For additional information, contact:



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For additional information, contact:

Colleen K. Crane, The Capuchin Province of St. Joseph Public Relations Office

414.374.8841, ext. 27 (cell) 414.254.2808

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

150th Anniversary of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph Is Being Celebrated

Detroit, MI (September 11, 2006) – The Capuchin Province of St. Joseph is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first permanent Capuchin foundation in the Americas.

The opening celebration took place September 2 in New York, marking the date that the founders arrived in the US from Switzerland. An October celebration is scheduled in Wisconsin, where the founders journeyed to the rural area of Mt. Calvary and formed the first Capuchin community, now the site of St. Lawrence friary and Saint Lawrence High School Seminary. Additional celebrations will also be taking place in Detroit where the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph has several communities and numerous ministries, including the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Solanus Center.

“This is a joyous event,” commented Daniel Anholzer, Provincial Minister of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph. “This is where it all began. The Capuchins were well established in Europe when our founders, two Swiss diocesan priests, John Frey and Gregory Haas, arrived in New York after a 49 day sea voyage. They then took an eight day train trip to Milwaukee where they secured horses and journeyed northward to a hill called Mt. Calvary, located in central Wisconsin.  It was the end of a perilous journey that began in Switzerland.

“It is humbling to realize that these two individuals began the Capuchin permanent presence in the new world and that it all began in this province, the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order,” Anholzer continued.

Originally the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph spanned New York to Montana. In 1952, the increasing number of friars and the logistics of serving such a vast area were challenging. The existing province was split into two provinces and the Capuchin Province of St. Mary was created. In addition, other provinces were established by Bavarian, Italian and Irish Capuchins. Today, there are eight provinces in North America with approximately 1,000 Capuchin friars serving the poor and disenfranchised.

“As important as this milestone is, we must look to the future,” Anholzer stated. “The need for Capuchin ministries has grown, not diminished. With the help of our partners, volunteers, and donors in the communities we serve, we will continue to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Consequently, our celebration will be structured around the theme of remembering the past, celebrating the present and laying foundations for the future. We see this time as a time to celebrate our present life and to recommit ourselves to build the future.”

The friars of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph live as a community of brothers, modeling themselves after St. Francis of Assisi. The friars serve in a variety of ministries including social service, schools, chaplaincy, retreat houses and parishes in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nicaragua, and Panama. There are currently 180 friars serving in the province.

The Capuchin Province of St. Joseph is headquartered in Detroit.

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