You know that we, the Capuchin Franciscans of New York and New England, are the Province of St. Mary. You may also know that Mary, who goes by so many titles, is Queen of the Friars Minor, that is, patroness of all the orders of Franciscan men.

You may not know that the Province of St. Mary is officially under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This Marian feast, always the day after the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is our patronal feast day.

The feast calls to mind the Virgin Mother’s ardent love for God, for Jesus her Son, and for all humanity. In traditional iconography, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is pierced by a sword and has seven wounds. A band of roses is wrapped around the heart. The heart is also enflamed. The Immaculate Heart of Mary gives us Capuchins a model of devotion. We can imitate Mary, whose heart was on fire for Jesus and for God. By meditating on Mary’s heart and following her example, we, too, can experience intimacy with God and with Jesus Christ.

This year, the Province inaugurated a new tradition, celebrating its patronal feast on June 8 with a Mass at Sacred Heart Church. A festive meal followed in the friary.

At this celebration, we also honored Dennis and Frances Brown, a couple whose service to the friars has been exemplary, by making them affiliates of the Province. As our provincial policy handbook states: “Affiliation with the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Order is a formal acknowledgment given by the Province to persons (lay, religious, clerical) who have given faithful service to a local Capuchin fraternity and/or to the Province of St. Mary. That service will be expressed by a generous giving of time, talent, or support of any kind, to foster the life and ministry of the local fraternity or the Province.”

This describes the Browns perfectly. “Dennis and Fran have been very generous financially to the Province for almost fifty years,” said Fr. Jack Rathschmidt. “Dennis went through formation with me from 1961 to 1968 and then left the Order but never left his love for us. He was a member of the original Capuchin Franciscan Leadership Council and was on our properties committee for many years. In that role, he and his brother Ken visited, at their expense, every house in our Province to assess short- and long-term maintenance needs.”

The Browns also promote devotion to the renowned Capuchin St. Padre Pio at their spiritual home, Holy Rosary Parish, Staten Island, N.Y. They sponsor a Padre Pio dinner every year to raise funds for parish needs and service of the poor. Dennis and Fran also organized gatherings of students who graduated from Glenclyffe, our former high school seminary, and St. Mary’s High School in Garrison, N.Y. In this role, Father Jack said, they sponsored a yearly picnic that gathered men and their spouses from all over New York and New England to recommit themselves to the Capuchin ideal.

During the liturgy at Sacred Heart, the Browns expressed gratitude for being made a part of the Capuchin family. “Since meeting Dennis, I knew that the Caps were an important part of his life, and they have become, and will always be, very special to both of us,” Frances said. “Our families and friends, and all of you who are here as devoted friends of the Capuchins, are the recipients of this affiliation we have witnessed this morning,” Dennis said. “We count this as a blessing, to accept this invitation as a sacramental sign of our union with you and each other, and with the Capuchin Franciscans individually and as a community.”

We thank God for the faith of Mary Immaculate. We thank God for Dennis and Fran Brown. And we thank God for you, our generous benefactors. Your devotion and charity sustain our way of life.