The document summarizes the ordinations of two Capuchin friars, Br. Joseph Mary Elder and Br. Christopher Gama, and the different paths they took to reach ordination. It also discusses changes the Capuchin province is making, including closing two friaries, returning care of two parishes to their dioceses, and restructuring their vocations and formation programs.

1. Spring 2012, Issue 151 a newsletter of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America www.capuchins.org
Capuchins Celebrate Ordinations
PORTER
by Br. Ryan Tidball, O.F.M.Cap.
Theology Student
The Capuchins celebrated the priesthood and diaconate
ordinations of two men last month, but the roads each man
traveled to the destiny were miles apart.
Traveling from the
Philadelphia See,
Archbishop Charles Chaput,
O.F.M.Cap., returned to
Denver to lay hands on
and ordain Br. Joseph Mary
Elder to the priesthood.
He also ordained Br.
Christopher Gama to the
transitional diaconate at
Annunciation Church mid-
morning on May 26.
“I always knew that I would
be a priest,” Joseph Mary
said. “It was always there,
in the back of my mind.”
Joseph Mary initially began
discerning the diocesan priesthood, but discovered, “it just
didn’t seem like the right fit.”
After meeting some Franciscans, the St. Louis native began
to learn about St. Francis and his radical choice to leave
everything to follow the poor and humble Christ. It was a
perfect fit. “I knew that’s what I wanted,” Joseph Mary said.
And so he began his formation journey with the Capuchins.
In the early years of formation, Joseph Mary intentionally put
the question of ordination on hold in order to fully discern
religious life, but the idea of priesthood remained on his radar
in one way or another. This desire was strengthened and
confirmed as he began philosophy studies at St. John Vianney
Theological Seminary in Denver. The call to priesthood grew
louder as his years of formation at the seminary continued.
“It was an incredible experience which changed the way that I
look at the world,” Joseph Mary said.
After a Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate his ordination with
family and friends in the St. Louis area in July, Joseph Mary
will toggle his
time between
the province’s
vocation office
and prison
ministry along
Colorado’s Front
Range.
Contrast Joseph
Mary’s story to
Christopher who
did not always want
to be a priest. In fact, priesthood was just about the last thing
on his mind when God began working powerfully in his life
during his last year at Colorado State University. But, once
he came to know Christ in the Eucharist, he began looking
for a way to live his whole life for Jesus.
After some searching,
Christopher found the
Capuchins. Along the way,
he experienced God’s loving
presence in community life,
in service to the poor, and in
studies. “God kept showing up
in my life,” Christopher said.
“I feel like wherever I go or
whatever I do, as long as I’m with
Him, that’s where I need to be.”
He will continue that walk with
Christ as a deacon at Spirit of
Christ Catholic Community in
Arvada, CO, for the next year.
Joseph Mary and Christopher
view the Sacrament of Orders as a natural expression of the
traditional Capuchin love for the Eucharist, reconciliation,
and preaching. “This vocation to make the merciful love
of Christ present and available to people is at the heart of
Capuchin priestly ministry,” Joseph Mary said. Despite their
varied paths to ordination, the duo holds a deep appreciation
for Our Lady, Queen of the Friars Minor, for her maternal
intercession.
Br. Joseph Mary Elder is presented to the
Church as a candidate worthy of the
priesthood.
Deacon Christopher Gama receives
the Book of Gospels from Arch-
bishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M.Cap.
Fr. Joseph Mary Elder offers his parents, Bruce and Cheryl
Elder, a priest’s first blessing shortly after his ordination.

2. P r o v i n c i a l P O R T E R
2
PORTERThe Provincial Porter is a publication of the
Capuchin Province of Mid-America, Inc.
Publisher: Fr. Charles J. Polifka, O.F.M.Cap.
Editor: Stephanie Pedersen
Counsel & Contributor: Fr. Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap.
Send correspondence to: Provincial Porter
3613 Wyandot St., Denver, CO 80211
or email: development@capuchins.org
Extraordinary Assembly Yields New Vision
Province Announces Plans for Restructuring
Responding to numerous suggestions made by the friars at the
extraordinary assembly at Victoria, KS, during the Christmas
octave, the leaders of the province – the provincial minister
and his council – announced plans for
restructuring the province on May 14.
To enable strengthening local fraternities of
the province, the number of friaries will be
reduced from eight to six. Friaries will be
maintained in all four current major areas of
the province, but the two in Ellis County, KS,
will be reduced to one, and the four in Denver
to three. The other two areas are Lawrence,
KS, and Colorado Springs.
In Ellis County, St. Joseph Friary in Hays,
begun in 1893, will be closed and most of
its friars moved to Victoria, where major
remodeling will be done to accommodate
them. San Damiano Friary on 6th Avenue
in Denver will also be closed, and its friars
reassigned to the other three Denver friaries.
Restructuring
of the province
will also involve returning
care of two parishes to the
diocesan clergy. St. Joseph’s
parish in Hays, where friars
have ministered since 1878,
will in the course of the coming
year be returned to the care of
the Salina diocese; and Sacred
Heart parish in Denver, which
the province has staffed since
2006, will be returned to the
Denver archdiocese July 5.
Until the diocese names a new
pastor at St. Joseph’s, Fr. Earl Befort will serve as acting pastor
in addition to his ministry in three other smaller parishes and
at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School.
Capuchins will still staff
parishes in all four major areas
of the province: Annunciation
parish in Denver; St. John the
Evangelist parish in Lawrence;
Our Lady of Guadalupe parish
in Colorado Springs; and
parishes in Victoria, Walker,
Vincent, Catharine, Antonino,
and Schoenchen in Ellis County.
Other changes involve the
vocational recruiting and
formation aspects of the
province.
The vocation office will be
restructured and staffed by a
team of three persons.
Fr. Michael Scully, current
pastor in Hays, will move to
Lawrence and serve as vocation director for Kansas and the
eastern half of the province. Newly-ordained Fr. Joseph Mary
Elder will move to St. Anthony’s Friary on W. Walsh Pl. in
Denver and serve as vocational director for Colorado and the
western region of the province. Deacon Jim Blume has been
hired to coordinate and provide support staffing for their
efforts. Fr. John Lager will be on sabbatical this coming year.
The postulancy program will move from St. Anthony of
Padua Friary to San Antonio Friary at 36th and Humboldt,
Denver; and the post-novitiate formation program will move
from San Damiano’s to St. Anthony’s. Frs. Christopher
Popravak and Bill Kraus will be their respective directors.
Fr. Curtis Carlson will become chaplain of the St. Lawrence
Catholic Campus Center at Kansas University, and
Fr. Gilmary Tallman will replace him as pastoral vicar at
St. John’s.
Fr. Gene Emrisek, current pastor at Sacred Heart in Denver,
will return to the mall ministry in Colorado Springs, which
he helped begin in 2001; and Fr. John Toepfer will move from
parochial vicar at the Cathedral in Colorado Springs to pastor
of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
St. Joseph’s Church in Hays, KS, has been
shepherded by a Capuchin pastor since 1878. The
friars will leave the parish in 2013.
The Capuchins are a religious
community in the Church. Our first
priority is to live and to preserve
for the Church the charism and
way of life that St. Francis and our
Capuchin reformers gave to the
Church. Likewise, and secondly,
we owe the Church that prophetic
vision by which we will continue,
in obedience, to serve her through
initiatives which will always
evangelize and re-evangelize God’s
people….Once this plan is in place,
we believe that the province will not
only be “re-sized” but also “right-
sized” for its continued growth and
development as we move ahead.
Fr. Charles Polifka,
Provincial Minister

3. S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 N e w s l e t t e r
3
Capuchins Involved in Julia Greeley Cause
by Fr. Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap., Archivist
Several Mid-American Capuchins have become involved in
promoting the fame of Julia Greeley, a saintly ex-slave who
died in Denver in 1918. Julia earned her keep serving various
families as a domestic worker and then gave all that was left to
assist the poor of Denver. When this was not sufficient, she
begged for the poor. One writer penned her “a one-person St.
Vincent de Paul Society.”
Julia was also a staunch promoter of devotion to the Sacred
Heart and on foot regularly distributed Catholic literature to
all the fire stations of Denver. When she died in 1918, Jesuit
parish priests buried her from Sacred Heart Church, but
surprisingly in the habit of the Third Order Franciscans, now
known as Secular Franciscans (O.F.S.).
There were no Capuchin Franciscans in Denver when Julia
arrived in 1879 or 1880. In fact, so far as is known, there
were no Franciscans of any kind.
Frs. Francis Koch, O.F.M., and Venantius Eder, O.F.M., came
in 1887 to staff St. Elizabeth Church and immediately began
promoting the O.F.S. Someone else, however, had already
started the secular fraternity at
St. Elizabeth’s, possibly diocesan
priest Fr. Frederick Bender. The
fraternity’s records list 11 men and
women who made profession in the
latter part of 1886.
Julia Greeley joined the Franciscan
Family in February of 1901. Her
profession as Sr. Elizabeth of the
Secular Franciscans was received by
Fr. Francis. From then on she regularly
attended fraternity meetings at St.
Elizabeth’s and encouraged many others
to join the group. Reflecting on Julia
being buried in the Franciscan habit,
Jesuit Fr. Eugene Murphy opined, “Here
was the secret of her influence. She had
taken Christ literally, as had the Poverello
of Assisi. Like him, she had given away all
to the poor and had gone about making
melody in her heart unto the Lord.”
I first heard of Julia through an article I read about her in
the Denver Catholic Register years before coming to Denver.
Noting she was a Secular Franciscan, I resolved to find out
more about our saintly sister. Last year I finally followed up
on the resolve, and it quickly snowballed into my writing,
with the encouragement of Provincial Minister Fr. Charles
Polifka and other leaders of the province, the recently
published documentary study, In Secret Service of the Sacred
Heart.
Discussion about my study led Fr. Gene Emrisek, pastor of
Julia’s parish, where her life is still remembered through her
obituary enshrined at the very entrance to the parish offices,
to gather representatives of several organizations and other
individuals who had made known their interest in Julia.
These quickly formed the Julia Greeley Guild and began plans
to publish my book and take initial steps toward asking the
Church to begin Julia’s cause for canonization, something that
had been discussed ever since her death 94 years ago. This
group included Fr. Christopher Popravak, spiritual assistant
of Julia’s local Secular Franciscan fraternity, as well as other
members of the local and regional fraternities.
While the book was still being researched, our provincial
development office asked if I would be willing to lead a
pilgrimage to sites connected with Julia’s life. Special Events
Director Gina Francis took care of the logistics; and on
February 12, Frs. Bill Kraus and Regis Scanlon, Brs. Benignus
Scarry and Augustine Rohde, and
our three postulants were on the
full 40-passenger bus making the
pilgrimage.
Meanwhile another group of people,
led by Fr. Regis, former archdiocesan
director of prison ministry, had
begun a campaign to start a program
for homeless single women, many
of whom have serious problems
returning to civilian life from
the prison system. Learning
about Julia Greeley’s love for the
neglected, this group decided
to put its program under her
patronage.
Elsewhere in town a totally
different group of people, all
friends of Fr. John Cousins,
provincial spiritual assistant of
the O.F.S. and former pastor of Cure d’Ars Church, set out
to begin a non-diocesan Catholic elementary school in an
otherwise unserved neighborhood. In March, the board of
Sister Blandina School, Inc., decided to name its first campus,
in the Cure d’Ars Park Hill Neighborhood, the Julia Greeley
Academy.

4. P r o v i n c i a l P O R T E R
4444
Catholic faithful celebrate with grand pomp & circumstance
Third Capuchin Installed as Bishop of Mendi
Capuchin Bishop-elect Donald Lippert, 55-year-old
philosophy professor from the Pennsylvania Province, received
a tumultuous welcome as the third bishop of Mendi in Papua
New Guinea’s Southern Highlands on February 2.
Huge crowds of Catholic faithful in festive, traditional finery
cheered him on through parish after parish as he and his
former mentor, Capuchin Cardinal Sean O’Malley, and Don’s
predecessor in the Mendi See, Capuchin Archbishop Steve
Reichert, and Capuchin Bishop Bill Fey of Kimbe drove the
last 80 miles from Mount Hagan to Mendi.
Two days later, Steve and Bill assisted as co-consecrators, as
Sean ordained Don as bishop in a very impressive ceremony
in front of the Mendi cathedral. Five other bishops, 65
priests, more than 200 religious men and women, and about
4,000 other people from all across the diocese and beyond
participated in the ceremonies planned and organized by
Capuchin Fr. Jonathan Williams, a native of Atwood, KS.
Br. Mark Schenk came from Rome to represent the worldwide
Capuchin fraternity as well as his own Mid-America province.
Sean, an accomplished multilinguist, had prepared for the
ceremony by practicing for several days the Melanesian Pidgin
translation of the consecration rites and, according to the
Catholic Reporter, “He did very well, and we understood what
he said.”
As a seminarian, Don worked with Sean at the Spanish
Catholic Center which the latter had begun in Washington,
DC, and much later Don served as the Center’s director.
Ironically, Don served as a deacon at the liturgy when Sean
was consecrated bishop of the Virgin Islands in 1984 and
helped hold the Book of Gospels over Sean’s head. The
following year, Sean ordained Don to the priesthood.
Don taught philosophy for many years at Borromeo Seminary
near Cleveland, instructing Mid-America’s own Br. Ryan
Tidball. After his
election as provincial
vicar of the Pennsylvania
Province in 2004, Don
visited his confreres in
PNG and subsequently
volunteered for service
there.
When Bill was named
Bishop of Kimbe,
Don took his place as
philosophy professor at
the national seminary
near Port Moresby.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s presence for the
ordination and installation of Fr. Don Lippert
as Bishop of Mendi is deeply revered by the
people of Papua New Guinea.
Archbishop Steve Reichert, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, and Capuchin Bishop-elect Don Lippert are flanked by nationals of Papua New Guinea dressed for the installation
of their new bishop.

5. S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 N e w s l e t t e r
5
St. Clare: 800 Years of
Consecration to the Gospel
About 70 Franciscans, representing all the main
branches of the Franciscan Family, gathered at Our
Lady of Light Monastery on the evening of April 1
to commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Clare’s
commitment to the Gospel way of life on Palm Sunday
1212.
Secular Franciscans, Sisters of the Third Order Regular,
and Capuchin Friars joined the Capuchin Poor Clares
in the monastery garden for a combination social and
prayer service.
Following
the social, the
followers of
Francis and
Clare gathered
at the north end
of the garden to
commemorate
Clare’s receiving
a palm branch
earlier that
morning, 800
years ago, at the
Cathedral in
Assisi. Clare Harris of Lakewood, a 15-year-old friend
of the sisters, took the part of Clare.
All then processed to the Church to begin evening
prayer which included a reflection from Provincial
Minister Fr. Charles Polifka and a reenactment of
Clare’s running away from home to the Portiuncula
where she was met by St. Francis (played by
Br. Christopher Gama) and other friars. Sr. Adriana
González then clothed Clare in a habit. At the end of
the service, all of the four Franciscan groups renewed
their commitment while holding candles lit from one
that Clare carried to them.
A second celebration,
ending the “Year of
Clare” and open to
the general public,
will be held at
Our Lady of Light
Monastery on
August 11.

6. P r o v i n c i a l P O R T E R
6
With help from Mid-America friars
Capuchin Provincials Prepare for General Chapter
Fr. Christopher Popravak and Fr. Regis Armstrong of the NewYork-New England province
exchange thoughts on the proposed revisions to the Capuchin constitutions.
Every six years, all the provincials of the 158 Capuchin
provinces worldwide, the vice-provincials, additional delegates
from larger provinces, the general administration, and other
appointed friars gather together for a general chapter. This
summer, the general chapter will open on August 19 in Rome
and close on the feast day of Padre Pio, September 23.
Normally, these general chapters are scheduled for three to
four weeks. This chapter, however, will discuss and vote on
a revision of the constitutions of the Order of Capuchin
Friars Minor. Two weeks of the chapter will be devoted to
reports on the past six years and on elections of the general
administration. The last three weeks will be devoted to the
proposed revision of the constitutions.
In preparation for this chapter, the North American and
Pacific Capuchin Conference, devoted most of its March
meeting to studying the proposed text of the constitutions
and to learning the procedures of a general chapter. Mid-
America’s Fr. Christopher Popravak, who has served for
the past five years on the commission to re-write the
constitutions, presented several sessions to the provincials of
North America, Guam, and Australia on what the changes
were and why they were proposed. Christopher has also
presented workshops on the proposed constitutions to friars
at large throughout North America.
Changes in the proposed constitutions include more
centralization of authority in the general administration, as
well as in mandated requirements for initial formation and
practices of prayer. The structures of the jurisdictions are
also under question. The proposed new constitutions no
longer recognize vice provinces, for instance. There are only
custodies and provinces. Once all the changes are voted on,
the accepted constitutions must be ratified by the Sacred
Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes before they
are official.
Another part of the
preparation for the general
chapter centered on
knowing the procedures.
Mid-America’s
Br. Mark Schenk, definitor
general, led this part of
the NAPCC’s discussions.
Mark explained how the
general chapter deals with
the numerous languages,
how the unique parliamentary procedures are implemented,
and how “coetuses” or nominating blocs are formed.
The general minister has mandated Christopher and the rest
of the Constitutions Commission members to be present for
the three weeks during which the proposed constitutions will
be discussed. Fr. Charles Polifka, provincial of Mid-America,
will participate in the total five weeks, as will Mark and
Fr. Peter Meis, vice provincial of the Vice Province of Papua
New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, who is also a Mid-
America missionary friar.
During the general chapter, the entire body of friars will
spend a weekend in Assisi where Mass will be celebrated at
the tomb of St. Francis followed by a festive meal with the
Conventual Franciscan friars in the Sacrum Conventum, the
monastery attached to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
After the chapter closes, all the provincials and delegates are
invited to a grand celebration of the feast day of Padre Pio in
San Giovanni Rotondo, home friary of Padre Pio.
The NAPCC meets twice a year, rotating meetings through
the provinces in North America. The next meeting will take
place in Santa Barbara, CA, hosted by the Western America
Province, October 19-21.
Central Canada’s Provincial Minister Fr. David
Connolly and Br. Mark Schenk

7. S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 N e w s l e t t e r
7
Jubilarian Fr. Michael Suchnicki: To Be or Not to Be
by Fr. Matthew Gross, O.F.M.Cap.
The movie, Run Silent, Run Deep, is most applicable to
Capuchin Fr. Michael Suchnicki, who is celebrating 50 years
of the “wearing of the brown” of St. Francis of Assisi.
Michael is a man of many talents, but even more so a man
of much humility. This Baltimore native never trumpets
the enormous depth of the goodness he does for others. He
is content to be silent and keep the good he performs to
himself and his God. But like the submarine in the movie,
the fullness of his goodness surfaces in due time, and all
can see and appreciate this reserved and modest friar for the
wonderful person he truly is.
Before
he heard
the call to
religious
life,
Michael
spent
several
years in
repertory
theatre in
the New
York/New
England
area. Yes, he was a professional actor on stage, and there are
fine photographs carefully kept in the provincial archives to
confirm his acting career.
At the age of 21, Michael became weary of portraying
someone else, as he felt a desire to be himself as a religious
brother. He wanted to live a real life and not act a role in
life. He tells of his vocational decision in a moving booklet,
“To Be or Not To Be…a Brother.” He decided “To Be” and
in February 1962 Michael divested himself of his Broadway
garments and clothed himself in the Franciscan habit as a
Capuchin lay brother.
First professed in 1962, he served the community for 22
years as a lay brother until he heard another call ring in his
heart. This time it was “To Be or Not To Be…a Priest.”
Michael answered in the affirmative, and was ordained to the
priesthood in April 1988, in St. Mary’s Church in Ellis, KS.
During his 50 years as a professed Capuchin friar, Michael’s
unique gifts were exposed, despite his efforts to keep them
under the radar. His experience on the stage aided Michael
as a playwright, notably by producing the spaghetti western,
“Gunfire, A Tale of the Old West.” In addition, this actor-
turned-friar penned several books, such as From Rags to Riches,
as well as two books about Denver’s Samaritan House.
Michael emerged as a parish priest and a spiritual assistant to
many Secular Franciscan Order fraternities in various states.
For many years he served in sundry positions at St. Joseph
Military Academy, now Thomas More Prep-Marian High
School in Hays, KS.
But nowhere has the silent strength of his compassionate
heart surfaced more than in his present ministry at the
Samaritan House in Denver. For 15 years Michael has been
an untiring advocate for the homeless men, women, and
children who come to the shelter in dire need. He has raised
funds and written “Help Wanted” letters to newspapers for
everything from heavy coats to diapers to turkeys.
As chaplain, he has given spiritual comfort and direction to
their lives. One resident said of Michael: “Fr. Mike is always
there when you need him – with a smile or information. He
is one of God’s special people and, after spending time with
him, nothing seems quite as bad or scary.”
Michael truly runs silent, but oh so deep in the Lord. In
2010 he received the province’s “Conrad Key of Recognition”
for his dedicated and habitual concern on behalf of the
homeless and the poor. This award is given in honor of
Capuchin St. Conrad of Parzham, patron of the Mid-America
Province and a friend of the poor in his day.
Another of Michael’s “To Be” passions is his love for the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. He is known as a compassionate
confessor and makes
himself available
at any time for the
sacrament.
Finally, the actor-
turned-friar is noted
for his sense of
humor – as dry as a
martini, according
to some of his
audience! Michael
can maneuver any
topic, no matter how
serious, into a light-
hearted witticism.
“To Be or Not To
Be” is no longer a question to be answered by our fraternal
golden jubilarian. Michael has been and is a beloved brother
to everyone who experiences his Christ-like performance on
the live stage of real life, especially those in need of God’s
presence and healing touch.
One of Fr. Michael’s favorite pastimes is reading to
children who live at Samaritan House.

8. Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Provincial Porter
3613 Wyandot Street
Denver, CO 80211-2948
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
DENVER, CO
PERMIT NO. 2862
The Provincial Porter is a quarterly publication of the
Capuchin Province of Mid-America. The Provincial
Porter is named for St. Conrad of Parzham (1818-
1894), a Capuchin lay brother who spent most of his
life as the friary’s porter, or doorkeeper, in Altoetting,
Bavaria. As the porter, St. Conrad welcomed people
into the friary, received supplies and generously
prepared and offered food to Altoetting’s poor who
would come to the friary door daily. Similar to
St. Francis, he treated everyone with love, patience,
and a kind heart.
In many different ways, the Capuchin Province of
Mid-America serves as a “porter”— welcoming every-
one and providing for those in need. The Provincial
Porter strives to keep our relatives and friends informed
about the lives of the Mid-American friars.
Porterglimpses
Brs. Ryan Tidball and Christopher Gama will participate in
the Capuchin Profession Pilgrimage June 24 - July 10.
Pilgrims will spend two weeks in Assisi with visits to special
Franciscan and Capuchin places like LaVerna, Fonte
Colombo, Greccio, Camerino, and Albacina. The friars will
conclude the pilgrimage in Rome at the tomb of St. Felix of
Cantalice, the first Capuchin saint.
The 2011-2012 novitiate year closes on July 14. Novices
Donald Rank and Brandon Berg will return to Denver for
their profession ceremony. The 2012-2013 novitiate year
begins at San Lorenzo Friary and Novitiate in Santa Ynez,
CA, on July 22. Fr. Frank Grinko is the novice director.
Mid-America Postulants Jason Moore and Marshall Schmidt
will be invested in the Capuchin habit along with 22 postulants
from nine other provinces. Mid-America’s newly accepted
postulants will begin their postulancy year on July 1.
The friars in Papua New Guinea celebrated the 100th
anniversary of the birth of their saint, Blessed Peter ToRot,
family man, catechist and martyr, at Rakunai, his home
village and pilgrimage destination on the island province of
East New Britain.
Fr. Duane Reinert’s research article entitled “Sex Differences
in Religiosity: The Role of Attachment to Parents and
Social Learning” was published in the April issue of Pastoral
Psychology.
Sr. Adriana González has been studying Italian in
preparation for her two-year course in Rome which has just
begun. Fr. Christopher Popravak, fluent in Italian, has been
her tutor.
Fr. David Songy celebrated his silver
jubilee of Capuchin priesthood with a
Mass and reception at Family of Nazareth
Chapel at Redemptoris Mater Seminary
in Denver on May 10. David represented
American formators at the International
Reconciliation Week in San Giovanni
Rotondo, Italy, earlier this year. The conference focused its
content on the Sacrament of Reconciliation and its role in
faith evangelization.
Director of Development Stephanie Pedersen’s father Daniel
Pfeifer died on March 26; Thecla Haas, mother of Fr. Julian
Haas, died on April 1.