Provincial Assembly
All the friars of our province gather in San Antonio each year on the first full week of June to be briefed on events of the past year and plan for the one ahead. We began this practice during Father Herman’s time, I believe, as Provincial Forums. The forums provided the “hoi polloi”, the common folk, a chance to have their voice heard in the deliberations of the higher ups that affected their lives in the monastery. One of the most colorful characters to have his voice heard was Fr. Joseph Peña (may he rest in peace) who once asked the superiors of the province during a forum to explain what “frugal” meant when applied to the vow of poverty. They explained it meant we were careful not to squander what we had or live an opulent lifestyle. If we were frugal we did not throw things away; we saved them. We learn to live frugally on second hand savings, on our left overs. “So then,” Joe replied, “frugal means to save?” Yep! Later on, when the discussion got bogged down in theological issues, Joe was heard to yelp from his seat, “Frugal me! Frugal me!”
Little of our assembly time in recent years has been spent on theological issues. A great amont of our time has been taken up with the sexual abuse issue that has surfaced in the United States press in recent years. Our province has used the opportunity of the gathering of us all, to train our personnel how to make our facilities a safe place for minors, and how to properly deal with minors. After a day devoted to this issue, we moved onto insurance concerns as our premiums keep rising and benefits keep diminishing. After two days of being stuck dealing with such secular matters, a group of us decided to check out the final Star Wars episode at the local theater. Reviews were mixed. Nevertheless the next morning we arrived back at the assembly hall refreshed and well briefed to respond to any boring topic with a Yodaism.
On Wednesday evening we gathered in our basilica to celebrate the golden jubilee of two of our priests: Fathers Christopher Timoney and John Henry Bordeaux. Christopher was born John Timoney on 30-May-35 in Philadelphia. He remembers the horse drawn carriages bringing blocks of ice in summer and coal in winter to his family’s home. Hearing God’s call, he entered the Josephinum seminary in Ohio in 1949. Here his vocation turned toward religious life and on 07-Oct-51 he transferred to our Carmelite
minor seminary in Dallas, Texas. On 15-Jul-54 he was joined by a young seminarian from Milton Louisiana, John Henry Bordeaux, and both were clothed in the Carmelite habit at the Monastery of Marylake south of Little Rock AR. John Timoney took the religious name Christopher, and John Henry took the name Gracian. They were joined in September by Joe “Ambrose” Bertrand and Michael “Emmanuel” Jamail. Christopher and Henry were professed on 16-Jul-55, making this their 50th “golden” jubilee of religious profession as Discalced Carmelites. These two classmates were ordained together in San Antonio on 26-May-62.
After a summer at Conception MO, their first assignment as priests was back at the Novitiate in Marylake. Less than a year later in February 1963, Christopher was sent to our new foundation in Houston for two years. In 1966, Fr. Raymond sent him to be superior of Mt. Carmel Seminary in Dallas. During his six years as superior there he presided over the renovation of the pool, and turned the place into an inter-provincial seminary for Carmelite seminarians from both the Washington province and our own. In 1972, he was elected prior of our monastery in San Antonio and the archbishop appointed him pastor of Little Flower church, which even back then was dubbed by the diocesan clergy as “the basilica.”
The chapter of 1975 elected Christopher Provincial to succeed Fr. Herman. In 1978 he was back in San Antonio, and in 1981 he was at Santa Maria parish in Dallas. He remained at Santa Maria until Thanksgiving of 1986, when Ralph moved him to San Antonio to be the Director of Students there. On 09-Apr-87, Christopher suffered a severe debilitating stroke which has left him paralyzed to this day. But from his wheelchair, Christopher answered the phone of both parish and monastery for years, and has ministered to priests and bishops of San Antonio as confessor even to this day from his nursing home where he was moved in 2002.
Christopher is the consumate extrovert, the life of the party. He keeps track of the whereabouts of any Sister who ever worked for us, and is the first to hear the latest gossip. Look for where the action is and you will find it gathered around that guy in the wheelchair. Like the pope at Castel Gandolfo, Christopher greets visitors to the nursing home from the second floor balcony where goes to socialize and smoke his cigarettes.
John Henry was born a twin on 06-Feb-36 in Lafayette LA, and raised in Milton. Answering God’s call to be a priest, he entered Immaculata minor seminary in Lafayette where he learned about religious life from our nuns next door. Henry was clothed with Christopher on 15-Jul-54 at Marylake, and they made their profession of vows on 16-Jul-55. Ordained in San Antronio on 26-May-62, he was transferred to Marylake after completing his 4th year of theology in June 1963. After six weeks of study at Conception Abbey in Missouri, he was sent to L
ittle Flower parish in Oklahoma City in June 1964. There was he tried by fire as he was placed under Albert Martinez as superior. The future seemed brighter when Henry got another pastor and superior in native Oklahoman, young Fr. Daniel Cardenas.
In the summer of ’69, Henry was trasferred to the Cathedral in Dallas. There he persevered under two pastors: Patrick Ahern and Andrew Palmero. In November ’73 he was transferred to Dilley Texas with David Cardenas. In July 1980 he moved to Santa Maria parish in west Dallas, but a year later was transferred to San Antonio to be student master to John Magdalene and his classmate who had just left their novitiate under Fr. Joseph Neilson. From August ’84 to June ’85, he studied in St. Louis. In November of ’86 he was made pastor of Santa Maria. In July 1987, he ca
me to Marylake, and served as Novice Master there from 1989-1991. Henry was appointed by the bishop of Little Rock to care for the Hispanics in Arkansas from 1996 to 2002. In 2002 he was transferred to Oklahoma City.
Henry is known as our pious friar, unperturbed by the cajolings of his brothers that he has made more appearances in Medjugorje than Our Lady. He keeps our libraries stocked with copies of Our Lady Speaks to her Beloved Priests. A most convivial man, Henry is known for his culinary skills. He makes a gumbo second to none, starting off with a cajun rue and blending in any fish or animal part available, usually with the help of any poor Brother who wanders into the kitchen unaware he might spend the next few hours peeling shrimp or de-boning a squirrel.
On the final night of our assembly, the Prioress of our nuns, Mother Teresita, invited us all over for supper. She was a splendid host, seen here with our new young Provincial, Father Gregory, and our old Provincial Ralph leaning on his cane. We joked with the nuns that we would stay all night, because we knew they were interested in watching a basketball game that night as the San Antonio Spurs fought for the national championship. These cloistered nuns are the Spurs biggest fans.
Little of our assembly time in recent years has been spent on theological issues. A great amont of our time has been taken up with the sexual abuse issue that has surfaced in the United States press in recent years. Our province has used the opportunity of the gathering of us all, to train our personnel how to make our facilities a safe place for minors, and how to properly deal with minors. After a day devoted to this issue, we moved onto insurance concerns as our premiums keep rising and benefits keep diminishing. After two days of being stuck dealing with such secular matters, a group of us decided to check out the final Star Wars episode at the local theater. Reviews were mixed. Nevertheless the next morning we arrived back at the assembly hall refreshed and well briefed to respond to any boring topic with a Yodaism.
On Wednesday evening we gathered in our basilica to celebrate the golden jubilee of two of our priests: Fathers Christopher Timoney and John Henry Bordeaux. Christopher was born John Timoney on 30-May-35 in Philadelphia. He remembers the horse drawn carriages bringing blocks of ice in summer and coal in winter to his family’s home. Hearing God’s call, he entered the Josephinum seminary in Ohio in 1949. Here his vocation turned toward religious life and on 07-Oct-51 he transferred to our Carmeliteminor seminary in Dallas, Texas. On 15-Jul-54 he was joined by a young seminarian from Milton Louisiana, John Henry Bordeaux, and both were clothed in the Carmelite habit at the Monastery of Marylake south of Little Rock AR. John Timoney took the religious name Christopher, and John Henry took the name Gracian. They were joined in September by Joe “Ambrose” Bertrand and Michael “Emmanuel” Jamail. Christopher and Henry were professed on 16-Jul-55, making this their 50th “golden” jubilee of religious profession as Discalced Carmelites. These two classmates were ordained together in San Antonio on 26-May-62.
After a summer at Conception MO, their first assignment as priests was back at the Novitiate in Marylake. Less than a year later in February 1963, Christopher was sent to our new foundation in Houston for two years. In 1966, Fr. Raymond sent him to be superior of Mt. Carmel Seminary in Dallas. During his six years as superior there he presided over the renovation of the pool, and turned the place into an inter-provincial seminary for Carmelite seminarians from both the Washington province and our own. In 1972, he was elected prior of our monastery in San Antonio and the archbishop appointed him pastor of Little Flower church, which even back then was dubbed by the diocesan clergy as “the basilica.”
The chapter of 1975 elected Christopher Provincial to succeed Fr. Herman. In 1978 he was back in San Antonio, and in 1981 he was at Santa Maria parish in Dallas. He remained at Santa Maria until Thanksgiving of 1986, when Ralph moved him to San Antonio to be the Director of Students there. On 09-Apr-87, Christopher suffered a severe debilitating stroke which has left him paralyzed to this day. But from his wheelchair, Christopher answered the phone of both parish and monastery for years, and has ministered to priests and bishops of San Antonio as confessor even to this day from his nursing home where he was moved in 2002.
Christopher is the consumate extrovert, the life of the party. He keeps track of the whereabouts of any Sister who ever worked for us, and is the first to hear the latest gossip. Look for where the action is and you will find it gathered around that guy in the wheelchair. Like the pope at Castel Gandolfo, Christopher greets visitors to the nursing home from the second floor balcony where goes to socialize and smoke his cigarettes.John Henry was born a twin on 06-Feb-36 in Lafayette LA, and raised in Milton. Answering God’s call to be a priest, he entered Immaculata minor seminary in Lafayette where he learned about religious life from our nuns next door. Henry was clothed with Christopher on 15-Jul-54 at Marylake, and they made their profession of vows on 16-Jul-55. Ordained in San Antronio on 26-May-62, he was transferred to Marylake after completing his 4th year of theology in June 1963. After six weeks of study at Conception Abbey in Missouri, he was sent to L
ittle Flower parish in Oklahoma City in June 1964. There was he tried by fire as he was placed under Albert Martinez as superior. The future seemed brighter when Henry got another pastor and superior in native Oklahoman, young Fr. Daniel Cardenas.In the summer of ’69, Henry was trasferred to the Cathedral in Dallas. There he persevered under two pastors: Patrick Ahern and Andrew Palmero. In November ’73 he was transferred to Dilley Texas with David Cardenas. In July 1980 he moved to Santa Maria parish in west Dallas, but a year later was transferred to San Antonio to be student master to John Magdalene and his classmate who had just left their novitiate under Fr. Joseph Neilson. From August ’84 to June ’85, he studied in St. Louis. In November of ’86 he was made pastor of Santa Maria. In July 1987, he ca
me to Marylake, and served as Novice Master there from 1989-1991. Henry was appointed by the bishop of Little Rock to care for the Hispanics in Arkansas from 1996 to 2002. In 2002 he was transferred to Oklahoma City.Henry is known as our pious friar, unperturbed by the cajolings of his brothers that he has made more appearances in Medjugorje than Our Lady. He keeps our libraries stocked with copies of Our Lady Speaks to her Beloved Priests. A most convivial man, Henry is known for his culinary skills. He makes a gumbo second to none, starting off with a cajun rue and blending in any fish or animal part available, usually with the help of any poor Brother who wanders into the kitchen unaware he might spend the next few hours peeling shrimp or de-boning a squirrel.
On the final night of our assembly, the Prioress of our nuns, Mother Teresita, invited us all over for supper. She was a splendid host, seen here with our new young Provincial, Father Gregory, and our old Provincial Ralph leaning on his cane. We joked with the nuns that we would stay all night, because we knew they were interested in watching a basketball game that night as the San Antonio Spurs fought for the national championship. These cloistered nuns are the Spurs biggest fans.
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