Franciscan

Feast of St. Bonaventure

by

This afternoon I had agreed to drive down to St. Bonaventure University and help a Franciscan friend with a computer I had donated to him. I had configured this Dell Inspiron equipped with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic with Star Office. Fr. Bob Struzynski, OFM is a very bright man and a wonderful person, but … Read more

St. Francis Springs

by

This morning Brother Joe and I will drive from Mt. Irenaeus to St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, North Carolina. We’re going to a Peace and Justice Retreat sponsored by Holy Name Province of the Franciscan Friars. We were there a couple of years ago and though I’ve given up hope of any real … Read more

Bunny fluff

by

Today I awoke to a covering of white stuff that Fr. Bob at the Mountain called “bunny fluff.” Bob said that any snow that falls after April 1st is referred to as bunny fluff. It works for me. My ride over to Mass this morning was typical as I made my way down the Ischua Valley towards Olean, New York and then east on Route 446 to the Village of Cuba and then on Interstate 86 to Friendship, New York and then to Nile and Route 1 to Mt. Irenaeus. It’s a route I know well. The further south and east I got the less of the bunny fluff I saw.

Read more

Road to Emmaus

by

I found myself on the road once again to Mt. Irenaeus. I’ve been a regular at the Mountain for over eight years now. It’s as much my home as the one I live in most of the time and the friars are as much my brothers as anyone in my family. This morning was one of those lovely spring mornings. The sky was a deep blue and not a cloud to be seen. Brother Sun was brilliant and his rays were warming the air temperature to nearly fifty degrees at 10:45 am as I made my way along Route 275 and then onto Allegany County Route 1. There were a couple of drivers behind me who were in a bit more of a hurry than I. I pulled off on the shoulder and let them pass. I continued to poke along at a leisurely 45 mph and then turned onto Hydetown Road where I slowed even further.

Read more

Glory to God in the highest

by

This morning was beautiful, a radiant spring sun filled my heart with gladness as I drove through the crisp clear mid-twenty degree day toward Mass at Mt. Irenaeus. Upon arriving at the Mountain I noticed a number of vehicles parked in the driveway. I had a bit of trouble finding a parking spot, but soon did and then into the house to bring my offering of orange juice and a dozen eggs for brunch. On my way into the house I met a lovely young lady from the State University of New York at Buffalo who was part of the inter-collegiate weekend that had been held at Mt. Irenaeus. Normally, the Franciscan Retreat Center here is home to local villagers and St. Bonaventure University students, but today that circle included students from University at Buffalo, SUNY College at Fredonia, Alfred University, Nazareth College, SUNY Geneseo and St. Bonaventure University. There were about three dozen of these young men and women.

Read more