2016
Fr. DePaul Ripko, OFM Cap., died on July 29, 2016, in Pittsburgh, PA. He was 89.
He was born on September 10, 1926 in Nizna Mysla, in eastern Slovakia. At the time of his birth, the village was a part of what was then "Czechoslovakia." His parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Potocky). gave him the name Anthony at his baptism; he would be their only child.
Anthony and his mother emigrated to the United States in 1937 and settled in Slovan, PA. They were members of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Burgettstown, and Anthony attended the public elementary school in Slovan.
Read the tribute by Fr. Bonaventure:
"The Warrior Chased the Little Way"
Br. Alfred Francis Vincent, OFM Cap., died Thursday, June 9, 2016, at Sacred Heart Nursing Home in Hyattsville, MD. He was 87.
Born in Keene, NH, to Omer and Dora (Provencher) Vincent on January 28, 1929, Br. Alfred was baptized at St. Bernard Church in Keene and later attended the parish elementary school. He graduated from the Keene public high school in 1947.
Br. Alfred was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Paul, and his sister, Marian Rocheleau. He is survived by his brother George Vincent of Keene, NH.
At 19 in 1948, he was inducted into the U. S. Army and was wounded while fighting for the American forces in Korea in 1950. He was discharged with honors from military service in 1951.
During our Provincial Chapter 2016, on Tuesday, May 31, the friars take time to remember our brothers who made their transitus to New Life in the past three years since our last gathering.In our hearts & prayers are also our parents and our Affiliates who have found their homes in the Merciful hands of our Lord.
"So let no one be my friend, I pray, that pities me;
it is joy he must share with me. Rejoice with me."
'Legenda Versificata' of Henri d'Avranches
Regis Schlick, OFMCap.,
84 years of age,
as slim and tiny as his years were long and stout,
has left a major gap
in gatherings at St. Augustine Friary.
He came to us just seven years ago,
retired from active ministry,
though he found enough ways to serve,
that he appeared to hold an assignment.
As small as he managed to remain,
his raucous cough betrayed his location,
that and his loud and exuberant greetings
for everyone.
Regis remembered classmates from seminary days,
and the class before and after,
defending data and anecdotes
until he would concede,
I guess I’m wrong on that one,
but in a tone that proved him right.
He mastered the facts of Capuchin lore
and talked as though the friars of history
were lifelong friends
and peers who shared experience with him.
Friar Regis proved as intimate
with past Capuchins as present,
and he made friends
with anyone who visited the friary;
the visitors never forgot Regis.
He formed a PR team all by himself,
and one who hung onto friends.
The places where he ministered were sacred ground,
especially Puerto Rico,
his homeland for 31 years,
and next only to West Virginia
for being close to heaven.
During the final illness
a confrere of Island ministry
would visit for a chat every day
with his buddy Father Regis.
In preaching, Regis took his manuscript to the pulpit,
with the result that he did not deviate
from the message and style of the textbooks.
All this he delivered emphatically, with gusto,
which made one wonder how good it would have been
without the paper.
Our confrere had eternal interests,
and what he learned in theology was one of them,
almost as strong as his love for West Virginia,
the Paradise of Puerto Rico,
and all his friends.
He made each of us important,
and then, as small as he was,
one could not forget friar Regis.
April 12, 2016
Bonaventure Stefun, OFM Cap.
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Our brother Regis Schlick, OFM Cap., died on April 12, 2016,at UPMC Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, after a long illness. He was 84.
Born in Wheeling, WV, to Joseph and Catherine (Lynch) on July 1, 1931, our brother was baptized at St. Alphonsus Church there and given the name Edward. He attended St. Mary Catholic Elementary School and Central Catholic, both in Wheeling.
After graduation from high school, Edward was employed as a textile purchaser until he joined the United States Army in 1952 at the age of 21. He was honorably discharged two years later and remained a proud veteran and member of the American Legion.
Shortly after military service, Edward entered St. Fidelis Seminary in Herman, PA. On July 13, 1958, he was invested with the Capuchin habit and took his Religious name, Regis. One year later, he professed his first vows as a Capuchin friar and on July 14, 1962, made his perpetual profession of vows.