In January, 2023, the friars of our Province gathered for our Christmas Holiday celebration on Thursday, January 5th. Before the festivities began, we gathered in the St. Margaret of Cortona Chapel of our motherhouse in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA, and were blessed to witness and participate in the Mission Commissioning of our brother Tage Danielson.
At our Provincial Chapter in May, 2023, the friars re-affirmed to our important outreach that takes our friars to Puerto Rico and to Papua New Guinea, building up our brotherhood's presence there and helping the friars of these Custodies in their work among the people.
Our brother, Tage Danielson, OFM Cap., made his first Profession of Vows as a Capuchin Franciscan in 2013. After his ordination to the priesthood in 2019, Tage ministered in our St. Joseph Parish in York, PA, before joining the newly inaugurated staff of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Indiana, PA, in 2020. That pandemic year was a tough one to initiate a Capuchin "presence," and Tage and our confreres slowly and successfully were able to minister to the parish and to the students of IUP (Penn State Indiana),
Bob Marva, pictured in the photo at the top of the page, presenting Tage with his mission cross which will accompany him throughout his time in Papua New Guinea. Our Provincial brother Bob invited all of the assembled friars to pray a blessing as Tage began his new adventure in ministry.
All of the photos taken of the event by our br. Matt Hindelang, OFM Cap., can be found on our Gallery pages.
Now in Madang in the Southern Highlands of PNG, Tage is working on the pre-novitiate formation team and sent us the happy news that last Friday our brother Neil Blue, OFM Cap., placed a Tau cross around the neck Emel Willie's, thus marking the beginning of Emel's postulancy formation. There are four pre-postulants (pictured below without their Tau crosses!) with one other man to join soon.
All of this took place at Padre Pio Friary, where Melchior Aglua, OFM Cap., serves as Guardian and Formation Director. Neil stepped in to do the 'tauing' for Custos (Minister) Modest Eligi, OFM Cap., who is on home-leave in Tanzania. Also in the photo are Joseph Xavier Karivelikonam, OFM Cap. (Postulancy Director) and Paul Mombea, OFM Cap. (who just completed his year as a novice). Alright, let's put names to faces
From left to right: Virgil Verave, Joseph Xavier, Melchior, Neil, Emel, Tage, Simon Tindini, Samuel Kiwagle, Kulex Peter and Paul.