Members Elect Fraternity Council

Sister Caritas

UTICA, NY -- Professed members of St. Joseph Fraternity elected their Fraternity Council for the next three years during their monthly gathering Sept. 20 at St. Joseph-St Patrick Parish.  They also welcomed Sister Caritas, a visiting Franciscan who operates an orphanage in Uganda.

Fraternity Celebrates Christmas

Twenty seven fraternity members and guests celebrated Christmas dinner together Sumday, Dec. 21, at Swifty's Restaurant in Utica.

70 & 65 Years of Profession

Members of St. Joseph Fraternity recently honored two long-time Secular Franciscans -- Joseph Schmitt, OFS, and Elizabeth (Betty) Frank, OFS, who this year celebrate the 70th anniversary and 65th anniversary, respectively, of their professions.

200 Celebrate St. Joseph's Table

Rick Roberts

The celebration of St. Joseph's Feast Day -- first with mass and then song and refreshment at "St. Joseph's Table" -- "truly was a success," reports Rick Roberts, OFS, who helped organize the event. The celebration took place March 19, with mass at St. Joseph-St. Patrick Church on Columbia Street in Utica, followed by a procession to the parish center for St. Joseph's Table.

'St. Joseph's Table' Celebrates Feast Day

Secular Franciscans are coordinating St. Joseph-St. Patrick's Church's celebration of the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Husband of Mary.

It takes place Wednesday, March 19 -- first with mass and then with song and refreshment at "St. Joseph's Table" in the parish center.

Roberta Mickey Receives Immaculata Award

Roberta Mickey

Roberta Mickey, OFS, a member of St. Joseph Fraternity's formation team, received the Immaculata Award Dec. 8 from Bishop Robert J. Cunningham at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse.

The award recognizes “those who generously and unselfishly give of themselves to their parishes," the diocese announced.

Betty Frank Receives Peace Award

Betty Frank, OFS

UTICA -- Elizabeth "Betty" Frank, OFS, has been awarded the Franciscan Peace Award by the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Region of the Secular Franciscan Order (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis). "Our national theme is to 'Be a Bridge -- Accept All People As a Gift of God'," Mary Stronach, OFS, the U.S. international councilor, noted during an awards ceremony at St. Joseph-St. Patrick Parish Center Sunday (Oct. 27). "Betty Frank is that bridge."