Inter-American Notes

Conferences
Symposium on American Franciscan History

The Academy of American Franciscan History, the Franciscan Center at Cardinal Stritch University, and the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University hosted a Symposium on American Franciscan History at Cardinal Stritch University on October 17-20, 2002. The symposium assessed the current state of research on Franciscan men and women in the United States. Joseph Chinnici, OFM, and Angelyn Dries, OSF opened the conference with a paper on "Nineteenth and Twentieth Century U.S. Franciscan History: The State of the Question." Plenary sessions followed featuring Carol Coburn speaking on the "Historiography of Women Religious and the Implications for American Franciscan History," Christopher Kauffman on "Historiography of Men's Orders and Societies," a panel on "Evangelization and Mission" featuring Margaret Guider, OSF on "Franciscan Women's Communities in Brazil", Pat McCloskey, OFM, on "Franciscans in China," and Beth Lynn, PC, "Poor Clares in Africa and South Korea," a session on "Hagiography for a Post-Modern Era" featuring Michael Crosby, OFM on Solanus Casey, OFM Cap and Kathleen Osbelt, OSF on Mother Marianne Cope, OSF, and a final session with William Cook on "Franciscan Art in the United States." A panel focused on "Writing the History of a Community: The Franciscan Family in the New York Region" featuring case studies by Emmett Corry, OSF, on "The Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn," Rose Margaret Delaney, SFP and David Flood, OFM, on "The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor and St. Anthony's Hospital, Warwick, NY" and Joseph White, "The Friars Minor of the Holy Name Province. New York." A series of working groups focused on Charism and Institutional Identity of Franciscan Men and Women, Institutional Conflict, Economic Impact and Relationship with Society, From Ethnic Groups to Globalization, and Religious Life and Change, and included presentations by Emily Ann Herbes, OSF, Barbara Misner, SCSC, Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, Florence Deacon, OSF, Fran Gangloff, OSF, and Joseph Chinnici, OFM. A special archivists' working group moderated by Dolores Liptak, RSM met three times to discuss common problems and opportunities for collaboration among Franciscan archivists. Presentations were made by Elvira Kelley, OSF, Marita Maschman, OSF, and Francis Assisi Kennedy, OSF.

The Symposium demonstrated the wide variety of topics currently being researched on Franciscan men and women in the United States, but also suggested many areas where future research is needed. The Proceedings of the Symposium will be published by the sponsoring agencies. For more information contact the Dr. Jeffrey M. Burns, Director, Academy of American Franciscan History, 1712 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, (510) 548-1755, acadafh@fst.edu.

J. M. B.

Cultural News
Jesús María Sanromá (1902-1984)

This past year Puerto Rico proudly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of pianist Jesús María Sanromá. Born on November 7, 1902 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to Catalonian parents, Sanromá discovered his true passion for the piano at age nine. Two years later he gave his first piano recital in his hometown. In 1917, with the support of a government scholarship, he moved to Boston to further his musical studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. He graduated with honors in 1920.

In the 1920s Sanromá became a very active pianist in the Boston area, assuming the role of official pianist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and appearing as guest soloist with several Boston chamber music and symphonic groups. After a 1924 tour with Jacques Thibaud, the eminent French violinist, Thibaud and the 21 year-old pianist made their first RCA recording in the studios in Camden, New Jersey.

By late 1924, Sanromá started his important professional collaboration with the Russian conductor Serge Koussevitzky, the newly appointed music director to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For the next 20 years Sanromá's close musical relationship with the conductor brought him into direct contact with the most famous composers of his time.

Sanromá was a prolific recording artist of the 78 rpm era for an incredible 60 years. In collaboration with his close friend and BSO colleague Arthur Fiedler, he recorded the first American releases of orchestral works by Franz...