Franciscan Friars to Viterbo?

WHOA! I hadn't heard anything about this. This is BIG news and a great sign of hope!

On Sept. 8, Viterbo took a broad stride toward its goal of bolstering the Franciscan faith on campus.

Viterbo President Rick Artman and a select group of faculty and administrators hosted a Franciscan brother from the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in Franklin, Wis. for an invitation to live and work in the Viterbo Community.

Last week's visit is the most recent step in Viterbo's communication with the Franklin Province. The partnership with the Franciscans has been in the works since last November, not long after the passing of Viterbo's long time campus pastor Fr. Tom O'Neill.

"It was a question Fr. Tom and I had; could we further enhance our Franciscan ideals with Franciscan Brothers or Priests living in a male community that would add to what our Sisters of Perpetual Adoration already do," said Artman.

The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration [FSPA] have played an major part in planning the proposed Franciscan Community's presence, as has Franciscan Skemp Hospitals.

Not long after the idea for a Franciscan community was born, Artman spoke with the FSPA and Skemp about a possible collaborative ministry between all three. The idea was exciting and agreeable to everyone involved said Artman.

Artman then asked for permission to contact and extend invitations to Franciscan Provinces nationwide from former Bishop of La Crosse the Reverend Jerome Listecki, and after receiving both consent and good wishes, Artman began his search.

The installation of a Franciscan community in the collaborative ministry design will bring Viterbo's Campus Ministry Department to its full potential, something it has been striving to do for four years.

In the winter of 2007, Earl Madary, chair of the religious studies department, director of St. Francis Choir and contributor to campus ministry, passed away.

"Earl had a way of tying the campus together, and after he passed it sort of fragmented. He will never be replaced, but you always hope that the connections Earl made will gradually and organically grow back," said Rick Kyte, director of the Institute for Ethics in Leadership.

In the spring semester of 2008, memories of Earl were the focus of Viterbo's spirituality, with celebrations and stories of his life taking place both planned and spontaneously.

The following year, Viterbo's Campus Ministry Department dealt with change of a different sort with the departure of Campus Minister Chris McClead.

For the whole of the 2008- 2009 academic year, the role of campus minister was filled part time by a member of the FSPA community. At the end of the 2009 spring semester, current Campus Minister, Patrick Andera was hired for the 2009- 2010 year.

The following fall, Fr. Tom passed away.

Kyte has done some research on the topic of Universities without religious affiliations.

In 1997, he participated in the Rhodes Consultation on the Future of the Church Related College. The focus of the group was to investigate what happens when an educational institution leaves its faith roots behind.

Kyte said that one of the major differences between an affiliated and a non-affiliated school is the overall institutional identity. Kyte noted that schools with a "religious mission have a cohesiveness" about the entire university.

Without a university wide affiliation to some religion, Kyte said there is a trend for departments to identify only within themselves. "English people only speak to English people and math people only to math people…it becomes so that I'd rather talk to someone in California over the phone, than go to the office next door."

"Viterbo has an advantage to have the FSPA right next door…and what a priest would do is increase that visibility and presence even more," Kyte said.

Yet even without the presence of a priest on Viterbo's campus, Andera is making the Ministry Department visible.

Mass has remained a priority, but priests are difficult to find all over the LaCrosse area; this led to the suspension of 11 a.m. mass on Sundays. But the 6 p.m. service has remained and even thrived throughout the summer as various local priests volunteered to celebrate with the San Damiano Community, and Polly Pappadopoulos, musician for the department of campus ministry provided music ministry. [It's bad music and a wreckovated chapel, but this move could bring about real reform!  These things can be contemporary without the shame of being modern.]

One of the steady celebrants of 6 p.m. mass has been Fr. John Parr of Viroqua. Parr has found a following in the San Damiano community. "He is so relatable and down to earth, but profound," said Pat Kerrigan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, a regular at the Sunday 6 p.m. Service.

Now that school is back in session, one of Andera's focuses is on re-establishing the noon mass that Fr. Tom made a regular celebration for both students and the FSPA community.

With an establishment of a community of the Franciscan Friars from the Blessed Virgin Mary Province, which Artman "feels confident we'll soon have," Viterbo would no longer have to worry about whether or not mass is taking place on any given day, and the decision for who the celebrant is for the day would be between the Friars.

Lumen

I could only find a Facebook page for the friars.  You can see the pictures, they are wearing Franciscan HABITS!!  This is exciting!!