God has been good to the Province in the latter part of 2025, sending many young men our way to consider Capuchin life. 

We welcomed 10 candidates to beautiful St. Fidelis Friary in Interlaken, N.Y., at our first vocation discernment weekend of the season, Sept. 19-21. Our candidates enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts Br. Brendan Buckley and Br. Bernard Maloney, and they even participated in the hospitality themselves, cooking meals with the friars under the direction of Br. Carlos Hernandez. They made the most of the gorgeous weather on the last weekend of summer, kayaking in Cayuga Lake. In the relaxed environment of St. Fidelis, the candidates and friars got to know each other better. They also heard presentations from Br. Will Tarraza and Br. Shawn Natola, who joined via Zoom to talk about novitiate formation and post-novitiate formation, respectively.

At the following discernment weekend Nov. 7-9 at our friaries in Jamaica Plain, Mass., we repeated the successful formula of our previous come-and-see weekend. The outcome has been a blessing; as of press time, at least three young men have declared their intention to apply for postulancy in 2026. God is good!

Br. Brendan Buckley and candidates at September discernment weekend in Interlaken, N.Y.