We Remember

This page is dedicated to those Friars who are now resting in the peace of God.  We remember and miss them, but take comfort knowing they’re at peace in the warm embrace of God.
 

Br. Ambrose Eischens, OFM Conv., 1940-2017

After working 14 years for the US Postal Service, Friar Ambrose Eischens OFM Conv. joined the Conventual Franciscans in his mid-30s. From then on, in his service to God’s people and his fellow Friars, his work and prayer combined to the point where they became one and the same. A big man with a bass singing voice that matched his body, he overwhelmed people not with his size, but with his gentle nature and humble spirit.

Br. Ambrose died Wednesday, December 20, in New Albany Indiana. He was born February 16, 1940, to Martin and Caroline (Schoenecker) Eischens in New Market, Minnesota. He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers Jerome, Harold, and LeRoy, and sisters Luella Tritz and Bernadine Benes. He is survived by his brother Wally, and a sister-in-law Ann Eischens (Jerome). He professed Simple Vows on August 1, 1977, and Solemn Vows on August 19, 1980.

Whether working with the poor and disadvantaged, running retreat centers, or serving within the Province, Br. Ambrose matched his dedication to people with attention to detail.

“In his various assignments over the course of his life, he was all about supporting and encouraging others,” said Fr. Dismas Veeneman OFM Conv. “At different points he took on difficult assignments. Some people would try to talk him out of it, but he would have none of it. That was where he felt he could make a difference in the lives of others.”

In addition to his various outside ministries and other service, Br. Ambrose was a choir member at different Franciscan parishes. He also played the organ on occasion at Mount St. Francis in southern Indiana.

“His joyfulness was most evident in his love of music and care for the Friars,” said Fr. Tom Smith OFM Conv. “And he actually chose to seek out the Friars after working for several years. That shows his great desire to live as a Franciscan.”

Having spent time earlier as a Friar in social services and outreach to the disadvantaged in Dekalb, Illinois, in his later years Br. Ambrose volunteered regularly at the Franciscan Kitchen in downtown Louisville, welcoming people at the door and listening when they needed to talk to someone.

Br. Ambrose was dedicated to his family in Minnesota, often driving to visit and support them. “He will be greatly missed,” said his niece Peggy Nagele. “We loved to see him when we could, and always looked forward to his annual Christmas letter where he would tell us about what was going on his life.”

May he rest in peace.

Fr. Jude Rochford, OFM Conv., 1926-2017

A passion for bringing out the best in those around him, matched with a profound spiritual life of prayer and devotion, made Friar Jude Rochford OFM Conv. an ideal teacher and guide for people young and old. This was especially true in his 40 years with the growing community of Conventual Franciscan Friars in Zambia, Africa, for whom he was ‘Malama’: a Bemba language name for a caring, firm, and determined mentor.

Fr. Jude passed away on November 27, 2017, in Shakopee, Minnesota. He was born James Loren Rochford on July 16, 1928, in Sumner, Iowa, to Leo and Theresa (Buzynski). He is survived by his brother Gerard and predeceased by his parents, his brother Francis, and his sisters Patricia (Sr. Nora OSF), Mary Ellen, Margaret, and Bernadette (Kindl). He professed Simple Vows July 13, 1947, and Solemn Vows on July 14, 1950. He was ordained a priest on May 30, 1955.

After ordination he taught for 11 years at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, while completing a Master’s Degree at the University of Notre Dame. During that time he was a member of the Toledo Chapter of the Inter-Racial Council and in 1962 traveled to Selma, Alabama, to participate in a march for voter registration. Following a year teaching at Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky, he was sent to Zambia as a missionary/teacher.

In addition to teaching theology and philosophy (he is especially remembered for his precise logic classes), Fr. Jude served in several administrative and leadership roles while in Zambia. But his greatest influence was in the formation of new Friars, helping them learn and grow in their Franciscan vocations.

Bishop Patrick Chisanga OFM Conv., of the Diocese of Mansa (Zambia) said that Fr. Jude was “one of those ‘angels of the Lord’ who guided me in my first steps of religious life. He left a deep influence on my understanding and appreciation of the Franciscan vocation and priesthood in general…I experienced him as a true son of St. Francis of Assisi with a profound spirit of prayer, simplicity, and particular devotion to Our Lady. He was passionate about providing adequate and integral formation to the future Friars and priests…He balanced well his firmness as a formator with a great sense of humor, which we all enjoyed.”

Recurring medical problems led to Fr. Jude’s return to the US in 2007, moving into a nursing facility near two Friaries in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. He spent his last decade in correspondence and prayer, and welcoming family and friends. He continued to stay close to the community he left behind, Bishop Chisanga said, “writing to and praying for the Friars and priests he had nurtured along their vocation journey.”An intellectual spirit with a love of reading and writing, Fr. Jude published two books, Zambian Christian Reflections with Scriptural Readings and Journey to the Priesthood. He shared the books he read with his students, challenging them to read and write themselves.

May he rest in peace.
 

Fr. Juniper Cummings, OFM Conv., 1924-2017

It is with the greatest sadness that I must share the following news, our dear Fr. Juniper Cummings was called by Sister Death at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 26 at St. Gertrude’s Health Center in Shakopee, MN. Fr. Juniper was 93 years old; he had been a Franciscan Friar for 72 years, and a Franciscan priest for 67 years.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Fr. Juniper attended the Minor Seminary at Mt. St. Francis, Indiana, and Our Lady of Carey, Seminary in Carey, Ohio. He completed studies for a Doctorate of Sacred Theology at the University of Fribourg in 1951.

Fr. Juniper was among some of the early faculty of Assumption Seminary in Chaska, MN. It was from the Chaska seminary that he, along with some of the other friar professors began to offer “Theology for the Laity” classes at many of the parishes in the Twin Cities area. Fr. Juniper, along with Fr. Urban Wagner, was a driving force behind the creation of Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center.

Fr. Juniper served as a seminary professor, a pastor, an initial formation director and director of the province’s Development Office. In 1982 he was elected Minister Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation; he served as Minister Provincial for six years. In 1989, he was elected Custos of the Custody of St. Francis, in Zambia. He remained in Zambia for 22 years before returning to the United States where he assisted with sacramental ministry at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center.

While blessed with a brilliant mind for Theology and Philosophy, Fr. Juniper had the gift of conveying topics in Theology and Philosophy in an easily understood fashion. He was a visionary in the Franciscan Order and he was deeply committed to service to the poor and the marginalized. He also had a marvelous sense of humor and loved to share the many colorful stories of his life in the Franciscans.

May he rest in peace.

Bro. Bob Roddy, OFM Conv., Director, FRSC

Fr. Howard Hansen, OFM Conv., 1930 – 2011

FATHER HOWARD WILLIAM HANSEN, OFM Conv.,died Sunday April 17, 2011, at his home, St. Joseph Cupertino Friary, Prior Lake, Minnesota. Fr. Howard was born in Genoa, OH, on November 22, 1930, to Howard and Verna May (Hoppes) Hansen and baptized William.

He entered the Novitiate of the Conventual Franciscan Friars on July 4th, 1949 taking the religious name “Howard,” and professed his first vows July 4, 1950. Father Howard made his solemn profession on July 4, 1953 and was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood on July 14, 1957.

As a Franciscan Friar he received an STL from the Pontifica Facolta Teologica, Rome, Italy, and a JCL from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Fr. Howard served as a professor of Canon Law at Assumption Seminary Chaska, MN. While continuing work as a Canon Lawyer, he served as associate pastor or pastor of Catholic Churches in Angola, IN, Lorain, OH, Ames, IA, and Bloomington, MN. He served on the Marriage Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in the early 1980’s. In recent years Father Howard served on the retreat team and provided sacramental ministry for Franciscan Retreats, Prior Lake, MN.

In 1974 Fr. Howard entered Guest House for treatment of alcoholism. It was a significant turning point in his life. In his 37 years of sobriety he ministered to countless men and women affected by alcoholism. In these last months, he said that the spirituality of the 12 Steps had given him the grace to accept his physical limitations as well as to accept the loving care of his brothers in community, and the staff of Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved brother, Bobby.

Fr. Howard referred to his brother Bobby (pictured here) as “the greatest gift God gave him”.

May he rest in peace.

In loving memory