At a meeting of the Admissions Board of our province, held this morning at St. Anthony Friary in Mt. Airy, OH Colin King, 29, (left) and Andrew Farwick, 24, (right) both of Cincinnati, OH received acceptance into the Postulancy Program which will begin July 1, 2009.
Colin is a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati where he earned a Bachelors Degree as an Intervention Specialist. He presently works for the Mason City School System where he works with students with special needs. Born in Columbus, OH, Colin grew up in Lancaster, OH and attended Fisher Catholic High School
Andrew, a graduate of McNicholas High School in Cincinnati and Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, KY holds a Bachelors Degree in biology. He presently works for the EPA in Cincinnati where he "counts bugs." Andrew was born and reared on the east side of Cincinnati.
Andrew and Colin are the first to be accepted for the Class of 2009.
Andrew Farwick, who will meet with the Admissions Board this Saturday, left the following comment:
Oh Fr. Don-
Don't you just love Cincinnati weather? I personally have been stuck inside since Monday night. But I think this way the Lord has given me plenty of time to think about what's coming up on Saturday!
Peace!
Andrew
When the snow finally stopped this afternoon, I went out to find my car. Here are a couple of pictures showing the depth of the snowfall. It came off relatively easy because there was a few inches of snow under the ice. Another couple of inches fell this morning on top of the ice. Hopefully I can get the car out of the alley tomorrow morning.
Well, we at least know that Adam Calder looks at the blog. His tongue-in-cheek comment on the group picture of the last Come and See group gives evidence.
Adam writes:
That Adam Calder fellow is very good looking. LOL
These pictures, taken this morning, Wednesday, January 28, show the results of a winter storm that has tied up Cincinnati and southern Ohio traffic and business/schools for two days. The storm began Monday evening and is not over yet. Last night things turned to sleet and freezing rain. One possible casualty is our little tree out back that is presently hanging down over Fr. Al's car. (We're not sure if it is just sagging or if it is broken. None of us have wandered out yet this morning to investigate. Maybe after breakfast we'll find out.)
While there is a certain beauty to the snow and ice, the danger is broken tree limbs and downed power lines. Both have been reported throughout the area this morning. (If you click on any of these pictures and then enlarge the blow-ups you can see the accumulated ice on the trees and wires.)
Plans have changed, work has been interrupted, and kids are out sledding and having fun--ice and snow bless the Lord.
We finished up the workshop before lunch on Friday ande on the road a little after noon. I drove to Saint Louis to visit with a prospective who is presently working there and then to my niece's home where I spent the night with her and her husband. I drove home Saturday.
I managed to get a shot of the interior of the church. It is a magnificent structure and you can see. The Hospital Sisters of Saint Francis of Springfield do a great ministry there on the plains of Illinois supplying the area with a very fine center for meetings and retreats. I truly appreciated there hospitality.
Tomorrow morning I will return to a week in the office with a trip to Carroll High School on Wednesday weather permitting.
Fr. Jeffrey Scheeler, O.F.M., our Provincial Minster, writes from Rome where he is attending a workshop for new Provincial Ministers:
Fr. Don,
I am in Rome at the General Curia of our Franciscan Order, at a meeting for new provincials. There are 24 of us from all around the world. It is a great experience to come to know these friars, and also a little bit about how the Order works at this level. I have had some time to speak personally with the Minister General. We have also met the friars who work in the various staff offices.
The pasta is great, too! The program ends with Mass this afternoon, and I will return to the US on Sunday.
I am grateful to hear that the interprovivncial workshop is going well. I just wanted you all to know that you will be in my prayer as you meet.
Many blessings!
Fr. Jeff
I am at the Chiara Center in Springfield IL offering a workshop of Male Spirituality and Sexuality. All is going very well. Besides the two Postulants from our province there are five from Sacred Heart and seven from St. Joseph Capuchin province. The three directors are also in attendance. I find the group very responsive and delightful to be with.
We have this afternoon off and the sun is shining so I was able to get outside and get some pictures of the building. This is a fairly new structure at the headquarters of the Sisters of Saint Francis. The accommodations are excellent and the hospitality is too. When the original convent was built, the bishop wanted their chapel to be his cathedral. While that never happened, the magnificent structure remains the centerpiece of the Center.
Tomorrow when the lights are on in the chapel I hope to get some interior shots.
Beginning tomorrow evening, I will be conducting a five day workshop for our Postulants and those of Sacred Heart OFM Province and Saint Joseph OFMCap province. The topic is Male Spirituality and Sexuality. We will be gathering at Chiara Center in Springfield, IL.
Please remember us in your prayers.
Kevin writes:
Fr. Don
Thank you for a wonderful weekend, I especially loved your Homily, it spoke to the heart.
It was truly a pleasure getting to know these men. The Holy Spirit is leading us all in our vocation, our call to service in Christ. It was good to see that enthusiasm in these men. I could sense the spirit at work in all of them as they discern their call to religious life. I look forward to seeing them very soon!
May the Peace of the Lord be with them all.
Peace... Kevin j.
Five men completed a Come and See weekend at Saint Anthony Friary in Cincinnati, OH on January 11. They are (from left to right) Joseph DiAte of Chapmansboro, TN; Jacob Willig of Cincinnati, OH; Adam Calder of Parkersburg, WV; Erik Grimes of Saint Louis, MO; and Joshua Alexander of Tyronne, GA.
The weekend began Friday evening as these five men joined the Friar community and our two Postulants at Evening Prayer and supper. They then spent the weekend learning about Franciscan life and meeting local Friars and the Cincinnati Poor Clares. They were also exposed to a number of ministries in which the Friars are engaged as well as experiencing various friaries.
The weekend went very well and we thank these men for their generosity and faith. It is good to see men such as these open to the possibility of joining our way of life.
