The feast of St. Padre Pio at the Church of St. John the Baptist.

As itinerant ministers of the Gospel, Capuchin friars are accustomed to change. Friars move from one ministry to another regularly throughout their lives. There also come times when, as a community, the Province leaves a ministry. 

On June 30, the friars said farewell to the people of God at Holy Cross-St. John the Baptist Parish in midtown Manhattan. The Capuchins had served collectively at St. John since 1870 and at Holy Cross since 2013. “This was not an easy decision for us to make; in fact, it was very difficult,” said Br. Robert Abbatiello in a letter to parishioners. “Due to the declining number of vocations and the increasing number of aging friars, we have had to make such difficult choices.” He expressed optimism that the friars will emerge stronger from this transition as they focus on the renewal of their fraternal life. “In all of this, we are called to be people of hope, trusting in God, and welcoming the movement of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us as we go forward.”

St. John the Baptist was the second foundation of the Capuchins in the eastern United States. (Our Lady of Sorrows Parish and Friary was established in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1867.) In its early years it supported German immigrants who worked in the Garment District of midtown Manhattan. Under the pastor Bonaventure Frey, the people built the present-day church, designed in the Gothic style by architect Napoleon LeBrun, on West 30th Street. With the opening of New York’s Penn Station in 1910, the church, located one block south of the train terminal, evolved into a spiritual haven for commuters seeking grace and peace in the midst of the bustling, sometimes merciless city.

The church founded three fraternities of Secular Franciscans that provided spiritual nourishment to thousands of Catholics, as well as numerous other societies and organizations. It responded to the rise in poverty, homelessness, and drug addiction in the neighborhood in the latter 20th century with the founding of its Bread of Life food pantry, 12-step programs, and other social services. Even as the number of parishioners fell sharply with economic and demographic changes, a variety of new evangelization efforts sprang up, including the all-night vigil to Our Lady of Fatima, a young adult ministry, a charismatic prayer group, and many other devotional groups. Under pastor Francis Gasparik, the church undertook major renovations in the 1990s, saving the parish from closure. After the canonization of Padre Pio in 2002, the friars obtained first-class relics that they installed in a permanent shrine in the east wall of the church. The church has celebrated a weekly novena Mass in honor of St. Pio ever since, as well as a festive Mass and neighborhood procession on his feast day.

The Archdiocese of New York merged St. John the Baptist Church with Holy Cross Church on West 42nd Street in 2015, further extending the mission of the Capuchins to show forth “Christ in the City.”

“I wish to express my sincere and humble gratitude for the warm and kind reception you have always given the friars assigned to the parish,” said Brother Robert. “You have loved us, befriended us, supported us, and prayed for us and with us. You have become members of our extended family, participating in joyous events such as our religious professions, ordinations, anniversaries, and provincial celebrations. You have been patient, kind, charitable, cooperative, friendly, and hospitable to our brothers. I know that the friars presently assigned to the parish and friary will leave the parish with hearts full of gratitude for their time among you, and I’m confident they will assure you of their continued prayers for you.”

After more than 20 years of ministry in Vermont, the Province concluded its service in the Catholic communities of the Diocese of Burlington at the end of June. Over those years, we shared the Good News with the parishioners of St. Peter (Rutland), St. Bridget and St. Stanislaus (West Rutland), St. Dominic (Proctor), St. Alphonsus (Pittsford), and Our Lady of Good Help (Brandon), along with the students and families of Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland. We are grateful for the many blessings the people of God have shared with us. The friars celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with Bishop John J. McDermott on June 17 at St. Peter Church. We thank God for the privilege of serving for a generation in the parishes of the Diocese of Burlington.◼︎

 The friars celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving at St. Peter Church, Rutland, Vt., on June 17.