General Counciler Fr. John Bednarik from Rome, seven minister provincials and 50 other English-speaking Capuchin-Franciscan friars from three countries marked the beginning of the Church's new year by celebrating the inauguration of an intercontinental novitiate at St. Conrad Friary at Allison Park in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Fourteen men, aged 23 to 46, received the novice habit there Dec.1 and thus began a new chapter in the history of their worldwide brotherhood.
The Australian and Central-Canadian provinces of the order joined six U.S. provinces and the Vice Province of the Mariana and Hawaiian Islands in bringing their newest members together for a year of initial formation in Capuchin spirit and life.
Occasioned somewhat by the dwindling number of candidates in the various regions, the move was adopted primarily by a desire to promote greater cooperation between the various provinces in dealing with the worldwide needs of an order of over 11,000 friars active in 159 regions in 101 countries of the world.
The international character of the new novitiate in enhanced by the origins of the 14 new novices. They were born in eight different countries, and some of their parents were born in four additional countries.
Brother Hai Ho was born of Vietnamese parents in a refugee camp in Malaysia and is a candidate for the Western America province, centered in California. Brother Stephen Van Massenhoven of the Central Canadian province, centered in Toronto, was born in Canada, the son of immigrants from Holland and Belgium. Brother Felix Lee, one of three novices from the Australian Province was born in Sydney, the son of Korean immigrants.
Other places where the novices are from include Ecuador, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Philippines, as well as New York, Pennsylvania, and Kansas.
A good indication that the move was not primarily to save on manpower in the participating provinces is the make-up of the novitiate staff: Fr. William Wiethorn from the Pennsylvania province (headquartered in Pittsburgh) and Fr. Jeff Ernst from the Mid-America province (based in Denver) are co-directors, assisted by Fr. Zachary Grant from the New York-New England province (based in White Plains, N.Y.), Brother Brian Champoux from the Mariana Island vice province (in Guam), and Fr. Reynold Rynda from the Detroit province.
Most of the new novices come from families with three to five children. One is an only child, and another has seven siblings.
Most of the new novices have bachelor's degrees in fields ranging from theology and philosophy to computer and structural engineering to nursing to Indonesian languages. Brother Joseph Devlin is a priest with master's degrees in theology and divinity, who served most recently as pastor of St. Barbara's parish in Philadelphia.
The candidates have had a wide spectrum of former occupations, including substance abuse counselling, ICU nursing, customs brokerage, high school teaching, auto sales, campus ministry and factory work.
The average time the candidates discerned before asking for admission to the order was three years, with a range from three months to eight years.
The fourteen new friars are:
Mario Guerrero (N.Y.-New England province), 46, son of Guillermo and Nara (Rueda) Guerrera of Ibara, Ecuador
Fr. Joseph Devlin (N.Y.-New England), 42, son of James J. and Dorothy R. (Bertsch) Devlin of Philadelphia
John Koelle (N.Y.-New England), 39, son of Francis and Lois Koelle, both deceased, of Astoria, N.Y.
Lombardo D'Atria (New Jersey), 37, son of Lombardo and Mabel D'Autria of Miami, Florida
Stephen Van Massenhoven (Central Canada), 36, son of August and Bernardina Van Massenhoven of St. Marys, Ontario, Canada
Ernst-Gesner Daphnis (Pennsylvania), 32, son of Gespere and Andremene (Vital) Daphnis of Marigot, Jacmel, Haiti
Lawrence Bowers (Mid-America), 29, son of Lawrence and Marla Bowers of Delia, Kansas
Zoilo Garibay (Detroit), 29, son of Dr. Antonio and Bella Garibay of Guimbal, Iloilo, Philadelphia
Dean Mathieson (Australia), 28, son of John and Margaret Mathieson of Melbourne, Australia
Felix Lee (Australia), 26, son of Byung-Jun and Kil-Sou Lee of Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia
Jonathan Goldwasser (N.Y.-New England), 25, son of Hank and Jane Goldwasser of White Plains, N.Y.
Hai Ho (Western America), 24, son of Hao and Ngoc (Tran) Ho of San Jose, Calif.
Ben Johnson (Australia), 23, son of Helen and the late Kelvin Johnson of Maffra and Hopetown, Victoria, Australia
Miles Garrett (Pennsylvania), 23, son of Bruce and Louise Garrett of Beaver County, Penna.