Farewell to Br. Ed Skutka, OFM

There are three fraternities in St. Katharine Drexel Region that are bonded to St. John the Baptist Province (OFM):

  • Holy Cross Fraternity
  • Sts. Cyril & Methodius Fraternity
  • St. Francis Fraternity (Easton)

When the six OFM provinces become one in mid-October as Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, there will be many changes of friars across locations.  One of these reassignments affected St. Francis Retreat House, as Br. Ed Skutka, OFM, left for Butler, NJ, after 53 years at Easton, PA.

As our region participated in many retreat weekends at Easton, we always enjoyed the hospitality, humor, and faithful presence of Br. Ed.  Attached is the provincial newsletter from St. John the Baptist with an article by Fr. Loren Connell, OFM, on page 5 about Br. Ed.  If you would like to send him a note, here is his address, effective August 11th:

Br. Edward Skutka, OFM
St. Anthony Friary
65 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, New Jersey 07405
973-850-6512

Let us give thanks to Br. Ed for his long and faithful service, and pray for joyful fraternity among the friars in residence at Butler!

SJB News Notes 8-25-23

Eucharistic Revival: Stage Two

                                      A Church on Mission
The National Eucharistic Revival in the United States moved into its
second, or parish, year on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In July 2024, the Church in the United States will hold a National Eucharistic Congress. We at Catholic Apostolate Center continue to work with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Eucharistic Congress organization to assist all in moving out on mission from our encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. On Monday, June 19, Pope Francis met with the organizers of the Congress and offered these and other important insights. His words are quoted here at length and should be reflected on often.
“It is my hope, then, that the Eucharistic Congress will inspire Catholics throughout the country to discover anew the sense of wonder and awe at the Lord’s great gift of himself and to spend time with him in the celebration of the Holy Mass and in personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament…. I likewise trust that the Congress will be an occasion for the faithful to commit themselves with ever greater zeal to being missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus in the world… This is the sense of a missionary spirit. You go to the celebration of Mass, receive communion, adore the Lord and then what do you do after? You go out and evangelize. Jesus asks this of
us. The Eucharist, then, impels us to a strong and committed love of neighbor.
For we cannot truly understand or live the meaning of the Eucharist if our hearts are closed to our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, suffering, weary or who may have gone astray in life” (Pope Francis, Greeting to the Organizing Committee of the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States of America).
May the Charity of Christ urge us on!
In God, the Infinite Love,
Fr. Frank – Catholic Apostolate Center

St. Francis of Assisi’s “Letter to the Entire Order” (excerpt) 

 26  Let everyone be struck with fear,
let the whole world tremble,
and let the heavens exult
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
27O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity!
O sublime humility!
O humble sublimity! …

Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by Him! 1 Pt 5:6  Jas 4:10
29Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves,
that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!

How will you give Christ to your brothers & sisters today?

St. Katharine Drexel Regional Retreat Weekend (Oct. 6-8, 2023)

Fr. Greg Friedman Franciscan Retreat October 6 to 8, 2023

As announced at our May 6th Chapter of Elections when copies of this flyer were distributed to all fraternity ministers or their delegates, our region has announced our regional retreat weekend for October 6-8, 2023 at St. Francis Retreat Center in Easton, PA.  The retreat presenter will be Fr. Greg Friedman, OFM with Franciscan perspectives on the papal encyclical “Fratelli Tutti.”  We hope that each of our 24 fraternities in the region sends at least two representatives.  Retreats are a special time and space to pull back from the ordinary and to encounter the extraordinary with new eyes.  May this retreat awaken new horizons for our vocation!

St Francis / EWTN TV Schedule for weekend of feast

Shared from our sister, Cindy Louden, OFS, Minister of Living Word Fraternity:
St Francis / EWTN TV

St. Francis’ feast day is October 4. Tune in to inspirational and informative specials on one of our Church’s most beloved saints!
Saturday, 10/2 at 8 p.m. ET        – “Clare and Francis”
Sunday, 10/3 at 1:30 p.m. ET     – Vespers and Transitus of St. Francis
Monday, 10/4 at 8 a.m. ET         – Holy Mass on the Feast of St. Francis
Monday, 10/4 at 3:30 p.m. ET    – St. Francis of Assisi: Sign of Contradiction
AND MORE!
See the full program schedule in your local time: http://bit.ly/EWTNtv
Sharing the news!  Peace & ALL Good!

Couple heads back to the altar. This time as Franciscans.

Couple heads back to the altar, this time as Franciscans

Two options for Franciscan Themed Face Masks

Two options for Franciscan related face masks.  Neither the Region nor I have any connection to either company!

Franciscan Themed Face Masks

Tau Cross Face Masks

More Good News!! Keep it coming!

Renee Eck, OFS, Minister of St. Patrick fraternity, Wilmington, DE, proudly passed on this news:  my husband Howard Eck, OFS, from St Patrick’s fraternity was accepted as an acolyte this past weekend. God willing next year he will be an ordained deacon.

(Howard is Formation Director of St. Patrick’s) Congratulations and best of luck in the coming year!!

Special Profession Anniversaries in 2019

January Years Professed
Candace Bakasy, OFS 10 years
Paul Beisel, OFS 10 years
Mary DiSanto, OFS 40 years
Nick Kotchision, OFS 20 years
Theresa A. Leone, OFS 50 Years
February
Dr. William Dennis, OFS 15 years
Mary Filipponi, OFS 65 years
Ms. Maria Innocenti, OFS 15 years
Mrs. Helen Jeral, OFS 15 years
Rita Pacheco, OFS 25 years
Ann Pirro, OFS 15 years
John Pirro, OFS 15 years
March
Bill Doyle, OFS 15 years
Tibor Pavlanzsky, OFS 15 years
Anita Vilagossy, OFS 15 years
April
Madeline Anderson, OFS 20 years
Brett Frieze, OFS 10 Years
Cynthia Louden, OFS 55 years
Sally Staats, OFS 10 Years
May
Frances Bossard, OFS 25 years
Susan Buttner, OFS 25 years
Theresa Cassata, OFS 15 years
Diane Fleishinger, OFS 15 years
Mary M. Jacques, OFS 15 years
Amanda Jamnicky, OFS 5 years
Margaret Kolbe, OFS 15 years
Anne Leis, OFS 10 Years
Anne Marie Madrigale, OFS 10 Years
Elizabeth Marczak, OFS 60 Years
Jacob Marquart III, OFS 5 years
Patricia Meisner, OFS 20 years
Angel M Mottola, OFS 55 years
Adela Ortiz-Esposito, OFS 15 years
Marie L. Oscar, OFS 15 years
John A. Oscar, Sr., OFS 15 years
Steve Parris, OFS 5 years
Gloria Prokap, OFS 25 years
Grace Schumann, OFS 30 years
Loretta Shields, OFS 15 years
Patricia Simmons, OFS 20 years
Anne Sullivan, OFS 15 years
Elizabeth Thiel, OFS 10 Years
Kathleen Yurkevicz, OFS 25 years
Maureen Wuelfing, OFS 20 years
June
Donna Benner, OFS 10 Years
Rose Benner, OFS 40 years
Mary Connaire, OFS 15 years
Rose Marie Gantz, OFS 25 years
Mrs. Miriam L Gomez-Bracety, OFS 15 years
Kathleen Hornung, OFS 35 years
Diane Passerin, OFS 15 years
Rita Perry, OFS 20 years
James D. Tynan, OFS 65 years
Patricia M Tynan, OFS 65 years
William Welsh, OFS 40 years
Jerry Yanchek, OFS 20 years
August
Sandra Barto, OFS 10 Years
Emilio Cardona, OFS 10 Years
Patricia Mickey LeRoy, OFS 10 Years
Ann Marie Schramm, OFS 25 years
September
Barbara Bennes, OFS 20 years
Gretchen Bienkowski, OFS 15 years
Mr Ted Bienkowski, OFS 15 years
Joseph Campos, OFS 10 Years
Philomena Fischer, OFS 10 Years
Arline Mazzella, OFS 20 years
Bernadette Ruggiero, OFS 5 years
October
Henry Agosto, OFS 15 years
Carol Davidson, OFS 30 years
Mr. Peter Davidson, OFS 30 years
Pat Ferko, OFS 20 years
Kathleen Fletcher, OFS 20 years
Cristen J Gregory, OFS 15 years
John Guba, OFS 45 years
Joan Guenther, OFS 15 years
Joseph Guenther, OFS 15 years
Anna Gurgel, OFS 20 years
Adele Leder, OFS 15 years
Dolores Lydon, OFS 30 years
Dorothy Maleski, OFS 10 Years
Barbara Meehan, OFS 20 years
Rev. Mr. Daniel Meehan, OFS 20 years
John Perate, OFS 15 years
Joan Pesta, OFS 10 Years
Rosalie Scurio, OFS 20 years
Kathy Serafin, OFS 20 years
Betsy Lou Willets, OFS 30 years
Stephen Williams, OFS 20 years
November
Florence Ammirata, OFS 20 years
Theresa Aponte, OFS 20 years
Marie Bonagura, OFS 20 years
Karen Borgia, OFS 20 years
John P Breslin, OFS 20 years
Eleineo S Choi, OFS 10 Years
Brian Courtney, OFS 5 years
Lynn DeFreitas, OFS 5 years
Marlene Dennis, OFS 20 years
Josephine Fuoco, OFS 40 years
Mrs. Maria Greco, OFS 25 years
Hugh Grier, OFS 35 years
Mari-Michaella Han, OFS 10 Years
James C. Helmlich, OFS 5 years
Mary Hinds, OFS 10 Years
Lucia K Hong, OFS 10 Years
Kate Kleinert, OFS 15 years
Deborah Lewis, OFS 5 years
Theresa Lisiewski, OFS 35 years
Mr. Carmen Lombertino, OFS 15 years
Mary Markowski, OFS 5 years
Lucy Mashura, OFS 20 years
Eileen Mason, OFS 25 years
Warren McGee , OFS 5 years
Geraldine Miller, OFS 20 years
Carol Roberts, OFS 10 Years
Jean Roberts, OFS 10 Years
Elizabeth E Shelly, OFS 20 years
Georgette Wells, OFS 40 years
Bill Wendt, OFS 5 years
Kathryn Yalch, OFS 35 years
Frank Zoltowski, OFS 60 years
December
John Flynn, OFS 5 years
Bernadette Ganiel, OFS 55 years
Marie Ganiel, OFS 55 years
Carla McElven, OFS 35 years
David Misilewich, OFS 40 years
William Ridge, OFS 10 Years
Raymond Vetrini, Jr., OFS 60 years

Congratulations, Mary Filipponi, OFS

Congratulations and Best Wishes to our own Mary Filipponi, OFS, of Holy Assumption fraternity on reaching her 65th anniversary of profession on February 21 and her 93rd birthday on May 1!  There is nothing holding Mary back! She’s even still driving!!

Welcome Newly Professed at Immaculate Conception

All smiles!

Pictured here are Stephanie Russo, OFS, Formation Director, newly professed John Maynes, OFS, newly professed Lisa Bechtel, OFS, Amanda Jamnicky, OFS, Minister and newly professed Jeremy Cherelli, OFS. Please keep Mike Stanek in your prayers.  Mike was scheduled to be professed also, but was hospitalized last night.