Newsletter 01A-English - The Piarist Fathers

THE PIARIST FATHERS
PROVINCE OF THE U.S.A. AND PUERTO RICO
Number 1
Fall 2011
PIARIST NEWSLETTER
VOCATIONAL RETREAT
Youth Is Our Concern.
If you think the Lord
may be calling you,
consider our next vocational
retreat.
Contact Father Alberto
Moreno in Miami, FL
(305-595-3777) or Father
Hector Cruz in
Ponce, PR (787-840-
0610).
T HE P R O V I N C I A L ’ S CORNER
Dear Friends,
I introduce myself to you as
the Provincial Superior of the
Province of the USA and Puerto
Rico, which became a reality on
Pentecost Sunday, June 12,
2011. On the same day, Father
José Javier Vanegas celebrated
his first Mass, surrounded
by many Piarists, lay people
and religious, and a large number
of relatives, including his
dear mother. It was very moving
when José Javier gave his
mother the corporal, which is
the cloth used to clean his
hands after they had been
anointed with holy chrism the
day before. He said, “Mother,
when you reach the presence
of the heavenly Father, tell
Him, ‘I gave you my son, a
priest.’ At that moment, you
will have direct access to the
heavenly motherland.”
I know that many readers of
this newsletter contribute generously
to the formation of our
Piarist priests. I address you
with an unshakable certitude,
which I have learned from
many generous souls. Any kind
of assistance to help form future
priests in the Church has
an exponential effect on grace,
which develops the mustard
seed into a huge tree where
birds can build their nests.
When my parents got married,
they were poor. In fact,
they always remained poor.
They received from my grandparents
a present of twenty
lambs. By then, the Diocese of
Zaragoza was building a major
seminary, and it had a great
need for help. Without hesitation,
my parents decided to sell
the lambs and gave the money
to the Diocese to help build a
room for an unknown seminarian.
My parents had ten children.
God chose three of them
(Jesus, Javier and Fernando) to
become Piarist priests. “A
grain of wheat, if it dies, it produces
much fruit.” (Jn 12: 24).
I invite you to help our new
On June 11, Archbishop Thomas
Wenski of Miami ordained
Father Jose Javier Vanegas to
the priesthood at the Cathedral
of Saint Mary. Piarists from the
Province of the Piarist Fathers
so that, with our mutual collaboration,
we may produce
much fruit for the greater glory
of God and the good of so
many young people and their
families, who are longing for
the bread of culture and of the
Good News.
I end with a prayer, which
my mother, Generosa, composed.
She called it: A PRAYER FOR
MY CHILDREN’S VOCATION.
“I thank you, my God, for
having given me ten children
and deciding that three of
them may be yours alone. I
offer them to you with the joy
and the pain of a new birth,
which is for me both a renunciation
and a gift of your love.
In the vocation of my children,
you make me a mother
of apostles, a mother of
priests and missionaries, a
mother of Piarists, who educate
young people in piety
former Province of the United
States, the former Vice-
Province of New York and
Puerto Rico, and from the
Province of Aragon concelebrated
the ordination Mass
along with our Superior General,
Father Pedro Aguado,
and many priests of the archdiocese.
Father Javier was born in
Nicaragua and moved to the
United States in 1990. He
became a United States citizen
in 2009. He joined our
formation program as a prenovice
in 2002. He studied
and letters. Teach me to remain
vigilant with them as they fulfill
their vocation and their priesthood,
just as I long ago looked
after them sleeping in a cradle,
praying and dreaming…
Jesus, Son of Mary, may my
children be like you as I try to
resemble your holy Mother. Like
you, may they be good and pass
through this world doing good.
May they heal the wounds of
many hearts. From their lips,
which so many times have pronounced
the name of your Mother,
may the miraculous words of
consecration flow. Allow me to
offer to your Sacred Heart each
day of my life: my prayers, the
Mass, my loneliness, my simple
daily work for my children and
their lives. Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I trust in you!”
-Fr. Fernando Negro, Sch. P.
Father Jose Javier Vanegas, Sch.P.
philosophy at Saint John Vianney
College Seminary in Miami and
theology at Saint Joseph’s Seminary
in Yonkers, NY.
He is now assigned to our community
in New York City, where
he assists at Annunciation Parish
and continues theology studies.
The religious of the Province of
the United States and Puerto
Rico congratulate Father Javier
on his ordination and offer him
our prayers as he begins his ministry
with the Piarist Fathers.

Page 2
R.I.P.
We ask you to remember
in your prayers our
deceased relatives and
friends:
Sr. Aedan Butler, O.S.B.
Steve Flood
Pauline Milano
The formation houses
are usually the ones, which
have the most personnel
changes at the end of a
school year and at the
beginning of the new year.
Three pre-novices moved
from our Miami community
to the one in Celaya
(Mexico) to begin their
novitiate: Melchor Ortega,
José Guadalupe-García
and Eulogio Ramírez.
Father Fernando Negro
traveled to Mexico to assist
with the initiation rite and
to receive the first vows of
Brother Manuel Sanchez.
Father Mario Vizcaíno, who
M IAMI N EWS
was in the missions of Tabasco,
also attended.
Six new young men have
arrived at our pre-novitiate
in Miami: David Montoya,
Jose Guadalupe-Hernández,
Fernando Chávez, Josefino
Martínez, Abner Gonzalez
and Ricardo Ortiz. They
joined Pablo Gómez and
Victor Carreras, who were
already part of our prenovitiate
program last year.
Never before has our Formation
House had eight pre
-novices at the same time.
Number 1
Two of the pre-novices,
Abner and Ricardo, will
begin their studies in Philosophy
at St. John Vianney College
Seminary in Miami.
The Miami community was enriched
during the past year with the
presence of Fathers Jesús Lecea
and Emilio Sotomayor. We have
now been further blessed with the
arrival of Father Rafael Capó.
Alfredo Vizcaino
“It is no secret that
the ministry of the Piarist
Fathers greatly depends
upon the generosity
of our benefactors.
Please consider
us in your annual donations,
will, trust or insurance
plan.”
Alumni Vocations
Father Matt DeGance, SDB
was ordained to the priesthood
in July. He will be
teaching this year at Archbishop
Shaw High School in
Louisiana. Carly Arcella entered
the formation program
of the Daughters of Saint
Paul in September. She is
studying in Missouri.
We ask you to pray for our
two graduates of Cardinal
Gibbons High School in Fort
Lauderdale.
What do Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart (1756-1791), Franz
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
and Franz Peter Schubert
(1797-1828) have in common.
They all lived in Austria.
They were all world renowned
composers. Anything else?
The Piarist Fathers began
working in schools and parishes
in Austria during the 17 th
century. Three of their stu-
For over forty years the Piarist
Fathers Latin Mission has been
fulfilling its ministry in the rural
communities of Tabasco, Mexico.
Fr. Mario Vizcaino began
this ministry in 1971. Fr. Oscar
Alonso joined the missionary
effort in 1981. Fr. Emilio Sotomayor
joined them this past
summer.
In July, Fr. Oscar and his missionary
team took their work to
three communities: Trinidad
Malpica, Venustiano Carranza,
D ID Y OU K N O W ?
dents included these three musicians.
As a child prodigy, Mozart
travelled with his father across
Europe during much of his
youth. Therefore, he did not
study with the Piarists for long.
However, one of his sons also
studied in one of our schools.
Today, the Piarists still work in
two schools and two parishes in
Vienna.
F O R T LAU D E R DA L E N E W S
and Alcalde Mayor, which
was a new community for
the mission. His team told
him about a large number
of sick and elderly people,
who wished to receive the
sacrament of Anointing of
the Sick. It was impossible
for Fr. Oscar to visit all of
the sick one-by- one in their
own homes. Therefore, the
community and the missionary
team suggested a
Mass for the sick. Fr. Oscar
Haydn
Mozart
Schubert
readily accepted the idea. One very
moving moment was the feeding of
the sick and elderly after the Mass.
The local community prepared and
served the meal.

PIARIST NEWSLETTER
K ENTUCKY NEWS
The Piarist School graduated
its largest senior class
at the 18 th annual commencement
exercises,
which were held at the
Ramada Inn in Paintsville.
Sixteen seniors received
their diplomas from Father
Thomas Carroll, the headmaster.
Harmeet Bhagrath
gave the valedictory address,
and Minus Helton
gave the salutatory address.
Twelve eight graders were
promoted at the school’s
2 nd annual promotion exercises.
Subhash Gutti gave
the class address, and Ms.
Laura Gibson, who was their
English teacher, gave the
promotion address.
Some of the groups, which
provided voluntary help in the
area, were: Helping Hands
Christian Ministry, Saint Raphael’s
Parish (PA), The Church
of the Resurrection (MN), St.
Paul of Tarsus Parish (IN),
Devon Prep and Our Lady of
the Assumption Parish (PA).
Their work included: building
a wheelchair ramp, painting
a house trailer, purchasing
and installing storm doors,
building steps, painting, refurbishing
an entire home, building
a new chicken coop and
helping at nearby St. Martha’s
Parish.
Audrey Collins, who is our
Outreach Director, is now taking
calls from groups interested
in participating in work projects
for the spring and summer of
2012.
We would also like to welcome
Father Alfredo Calvo, who
recently arrived from Chile. He
is now a member of our community.
A Thought from Our
Development Office
Page 3
"One hundred years
from now… it will not
matter what your bank
account was, the sort of
house you lived in, or the
kind of car you drove…
but the world may be
different because you
were important
in the life of a child."
Jesus and Peter Spend Seven Weeks in Devon
Peter arrived in Philadelphia
on Friday, July 8. Jesus arrived
the next day. They had
come for a special four week
intensive course in English.
On Monday, July 11, they began
their 8 am to 12 noon
daily study of spoken American
English under the tutelage
of Ms. Genevieve Bosma,
a Spanish and history teacher
The Piarist Fathers celebrate
Mass every day in local churches
and chapels. We do this to
assist local parishes and religious
communities of sisters.
In addition, we also celebrate
Mass in our own chapels. We
are always happy to celebrate a
Mass for the repose of the soul
in the middle school and
high school of Devon Prep.
Jesus and Peter would then
spend another four to six
hours each day learning
and studying English on
their own, with the help of
the newspaper, television,
and videos.
On one day, during their
second or third week, they
spent the day visiting historic
Philadelphia in the company
of Ms. Bosma and Fr.
Richard. The four tourists
ate an authentic colonial
dinner at the City Tavern,
where George Washington,
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin and
Mass Intentions for Loved Ones
of a deceased friend or for special
intentions, such as an illness
or an anniversary.
If you would like a Piarist to
celebrate a Mass for any special
intentions, then feel free to contact
us at: The Piarist Fathers,
P.O. Box 11822, Fort Lauder-
other founders of the United
States of America had dined on
many critical occasions (for example,
the drafting of the Declaration
of Independence and our
Constitution).
By August 5, 2011 Fr. Pierre
Diatta, the Assistant General of
the Piarist Fathers for Africa and
Asia, and Fr. Jesus Lecea, the
former Superior General of the
Piarist Fathers (2003 to 2009),
were speaking American English
with ease and comfort. They
concluded their stay on August
25 by celebrating Mass and a
special festive dinner with all the
Piarists of Devon.
dale, FL 33339. We do this
for the benefit of our friends
and relatives. A stipend is
not required. On the other
hand, we will use any donations
to help meet the expenses
of our seminarians
and retired priests.
Calasanctius
School
The Piarists founded
Calasanctius School in
Buffalo in 1957. For the
next forty-four years, our
members administered and
staffed the school for gifted
b o y s a n d g i r l s .
Unfortunately, the school
closed in 1991. The
academic records of the
students are now preserved
by the Catholic Schools
Department of the Diocese
of Buffalo. If you are a
f o r m e r s t u d e n t o f
Calasanctius School and
need access to your
academic records, then
please contact their office at:
795 Main Street, Buffalo, NY
14203. The telephone
number is 716-847-8700.