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Xaverian Mission Festival: June 23-24, 2012

Fun Times at the Mission Festival June 23-24: Free Parking; Music Live Entertainment (Sat: The Doo Wop Daddies; Sun: Mike Schneider Band), Food (Hamburgers, Italian and Polish, Hot Dogs, Brats, Chicken, Corn-on-the-Cob, Ice-Cream, Nachos), Dinners (Sat: Spaghetti Meatballs; Sun: Chicken), 30 Game booths, $3,700 Raffle prizes, Rummage Sale, Mission Tent, Huge Bake Sale.
For more info, call (414) 421-0831

- Sat. June 23 Rummage and Outdoor Food: noon.
- Sat. June 23 Festival: 3:00pm-11:00pm
- Sun. June 24 Festival: noon-7:00pm
- Sunday Outdoor Mass: 10:30am

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Celebrating “Saint Guido Maria Conforti” on Sunday, Nov. 13

The community of St. Charles Borromeo, Milwaukee became the host of the First Celebration of Saint Guido Maria Conforti on Nov. 13, a New Saint proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 23 at St. Peter’s Square, in Rome. The Xaverian Missionaries invited over 350 friends and benefactors to partake at this great event in the Church. During the homily, Fr. Alfredo, in one of his last masses before he departs for the Xaverian Motherhouse in Parma, Italy, reflected on the Holiness and example of St. Guido Maria Conforti, and the significance of Conforti’s life for our world.

Accompanied by St. Charles’ Choir under the guidance of Carl Reyes, the Liturgical Celebration witnessed the life and mission of the Church and the beautiful hymns to Conforti, composed by Xaverians Fr. Curione, Fr. Sottocornola and Fr. Puopolo. The Xaverians at Xavier Knoll thank all those in attendance for their friendship and encouraging words, and thank Fr. Carmelo for his leadership of St. Charles Borromeo faith community.

Saint Guido Maria Conforti will be commemorated on Nov. 5th in the Roman Calendar, the day of his departure from this world at age 66.

Joe and Eleanore Slowik receive the 2011 Mission Banquet Award from Fr. Alfredo

48th Xaverian Mission Banquet

On Oct. 7, at the beginning of the Mission Month celebrated in the worldwide Church, the Franklin community held its annual Mission Banquet at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee (see 72 photos below) with some 350+ people attending, a great crowd indeed. Even this year’s Mission Banquet included auction items, the Banquet Program booklet with advertisers and sponsors, the Mission Award and the popular Raffle.
The Mission Award, which remembers a good friend of the Xaverians in Milwaukee, Art Vander Heyden, was given to a “young couple” of 65 years of marriage, Joe and Eleanore Slowik, who deserve our recognition for the many years of volunteering in the many activities at Xavier Knoll since our early beginnings. A beautiful rendition of “Sunrise Sunset” crowned the Award Ceremony, and a few tears at the end of the presentation.

» See 72 photos of the Mission Banquet 2011

Festival: A Rainbow of Smiles

Mission Festival: A Rainbow of Smiles

The 2011 Xaverian Mission Festival was indeed a Rainbow of Smiles, as you can see from the 100 photos below. Xaverian volunteers and friends came to Xavier Knoll for a grand family fun time, in support of the missions. It must have been the charisma of Frank, the photographer, but everyone posed with a great smile in front of his camera.
From the Festival preparations, to the huge rummage, the mission tent, the Saturday crows for the Doo-Wop Daddies, the polkas on Sunday, the games, dinners and sweets… everyone was happy to be part of the Mission Festival.

» See photos of the Mission Festival 2011

         Fr. Vasco Milani, sx
Nov 4, 1941 - May 28, 2011

In Loving Memory: Fr. Vasco Milani
Untiring Worker in the Vineyard of the Lord

With the hope in the Resurrection, we commend our dear missionary Fr. Vasco Milani into the loving embrace of God. Fr. Vasco died on Sat. May 28, 2011 at the Mother House in Parma, Italy, where he was cared for after an acute type of diabetes in 2009. Many of you have come to know Fr. Vasco while he served here at Xavier Knoll, Franklin. You remember his contagious laughter, his joy in meeting each one of you, his ability to retell a joke or two, and his willingness to serve the Lord as priest and missionary.

We would like to remember him as “untiring worker in the vineyard of the Lord.” Born on Nov. 4, 1941 at Cittadella, he was 69 years old. He entered the Xaverians at Vicenza in 1953, professed religious vows on Sept. 22, 1959, and was ordained priest at Cittadella, Padua on Oct. 14, 1967.

Soon after ordination, he served in the USA and Northern Brazil. In the USA, he served as Treasurer of Franklin (1968-76 and 1982-86) and Superior of Franklin (1994-2002). It was during his first years in Franklin that he was able to eliminate the debt of the Xaverian Seminary and Land at Xavier Knoll. He also accompanied young men into the path of missionary life and priesthood.

In Northern Brazil, Fr. Vasco worked as parish priest at Tomê Açu (1976-1982 and 1986-1994); and as parish priest at Belem - St. Francis Xavier parish (2003-2006). Some of you may remember the send off of Fr. Vasco with the imposition of the mission Crucifix by then-Archbishop Dolan in 2003. After his Brazil mission ministry, Fr. Vasco was assigned to offer assistance to the sick Xaverians at the Mother House in Parma from 2006 to 2010.

In all of these years of service to the global church, Fr. Vasco shined as an untiring worker of the Gospel, sweating heart and soul in order to better the lives of the people he served, bringing joy, hope and laughter to those he met. When I met him in February of this year, he was looking forward to the Celebration of Sainthood of Bishop Conforti, our Founder, this coming October. Yet, with wise words, he also added “If God wants.” We believe that Fr. Vasco is enjoying the blessings of Heaven, together with our Founder. We thank God for the gift of Fr. Vasco to our congregation, and pray that his personal gifts might encourage all of us to dedicate our lives for the service of the Kingdom of God.

Please remember him in your prayers. May his soul rest in peace. Sincerely,

» Frs. Alfredo, Dominic, Larry, Aniello, Victor

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