‘TO PUT GOD FIRST IN ALL THINGS’

MATT LEVINE, OFS (center), is shown with members of his family including his father, Deacon Brian Levine (from l.), brothers Nathan Levine and Jordan Levine, and mother, Linda Levine, OCDS, after his permanent profession to the Secular Franciscan Order on June 28 at Siena University. (Photo provided)

Local followers of St. Francis of Assisi affirmed his call to live a Gospel-based community life when they welcomed Matt Levine, OFS, in a Rite of Permanent Profession to the Secular Franciscan Order on June 28 at Siena University.

Levine, whose career includes not only bank management, but youth ministry and coordination of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for Our Lady of Victory Parish in Troy, graduated from Siena in 2020.

His wife, Caitie, with whom he has two children, serves the parish as coordinator of faith formation and youth ministry.

After completing a period of his own Franciscan formation, expanding on the Rule first written by St. Francis for a “third order” of laypeople, Levine is now a professed member in the St. Bernardine of Siena local fraternity, a group which dates to the 1930s. It is part of upstate New York’s St. Kateri Tekakwitha regional fraternity.

There are more than 600 local fraternities in the United States and more than 300,000 members worldwide in the order now called the Secular Franciscan Order (with the Latin initials OFS).

Levine made his profession, a lifetime commitment to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis amid tasks of the secular world, during a Mass celebrated by Father Daniel Dwyer, OFM (Order of Friars Minor). A noted history professor at Siena, Father Dwyer is one of the St. Bernardine fraternity’s designated spiritual assistants, along with Brother Jacek Orzechowski, OFM.

Father Thomas Morrette, pastor of Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Snow Mission in Grafton, concelebrated the Mass.

The priests were joined by Deacon Brian Levine, Matt’s father, who serves in the permanent diaconate at the Church of St. Peter in Saratoga Springs.

“You’ve prepared for this a long time,” Father Dwyer said to Matt during the rite, pointing out that the Secular Franciscan promise is “to put God first in all things.”

Other members of the fraternity participated in the rite, led by elected minister Michelle Potenciano, OFS. The fraternity later hosted a reception for the whole gathering, which spanned several generations, including the Levine’s children and extended family.

Levine, in a recent “Vocation Corner” item in the Our Lady of Victory bulletin, called his profession “a formal acknowledgement that I wish to conform my heart to Jesus and the teachings of His Church more deeply, to help others encounter our Crucified and Resurrected Lord especially in the Holy Eucharist, and to proclaim the truth of the Gospel in all that I say and do.”

This year is a particularly important time for Franciscans because Pope Leo has declared 2026 a Jubilee Year of St. Francis, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death.

An introductory video about the Secular Franciscan Order says its members follow “core values” of humility, service and simplicity modeled by Francis. These include “commitment to helping the poor and the marginalized” through acts of charity and justice, witnessing to the compassion of Christ present in the world.

The practice of simplicity, modeled by both St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi as instruments of peace, means “living with less, focusing on what truly matters, and being good stewards of the Earth,” according to the video.

The order says its members regularly turn to prayer “not as a duty, but as a lifeline that connects them with God’s presence throughout the day.”

Members of the St. Bernardine of Siena fraternity meet on campus once a month for prayer, ongoing Franciscan formation and reflection, planning for outreach and service initiatives, and social time in support of each other as Catholics and friends.

Those interested in more information about the fraternity can send an email to [email protected]. The order’s national website is secularfranciscansusa.org.   

William Schmitt is the elected secretary of the fraternity.