Variety #191 – Banner of our Holy Father outside St. John Lateran (12min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
This past Corpus Christi the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in Rome had the privilege of attending the Eucharistic procession of our Holy Father. The procession started at the basilica of St. John Lateran and finished at the basilica of St. Mary Major. We hope you enjoy some of the highlights of our special evening, which includes audio from the Holy Mass celebrated beforehand by the Pope as well as audio of the Vatican choir which beautifully animated the procession and the Eucharistic benediction. The video contains text in English and in Italian.
Fi News #116 – Bloomington on air (05min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Our newest radio station, With Our Mother Blest, in Bloomington, IN – WOMB 89.9 FM Ellettsville (the community of license) – is now on the air at full power! In fact, it was cranked up to full power a few weeks ago, but we have been so busy with three AirMaria road trips for conferences and then to World Youth Day in Madrid, that we have not been able to get this post up until now.
This is the 3rd radio station on the air belonging to our AirMaria Radio Network, the first being Holy Virgin Mary Radio, 91.9 FM Owego, NY, and the second being CorMariae, WPMW 88.5 FM Bayview, MA.
We are still fighting to find a tower location for Holy Name of Mary Radio, WHNM 89.5 FM Pawcatuck, CT.
With Our Mother Blest, WOMB 89.9 FM, is a very strategically located radio station because it reaches the 42, 000 college students and 3,000 professors that are at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Simply put, for the first time Catholic radio content will be delivered via this station to one of the major intellectual centers of the United States and of the world.
We are currently an EWTN repeater, rebroadcasting the EWTN Radio satellite feed 24/7 with our own top of the hour ID’s chiming in every hour to comply with FCC regulations, but we plan to build our own studio at the new friary in the winter and to begin to add more of our own content as we become more capable.
Roving Reporter #120 – First Holy Mass of 4 New FI Priests, celebrated at Assisi (13min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
This is the first Holy Mass celebrated by the newly-ordained FI priests, Fr. Alan Bernardino Wharton (USA), Fr. Vincent Michael Egbu (Nigeria), Fr. Giles Joseph Mary Atherton (Australia), and Fr. Vincent d’Elia (Italy). Our new priests had the privilege of celebrating at the Sanctuary of the Portziuncola in Assisi in the same edifice in which Saint Francis himself entrusted the Order of the Friars Minor into the hands of Our Lady some 800 years ago. The Mass was celebrated on March 26, 2011, the day after their holy ordinations at Tarquinia in Italy, and we ask that you remember these new servants of our Lord in your prayers. (more…)
Ave Maria! Yes, we are front runners for the ‘Silver Fish Award’ at the Vatican’s International Catholic Film Festival in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress for the feature length motion picture that the FI’s in Italy produced titled “Duns Scoto” on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. The other two films that are also finalists, and with which we are competing, are listed below. These finalists were chosen from a total of 746 films. The announcement will be made before the festival ends this Saturday, May 21, probably on Thursday. This is a great opportunity to put a spotlight on Bl. John Duns Scotus, the Franciscan scholar, who gave the theological foundation for the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, winning the title ‘The Marian Doctor’. It is also a great boost to our worldwide media efforts. Please keep us in your prayers that we win.
FILMS IN COMPETITION
Best Film – Best Director – Best Actor / Actress
Duns Scoto by Fernando Muraca, Italy 2010 – 90 ‘- The story of the medieval philosopher John Duns, also called Scotus because of his nationality (Scotland), who lived between the thirteenth and fourteenth century. The film is produced by the Franciscans of the Immaculate.
God’s MightyServant by Markus O. Rosenmüller, Germany 2010 – 2 x 90 ‘- The story of Sister Pasqualina, and the special role she had in the life of Pius XII, masterfully played by Remo Girone.
Marcelino pan y vino by José Luis Gutierrez, Mexico 2011 – 110 ‘ – Remake of the famous film. The main hero (an orphan in love with Jesus) is played here by a remarkable child actor. The action takes place
The film was Co-produced by TVCO, a multimedia production company based in Naples, Italy, which is also the executive producer and the international distributor of the work.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — After more than two years of planning, preparing and fund-raising, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate based at Our Lady’s Chapel in downtown New Bedford are ready to launch the first-ever 24-hour Catholic radio station in the Fall River Diocese.
On Friday WPMW — also known as Radio CorMariae — will make its official debut at the 88.5 frequency on the FM dial.
Operated by the Franciscan Friars in collaboration with the congregation’s lay apostolate, the Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix, the new Radio CorMariae has secured the necessary licensing from the Federal Communications Commission for what is known as a “micro-FM” radio station and will broadcast within a limited range from Westport to Fairhaven within the greater New Bedford area. (more…)
Our recently completed feature length film on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus has been selected as the official movie of the upcoming World Youth Day in Madrid Aug 16-21 2011. Our Italian friars just watched the whole film for the first time as an institute on Sunday, Dec 26. Below is a special poster we made for the occasion complete with the Madrid WYD (JMJ) logo. A rough trailer can be seen here. The DVD should be available with English subtitles in early 2011. We will keep you posted.
The translation of the poster is as follows (more…)
Correction - Originally this was titled “Our Founder’s Parents will Be Beatified”, following the post of Fr. Z’s blog. However it seems this is a miss translation and, in fact, their cause will merely be officially accepted. This simply means the process is not as far along but is nevertheless very promising. We will keep you posted on any further clarifications and progress in their cause.
Settimo Manelli (1886-1978) and Licia Gualandris (1907-2004).
The parents of Fr. Stefano Manelli, founder and Minister General of the Franciscans of the Immaculate will be beatified. Truly great news.
From Fr. Zuhlsdorf:
In the Italian daily La repubblica there is an article about an upcoming beatification.
Vatican City – In spite of the fact that only his salary was coming in, they had 21 children: an example of Christian “faithfulness” and “acceptance” which the Church points to also for every family today with the beatification of the couple. ….
I don’t have time to translate the whole thing, but with the beatification Holy Church will hold up Settimo Manelli (1886-1978) and Licia Gualandris (1907-2004) as “exemplary spouses and parents”.
In a time when families are being called upon to tighten the belt, in a time when the decline of the number of children being brought into families with a loving father and mother in the home, in a time when more and more children are being exposed less and less to a life of Christian faith well-lived, this beatification takes on its own importance, much as did the beatifications of Bl. Luigi Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, or that of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
Did you catch the age of Licia Manelli? She was about 97 (1907-2004)!! This is after having 21 children! I guess this beatification proves Paul right in 1 Tim 2:15, “Yet she shall be saved through childbearing; if she continue in faith, and love, and sanctification, with sobriety.” Deo Gratias!
Face of Pro-Life #120 – Friar Gabriel Cortes and Corinn Dahm (30min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Friar Gabriel Cortes of the Franciscans of the Immaculate relates his journey in faith that led to his ministry with youth in Australia. He first talks about his early life, how he started to get serious about his faith and his calling to the Franciscans. He mentions the devotion of his parents, the rosary and Eucharistic adoration as factors in his conversion.
Roving Reporter #109 – Climbing the Mount with Fra Giles M. (11min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Recently, the friars at our house of theological studies made an “opera di amore” (an act of love) by erecting a new cross in the mountains of Cassino, Italy. We hope you enjoy this photo collage of their journey and we expect that some of you will see some familiar faces along the way.
Roving Reporter #108 – An Italian family goes to visit the home of their Mother (11min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Would you like to see to house in which Our Lady lived? One of our friars in Italy had the opportunity to take a pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, and this is the first of 2 videos which recount the journey and tell the story of this extraordinary shrine. (Note: A view of the house is yet to come! Say a prayer that the Capuchins let me into the Basilica with a video camera!)
Ave Maria! Found this on Gloria.tv from our Mass in the Lateran Basilica on April 16, 2009, 800th anniversary of the approbation of the Rule of St Francis which took place at … this very basilica. Enjoy!
Highlights from the Solemn High Mass according to the Extraordinary Form, celebrated in Saint John Lateran Basilica, by the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate. All sacred music sung by the Friars and Sisters (Polyphony and Gregorian Chant) This is the first time that the traditional Mass has been celebrated in the pope’s chair since Vatican II. Quite a magnificent sight to behold! Video from Gloria TV
Our Contemplative Sisters in Lanherne, England are featured in an article by Father Joseph M Taylor on New Liturgical Movement complete with a long article and beautiful pictures, a few of which are included below. It focuses on the Sisters use of the complete 1962 Office and Missal. It also mentions the Sisters’ need for donations.
FI News #59 – First ever Eucharistic Procession around the Indiana University campus (04min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
The FIs worked with St Paul the Apostle parish, and the Student Life Team of the Newman Center in Bloomington, IN to conduct the first Eucharistic Procession around the Indiana University campus, ever. Watch this historic event.
FI News #58 – FIs leading the faithful in procession around a Bloomington abortion clinic (03min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
On Oct 22 the Franciscans of the Immaculate conducted a procession around the abortion clinic at Bloomington, IN where the main campus of the University of Indiana is located, 40,000 students in residence. It was a peaceful and prayerful event to honor Our Lady and remember the unborn. The large crowd of the faithful went around the abortion clinic seven times.
Roving Reporter #87 – Friar Terrance visits Friar Anthony and Friar Josemaria (10min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Friar Terrance goes “on assignment” (from his Mother) to Italy in preparation for philosophy and theology studies. Before reaching his destiny at Campocavallo, Italy – a stones’ throw away from the House of Loreto – he had a chance to sit down with Friar Anthony Servium and Friar Josemaria who are beginning philosophy studies at Villa Santa Lucia. What have these two friars been doing since their departure from the states, and what’s it like in the place that they’re now in? Listen now and here about their adventures and also what priestly formation is like as a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate. (We hope you enjoy the scenes from Southern Italy.)
12min) >>> 
Audio (MP3)
Ave Maria! Yes, we are front runners for the ‘Silver Fish Award’ at the Vatican’s International Catholic Film Festival in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress for the feature length motion picture that the FI’s in Italy produced titled “Duns Scoto” on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. The other two films that are also finalists, and with which we are competing, are listed below. These finalists were chosen from a total of 746 films. The announcement will be made before the festival ends this Saturday, May 21, probably on Thursday. This is a great opportunity to put a spotlight on Bl. John Duns Scotus, the Franciscan scholar, who gave the theological foundation for the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, winning the title ‘The Marian Doctor’. It is also a great boost to our worldwide media efforts. Please keep us in your prayers that we win.
