ST. LOUIS - The Franciscan friars of Sacred Heart Province, based in St. Louis, elected new major superiors during their chapter June 8-13.
The newly elected provincial minister is Father Michael Perry, OFM, of Indianapolis. Father Michael spent six years as a missionary in Zaire and has gained his doctorate in missiology. He has worked for the U.S. Bishops' Conference, Franciscans International, and Catholic Relief Services.
The newly elected provincial vicar is Father Michael Jennrich, OFM, from St. Paul, Minn. He has worked in New Orleans for Tau House Ministries and in LaJara, N.M., in a ministry for caregivers. Recently he has been one of the core members of the interprovincial house of prayer in Ava, Mo.
The newly elected members of the provincial council are Fathers John Dombrowski, OFM, Jim Lause, OFM, Ralph Parthie, OFM, Tony Posadas, OFM, Ed Shea, OFM, and Bill Spencer, OFM.
Father John is pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Joliet. Father Jim is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in St. Louis. Father Ralph is vice president for mission at Quincy University in Quincy. Father Tony is the pastor of Mission San Jose in San Antonio, Texas. Father Ed is on the formation team for the simply professed friars after novitiate. Father Bill is the pastor of St. Peter's Church-in-the-Loop in downtown Chicago.
Besides the election of new leadership the Chapter 2008 also embarked upon a project to discover and articulate the province's most effective and credible life-style and mission in the church and society. In addition, the friars approved significant proposals to identify and respond to the multiculturalism in the province by means of a cultural audit, to embrace a "flex mission" program whereby individual friars can be involved in a missionary experience to a limited amount of time, and to heighten - in the Franciscan tradition - the friars' dialogue and interaction with Islam.
The friars also discussed development of leadership among members, collaboration with other Franciscan entities in the Midwest, and the financial situation in the light of current economic conditions.