A new General Council for the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement was elected during the 19th General Chapter in May.
They are:
- Minister General – Fr. Emil Tomaskovic, SA
- Vicar General – Fr. Dennis Polanco, SA
- Second General Councilor – Fr. Jan Janoszka, SA
- Third General Councilor – Br. Paolo Nicosia, SA
- Fourth General Councilor – Fr. Ken Cienik, SA
On July 6, the Atonement Friars and the community gathered at Graymoor to officially install the General Council. The V. Rev. Brian F. Terry, SA, who previously served as Minister General of the Atonement Friars, presided over the installation ceremony.
Guided by the theme “Walking in the Spirit to the Fullness of Life,” the event began with an opening prayer:
“O God, on this day, we thank you that you have provided faithful and gifted people to serve as the leadership of the Friars of the Atonement. As they assume their responsibilities, fill them with your Spirit, endow them with your wisdom, and grant them strength. Under their guidance may our fraternity grow in every spiritual grace. Help them to perform their duties with enthusiasm and humility. In their work, grant them a sense of sustained awe which is rooted in the vision of Fr. Paul and Mother Lurana. Grant them courage and understanding. Surround them with your love. May you always be their support as they serve our community. And help us always to accept their leadership gladly, encourage them always, and guide them in your infinite love always for the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, now and forever.”
Following Scripture readings, Fr. Brian led the official installation of the General Council, beginning with Fr. Emil.
“Do you accept the ministry of service about to be entrusted to you by the Church and the Friars of the Atonement as Minister General?” Fr. Brian asked.
Fr. Emil replied, “I do, with the help of God.”
Fr. Brian also formally installed Fr. Dennis as Vicar General, Fr. Jan as Second General Councilor, Br. Paolo as Third General Councilor, and Fr. Ken as Fourth General Councilor.
Fr. Brian explained that as Minister General, Fr. Emil will take the name “Francis” as a family name “so that Francis shall be the surname, as it were, of our Community, that thereby it may be more impressed upon us that we are sons of Francis of Assisi, part of the Franciscan Family.”
The new General Council proclaimed their Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity, promising in part “that in my words and in my actions I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church. With great care and fidelity I shall carry out the duties incumbent on me toward the Church, both universal and particular, in which, according to the provisions of the law, I have been called to exercise my service….I shall also faithfully assist the diocesan Bishops, so that the apostolic activity, exercised in the name and by mandate of the Church, may be carried out in communion with the Church.”
The installation ceremony ended with a closing prayer and final blessing.
CLOSING PRAYER
“Most generous God, grant, through the dedicated efforts of our Minister General and new leadership who have been called to serve our fraternity, that all of us may know you better, and make you known to all. May we live more vigorously the gospel way of life that you inspired through Francis of Assisi and witnessed in the lives of Fr. Paul and Mother Lurana. May we always be faithful in our following the way of At-One-Ment. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
FINAL BLESSING (in part)
“May the very God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, even the most precious blood of the Atonement, make you perfect in every good work, to do His will, willing in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, and make you to be numbered among the Children of the Atonement in glory everlasting. In the name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Watch the installation ceremony here.
