A
History of the Assumption BVM Province by Fr. Dacian Bluma, OFM
Br.
Augustine Zeytz, OFM
A Struggling Community
A New Beginning with Solid Roots
Further Expansion
A Province
Missions
After Vatican Council II
The Present
The Order of Friars Minor, identified by the initials OFM,
is one of many branches known collectively as "Franciscans." The Order,
worldwide, is divided into several units. This is done to help govern
the units. The largest of the units is called a "province." A
province is comprised of both priests and brothers. In the United States,
there are seven provinces, and several smaller units called "custodies." The
following historical sketch will introduce you to the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province centered in the Midwest.
"
God writes straight with crooked lines" is a saying that rings true
in the history of the Assumption Province, and indeed, in much
of history. The early Church experienced this when, after the martyrdom
of St. Stephen,
a persecution broke out in Jersusalem, forcing the disciples to
move beyond the center of Christianity. It stimulated the missionary
movement
in the Church.
Br. Augustine Zeytz, OFM
This happened also in 19th Century Europe, where Christians were
persecuted for their faith and began the migration movement to
the United States. The history of our province is founded on just this
movement.
Brother Augustine Zeytz, banished from his friary in Russian
Poland, began his pilgrim way to the United States. The story of the
province
begins with his story.
Born on December 1, 1828, Br. Augustine's educational background
included several languages, philosophy and some medicine. He
entered the Catholic Church as a Calvanist, and shortly after, he entered
the
Franciscan Order. This was in August of 1861. He was 33 years
old. It was in 1872 that he was expelled from his friary by the Russian
authorities,
and he sought religious freedom in the United States.
He settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Pennsylvania where, with
so many Poles living there, worked the coal mines of that region.
His ministry to the people consisted of translating religious materials
into
Polish; teaching catechism, and leading prayer services. Because
of his medical knowledge, Zeytz would advise the people about health
care and
treat them for minor illnesses.
Recognizing their need for the Sacraments, Br. Augustine sent
letters to Poland and Rome, asking for priests. In 1880 he returned
to Poland
to present these needs personally to the Franciscan superiors.
It seems that his efforts in Poland met with little success.
Nevertheless, he
continued correspondence with the Polish community in the United
States. By 1886, we find Br. Augustine back in the U.S., blessed
with an offer
of one hundred acres of land in Pulaski, Wisconsin, along with
a warm welcome from the Bishop of Green Bay. His continued and
persistent contact
with Rome also achieved results. He received the document to
allow him to establish a Franciscan center (friary and church)
in Pulaski, Wisconsin dated
April 19, 1887.
Soon a small community of friars (the men to
whom he had been writing) arrived. Fr. Erasmus Sobocinski,
Fr. Stanislaus Jeka and Br. Sylvester Kuhn settled
in Pulaski a year later in April, 1888. The roots of a community
were now planted. The pilgrim found
a home.
A novitiate was opened and parishes in the area were now given
a priest. BACK TO TOP
A Struggling Community
The new arrivals expected something better than what they saw:
a swamp land, and a clumsy, unfinished building for a home. The
severe winters and poor accommodations took their toll. In two years,
Fr. Erasmus
died of pneumonia. Though the community grew to twelve lay brothers
and two students for the priesthood, the tensions mounted. Fr. Jerome
Schneider,
the new superior, took to the road to preach parish missions
in the Eastern states. His hope was to make the new foundation better
known in order
to encourage vocations and to ease the financial strain.
Br. Augustine, along with the lay brothers, felt the strain of
being without a priest and without the stability of a good religious
environment. By 1894 they appealed to Rome to transfer to the
neighboring province of Franciscans. Br. Augustine was now 66
years old, feeling
tired and discouraged. His pilgrim days were over as he moved
to Teutopolis, Illinois. BACK TO TOP
A New Beginning with Solid Roots
While the outlook appeared dismal for the Pulaski foundation, a
spark of new hope was generated with two friars studying for the
priesthood in Teutopolis: Francis Manel and Anthony
Wisniewski.
They were ordained to the priesthood in 1897 and, coming to Pulaski,
they began a vigorous plan of renewal that was blessed with phenomenal
success. A novitiate was opened in 1899 for new vocations. A minor
seminary was begun in 1901 in Pulaski, bringing in new students
and even diocesan priests who would staff the seminary. This group
of friars found able and strong leadership in Fr. Francis Manel,
who worked tirelessly as pastor, superior, novice director and missionary.
To further the work of evangelization, Fr. Francis began
Franciscan Publishers in 1907, Fr. Francis
became well known for his large
vision, his hard work and especially for his prayerful dedication
to the Franciscan life. It was his personal leadership that
inspired the community and welcomed new vocations. By
1910, Rome recognized
the new life and strength of this revived foundation with a
decree of autonomy and warm words of encouragement. BACK
TO TOP
Further
Expansion
In the years that followed, the community began expanding the
areas envisioned by Fr. Francis Manel: preaching, teaching
and publishing. In 1922, the minor seminary was moved to
Sturtevant, Wisconsin,
where larger facilities accommodated the growing number of
students. A college was opened in Burlington, Wisconsin,
to continue the seminary
training of new vocations. The preachers were assigned to
new friaries close to the parishes they served, such as Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
(1936) and Cedar Lake, Indiana, which served as a retreat
house
for people in the Chicago area. BACK
TO TOP
A Province
It was in April 1939, fifty-two years from its foundation when
the Pulaski foundation was recognized in Rome as a mature province,
that is, an independent unit of Franciscans judged to be fully able
to accept the responsibility for its own development and for the
ministry of the Church.
The printing and publishing facilities in Pulaski were also expanded
with a new printery building in 1940. Queen of Peace Friary
in Lake Geneva opened a newly built novitiate wing in the mid-fifties.
An
additional wing housing modern printing equipment was built
in the 1960s in Pulaski. BACK TO TOP
Missions
A most significant expansion for the province was a missionary
movement that began with ministry to the African-American community
of Greenwood, Mississippi in 1951 and continued with a foundation
in the Philippine Islands in 1952. In this movement, the province
was reaching beyond its traditional service to the Polish-American
communities. This attitude continues today as our friars continue
to minister to people of Hispanic background as well as serving
the missions of Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Africa, Morocco and recently,
Russia.
The expansion of the province reached its apex during the term
of Fr. Remiguis Steczkowski, OFM (1960-1966), when our membership
rose to some five hundred friars and fourteen friaries. BACK
TO TOP
After Vatican Council II
Like most other communities following the adjustments after Vatican
II, the Assumption Province experienced a loss of vocations. The
adjustments necessitated limiting the out-reach of ministries. In
effect, it meant withdrawing from some of our work, closing down
schools and finding new directions in evangelization. Some of this
new direction can be seen in our presence and service to the poor
in the inner city of Chicago. At the same time, the missionary effort
continues to invite some of our friars to foreign lands, not only
as an effort at evangelization but also in the interest of peace
and reconciliation.
One of the blessings of our province during 1999 was the integration
of the Byzantine friars into our community. We are now the
only bi-ritual province of Franciscans in the United States.
For more
information regarding our Byzantine Rite brothers. BACK
TO TOP
The Present
The present experience in the Church and in our community offers
a new challenge of hope. In the first one hundred years we have
known hardships and failures, but we have survived. We've more than
survived! The lesson of history is clear at least in this: that
when human effort failed, the success that followed could only be
attributed to the grace of God. It was the Divine working through
human means, like the deep faith, vision and courage of Fr. Francis
Manel along with the faith and prayer of the many little people
who supported the weak arms of the friars. It was from their families
that vocations were nurtured and given. Our enthusiasm and vision
continue to rise with the challenge of serving Christ and His Church!
Yes, God writes straight with crooked lines. We gratefully acknowledge
the mercy and goodness of God. We pray that you might want
to share in our journey. BACK TO TOP
Fr. Dacian Bluma, OFM, is a friar of the Assumption Province.
He has served the community as teacher, director of novices, provincial
minister and missionary in Africa. He currently resides at St. Francis
Friary in Mishawaka, Indiana.
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Br. Augustine Zeytz, OFM
Fr. Erasmus Sobocinski, OFM
Fr. Dacian Bluma, OFM
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