Official Newsletter of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, Order of Friars Minor, Albuquerque, NM

Missionaries of MercyIn his Bull Misericordiae Vultus proclaiming the

Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis wrote, “DuringLent of this Holy Year, I intend to send out Missionaries ofMercy. They will be a sign of the Church’s maternalsolicitude for the People of God, enabling them to enter theprofound richness of this mystery so fundamental to the faith.There will be priests to whom I will grant the authority topardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See, so that thebreadth of their mandate as confessors will be even clearer.They will be, above all, living signs of the Father’s readinessto welcome those in search of his pardon. They will bemissionaries of mercy because they will be facilitators of atruly human encounter, a source of liberation, rich withresponsibility for overcoming obstacles and taking up the newlife of Baptism again.” (18)

Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, Minister Provincial,submitted the names of a number of friars from Our Lady ofGuadalupe Province to be commissioned as Missionaries ofMercy. Just before Palm Sunday, their official paperwork wasreceived in the mail. As Fr. Ron Walters described it, “Therewas a tube in my mailbox. I was curious about it, since I hadnot ordered anything that would require a tube. I saw that itwas from the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington. I startedto get really nervous.”

Fr. Ron continued, “I carefully unrolled the contents. I have been designated as one of those who canabsolve those specific sins reserved to the Holy Father in this Year of Mercy!”

“It is extraordinarily beautiful,” noted Fr. Dale Jamison of the document.The Franciscans who have been commissioned Missionaries of Mercy for the Province are:

Erasmo Romero, OFM Patrick Schafer, OFM Christopher Kerstiens, OFMEmeric Nordmeyer, OFM Ron Walters, OFM José Gutay, OFMAndrés Gallegos, OFM Abél Olivas, OFM Larry Bernard, OFMPaul Juniet, OFM Charlie Martinez, OFM Eduardo Espinosa, OFM

Dale Jamison, OFM

Leading Up to Easter...A variety of activities took place around the Province - andbeyond! - during the last weeks of Lent.

Communications CornerNews

Franciscan friars throughout the UnitedStates are invited to this year’sContemplative Days from June 13 to 17 atMt. Irenaeus, in West Clarksville, NY. Formore information, please contact KenKriso, OFM or Dan Riley, OFM at 585-973-2470. Reservations due by April 1.

April Birthdays

10 – Efrén Quintero12 – Emeric Nordmeyer12 – Michael Burns19 – Duane Torisky23 – Jorge Hernandez25 – José Rodriguez

On his continuing travels, Fr. Gerry Steinmetz participatedin the Way of Cross in Honduras, honoring Bertha Cacereswho was assassinated recently. She was leader of protection

of lands and rivers of Native Peoples.

Where to Find Us...

Internet: www.swfranciscans.orgFacebook: SWFranciscansTwitter: SWFranciscansYoutube: SWFranciscans

Holy Family Parish, Albuquerque, hosted aPassion Play.

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Francis, Restore My House...And, that’s exactly what the Franciscans of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province are doing to the originalAssumption Mission at Chinle, Arizona. With loving care and great attention to detail - based on photos of thechurch from its early days - the altars, benches and kneelers have been recreated by Br. Bart Wolf, OFM, withthe structure as a whole refurbished by Br. John Friebel, OFM, and Ben Laughing. Once completed, AssumptionMission will become a museum, preserving memories of the friars’ ministry on the Navajo Reservation during thefirst years of the 20th century.

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Monthly ProfileLarry Schreiber, OFM and Diego Mazón, OFM

Come to the Felician Sisters’ convent on Meadowlark Lane in RioRancho, New Mexico, for lunch, and the likelihood is that time will be spentbeing regaled by delightful yarns from Fr. Larry Schreiber or Fr. Diego

Mazón. These friars may be retired,but they are still quite active, andbring many laughs with their talesof varied exploits.

Fr. Diego, for instance,recalled how, after being ordainedto the priesthood, he was assignedto teach chemistry at Roger BaconHigh School in St. Bernard, Ohio.“I didn’t know a thing aboutchemistry,” he noted. “So I satdown and had a talk with God. Itold Him, ‘You better knowchemistry real good.’”

His adventures in theclassroom included finding a very unstable chemical in the storeroom, whichthe local fire departments refused to handle. Loading it carefully in his car,he drove it some 30 miles outside of town, where what might be termed a“controlled explosion” occurred. For days afterward, he shuddered to thinkof the event.

On another occasion, Fr. Diego planned to show his class how tomake water by mixing hydrogen andoxygen. Wearing a rubber apron, but nomask, he practiced the experiment with

the result being an unexpected explosion. “One piece of glass hit me,” headmitted.

Fr. Larry related how, during his diaconate year, he was sent to St.Michaels, Arizona, assigned to teach girls how to sew. He was also part of a grandexperiment in Lukachukai, where the friars lived in simple quarters and hitchhikedwhere they wanted to go.

The two being classmates at Duns Scotus College in the 1950s, their daysnow may not be quite so exciting, but they participate in ministries, as they can.This includes bagging beans for the food pantry, or jelly beans for the Easter bakesale. They play games of Monopoly or Bible Trivia, and have scripture study onThursdays. And, of course, there’s a beautiful chapel in which to pray.

Linda Jenkins, the health educator, leads the friars and Felician Sisters inchair exercise on Wednesday afternoons. “Move it or lose it,” is her motto.Playing music with the exercises, she gently guides them through a series ofmotions to keep their muscles in shape.

Even then, the friendly banter between the friars continues. They enjoyhaving visitors with whom to share a bit of time, a few laughs, and stories of thepast.

Fr. Larry doing chair exercises.

Fr. Diego works his muscles.

St. Francis statue in the chapel.

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Richard Rohr, OFM, donated his books andCDs to the Reading Room display

Blessing and Dedication of a Becoming PlaceMarch 18 and 19 saw archivists, researchers, historians,Secular Franciscans, friars and many others gather inAlbuquerque to celebrate the new facilities constructed atthe Province’s Lakeview property, which will house thearchives, and a retreat and conference center. Based on thequotation from St. Francis of Assisi’s Testament, thecomplex is fittingly called a Becoming Place.

Continued...

David Hurst Thomas, Ph.D. of the American Museumof Natural History gave the keynote address

Fr. Jack Clark Robinson welcomedthose in attendance on Friday evening.

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Among the presenterswere Dan Anderson,OFM (above) of St.John the BaptistProvince, and EricPilarcik, OFM, (right)of Santa BarbaraProvince.

Archivist Cathy Pierce accepts a copy of the blue printsfrom Architect Joe Gallegos of Huitt-Zollars, Inc.

The Dedicatory Statement was signed by those present aswitnesses to the event

Michael Harlan, OFM, of Holy Name Province,speaks with Ulric Pax, OFM, during a break

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Jack Clark Robinson Travels to VietnamBro. Bruce Michalek, one of the Friars that I

live with and who spends three months in Vietnameach year, was at theairport to meet me. We were quicklyjo ined by t w oVietnamese Friars,t h e S e c r e t a r y( V i n c e n t ) a n dMinister Provincial(Ignacio Lam) of theVietnamese Province. I spent five weekssitting two seats awayfrom Ignacio at theGeneral Chapter inAssisi last year, so heand I know eachother. From theairport, it was arelatively quick ride to the friary where we werestaying the night.

Mass was at 5:00 Saturday morning. One ofthe Vietnamese Friars and I went on a walking tour ofdowntown Saigon, which Ifound fascinating. Westarted at the Cathedral,which seemed busy withpeople doing Churchthings. As Vietnam is aCommunist country, I wasa bit surprised by thatactivity, including at leastthree bridal couples (withbig white dresses andtuxedoes) getting theirpictures taken with theCathedral as a backdrop. Across the street, wewalked through the mainpost office, which has aportrait at least ten feethigh of Ho Chi Minh at one end of the lobby. Between the Post Office and the Cathedral at thecorner of a pedestrian street of book shops, there wasa newly-opened 24/7 McDonalds. The contrasts

between things “communist” and “capitalist” werereally starting to mount up for me, and continued as

we walked to afascinating centralmarket. Imagine anacre of flea marketshops of all sortsunder one roof, butwith all items beingmarked “price fixed”by the government.

We continuedthe walking tour toIndependence Palace,t he last So u t hVietnamese “WhiteHouse” where the lastPresident of SouthVietnam had livedbefore the North won

the war and it all became one Vietnam, headquarteredin Hanoi. Hundreds of school kids, most of whomlooked to be ten years old or younger, were touringthe Independence Palace (Kids go to school six days

a week in Vietnam.) andeveryone of them onspotting this obviousAmerican would say“Hello!” One of the littleones also smiled real big atremembering his Englishlesson and popped back atme “How are you?” When Ireplied, “I'm fine. How areyou?” his eyes got evenbigger than they had been tostart with and so did hissmile. He had actually“talked” with a foreigner!

After lunch back atthe Provincial headquarters,two of the Friars and a

driver brought Bruce and me to Thu Duc, a suburb ofSaigon by something of a sight-seeing route that onceagain included many very modern buildings and allsorts of construction. My impression of the society

The novices and friar community at Dalat

Entrance to the Franciscan parish church at Dalat,complete with culturally appropriate guardian dragons to

welcome the people and symbolize life and growth.

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The Padres’ Trail is the newsletter for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Albuquerque, New Mexico.Editor: Julie Ferraro, Director of Communications.

Contact: 1204 Stinson Street SW, Albuquerque, NM 87121. Office phone: 505-831-9199 Send articles, photos, letters or article suggestions by the last day of the month to: communicationsolg@gmail.com

around Saigon, and I do not know if it will hold onceI get to some of the outlying areas, is that Vietnam isa VERY prosperous nation. It actually looks muchmore prosperous to me than the Philippines did inNovember.

Thu Duc is the home of more than 70temporary-professed Franciscan seminarians, larger

t ha n o u rw h o l eP r o v i n c e .We got herein time fordinner andafter, I spoketo them fora n h o u rabout things“Franciscan,”mostly aboutGuadalupeProvince Ipresided andpreached attheir SundayEucharist at5 : 3 0 a m(They sleepi n o n

Sunday!). Then after breakfast, Bruce and I had anaudience with the Abbess of the Poor Clares who

live across the street from the friary in their monastery. There are 31 Poor Clares, including 15 in formationand 16 in solemn vows. Of the latter, there are a fewleft who came from France to found the monastery in1972. As I said to the Mother Abbess, I cannotimagine the courage that it took for those nuns toleave France and come to Vietnam in the middle of thewar here to found a cloistered monastery.

On to Dalat, where I had a wonderful visit withthe Franciscan Novices for the Province of St. Francis.This novitiate is where Brother Bruce teachesconversational English. Bruce, the Guardian here andI visited a Zen Buddhist Monastery. It was fascinatingas we talked with four of the 180 nuns who live there.We also visited a very interesting craft place wherewomen produce the most delicate embroideryimaginable on silk. On my last night, I had a wonderfulconversational session with the novices. They are veryinterested in our Franciscans in the United States.

Attentive postulants at Tu Viên

One of the Novices at Dalat, where thefriars grow much of their own food

Br. Bruce in front of the Novitiate Chapel - Dalat

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