Franciscan has twin goals: serving parish and order

The website of the Franciscan province to which Rev. Bonaventure Bionda, OFM, belongs notes that "St. Francis called his brothers to live together in a fraternity, not as solitary individuals."

When Father Bionda was ordained a Franciscan friar in 1959, it was a lot easier to live out that directive. Today, the pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Palenville lives alone in the rectory.

Almost every day, he takes the long, winding drive over Route 23A to St. Anthony's Friary in Catskill, to eat lunch with retired friars and keep the sense of community so important to his religious order.

Connections

Ironically, Father Bionda began his religious life as a Trappist monk, spending six months in the more solitary order before deciding "it wasn't for me. I was more of a social person -- and, at that time, [the Franciscans] had two or three friars living in a parish."

Fast-forward a few decades, and "there's a lot of friars living in parishes by themselves," said the pastor, who's been in Palenville for two years. "We've been stretched thin."

Although he turns 79 next month, Father Bionda doesn't expect to retire anytime soon.

"I'll be going until I have one foot in the grave," he remarked. "We just can't leave our posts."

Fraternity

However, as their website indicates, the Franciscans are doing all they can to continue to "live a life of fraternity, as St. Francis interpreted it."

Father Bionda noted that every friar in his province who lives by himself is connected to a friary in his area, so he can get together with fellow Franciscans.

The order also sponsors regional meetings; in the case of the Immaculate Conception province that includes New York, that means about 220 friars can gather for prayer and fellowship.

Father Bionda often sees Franciscans who minister in Watervliet, Troy and Wappingers Falls, in addition to those in Catskill.

Slower pace

Sacred Heart has 259 parishioners, most of whom are older and retired. Having previously ministered in larger, city parishes like St. Anthony's in Troy, Father Bionda likes the slower pace at Sacred Heart.

He spends a lot of his time visiting senior citizens who are ill or homebound. Those connections also make it easier to be the lone friar in a small, outlying town.

"People are nice here," he said. "They come to Mass; they respond -- and there's usually somebody around here."

Linkages

Some friars make connections with one another via email. But, although his province's website includes email addresses for Franciscans from Boston to Japan, Father Bionda admitted that "it takes me 20 minutes to type a sentence, so I don't bother with that. I can accomplish more on the phone!"

He even likes it when he has alone-time at Sacred Heart. He told his superiors he'd rather live there than at St. Anthony's Friary "because I'm too old to drive at night" to get back to the parish, but he also enjoys just finishing his work each day, having a bite to eat and going to bed.

However the details of religious life change, said Father Bionda, "the Franciscans will always live in community. We can't lose that. You may just have to stretch the ideas a little bit."

(Father Bionda's drive to Catskill is even longer these days: Route 23A, his usual route, has been washed out and isn't expected to be repaired for three or four months. Father Bionda is also vicar, or second-in-command, for St. Anthony's Friary. He explained that the title doesn't bring with it any daily responsibilities, for which "I'm thankful, because I'm getting too old.")

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