Fr. Dan Havron, OFM, and Sr. Donna Graham, OSF at a rainforest park in Ecuador (Courtesy, Franciscan Friars website http://franciscan.org)

Our Lady of Refuge will be celebrating the life of one of God’s beloved shepherds, Father Dan Havron on May 12, 2012 beginning with the 5 PM Mass. We invite you to come into the social hall after to celebrate Father Dan’s charismatic and profound Spirit of Christ that he so joyfully shared with all he met in his short life of 61 years.

For those of you that were not with us last weekend, Fr. Dan died on Friday, April 27, 2012 at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. The Mass of Christian Burial was at St. Clement Church in St. Bernard, OH on Wednesday May 2 at 7 PM. The burial was on Thursday, May 3 at 11 AM in the friars’ plot at St. Mary Cemetery, St. Bernard, OH. Please note that memorials are welcomed to the Franciscan Friars, 1615 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-6400.

Father Dan was a Franciscan Friar of the Province of St. John the Baptist for 40 years and a Priest for 34 years. We were so blessed to have had Father Dan sharing his missionary evangelization leaving a “spirit filled” legacy throughout our parish at large.

Here are some quotes from Father Dan written in an article from Molly Mulqueen’s column devoted to priests who have been exemplary ministers of the Gospel.

“Belonging to a parish is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is a call that stretches our mind, our humanity, our physical limits. That truly was the definition of an apostle. They were called way beyond anything they could have imagined and yet, the message was, ‘You can do it because the power of Christ will bring you through it.’”

“John Paul II has said that the lay persons in the world are called to transform it, wherever they happen to be. The call to holiness happens in the ordinary circumstances in our lives – every day. If we can cope and triumph in that, we are fulfilling that sense of mission.”

“The parish community, then, has to be like home base, or better yet, the dugout – the kind of place where you gather to review what happened and prepare for the battle ahead. Not just the cave where you go for solace, but the springboard that pushes us back out into ministry.”

Please do come and join us to celebrate Father Dan Havron even if this will be the first opportunity to experience his passion and love for Jesus and living the Gospel.

. . . and a heartfelt farewell!

Congratulations to Deacon David Wejnerowski as he prepares for the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Deacon David has been serving at our parish on weekends since last September and we have enjoyed his presence and his ministry among us as he preached and assisted at Masses.

This weekend is Deacon David’s last weekend as he finishes his assignment to our parish. He is completing his studies at Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary and will be graduating on Saturday, May 5. Then he is off to Metuchen, New Jersey. This is where he will serve. He will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Metuchen on Saturday, May 26.

Congratulations to Deacon David on this very happy occasion in his life. Our Lady of Refuge Parish sends best wishes and many prayers that God will guide him and bless him throughout his priesthood. Thank you, Deacon David, for sharing your diaconate ministry with us. We feel very blessed to have been a small part of your priesthood formation. Be assured of our prayers for you for a wonderful and effective priestly life.