends were
present for the celebration. His mortal remains were placed in the friars
tomb in the cemetery.
Please apply the prescribed suffrages according to
articles 61-67 of the General Statutes for the repose of the soul of Fr.
Bono Mazic, TOR.
Fraternally,
Fr. Corpus Izquierdo, TOR
General Secretary
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