Becoming a Daughter of St. Francis de Sales

Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, with Eileen Sherman, Daughter of St. Francis de Sales.

The Daughters of St. Francis de Sales are vital members of the Salesian family. They are lay Catholic women (whether single, married, or widowed) who live their lives grounded in the Gospel and the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales. The Daughters are part of the Association of St. Francis de Sales. They are an international group of women with members living in 21 countries around the world. There are also Sons of St. Francis de Sales.

The most common way for a woman to become interested in learning about the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales is to be invited by a friend who is already a member.  Typically, an invited friend attends a few meetings to discern if she is being led by the Holy Spirit to ask for an Aspirant application.  Others might discover our website and signup for information sessions on Saint Francis de Sales. 

Bernie Heffernan (front row-third from left) and Eileen Sherman (front row- first from left) were blessed with the attendance of several Daughters from both the Wilmington, DE and West Grove, PA groups.

After a person is admitted by our Regional Directress to begin a three-month time of discovery, they may apply for the first year and then a second year of formation.  These 2+ years follow a series of readings about Salesian Spirituality.  Each person is guided through the formation with an assigned companion (a Consecrated Daughter who has extended her studies in a continuing formation program).

Eileen Sherman (second from left) and Bernie Heffernan (third from left) make their vows.

If consecration is requested and recommended by the Regional Directress and by our General Directress in Paris, France, the future member is called to make the commitment for life to live the fullness of her baptismal promises.  This consecration commitment ceremony takes place at a Mass.  

A Consecrated Daughter usually is a member of a local group that meets once a month (2 hours) for a meeting that focuses on Salesian studies, called probations – the same studies used worldwide.  Probations are in-depth readings primarily on the “Little Virtues” taught by Saint Francis de Sales: patience, humility, charity, gentleness, etc.  These monthly gatherings support spiritual friendship, animated by prayer and sharing inspired by the Holy Spirit.   

Susan Brubaker

Daughter of St. Francis de Sales 

Are you interested in learning more about the Daughters or Sons of St. Francis de Sales? Email info@oblates.org or visit sfdsassociation.org.

Meet Father John Kasper, OSFS, Senior Religious and Member of the Toledo-Detroit Provincial Council

Father John Kasper, OSFS

Although a native of Toledo, Ohio, and a 1967 graduate of St. Francis de Sales School where the seeds of his Oblate vocation were first planted, John’s ministry in parochial leadership has spanned the country. After graduating from Niagara University and receiving a Master of Divinity degree at the Toronto School of Theology, he was ordained in his hometown of Toledo in 1979 and first served in parish and campus ministry in Buffalo, NY. In 1980, John and three other members of his province made a bold move to head West and serve in the Diocese of Denver. St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Aurora, Colorado provided a dynamic setting with a collegial staff in a rapidly-growing suburban area. In the span of six years, the parish grew from 200 families to 2200 families. After that intense time, John requested a study sabbatical and moved further West to California to pursue a Master of Theology degree in Worship & the Arts at the Jesuit School of Theology within the Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley.

“California Dreamin’” became more than a hit song by The Mamas & the Papas for John. The Bay Area in Northern California proved a rich setting for creative ministry and an opportunity to bring the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales to many people who were unfamiliar with the gentleness, optimism, and Christian humanism of the “gentleman Saint” who is a secondary patron of the Diocese of Oakland. Since 1987 John has served in three parishes there as Director of Music and Worship at St. Joseph Basilica in Alameda, as Parochial Vicar at Corpus Christi Parish in Piedmont, and, for the past twenty-five years, as Pastor of St. Perpetua Catholic Community in Lafayette. Over the years many Oblate have enjoyed John’s hospitality for a few days or a few weeks and the beauty and culture of the Bay Area, including a visit to the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma.

John resonates with the wide diversity of parish life. No two days are the same and he has enjoyed the various roles a parish priest is required to carry out. Besides the ministry of presiding and preaching at Eucharist and the Sacraments, John has been involved in major capital campaigns and building and renovation projects in each parish setting. Pastoral counseling, preparing young couples for marriage, adult and youth catechesis, serving on Diocesan commissions, liturgical presentations, and workshops throughout the Diocese – all these avenues of service have made parish ministry a challenging and rewarding experience for him. John especially strives to make the Sunday liturgical experience a time of grace and inspiration for each community through beautiful music, an attractive environment, and meaningful preaching that touches the real lives of parishioners. Before he left California this summer to move to the Ohio/Michigan area, John was recognized as “Pastor & Preacher” by Sunday to Sunday, an Emmy-winning video series that documents inspirational preaching with interviews, dialogue, and filming of homilists in action plying their trade. John was also honored for years of service as a Board Member of Hope Solutions, a faith-based organization whose goal is to provide permanent supportive housing and vital services to formerly homeless and vulnerable members of Contra Costa County.

Stained-glass windows at St. Perpetua Church

John is grateful for the many Oblates, parishioners, ministerial colleagues, and fellow clergy with whom he has had the privilege to serve. He said, “Enthusiasm is contagious, and I’ve been fortunate to work with so many creative and enthusiastic people over the years. One of the last collaborative projects I enjoyed was working with design consultants and a glass artist to create a set of large stained-glass windows for St. Perpetua Church based on Psalm 148 and the Canticle of Daniel – “Let All Creation Bless the Lord.” The windows echo the concern Pope Francis expressed in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’- “On Care for our Common Home.”

Learn more about Father John:

During the first year of the isolation of the Covid pandemic, Father John stayed in touch with members of the parish through a weekly online message of hope, consolation, and encouragement. Read here: “Lessons Learned” by Father John Kasper, OSFS.

Finding True Healing

Saint Luke

Traditionally, each Oblate community has a designated library in their local residence. In an Oblate library, you will find many different types of literature. However, I would say that the majority of books are works of theology, history, and biographies of famous people.

A few years ago, when we were cleaning out the library of the Father Judge Faculty House, I came across a tattered paperback that was a combination of the three most popular categories I listed above. The book was called Dear and Glorious Physician and was about Saint Luke, the writer of the third Gospel. The title is from an older translation of Colossians 4:14 in which Saint Paul referred to Luke as "the beloved physician."

This historical novel tells the story of a young Greek slave who apprenticed with a man of medicine and science to become a respected physician with a reputation for healing both body and spirit. Luke traveled around the ancient world bringing healing and hope to everyone he came in contact with. Yet his own sufferings and sorrows could not be healed until he discovered the life, death, and restoring power of Jesus of Nazareth and his resurrection.

The author of this study of Saint Luke was Taylor Caldwell, a writer who is best known for her successful 1972 novel Captains and the Kings. Before she found fame and status in the 1970s, Ms. Caldwell found faith and hope. This is what she tried to share through her writings.

At the time it was released, Ms. Caldwell described her work in this way, "The story of Lucanus, Saint Luke, is the story of every man's pilgrimage through despair and life's darkness, through suffering and anguish, through bitterness and sorrow, doubt and cynicism, rebellion and hopelessness, to the feet and the understanding of God. The search for God and the final revelation are the only meaning in life for men."

When I left Father Judge a few years ago, I brought this little book with me. It collected dust on my bookshelf until I finally picked it up this past summer. I found the book to be everything the author expressed. The book gave me an insight into Saint Luke and his own search for healing and redemption. In many ways, the image of Saint Luke that emerged from this novel is the image of the "wounded healer" that the great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen reflected on exactly twenty years after Dear and Glorious Physician was first published.

This past week, the Church celebrated Saint Luke's feast day (October 18). This year, as I remembered a great saint and evangelist, I also recalled his first calling as a wounded healer. A book that is over 60 years old helped me to see God at work in our world today.

The life of Luke and the story of his conversion is an example for all of us. Today we are blessed by the miracle of modern medicine, science, and technology. We can find relief from pain, cures for diseases, and many procedures and medications that will make our bodies strong and our lives more comfortable.

As a doctor, Luke worked all of his life to find ways to help his fellow human beings live a healthy life. It was only when he encountered the Risen Lord that this beloved doctor found the true way to life - eternal life. At the end of his Gospel, Luke recounts how two disciples recognized the Lord on the way to Emmaus. When we walk our own roads in life we will find many roadblocks, struggles, and detours. May our encounter with the Risen Lord help us to overcome these obstacles and to find true healing. May our faith help us to live each day well.

Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

United Nations Day

Father Vannicola, Assistant Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province, stands in front of a display case at Father Judge High School honoring his mentor, the late Father John J. Hurley, OSFS.

On October 24, the international community will mark a commemoration that does not receive a lot of attention in the United States. It will be United Nations Day, which marks the date on the calendar in 1945 when the Charter of the United Nations went into effect. I find the lack of attention curious because our nation has been so central to the UN’s founding and mission. President Truman realized that while the United States was in a position following victory in the Second World War to hold and yield a lot of power, it was more important to bring the world together so that the horrors of the preceding years would never be repeated.  There always had to be a way.  There always had to be a path to peace. 

Honestly, the day would probably have gone unnoticed by me if it were not for an Oblate who became such a key figure in my life as a mentor and guide.  When people ask me why I wanted to become a priest I always tell them that I am not completely sure why at first.  (My mom told me I first expressed that wish when I was four years old so I figure God implanted that from the beginning.)  When people ask me why I wanted to be an Oblate, I knew the answer, because of other Oblates and how they lived their lives. 

One of the first Oblates I met as a student at Salesianum School was the late Father John J. Hurley, OSFS, who had learned that I wanted to join the Model United Nations.  I did not know much about the UN but I loved debate and public speaking.  As the Oblate overseeing the program, Father Hurley welcomed me to Model UN. 

Father Hurley was a phenomenal coach.  Model UN debate requires incredible discipline because one cannot simply fashion an articulate argument for what they themselves believe but must represent the official positions of the assigned country.  I was all over the map.  From Poland to Lesotho to Bosnia to France to China to the Seychelles and other countries in between, I learned to speak articulately and intelligently on the issues of the day, always prepared to defend a position that might be far from my own and that of my own government.  Studying the country, its people and its concerns was far more than strategy to me.  In a pre-internet age, it opened the world up as I would run to the mailbox to receive position papers and other replies from the official Permanent Missions at the UN of the countries I was representing.  I always wanted to know more.  I wanted to understand why governments held the positions that they did.  Father Hurley helped me to understand.  His knowledge of world affairs and his understanding of dynamics among nations is unmatched by anyone else I know.  He coached me in giving remarks, in making points, in calling the question. 

However, he also taught me something else, perhaps something much more valuable.  A lot of the UN work is done in caucusing, in dialogue between the member states to achieve solutions.  This takes place outside of formal debate.  Caucusing is key.   Seeking to encourage compromises, seeking to come up with solutions even and especially in a moment of crisis is a large part of the competition. Father Hurley taught me how to invite others into opportunities for collaboration and cooperation.  Yes, it was a competition but victory came in achieving compromise. 

We live in a world where “winning” has become so important but it is the kind of winning that leaves others behind.  It is not built on dialogue or compromise or cooperation but on a sense of mutual distrust, anger and greed.  We need United Nations Day to be reminded that we have long ago determined these methods never to bring about real success and certainly not real peace.  When I hear criticism of the UN, I always like to suggest to others that they consider that the United Nations is a collection of its members.  If the UN is not doing what should be done, it is really its member states that are not living up to the principles they themselves adopted, that were embodied in a global organization that reflects the desire of the international community for real peace and care for each other. 

In my role as Assistant Provincial, I have been enjoying my visits to the various Oblate apostolates.  Recently, I made such a visit to one of our great sources of pride, Father Judge High School in Philadelphia.  While there, Father Jack Kolodziej, our Provincial, was anxious to show me a display case set up as a permanent tribute to Father Hurley who not only coached Model UN at Salesianum and Father Judge but also at North Catholic, Bishop Ireton, Padua Academy, and several other schools.  I was so moved because it was clear that what Father Hurley did for me he did for so many others as well.  He opened up the world to me and made me believe I could make a difference.  There is no doubt that he is one of the main reasons why I am an Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales.   

In my Oblate life, I learned that Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, was also committed to peace.  He famously met with Theodore Beza, the successor of John Calvin.  Calvin and Beza had purged Catholicism from the city of Geneva and Francis was forced to live outside the walls across the lake in Annecy.  Francis never gave up and, in what is believed to be the first act of ecumenism, reached out to the religious leader who had literally sought Francis’ assassination. Francis believed in dialogue rather than violence.  He believed in a new way, a better way.  As his faithful sons, we Oblates try to do the same.  I pray each day that what Father Hurley has passed on to me I might be able to continue to share with others.   

Father Michael Vannicola, OSFS

Assistant Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

Francis & Me: Elisabeth Showalter

Elisabeth Showalter: Mathematics Teacher, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Washington, DC

"If you contemplate the Lord frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His likeness, and your actions will be molded on His." - Saint Francis de Sales

Elisabeth Showalter

Accomplishing the Extraordinary

As a child, one of my greatest desires was to have superpowers. I remember sitting in traffic wishing that I had the power to make the car fly or playing hide-and-seek and wishing I could make myself invisible. Upon reflection, I realized that what I desired was to have my body filled with superpowers that allowed me to transform the world around me, to transform it into something extraordinary.

As I reflected on Saint Francis’ words, I realized that what Francis promises is exactly what I longed for as a child, but what Francis promises is much more powerful than my childhood dreams! He promises that when we unite ourselves to Christ through prayer and contemplation we are inviting Christ to permeate our entire being; we are inviting Him to fill us with the graces necessary to transform the world into something extraordinary. Christ created the world; He designed everything from the freckles on our noses to the beauty of the sunset. I can not even begin to imagine what He will accomplish through us as our lives and actions are molded to His.

I may never be able to make cars fly, but as Francis tells us, the Lord will be able to accomplish extraordinary things through us if we only invite Him to do so.

*This reflection was first published in Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School’s e-reflection series, Loving Life, Living Jesus. For more inspiration about how to Live Jesus in our everyday lives, sign up here!

Sponsor the 29th Annual Rev. William A. Guerin, OSFS, Memorial Dinner Dance

Sponsor Levels

$20,000 – Saint Francis de Sales Sponsor

·       Two tables of 10 (20 tickets)

·       Promotion on Dinner Dance media platforms

·       Recognition on event signage & event program

 $10,000 – Brisson Sponsor

·       One table of 10 tickets

·       Promotion on Dinner Dance media platforms

·       Recognition on event signage & in event program

$ 5,000 – Fr. William A. Guerin Sponsor

·       Six guest tickets

·       Promotion on Dinner Dance media platforms

·       Recognition on event signage & event program

 $ 2,500 – Cocktail Hour Sponsor

·       Four guest tickets

·       Promotion on Dinner Dance website

·        Recognition on event signage & in event program

 $ 1,000 –  Entertainment Sponsor

·       Two guest tickets

·       Recognition on event signage & in event program

 $  500 –  Program Sponsor

·       Two guest tickets

·       Recognition in event program

TO PURCHASE A SPONSORSHIP:

Getting to the Networking Breakfast at the Union League Torresdale

The Union League Torresdale

3801 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19114

Driving Directions:

• Click HERE

• Parking:

• You may valet for a fee or self-park

• Event Logistics

• Continental Breakfast & Networking: 7:37 AM to 8:00 AM

• Program: Begins at 8:00 AM with prayer and introductions.

• Featured Speaker: Chris Therien will speak for approximately 40 minutes.

• Q & A: There will be a brief Q & A after Chris’ talk

• Closing: Program ends promptly at 9 AM. You are welcome to stay and network more!

• Union League Dress Code

The Union League

New Roof for Annecy Hall

Our property in Childs, Maryland is a very special place to the Oblates.  Tucked between rolling farmlands and Interstate 95, this location has served many purposes.  Decades ago, Oblates first arrived at Childs as young, eager postulants.  Today, these same men call Childs home as they return to what is now our retirement facility.

As with any home as it ages, the buildings at Childs face similar challenges.  Since 2015, the Oblates have been engaged in a multi-phase project to replace the old, and in some places, leaky roofs on the buildings that house our infirm and retired men.  These Oblates have dedicated their lives to serving others and sharing the practical spirituality of our patron Saint Francis de Sales.  Even while facing the challenges that come with aging and illness, they continue to minister to others through their prayers for our supporters each day.

Presently, we are at Phase III of the project, and we need your help! In the previous Phases, the generosity of our supporters ensured the safe and comprehensive replacement of the roofing systems. Thank you to those who donated!

Phase III replaces the roof on Annecy Hall II, which houses the dining room, bedrooms, community room, ambulance entrance, hallways, and the breezeway that connects the Annecy buildings. The cost of Phase III is $131,000. We ask your support in providing a safe home for our brother Oblates by donating to Phase III of the roof replacement project.

Thank you for responding to this opportunity to do good work by helping us care for our older community members. We are appreciative and humbled by your support and thank you for your assistance in this final phase!

Father Thomas Tucker, OSFS

Father John Brennan, OSFS

"Great works do not always come our way but every moment presents us with opportunities to do little ones with excellence." - Saint Francis de Sales

Florida - Post Hurricane Update

Thank you for your prayers for our brothers and their parishioners in Florida. They have shown incredible fortitude, charity, and resolve in preparing for, riding out, and recovering from Hurricane Ian. Below you will find updates on our Oblates and Apostolates in Southwest Florida:

Jesus Obrero- Jesus the Worker (Fort Myers) is dealing with the flooding of their mission church, San Jose, which took in five feet of water. The destruction there was very serious. The mitigation process of removing all sheetrock, wood, floor tiles, carpets, cabinets, insulation, and maybe even the pews themselves is in process. After this laborious work is done, rebuilding can begin. It will be some time before Masses and activities can resume at that location. Thankfully, the main Church is fine and the Church Hall, which sustained some roof damage, has become a major distribution center for assistance. Many of Father Patrick O’Connor’s parishioners are suffering from severely damaged homes and/or no work as many are in the service industry. Literally, thousands of people from throughout the wider East Fort Myers community have arrived there for aid. Others have been extremely generous in providing assistance, including a radio station in Miami that sent five trucks full of supplies! Father Patrick is putting in long hours to both lead his parish and coordinate this assistance effort. The Florida Catholic covered the parish in this article. The massive effort there was also covered by a local television station out of Tampa. Their story can be accessed by clicking here.

If you would like to support Jesus the Worker, you can send a donation to 881 Nuna Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33905.

Saint Ann (Naples) is seeing improvement in their situation. The parish took four to five feet of water into three of its twelve buildings, including two buildings at the rectory complex and the Parish Office/Chapel. Mitigation on these buildings is coming to an end and the process of reconstruction will soon begin. Because of where the parish is located and the large storm surge there, there are parishioners of Saint Ann who suffered significant losses. Saint Ann School reopened this week with a prayer service. While the school was closed, the students, faculty, staff, and their families kept busy by collecting many items to help others in need.

If you would like to support St. Ann Parish, you can send a donation to 475 9th Avenue, Naples, FL 34012.

Our Lady of Light (Estero) is doing well. There was damage typical in a storm like this (debris, roof damage) but the parish is getting back to normal. The Parish Center is being opened to those who are in need of shower facilities and donation items that have been collected there for distribution. The parish is surveying parishioners to see who is in need of assistance and is developing a response personalized to those needs. Father Hugh McGuigan, Pastor, is particularly concerned about year-round parishioners in mobile home communities who sustained significant damage.

If you would like to support Our Lady of Light, you can send a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Our Lady of Light, 19680 Cypress View Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33967.

Saint Cecilia (Fort Myers) is in great shape. The debris has been cleaned up and parish operations are back to normal. The only remaining reminder of Hurricane Ian on the campus is the bent cross on top of the Church. Some parishioners took a hit, but even with their own challenges, are asking how they might be of help to others.

Let us continue to keep the Southwest Florida Oblates, their parishioners, and colleagues in our prayers!

Francis & Me: CJ Capen

CJ Capen: Director of Music at St. John Neumann Parish, Reston, VA

CJ Capen

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength." - Saint Francis de Sales

Gentleness is not typically a quality we associate with strength, yet here we see Francis de Sales say, “nothing is so strong as gentleness.”  How different this is from the ways of the world.  

I grew up going to St. John Neumann Catholic Community, a church in Reston, VA, staffed by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I recall thinking as a child that St. John Neumann felt different from other churches I had been to; there was a warmth about it that was hard to describe.  The priests were genuine, they were approachable, and they had a certain joy about them.  They did not present themselves as “holier than thou,” but more as one of us. My family would tend to describe them to others as “down-to-earth.”  St. John Neumann Church felt very alive, the people of the parish loved their church, and they loved their priests. 

In my early 20s I read the Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales.  Suddenly the dots connected for me. What I remembered of the priests from the church I grew up in aligned with the teachings of Saint Francis de Sales.  De Sales taught that it begins with humility and this true humility leads to gentleness toward our neighbor.  St. John Neumann Church was a thriving community, and I’m now certain it had much to do with this Salesian Spirituality. 

Francis de Sales said all must be done in love, nothing by force. Oh, and he said this in the face of the Reformation.  Francis decided one day that he needed to lead an expedition to convert the 60,000 Calvinists in Switzerland back to Catholicism.  Most thought this to be a crazy plan; his diocese nor even his father supported him, and for three long years, Francis had doors slammed in his face with not one person being converted.  Amazingly though, after much patience and perseverance, he eventually managed to convert some 40,000 people from Calvinism back to Catholicism.  He did not do this by means of large crowds, but through letters, one-on-one conversations, and by playing with the children which led to conversations with their parents.  He empowered the laity, for he said all were called to holiness, that it is not just for a select few.  It’s an inspiring story, one of patience, gentle strength, and authentic faith.  His incredible efforts for the laity made me think: “Do I fully embrace my call to holiness?”  Francis says, “Learn to see God in the details of your life, for he is everywhere.”

It might be interesting to note here, after graduate school, I did return to St. John Neumann to serve on staff as Director of Music, which is where I have been for the last 14 years.  Where else would I be?!  It was in the Salesian Spirituality that I felt at home.  

Saint Margaret Mary & Me

Saint Margaret Mary and me... have nothing in common!  She was a Visitation nun, living in a cloistered community, in a small town in rural France.  I am an Oblate priest, working in an active seminary, across the street from the fifth largest city in the USA.  She prayed late into the night.  At my age, I’m fast asleep before the late-night news.  She was a mystic.  Let’s just say I’m not.

Why, then, is the celebration of her feast day (October 16) so important to me?  Because she is the “apostle of the Sacred Heart” – that humble and gentle heart (Mt 11:29) which gives rise to the tradition of Salesian Spirituality.  

She was invited, literally, to “behold this Heart” when the Lord appeared to her in three apparitions between 1673 and 1675.  He also called her to make adoration of His heart universal, which eventually led to the annual solemnity each June.

Saint Margaret Mary saw the Sacred Heart with her own eyes.  You and I are not that fortunate.  Our “beholding” of the heart of Jesus has to happen imaginatively.  That’s not to say it’s fake, but that it works through the power of images.  Here, too, the saint is not like me, because she could draw!

She sketched the image above for veneration by Visitation novices in 1686.  It shows an interconnection of the heart, the cross, and the crown of thorns, all united around that “charity” that is God’s love, that love that God is.

David Morgan calls this an “ideogram” – not a picture of an actual human heart, but a depiction that conveys the meaning of Jesus’s own heart.  As the saint, herself, explains, from the time it was formed in the Incarnation, Jesus’s heart leads to the Cross and to all the suffering He would endure for our salvation.

Saint Margaret Mary shared this image with other Visitation monasteries, so that the Sisters could gaze contemplatively upon it and be reminded of the “passionate” love of the Savior.  Appreciating that divine love, so easily and often forgotten amid the throes of this life, is what Jesus wanted to reignite through Margaret Mary.  As she recounts, the Lord promised that “wherever this sacred image would be exposed for veneration He would pour forth His graces and blessings.”

The imagery has evolved through the centuries – in paintings and pictures and statues and monuments.  But its spiritual power remains the same.  Gazing upon an image of the crucified heart draws us intimately toward it.  Considering it prayerfully transports us into the vital center of Jesus himself and the grand mystery of God’s sacrificial love for us.  

That spiritual perception is the saint’s gift to us.  When we truly “see” the Heart of Jesus, the image has a way of acting upon us.  In a certain sense, it looks back at us, does something to us, and even challenges us to become what we perceive. In simple Salesian terms, it inspires us to “Live Jesus.”

That’s what Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque did, in a heroic way.  That’s why she’s a saint, quite different from me.  But with gratitude for the gift of her devotion to the Sacred Heart, I’ll keep gazing, in the hope that one day, God-willing, we’ll share that sacred sight in common.

Fr. Thomas Dailey, OSFS

John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics & Social Communications

Why Worry?

“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.” - Saint Francis de Sales

Who can’t worry? You worry when you see a massive hurricane named Ian barreling down on your home.  You worry when you hear Putin say that he’s considering using the most destructive weapon in his arsenal to get his way with Ukraine.  Who can’t worry? 

But, there are those things we can shrug off our shoulders.  Those things that make us disappointed in ourselves, embarrassed, and feeling small.  You know, things like dropping your grandmother’s heirloom soup tureen and breaking it into tiny pieces, or forgetting to bring ice to the family reunion when it was your only responsibility.  (I’ve never done something like that, but I know other people who have.)

There are a ton of things that create anxiety and diminish us that we regretfully and unintentionally do.  Well, get over it.  It’s done and nothing can undo it.  So, as is said in my home state, New York, FUHGEDDABOUTIT!  Saint Francis agrees and wrote, “Have patience with all things - but first with yourself.  Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being.”

I have found a great remedy for those silly things I’ve done that goes pretty far in getting me off the “shame” hook.  I’m not talking about sins I’ve committed, but the things that are accidental and simple mistakes.  This is my remedy: you know how children often have imaginary friends?  Well, I have an imaginary son.  He doesn’t have a name, he’s just - the kid.  More often than not, he’s that “darn kid.” 

A few years ago I was shopping at the local grocery store and accidentally left a bag of groceries behind at the self-checkout.  I got home and, as I was putting things away, realized my mistake.  I quickly drove back to the store hoping that someone had turned it in and I could recover the items without paying twice for them. 

When I spoke to the woman in charge of that checkout area, she said that she had just come on shift and knew nothing about it, but she would call the woman who just left the position.  A few seconds later, as I was standing next to this woman with the microphone in her hand, I heard her say to the entire store, “There’s a gentleman at self-checkout who says his son left a bag of groceries here.  Does anyone know anything about it?”

Honestly, I never said my son did the deed, but immediately felt the embarrassment and disappointment in myself lift.  What a great idea, blame someone else who will never disagree with me.  My groceries were not found, and I had to go through the store picking up and paying once again for what I had just previously bought.  But it wasn’t my fault, it was my “darn kid’s” fault. 

I’m so grateful for that occurrence.  My “darn kid” has lost my keys, made me late for appointments, forgotten names, made me drop a dozen eggs, and more.  What a relief!  I no longer have to feel bad about my mistakes, my silly mistakes.  My “darn kid” is always there to blame.  “Darn kid.”  Ya gotta love him!

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

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December 3rd

8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

See you at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 243 Frazer Rd., Newark, DE 19702

Live Jesus! Delaware is being held as a special Spirituality Day in honor of the Double Jubilee.

15th Principal of Father Judge High School

Last week, Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, Provincial, formally installed Mr. James Hozier as the 15th Principal of Father Judge High School.

During the installation, Father Jack presented Mr. Hozier with a statue of Saint Francis de Sales (as a reminder of the Salesian Virtues and a symbol of the call to "Live Jesus"), a copy of the first yearbook, the 1957 Crusader (as a sign of the thousands of lives formed at Judge), an image of the school shield (as a sign of the authority and responsibility given to him by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Office of Catholic Education), and a copy of a Father Judge High School diploma (to represent his role as the educational leader of this institution and the mission of educating young men in the image of our patron, Saint Francis de Sales).

The prayers and support of the entire Oblate Congregation of priests, brothers, and seminarians are with Mr. Hozier, as he begins his new position as Principal.

Father Vince Smith, OSFS, Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, Brother Jim Williams, OSFS, Mr. Brian King (President of Father Judge), Mr. James Hozier, Father Joe Campellone, OSFS, and Brother Dan Wisniewski, OSFS.

Francis, Francis, & Me

Artwork by Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS.

Earlier in the week the Church observed the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.  This simple friar from a little town in Italy has inspired Christians from every continent and almost every denomination for almost 800 years.  Saint Francis understood his personal vocation to be a call to imitate Jesus Christ by being poor, chaste, and obedient.  His desire to “observe the Gospel” led him to start a religious community that was centered on Christ, faithful to the Church, dedicated to prayer, and committed to upholding the dignity of all creation. 

In the Middle Ages, there were many religious orders that were already established when Saint Francis of Assisi began his spiritual conversion.  Yet his unique approach and path to following Christ led other people to urge Saint Francis to start his own community.  It was these same men and women who eventually joined Saint Francis on his journey to spread the Gospel all over Italy and ultimately, the whole world.  

This community created a special charism that today is known as “Franciscan Spirituality.”  The Franciscan family has slight variations and ways of living the same spirituality.  Having over one million Franciscan friars and sisters around the world has created an abundance of paths to live the Franciscan life.  There is an old joke told in religious circles that illustrates this diversity in following the Franciscan journey: “There are three things that even God does not know – what the Jesuits are doing, what Dominicans are thinking, and just how many variations of Franciscans there are!”  

Even though the Oblates have not yet reached the “million mark” as a religious community, we know that there are millions of people who follow the spirituality of the other Saint Francis, Saint Francis de Sales.  Salesian Spirituality is based on the teachings, experience, and the path given to us by the gentle bishop of Geneva.  Like his personal patron, Saint Francis de Sales calls us to put the Gospel into practice.  De Sales doesn’t just remind us to imitate Jesus, he calls us to “live Jesus” – to be Jesus in the world today.  This spiritual path has attracted Christians for over four hundred years and is needed more than ever in our world today!

Whether Franciscan, Salesian, Ignatian, or Dominican, each religious order and each spirituality lifts up and assists the entire Church.  Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, himself a Cistercian monk, said that all religious orders contribute to the treasures of the Church.  He wrote, “I admire them all.  I belong to one of them by observance but to all of them by charity.  We all need one another.  The spiritual good which I do not own and possess, I receive from others.”

The attitude of Saint Bernard is good advice for all of us in our own spiritual life and journey. May we learn from one another and lift one another up as we strive to follow the Gospel, to “live Jesus.”   

This is our call as Franciscans, our call as Salesians, our vocation as Christians.

Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Province

“Respect the Soul of Your Students”

I have always been struck by these words of Father Brisson, “Respect the Soul of Your Students.”  Although those words were originally addressed to Oblate teachers, the Founder wanted the spirit of those words to guide all Oblates in every manner of apostolate, from education to parish ministry, to missionary efforts and to all others forms of ministry as well. 

Blessed Louis Brisson was first and foremost a pastor of souls.  As such, he wanted his Oblates to view their apostolates as arenas in which to nourish not only the mind but also the heart and the soul of all those they serve.  By doing so, he wanted Oblates to prepare men and women to be happy and successful in this life and fully prepared to live with God forever in the next life. 

Thus, inspired by the words and especially by the example of our holy Founder, we Oblates take special care to nourish the spiritual lives of all those we serve.  We want them to be caring, competent, and responsible citizens of this world, as well as Christians who, heeding the universal call to holiness, embrace the devout life! 

Fr. Lewis Fiorelli, OSFS

Former Provincial of the Wilmington- Pennsylvania Province

Founders' Day! October 12th

Celebrating Blessed Louis Brisson

On October 12, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales celebrate Founders’ Day, a day in which we remember the first Oblates beginning their novitiate. On this day in 1873, Bishop Ravinet of Troyes, France, presented the Oblate religious habit to Fathers Brisson, Gilbert, Rollin, Lambert, Lambey, and Perrot as they began their novitiate. This day is also the Feast of Father Brisson since his Beatification. Of course, the two go hand in hand!

When he was a diocesan priest, Father Brisson was assigned as chaplain to the monastery of the Visitation of Holy Mary in Troyes. Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis, Superior, was convinced that it was the will of God that their humble chaplain start a religious congregation of men to follow the spiritual legacy of Saint Francis de Sales. Brisson responded and founded the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, a congregation dedicated to spreading the optimistic, inspired-common-sense wisdom of Saint Francis de Sales in a variety of ministries and apostolates in 1875. Father Brisson was beatified, at the authorization of Pope Benedict XVI, in 2012, in Troyes, France. The cause for his canonization remains active.

Oblates share their quotes from Blessed Louis Brisson, OSFS

• Father Barry R. Strong, OSFS, Superior General

  • “The Congregation of the Oblates today is you. Within ten years, the Congregation will still be you... in a hundred years, in two hundred years, if it still exists, it will be you, yourselves. Understand that well. It is a heritage that you have received and that you will pass along to others: let it not deteriorate in your hands!” (First Instruction, General Retreat 1894)

    This is what Blessed Brisson told the early Oblates to make sure we would all understand our shared responsibility!

• Father Paul Colloton, OSFS, Superior, Oblate Retirement Center

  • “If we should love those who love us, how much more we should love those who come from other countries.” (Chapter 1896: 57)

  • “Let us always be polite. Let us give everyone great respect because the proper respect for our neighbor is the basic rule of love.” (Chapter 1888: 38)

  • “Let us remain with one another bound with a bond of love. Be of one heart and soul.” (Chapter 1891: 4)

  • “Let us love one another! Let us be considerate toward another’s personality, toward the circumstances in which he lives, toward those who work with you whom you find repugnant. Put all that into the refining oven, into the chemical retort as Saint Francis de Sales stressed.” (Chapter 1897: 48-50)

• Father Thomas Dailey, OSFS, John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics & Social Communication, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary

  • “‘Cheer up.' For us (Oblates), this expression should carry great weight because in the mind of Saint Francis de Sales it really meant something - it meant a lot. 'Cheer up.' After all, it's courage, the right kind of courage that will be your prop always and in every circumstance, and it's a real test of strength of mind. It takes a lot of courage to keep up a solid front, hard work, and good judgment on an even keel... Just as yesterday I told you that we must do our work passionately well, so today, I would tell you to 'cheer up' in every phase of your life. And this sort of courage will be proof that you are a real Oblate of St. Francis de Sales." (Retreat Instruction, August 19, 1890)

• Father Mike Newman, OSFS, Assistant Provincial, Toledo-Detroit Province

  • "It is never what we do that obtains grace, it is the disposition with which we do it." (Chapter to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales December 28, 1887)

    This saying is a reminder to me that nearly anything we do can be done for the glory of God, or done in the presence of God. Brisson reminds me that any action, when I do it for love of God, is a holy action; that is, an action 'that obtains grace.' When I have the disposition to remember God is with me at all times then all parts of our days can be holy and lived in the presence of God.

  • My second favorite quotes are on prayer. I like them because they are so practical!

    "We define prayer as a conversation of the soul with God, an intimate talk with God about our needs, about our personal affairs, and about the affairs of others when we have them in our care. This type of prayer unites us intimately with God." (Chapter to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales May 16, 1894)

    "To pray or meditate is to treat of our own affairs with God; it is we talking simply and affectionately about them. And not only about spiritual affairs -about everything." (Chapter to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales May 16, 1894)

• Father Dave Whalen, OSFS, Priest-Assistant, St. Pius X Parish

  • “If God graces you from His great abundance, then profit from it.  But if you remain dry, dry as a piece of wood, then just say, ‘Lord, here is a piece of wood, please wrap your arms around it.’”  

Another “Special” Prayer

Blessed Father Louis Brisson, OSFS

A phrase that pops up rather frequently in the conferences Blessed Father Louis Brisson, OSFS, gave to the first Oblates is “ayez bon courage” or “ayez grand courage.” This is one of those phrases which does not translate easily into English even though the words themselves are understandable. The phrase means more than don't give up no matter what, hold on even when the times are rough.  In some ways, it is a paraphrase of the Salesian motto Tenui nec dimmitam - I have taken hold and I will not let go. 

Father Brisson was very much aware that times were rough at the beginning of the congregation.  They were only to get rougher.  They were a young group, some transitioning from diocesan priesthood to religious life, discovering what it meant, feeling the weight of the religious obligations, the vowed life, the communal life, and the ministry.  Father Brisson himself was both a “novice” and the Superior General at the same time, while also transitioning from diocesan priesthood to religious life and discovering that the path was not as easy as he thought it would be.  So frequently, both to the new men, and I suspect to himself, he would say “ayez bon courage.” Don’t give up no matter what.  Be strong.  

One area where this “bon courage” was needed and is still needed is in the area of prayer.   There was no question that the success of their new venture, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, would be, and need to be, grounded in prayer.  No prayer, No Oblate.  It was as plain and simple as that.  But what happens when even with all the aids to prayer are present (time for silence, time for reflection, power of the Scripture, power of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, etc.), nothing seems to be fruitful?  Some of the early Oblates were very much aware of this and brought this to Father Brisson. 

Certainly, when the sun shines, the warmth of the morning air surrounds me, the aftermath of a magnificent retreat or special celebration lingers, the power of a well-planned and celebrated liturgy invigorates me, the sacred silence of the Blessed Sacrament overwhelms me, and I feel the presence of God as close as the very skin that holds me together, it is no chore at all to pray.  Just try and stop me!

But what about the other days?

This was Father Brisson’s answer:

“If God graces you from His great abundance, then profit from it.  But if you remain dry, dry as a piece of wood,  then just say, ‘Lord, here is a piece of wood, please wrap your arms around it.’”  

And we could add, “Yes and I will be of good courage because the beauty of the temple of God is built with one little piece of wood placed on another.”

Thank you, Father Brisson!

Fr. David Whalen OSFS

Priest-Assistant

St. Pius X Parish, Toledo, OH

All Souls' Remembrance 2022

The Oblates remember our deceased loved ones listed below on All Souls’ Day and during masses throughout the month of November.

Roger Steen

Daniel Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Diane Brannon

Lawrence Cedrone

Anna Augone

Gertrude Klocek

Michael Verrecchia

Louis Zito

Jimbo Arnold

Phyllis Campites

Andy Campites

Joseph Nadolski

Theresa Tomecsko

John Tomecsko

Wanda Nadolski

Tom Tolman

Charles Garuffe

Chase Garuffe

James Limpe

Teh Siu Yong Limpe

Julius Limpe

Gloria Ang

Trevor McNabb

Lisa Durant

Lenore Czyzewski

Edward Baker

John Dougherty

Kate McKnight

Maxine Keegan

Charles Keegan

Laura McMahon

Rapph McMahon

Edith Lamberti

Lillian Lamberti

Robert Lamberti

Esther Sullivan

Bettie Kellu

Francis Kelly

John Kelly

Thomas Gohl

Father Angelo Maraldo, OSFS

Angelo J. Maraldo

MaryAnn Maraldo

Regina Radocaj

John Ca

Regina Radocaj

John Campbell

John F Goss

Sr. Mary Aurelis Czern

Alex Mili Sr

Jesus Morales

Blanca Morales

Eva Rendon

Emelia Rendon

John Coetzee

Reina Coetzee

Julian Coetzee

Mary Coetzee

Jeff OConnell

Thomas Dzienny

Margaret Dzienny

Larry Dzienny

Nathan-Ezra Handura

Rachel Elizabeth Beukes

Donald De Klerk

Vernon Brandt

Mark Burgess

Nancy Card

Elizabeth White

Adam Burson

John Nowak

Evelyn Nowak

Steven Wetzel

Jennie DiPretoro

Amedio DiPretoro

Frederick Wetzel

Mary Jo Dumbleton

George Gyurko

Elizabeth Gyurko

Otto Schwarzkopf

Anna Schwarzkopf

Richey Kaverman

Helen Johnson

Harry Johnson

Mable Cox

Dorothy Johnson

Alicia Kavanagh

Joseph Kavanagh

Dudley Kavanagh

Patrick Kavanagh

Maxamillio Mejia

Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Rangel

Juan Mejia

Charles Keegan

Maxine Keegan

Laura McMahon

Ralph McMahon

Frederick Conner Sr.

Marion Kramer

Joseph and Faye McCreary

Kathy Gibbs

Father Ernest Hyndman

Charles Woods

Carol Fairchild

Dorothy Mocek

Albin Mocek

Tommy Coleman

Mary Coleman

Thomas Coleman

Agnes McDonough

Michael Meloche

Florence Desmond

Joseph Desmond

Geri Desmond

Catherine O'Brien

Regina Marie Mallon

Francis Edward Mallon

Joseph Richard Kruszewski

Edward Kruszewski

Charles Vasaturo

Carli Bitterman

John Tomandl

Betty Tomandl

Lynn Tomandl

Roberta Eisenhart

Maynard Eisenhart

Thomas Eisenhart

Lena Kovacs

Mary Shivik

Joseph Shivik

Nellie Keech

Harry Keech Sr.

Harry Keech Jr.

George Keech

Dennis Lee

Veronica Ivanovich

Phyllis Sutton

Thomas Lee

James Mayne

Dick Rollick

Marcella Siler

Paul Naso

Jim Tierney

Mac McNeill

Michael Marnell

Joseph Pidel

Eileen Pidel

John Conroy

Christhus M. Spadaccino

John Dulay

Anne Dulay

Ronald Dulay

Elizabeth Hendrickson-Herzog

Aurora Ramirez

Eva Ramirez

Joe Ramirez

Vicky Fincio

Michael Kirlauski Sr.

Mary Kirlauski

Richard Sloan

Linda Hoffmann

Father Robert DelSanto, OSFS

Paul DelSanto

Elizabeth DelSanto

Father Tom Murphy, OSFS

Luna and Al Lindsay

Annie and Michael Stocklin

Jane and Bud Stocklin

Marie and Bill Griffing

Rev Raymond Connolly, OSFS

Nora Connolly

George Connolly Sr.

Cyndi Williams

Dee Dee Fiorelli

Peter Lyon

Eileen Cooney

Gertrude Cooney

Noel Cooney

Adrienne Beattie

George Carroll

Josephine Carroll

James Kelley

Virginia Kelley

Pauline Haney

George Haney

Cassie Mahoney

Michael Mahoney

Rev. George A. Mahoney

George J. Mahoney

Jane S. Mahoney

Michael Biegalski

Peter and Juanita Vidi

John and Estelle Biegalski

Peter Cocaro

Deceased Members of the Babiarz Family

Deceased Members of the Bochenek Family

Deceased Members of the Smith Family

Tyler Brown

Susan Brown

June Ritchie

Bill Ritchie

Catherine Koenig

George Koenig

Marie Koenig Wadsworth

Margie Dunn

Irmgard Saremba

Alfred Saremba

Gerhard Schultz

Irmgard Schultz

Robert B. Riefstahl

Michael Dombrowski

Jeffrey Dombrowski

John Dombrowski

Lowell Hildbrand

Cecelia Hildbrand

Jack Harrison

Dora Harrison

Bernice Christina

Julia Dillos

Frederick Christina

Joseph Dillos

Thomas Rowe

Walter Goldschmidt

Marguerite Goldschmidt

Marley Goldschmidt
Don Gast

Nassif Cannon

Laurice Cannon

John Joseph

Eamonn Griffin

Anne Griffin

Michael Griffin

Paddy Griffin

Elsa Brinori

Joe Brunori

Georgie Brunori

Gabby Raggio

Michael George Reilly

Ruth Reilly

Richard Morante

Jim Riley

Dave Roth

Meg Visher Vusher

Claudia McCormick

Luella Tessorerro

George Carroll

Josephine Carroll

Rev. Albert J. Gondek

Msgr. Charles V. Devlin

Deceased members Reed Family

Deceased members Sweeney Family

Deceased members Troione Family

Deceased members Scoz Family

George Schodowski

Patricia Schodowski

Joseph Kane

Jean Lynch

James Salamon

Geraldine Salamon

Donald and Justine Sekira

George and Elizabeth Ford

Helen and Hugo Sekira

Henry and June Affeldt

Ronald Steiger

Frank Gyra

Bea Gyra

Irene Steiner

Merle Steiner

Bernice Wegmann

Doug Bevins

Emil Pornelos

Dominic Cook

William Gerow

Sean Daly

Kevin Daly

Virginia Daly

Luna and Al Lindsay

Annie and Michael Stocklin

Jane and Bud Stocklin

Marie and Bill Griffing

John Kwiatek

Herbert Simpler

Julian Matusieski

Alexander Matusieski

Edith Koschineg

Ernest Koschineg Sr.

Geraldine Koschineg

Francis Sack

Kathleen Haley

James Haley

Patricia O'Connor

Thomas O'Connor

Nick Destefano

Eva Thierry

Jay Thierry

Lawrence Cedrone

Anna Augone

Joseph Damato

Philamena Damato

Dan Chila

Gene and Jeanine Fela

Frank and Delia Glynn

Frank Doyle

Thomas A. DiVirgilio

Marino Cofrancesco

Stella Cofrancesco

Brother Michael J. Rosenello, OSFS

George A. Leveille

Anne C. Leveille

Colette A. Leveille

Emilie Boettger

James Limpe

Teh Siu Young Limpe

Julius Limpe

Gloria Ang

Cecilia Pennington

Charles Pennington

Norma Warren

Thomas Warren

Victor Levand

Margaret Levand

Constance Levand

Margaret Fitzgerald

Margaret Mary Brennan

Thelma McCarroll

Lawrence McCarroll

Nancy O'Connell

Lawrence McCarroll III

Joseph Hildenberger

Kay Hildenberger

Marty Hildenberger

James Horton

Mario Canizares

Priscila Canizares

Priscila Reyes

Pia Farah Reyes-White

Dolores Pietropaol

Nick Pietropaol

William Delaney

Maria Van Horn

Rev. Vincent DePaul Burke, OSFS

Rev. Paul E. Burke, OSFS

Mary Margaret Burke

Michael Patrick Kerrigan

Sarah Smith

James Loftus

Mary Edna Loftus

Anthony McBride

Father Gene McBride, OSFS

Mary Ortlieb

Anna Mcbride

Joseph Ortlieb

Eugene McBride

Peggy Ortlieb

John OrtliebEvelyn Warnecke

Charles Warnecke

Dorothy Sharp

Eleanor Kron

Roseann Lopiano

Salvatore Lopiano

John Goffredo

John David Goffredo

John David Goffredo

Father Paul Burke

Father Vincent Burke

Catherine Phillips

Edmond Phillips Sr.

Regina Clark

Mary Clark

Catherine Corrigan

John Corrigan

Rev. Thomas Corrigan

Stephen Robinson

Eleanor Held

Joseph Held

Patrick McIlhenney

Anna McIlhenney

Helen Conroy

Josephine Natale

Jennie LaVigna

Angelo Natale

Elizabeth Natale

Teresa Curtas

Paul Curtas

William Curtas

Mary Curtas

Deacon Michael Kolakowski

Andrew Kolakowski

Charlie O'Driscoll

Jude O'Driscoll

Jane Kiger

Josephine Gianni

Diane Langdon

Pasquale Gabriele

Anthony Gabriele

Rev Walter Kelly OSFS

Salvatore Sortino

Margaret Sortino

Dorothy Barger

Louis Vit

Catherine Koenig

George Koenig

Marie Koenig Wadsworth

Margie Dunn

Vincent P. Desmond

Catharine B. Desmond

Msgr. J. Clement Bennington and family

Patricia Collett

Howard Pekar

Lois Pekar

Royal Chamberlain

Aonica Chamberlain

Lydia Livingston

Joey Rippenger

Harry Stinger

Andrew P. Stinger

Family Hanrahan

Family Stinger

Leslie Rathjens

William Dorsey

Joanne Dorsey

Edward Dorsey

Laura Lambert

Norris Lambert

Janet Slagowski

Vincent Giordano

Eleanor Held

Joseph Held

Eleanor Mastandrea

EarlEvelyn Held

Deceased members Mendoza family

Deceased members Managuit family

Deceased members Nazareno family

Deceased members Excija family

Leo Schwartz

Eleanor Schwartz

Steve Arcana

Frederick Conner

Marion Kramer

Paul Hunter

Martin Saggimo

Dave Roth

Meg Visher

Gene Pressler

Maripat Pressler

Stephen Grimes

Dermott Glackin

George Carroll

Josephine Carroll

Deacon Joseph Cella

Deacon Dominic Garritano

Thomas Jennings

Regina Mallon

Margaret Lance

Joseph Kruszewski

Edward Kruszewski

Thomas Rowe

Walter Goldschmidt

Marguerite Goldschmidt

Marley Goldschmidt

Brian McCullough

Jim McCullough

John-Patrick McCullough

Liza McCullough

Michel Gaspard

Kareem Gaspard

Geralde Boucard

Frantz Samedi