Front Row (kneeling, l-r): Chito Bartolo (Philip.), Leopoldo Serrano Lopez (Hond.), Paul Patlo (Papua New Guinea), Ron Ojeda (Philip.), and Edgar Martinez (Philip.). Back Row (standing, l-r): Sean Kelly (Ireland), Thomas Forde (Ireland), John "TKK" (India), John Aurelia (NJ), Mel Hermanns (Calv), John Toepfer (Mid-Am), William Bustamante (Philip.), Juniper Hong Min (S. Korea), Bishop Domenico, Jeremy Henehan (Ireland), Terry Taffe (NY-NE), Richard Hendrick (Ireland), Adrian Curran (Ireland), Randall Knauf (Calv), and Remo Salvatore (NJ). John Petrikovic (Penn.) took the picture.
Mid-America's JOHN TOEPFER joined 19 other friars from the New York-New England, Calvary, Pennsylvania and New Jersey provinces and other Capuchin circumscriptions in India, Ireland, S. Korea, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, and the Philippines for the 2008 Capuchin Heritage Pilgrimage July 6-31. A biennial formation course sponsored by the North American - Pacific Capuchin Conference since the late 1970s and co-directed this year by JOHN PETRIKOVIC and ADRIAN CURRAN, the program began and ended in Rome, but mostly concentrated on visits to sanctuaries and hermitages throughout Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, which allowed the friars the opportunity to get in touch with Franciscan and Capuchin roots. Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi addressed the friars at his residence challenging them to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to be holy. He also sang a few songs which he composed, ending with his moving rendition of the Canticle of the Creatures. The friars had the opportunity to spend 11 days in Assisi, 3 in the Rieti Valley, an overnight with the Italian novitiate at Camerino, and 5 days by with Tuscan friars in Arezzo. Various bi-lingual liturgies allowed them to pray with German Capuchin sisters in Assisi and to share prayer with friars at Camerino and the Collegio San Lorenzo. This was the 20th anniversary of John's work on the pilgrimage.