Commemoration of the Eighth Centenary of the Birth of St. Francis

COMMEMORATION OF THE EIGHTH CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF ST. FRANCIS The year 1982 marked the eighth centennial of the birth of St. Francis of Assisi. The Franciscan Institute and St. Bonaventure University celebrated the occasion with a solemn convocation on July 15, 1982. Those chosen to be honored on the occasion were scholars who had contributed significantly to the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi by writing, editing and publishing in North America. Ceremonies began with the liturgy of the Eucharist at 3:00 p.m., in Francis [Hall] Chapel with the Very Rev. Mathias Doyle, O.F.M., University president, as homilist. The Eucharist was followed by a dinner in Hickey Dining Hall. A special solemn academic convocation convened at 7:30 p.m., on the Plassmann esplanade. Honorary degrees of doctor of letters were conferred upon Fr. Stephen Hartdegen, O.F.M., and Raphael B. Brown, S.F.O. The other scholars recognized with citations of achievement were: Fr. Roy M. Gasnick, O.F.M., Fr. Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., Fr. Mark P. Hegener, O.F.M., Fr. Michael D. Meilach, O.F.M., and Fr. Dominic J. Unger, O.F.M. Cap. After the conferring of the honorary degrees, Raphael Brown delivered the main address entitled, "The Relevance of Saint Francis Today." Raphael Brown was senior reference hbrarian from 1934 to 1966 in religion and western Church history at the Library of Congress. A long-time member and promoter of the Secular Franciscan Order, he authored 13 books and numerous articles in encyclopedias and periodicals, all concerning Franciscan topics. Fr. Stephen Hartdegen, O.F.M. (1907-89), a native of Philadelphia and noted biblical scholar who served as editor-inchief of the New American Bible, was a 1929 graduate of St. Bonaventure College. He headed the committee which revised the liturgical books of the Order of Friars Minor after the Second Vatican Council, and he introduced the Missionaries of Christ the King (a Franciscan Secular Institute) into the United States. He 142GIRARD J. ETZKORN was director of the U.S. Center for the Catholic Biblical Apostolate and the recipient of the National Catholic Educational Association's Presidential Award in 1979. Fr. Roy Gasnick, O.F.M., was the director of communications for the Holy Name Province of the Franciscans and chairman of the St. Francis Eighth Centenary Coordinating Committee. Fr. Gasnick graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1956 and has authored The Francis Book and the comic book Francis, Brother of the Universe, which sold more than 200,000 copies in four languages. Fr. Marion Habig, O.F.M. (1901-84), is best known as the editor of St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies, the "Omnibus" of Franciscan sources used throughout the Englishspeaking world. The author of many books, pamphlets, and articles on topics in Franciscan history and spirituality, Fr. Marion was editor of Franciscan Studies from 1935 to 1945, and long served as associate editor and later as assistant director at Franciscan Herald Press in Chicago. Fr. Mark Hegener, O.F.M. (1919-88), was the managing director of the Franciscan Herald Press, which has published many important books of Franciscan interest in the English language. From 1955 to 1978, he served as editor of the Franciscan Herald, the official organ of the Secular Franciscan Order in North America. He also served as trustee for the Catholic Theological Union (Chicago) and Quincy College [now University] (Illinois). Michael Meilach is a 1957 graduate of St. Bonaventure University and joined the faculty as an instructor in philosophy. Subsequently, he was the editor of The Cord, the Franciscan Institute s spiritual review, from 1966-1986. He has authored four books and more than 25 journal articles. Fr. Dominic Unger, O.F.M. Cap., was a biblical and patristic scholar who published many scholarly articles and five books. He was honored by numerous international bodies, such as the International Pontifical Mariological Academy, for accomplishments in his fields of specialization. Fr. Dominic died on July 11, 1982, just four days before the convocation. The Franciscan InstituteGIRARD J. ETZKORN ...