SERVilE COLLEGE PERTH - THE NEW ST

The calendar tells us it is Spring, but we in Chicago have yet to
see an extended period of sunshine and clear skies . But Spring it
is nonetheless and signs of new life are popping up in the Servite
world regardless (except for our South African and Australian
family who are moving into Fall) .
In this issue of Servites Today, Fr. Don Siple, O.S.M., reminds us in
a reflection that there is more to Easter than just dressing up and
having dinner with family. We also see the new life in the Servite
Secular Order by focusing on two worthy men who are among
its newes mem e r~ . r r. ,- h "O>lUfJoIt:. 0\" 0>",, ...., • . .1 ., . ,., . , il_:' ~ ': ~ :.; :
from Australia where the friars and faculty of Servite College
are celebrating the dedication of a brand new school building.
Milestones are marked by some of our friars, and one, Fr. Peter
Rookey, O.S .M ., celebrates a rare anniversary. Finally, we look at
the St. Peregrine Ministry and some of the novel ways they are
exploring to reach out to those in need.
Whatever the weather and season may be, a springtime of life is
unfolding for the Servite Family. And whether or not it feels like
Easter, Easter is here regardless . And that is as it should be. As Sr.
Joyce Rupp, O.S.M., reminds us,
"One consoling aspect is that Easter is more than a feeling
moment . It is a faith moment. It is a time when we bring our
whole self to join with others in celebrating a significant fact of
our belief, and in doing so we can sometimes catch the spirit
of joy from their hearts. At other times, we can enter into their
spirit of celebration simply by being bonded, being present
with them, knowing with satisfaction that we are at home with
Easter's spirit because of the joy in their hearts" (56). *
Mav that spirit of iov be with vou and vour loved ones ;n this
blessed Easter season.
'tRupp, J oyce . Fresh Bread (lnd Other Gifts ofSpiriwal NO llrisiJrncllt. Notre Dame: Ave
1-.\aria Press. 1985.
II
ALL IN THE (SERVITE) FAMILY" t would be impossible to ignore the
contributions made over the years
by lay groups associated with the
Servants of Mary. Early documents
mention a layman, Henry of Baldovino,
who purchased the land in Florence
for the earliest Servite community and
later became an oblate of the Order.
The seven founders themselves were
members of a lay society who eventually
came together to form a community.
And the tradition continues. David
1accino and Eugene de la Paz Ramirez
are two Servite Secular Order members
who reflect the singular call to holiness,
shared by all Servites, by follO\ving the
example of Mary, mother of the Lord.
I
\I\!hen asked what attracted him to the
Servites, David Iaccino, 51, stated that
Servites are in his blood. His parents
were married at Our Lady of Sorrows
Basilica in Chicago and Servite priests
figured very prominently in their
lives. But mostly, it vvas the charism
of service and devotion to the Blessed
Mother that drew David. "I had just
finished my role as my mother'S primary
caregiver and could have easily lapsed
into a life of unambitious leisure if not
due to the friendship and outreach
of several members of Assumption
Church. It was hardly a quantum leap
to identify w ith a community w hich
extended hospitality while offering
devotion to )\/[ary. After all, an Italian
boy never strays far rrom ills mother.
David made his Promise as a Secular
Order member on Janu ary 25, 2010 at
Assumption Church, Chicago. He has
held many titles during his lifetime'
student, doctor of podiatric medicine,
lay minister - but member of the
Secular Order of Servants of Mary is
the one label that ca rries the "greatest
source of my joy."
Recently elected Prior of his
community, David has been challenged
to see things in a different light. "As
a doctor, I had adopted an attitude
of rugged individu alism and was
umv:illing to delegate responsibility."
But, "the continued success of our
community does reside in the good
will and con tributions of each and
every member." The St. Mary, Source
of Our Joy community at Assumption
parish has adopted two mottoes for the
year. The Drst is "live in the moment. "
It I S 1l11pOnant 11 t 1 est: uay:O 01 lldlLllal
disasters and so much loss not to
neglec t the joy and virtues inherent in
the moment. And the second motto is
focused on the use of healing words:
"vVe can impart so much by just one
kind word or gesture," says David. "So
much rudeness and lack of civility is
spread in record time, that it would
be ad mirable to exert a positive
influence in the opposite direction."
Also, as David had been involved in
hospice with both of his parents, he
would like to see the Servites and his
secular community pursue roles in this
ministry. David sees these ministries
as being able to make a difference and
as causes worth pursuing because
"Secular Servites enact their apostolate
in areas and among people where clergy
may perhaps not have ready access."
of the Mother of Sorrows Secular
Community in Union City, California.
He was born in Los Angeles in 1974 to
immigrant Filipino parents. His eady
edu ca tion was in a Lutheran school, but
he transferred to a Catholic school in
sixth grade and is a graduate of Servite
High School in Anaheim, California.
His Catholic education enabled him
to establish a close relationship with
God, but this was nearly derailed with
the murder of his fa ther while he was
a sophomore in college. "I began to
see a god in my image and thought
He wanted me to enjoy life and do
anything I wanted to do as long as I did
it with good intentions," says Eugene.
But good intentions are not necessarily
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God.s intentions and Eugene felt
himself being guided back to the right
path by Our Lady, culminating in his
Promise as a Secular Order member in
May of last year. For Eugene, the most
satisfying thing about being a member
of the Secular Order is experiencing
Jesus through the eyes of His mother
and being inspired by that experience
to make his own "fiat" or 'yes" to the
will of God.
As a Secular Servite, Eugene sees his
vocation as being God's hands on earth.
He experiences this as a husband and
father of three (soon to be four), in his
li Ft' , 2~1 '.:1 in <;:cn'ice as 9 C; p r l b
Ser~Tant of 1vlary. Although the secular
community in Union City, California
is still in its infancy, they have already
established a compassion ministry
centered around St. Peregrine. Eugene
states that through the ministries of
the St. Peregrine Mass and Anointing
of the Sick, "we enter into the
compassion expressed by Our Lady at
the foot of the cross." The community
is committed to prayerful reflection
and staying attentive to other ways in
which they can bring the compassion of
Mary to the sick and suffering of their
area. "We also ask for prayers as our
new community faces challenges along
the way," he adds. "I feel honored and
privileged to be a part of the Secular
Order of Servants of Mary vvith 775
years of history and a Family striving
towards a life with Jesus through Our
Lady of Sorrows."
l W ' 1 " "' '''
r
The Rule of Life of the Secular Order
of Servants of Mary (#7) states, "As
secular members of the Servite Order,
these sisters and brothers are an
authentic witness to the lay origins of
the Order of Servants of Mary, whose
Seven Founders began their pilgrimage
as lay people united in prayer and
service in honor of the Blessed Virgin
Mary." The Secular Order historically
was and continues to be a vibrant
part of the Servite charism and the
Servite family. For more information
about the Servite Secular Order, please
contact Fr. Vidal Martinez, O.S.M.,
National Assistant, 3121 W Jackson
m vd., Chicago, IL, 60612- 2729, or email
osmsecular@aol.com
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Fr. liam Mackie, O.S.M., the last friar/principal, the Very Rev. Donald
Sproxton, IPrincipal Philip Cox, and President Fr. Christopher Ross, O.S.M.
SERVilE COLLEGE PERTH - THE NEW ST. ALEXIS BUILDING
arallel to the founding and growth of Servite High
School in Anaheim, California, the Servite Friars have
always had a second high schoo], in Perth, Western
Australia. Much less well known because of its location
in a distant outreach of the U.S. A. province, nevertheless it
has had many similarities to its counterpart in the land of
Disney and Hollywood. Perhaps the biggest difference has
been that since the early 1970s, Servite College has been a
co-educational institution.
P
like our Anaheim school, Servite in Perth has had the problem
of lack of sufficient ground space for its continued growth.
But on 18th February 2011 we celebrated a significant step
forward in alleviating this situation. 'We opened a large and
spacious two-storey building, containing a library twice the
size of the former, the rest of that floor being devoted to I.T.
(Computers galore!) The floor above houses various staff
rooms for the respective departments as well as some dozen
regular classrooms, making a total of 20 new teaching areas.
A particularly pleasant aspect is the "V" shaped openness of
the stainvell around which the rooms are located.
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The blessing ceremony was graced by the Auxiliary Bishop
of Perth, Very Rev. Donald Sproxton. Visitors, dignitaries,
former staff and students were welcomed in the central
quadrangle under a new immense shade awning, and a brief
history of the evol uLlon 01 the school buildings followed.
The blessing itself by the bishop took place at the. ulain
entrance and then a special bleSSing of the library and the
crosses for each room.
This grand building is dedicated to St. Alexis, one of the best
known of the Seven Founders. His great pride was to gather
alms in the streets of Florence for the education of the young
men ,-,vho had entered the Order. A propitious dedication.
. Fr. Christopher Ross, O.S.M.
US PROVINCE JUB LARIANS Fr. luke Stano, O.S.M.
50 Years Ordination
May 27, 2011
n [vlay 17th, 2011, Fr. Peter Rookey will celebrate a
milestone that few priests reach: his 70th anniversary
of ordination. Though known primarily as "the
healing priest," Fr. Peter nonetheless has a wealth of diverse
ministerial experience.
O
Fr. Anthony Gaydos, O.S.M.
65 Years Solemn Profession
June 21, 2011
[n those 70 years, Fr. Peter served in a great number of
parishes, priories, and seminaries in the United States and
abroad. However, his most challenging ministry \vas as part
of the young ~roup of Servites who accompanied Fr. James
Keane to establish the Order in Ireland. "There were seven
of us. \t\!e were the seven unholy founders ," says Fr. Peter
with his typical humor. But it \vas a new land with new
customs, especiallr in regards to the weather and diet. "I was
running around al those years (1948 - 1953) trying to make
us known. It was very difficult. I was fasting and trying to
set a good example. I became anemic from all the running
around and was hospitalized," Fr. Peter says. But in 1953,
Fr. Rookey was elected a member of the General Council
and moved to Rome. Once there , he was again hospitalized ,
but eventually, "after all the pasta and red wine, 1 was never
sick after thdt." This assignment \·vas Fr. Rookcy's favoritc
becq,use of his deep love of the Order. This position allowed
him to travel widely and visit other members of the Order
in various Servite establishments around the world. After
Rome, Fr. Peter was assigned to Louvain, Belgium, then to
Germany, and finally back to the United States where he
served in a number of parishes. In 1992, he established the
International Compassion Iv[inistry.
Fr. Carl Feil, O.S.M.
50 Years Ordination
June 29, 2011
Fr. Timothy Kremen, O.S.M.
50 Years Ordination
June 29, 2011
Fr. Peter \vas born in Superior, \iVisconsin, on October 12,
1916 to Anthony and Johanna lvlcGarry Rookey. He entered
the Servites in 1930 at the IV[ater Dolorosa Seminary in
Hillside, Illinois. He professed his solemn vows in 1938 and
\vas ordained in 1941, all at Mater Dolorosa in Hillside.
For Fr. Peter, life as a Servite means the giving of one's self
Fr. Charles Toland, O.S.M.
55 Years Ordination
July 8, 2011
in imitation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, especially in her
humility. "lvlake prayer and humility your main objective,"
he says, "that is the answer to the vocation crisis. As the
pope said, 'actions speak louder than words.'"
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NON·PROFIT ORG.
u.s. POSTAGE PAID CHICAGO, IL 60607 PERMIT NO. 6806 ORDER OF FRIAR SERVANTS OF MARY 3121 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL 60612-2729 www.servite.org from the National Shrine of
st.
Peregrine
• The National Shrine of St. Peregrine is undertaking a project to put together
a comprehensive list of churches, hospitals, etc., that have shrines dedicated
to St. Peregrine. The goal is to make the list available to the many people
nationwide who contact the National Shrine inquiring abo\.lt shrines in
their area. If you can help us, please send us the shrine details to natlshrine@
hotmail.com or peregshrin@aol.com. Thank you .
Fr. Ch ri s Krymski participates in the dedication of th e SI.
Peregrin e altar at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
LaCrosse, WI. Photo by Matthew Kramer.
At the National Shrine of St Peregrine
(Our Lady of Sorrow SasHi a in
Chicago), Mass is celebrated at ll:OOam
on the third Saturday of the month.
There is a Eucharistic Holy Hour on
the second Sunday of each month, with
prayer s and sermon in Spanish.
• The Feast Day of St. Peregrine was held Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the National
Shrine of St. Peregrine, Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago. This year,
Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio received the 17th annual St.
Peregrine Healing Award. Bishop Murry is a dedicated promoter of St.
Peregrine and healing ministries in hospitals and parishes in his diocese.
.And in the light of this Feast Day and springtime when signs of new life
spring up all around us, let us keep in mind the sick and suffering whose lives
are approaching their ends from cancer and other diseases
God of all consolation, in the passion and resurrection of your Son, you
have caused the wood and condemnation and death to flower and bring
forth life and sal vation; grant that following the example of St. Peregrine,
we may stand near the crucified Christ in order to receive from him
health of body and spirit. Amen.