GARY – Love is the gift that the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor brought to the Catholic community of Gary when they arrived in 2019, and the reason hundreds of the faithful gathered on June 14 for a Farewell to the Franciscans Mass and Luncheon at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels.
“Their charism of love for those in all circumstances is very evident in their service here,” said Bishop Robert J. McClory after celebrating Mass with Franciscan Father Michael Surufka, OFM, and Father Edward Shea, OFM. “They loved all the communities they served and helped them to experience the love of Christ more deeply.
“We have the opportunity to thank the Franciscans today, and all the communities in Gary came together to tangibly experience the culture of all the communities, their liturgical styles, culture and music; it is really beautiful,” added the bishop. “It warmed my heart to see the unity and joy expressed.
“It is a loss for us that the Franciscans are leaving Gary, but this day gave us a chance to celebrate the unity of Gary because of the love the Franciscans brought,” he said, noting that it is important to recognize that the Franciscans will still be represented in the Diocese by Father Patrick Gawrylewski, OFM, administrator of Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake, Father Tony Janik, OFM, spiritual director of the Franciscan Health Crown Point and a member of the staff since a year after the original hospital opened in 1974, as well as Father David Kelly, OFM, Franciscan Health Crown Point chaplain.
“At every parish we have gifts … we see a beautiful exchange of these gifts,” said Bishop McClory at the end of the Mass, noting that Jesus identified the greatest of these gifts as love. “It guides us to the Lord, who gives us hope … thank you to all the Franciscans for your gifts and your service.”
Father Rommel Perez, OFM, a provincial councilor, traveled from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to attend the farewell. “Service is perfect for our vocation to be among the poor, so for the Franciscans, this area of Gary is a jewel,” he said. “It is our heart to be with the poor.”
Paul Mulligan, of Merrillville, now a parishioner at St. Mary of the Lake in Gary after the recent closure of Ss. Monica and Luke, said the Franciscans brought “a new approach” to serving the Gary parishes by acting as a team, led by Father Surufka as rector of the cathedral. “They endeared themselves to the community at a time when we really needed it. They gave 100%.”
Linda Berendsen, of Hobart, said she and her husband moved from Skokie, Ill., “and when we were looking for houses, social justice was important.” They found a new parish home at St. Mary of the Lake, where they appreciate ministries like the community garden that shares produce with neighborhood residents and the food pantry that helps feed the community. “The Franciscan priests are very approachable and I hope that the social justice initiatives that they supported will continue,” she said.
Ted Smukler, Berendsen’s spouse, said he is Jewish, but has attended Mass frequently and enjoys the homilies of Father Shea. “He talked about the evil of the war in Iran, not just addressing war in a general way. I love his honesty, his humor, his openness about his own life and struggles, his humility and his commitment to justice,” Smukler said.
Vince DeCaro, of Tinley Park, Ill., came to the farewell event to honor Father Shea, whom he considers a mentor. “I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood, and hope to enter the seminary as a Franciscan postulate in Silver Springs, Md., either this fall or next year,” said DeCaro, 32, who left a career in computer science and now works at a Tinley Park food pantry as he prepares for a life of service to God.
“I was interested in becoming a diocesan priest, but then I started learning about the Franciscans and their simplicity, love for creation and being with people from all walks of life,” he explained, leading him to seek a future with the religious order. “The food pantry has opened my eyes to the need and demand and helped me realize exactly who I am, a servant of Christ for the people, able to give back the gifts you have received.”
Also praising the “pastoral leadership” of the Franciscan priests and the food pantry at St. Mary of the Lake was parishioner Jim Hanrahan, of Gary. “We serve people in about 140 cars at 9 a.m. on the third Monday of every month, and the food pantry brings together about 30-40 volunteers,” he explained. “The Franciscans did a wonderful job and their stay here has been a wonderful time; as a parish, we have flourished.”
Sharon Dudley, of Gary, who claims the cathedral as her parish after the closing of Ss. Monica and Luke, called Father Surufka “a fantastic pastor and priest.” His departure, she added, “is sad, but it is good. That’s how God works; there has to be change. Father Mike helped us find our way, and all the Franciscans showed us kindness and are loving and giving people.”
The bilingual Father Shea began his homily by singing the song “Hush,” explaining that his message was that “we are all about entering into each other’s chaos and being compassionate.
“My sister died two years ago by suicide, and these people (of Gary) embraced me,” Father Shea said of his connection to the community. “There has been a continuous flow of sacraments, an explosion, at St. Joseph the Worker in particular, and I was invited into the families’ lives. I always attended the weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and other parties. It was a privilege sharing my spirit, my heart with (the people). The world needs more Franciscans.”
Father Shea said he will move to Countryside, Ill., a Chicago suburb, to continue his mission as a traveling preacher bringing “the love of God” to the people through words and song.
Father Surufka described the farewell as “more than I could have hoped for … I’m ready to cry. It has been so beautiful to see everybody together – that’s the vision I want people to have after we are gone – everyone together eating and praying. There is so much here in Gary, and people are appreciating that more and more.”
He said much of the new activity in the Gary parishes has been focused at St. Joseph the Worker, like the St. Joseph Mariachi Band that performed for the farewell Mass, along with a new weekly soup kitchen spurred by volunteers from the Secular Franciscan Order at St. John the Evangelist in St. John.
He also praised “the peaceful merger of Ss. Monica and Luke with the cathedral,” seen in the move of the Ss. Monica and Luke's soup kitchen to the cathedral and new improvements, including windows.
Father Surufka, who is leaving for St. Louis, Mo., to help plan the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapter meeting on July 12-18, where he will receive his new assignment, said it is “not the projects, it’s the attitude” that marks the success the Franciscans helped bring to the home city of the Diocese of Gary. “To have Northwest Indiana experience Gary in a positive way is to have people appreciate that there is hope in this city.”
