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Fr. Bill Symposium Featured on Catholic Philly

Below is a selection from the article by Elena Perri. Read the full article at CatholicPhilly.com

Throughout his time on earth, Augustinian Father Bill Atkinson demonstrated an extraordinary amount of hope, perseverance, and patience. These virtues were a mainstay of his life following a tobogganing accident during his novice year at Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, New York, in 1965 which left him paralyzed from the neck down with limited movement of his head, neck, shoulders, and arms.

Despite being a quadriplegic, Father Bill continued his studies and was ordained to the priesthood at  Saint Alice Church in Upper Darby on February 2, 1974. Father Bill, the first quadriplegic to seek ordination as a Roman Catholic priest, received a special dispensation from Pope Paul VI on August 1, 1973. Father Bill’s life of heroic virtue has put him on the path toward sainthood. He was named a Servant of God on October 19, 2021.

To continue sharing the extraordinary story of Father Bill’s life and his cause for canonization, the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and Villanova University are sponsoring a symposium tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3 at Villanova University. The theme is “Overcoming Hardship with Faith, Hope, and Perseverance.”

“It’s the first event of this nature that we’ve done to promote awareness around the cause for canonization for Father Bill,” said Fr. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A., Prior Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. “This is not just remembering Father Bill. It’s also hopefully a catalyst for people to exercise their own faith in overcoming whatever is weighing them down and help others do the same.”

“We want people to understand that they have the tools within them, as Father Bill did, things like grace and the sacraments and relying on the good people that God puts in our life to help us carry the crosses that we carry today.”

Augustinians Leave Two Parishes in the Diocese of Albany

The Office of the Prior Provincial

September 22, 2023

Dear Parishioners of Saint Mary Parish and St. Augustine Parish,

Since the mid-1800s, when the Augustinians were invited by the Most Reverend John McCloskey to the Diocese of Albany, your communities at St. Mary of the Assumption in Waterford and St. Augustine in Troy, have been big parts of our Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. And so it is with a heavy heart that I inform you, after careful discernment, consultation with my Provincial Council and conversation with our friars in Waterford and Troy, that we will be withdrawing from the Diocese of Albany, particularly from the parishes of St. Mary in Waterford and St. Augustine in Troy on June 1, 2024. The aging population of our friars, infirmity, and the serious decline of new members to religious life make it impossible for us to maintain all of our ministerial commitments.

After meeting with Fathers David Kelley, Liam O’Doherty, and Jorge Reyes, we agreed that it is important for us to have the opportunity to dialogue and celebrate with you, our dear parishioners, the relationships that were formed in the 160-plus years of Augustinian ministry and presence especially in these two communities. From Rev. George Meagher, O.S.A. the first Augustinian pastor at St. Mary’s and Bishop Thomas Galberry, O.S.A. who was pastor at St. Augustine’s, many of our Augustinian brothers have called these communities: “home”. I know I share your deep gratitude and appreciation for the servant leadership, compassion, and pastoral care offered by our pastor Fr. David Kelley to countless members of our parish community for so many years.

I want to thank you for your faithfulness in walking this faith journey with us and for your support of our Augustinian community throughout these many years. I would also like to thank Bishop Edward Scharfenberger for his graciousness and his continued support of our community in the Diocese of Albany.

I ask for your prayers, especially for our brothers — Fathers David, Liam, and Jorge — during this time of transition. And please be assured of our prayers for you and the community during this time.

Sincerely,

 

Fr. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A.
Prior Provincial

Save the Date for Tolle Lege Day! Sunday, April 24, 2022

Join the Augustinian Friars on Sunday, April 24, 2022 for our second annual giving day: #TolleLegeDay! Friends of the Augustinians will come together with one mind and one heart to celebrate the Augustinian charism and all those who share in it.

Listen to Vicar Provincial Fr. Francis Doyle, O.S.A. share the significance of the date and name of our giving day. Please consider making a gift on Sunday, April 24th—no matter the size, it will make a difference in the friars’ lives and their ministries.

Visit tollelegeday.augustinianfund.org to learn more about this special day. Interested in helping to spread the word about Tolle Lege Day to your family and friends? Become a Tolle Lege Day Ambassador!

Fr. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A. Elected New Prior Provincial

The Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova is pleased to announce that Fr. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A. has been elected to a four-year term as Prior Provincial. His installation will take place during the Ordinary Provincial Chapter scheduled for June 12-17, 2022.

Provincial-Elect Rob Hagan, O.S.A. currently serves as Villanova University’s Senior Associate Athletic Director and team chaplain for the Villanova football and men’s basketball programs. Fr. Rob first came to Villanova in 2003 as the Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and was promoted to his current position in July 2004. He was ordained to the priesthood in September 2003.

Fr. Rob is a 1987 Villanova graduate and earned a J.D. from the Widener University School of Law in 1990. He spent seven years as an attorney with Gillin and Associates, where from 1990-97 he served as Criminal Defense Counsel in addition to handling contract negotiations, arbitrations, and mediations. Father Rob is a past member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Delaware County Bar Association, and the Delaware County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Please join us in congratulating Provincial-Elect Rob Hagan, O.S.A. as he prepares to serve the province in this significant role. Let us keep our Provincial-Elect and the Province in prayer as we move toward the Provincial Chapter in June.

Augustinian Vocations Open House

Are you feeling called to be an Augustinian Friar?
You are invited to the Augustinian Vocations Open House, Wednesday, November 14; 9am to 4pm. Come and learn more about the Augustinian Way of Life at our office located behind the St. Thomas of Villanova Church at Villanova University.

Email: Vocations@augustinian.org with any questions.

Website: https://augustinianvocations.org

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Fr. Michael Scuderi, O.S.A.

Michael Ralph Scuderi was born on October 6, 1966, in Darby, Pennsylvania, the older of two sons and one daughter of Samuel F. Scuderi and Carmel Ann Brescia. He was baptized at Saint Charles Borromeo Church, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, on October 30, 1966 and attended Evans Elementary School, Yeadon, Pa., Yeadon Junior High School and Haverford High School. He studied at Villanova University from 1985-1989 where he earned a degree in Commerce and Finance, specializing in Marketing. During that time, he worked, first as manager at a pizzeria, then in the accounting department of a medical systems company in Malvern, Pa., and finally for Mercy Health Systems in Darby, Pa.

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Fr. Robert Martin Burke, O.S.A.

Robert Martin Burke was born on April 18, 1927, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the son of Thomas A. Burke and Violet Marshall, and was baptized on February 25, 1934 in Saint James Church, Ventnor, New Jersey. He had one brother and two sisters. He attended Saint James Parochial School, Ventnor, from 1933 until 1941, and Holy Spirit High School, Atlantic City, from 1941 until 1945. He then entered the United States Navy and served fourteen months until 1946. Following his discharge from the service, he entered Villanova College and studied civil engineering for three years. In 1950, he applied to the Order and was received as a novice on September 9, 1950.

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Fr. Michael Joseph Scanlon, O.S.A.

August 1, 1937 - August 26, 2018

Michael Joseph Scanlon was born on August 1, 1937, in New York, New York, one of three sons and one daughter of Michael J Scanlon and Christine Costello. He was baptized on August 22, 1937 at Saint Anthony Church, Bronx, New York, and attended Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parochial School there from 1943 until 1951. He then enrolled in Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, as a postulant for the Order. He was received as a novice on September 9, 1955, and following a year at Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, New York, he professed simple vows on September 10, 1956. He then attended Villanova University from which he received a BA degree in Philosophy in 1960. While at Villanova, he professed solemn vows in the Order on September 10, 1959. Michael pursued theological studies at the Catholic University of America and obtained the STL in 1964 and the STD in 1969. He was ordained to the priesthood on February 1, 1964 at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Bronx, by Bishop John McGuire, Auxiliary of New York.

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