Dear Friends,
All of us at Mt. Irenaeus and those involved in its leadership continue to reflect on the loss of Fr. Dan Riley. We know you’ve been sharing in that felt sense of loss, too. The stories continue to be shared, reinforcing the tremendous impact he had on thousands of people at the Mountain, the St. Bonaventure community and the wider world. We’ve dedicated a page on our website to share his digital ministry that we’re blessed to have available for generations to come, and we invite you to share your own reflections and photos as well. As our visionary founder, Fr. Dan’s presence will always be with us.
BEING IN THIS MOMENTWhile it’s important to remember the past and embrace memories, many of us have attended alumni gatherings when Fr. Dan would sense an extended dive into nostalgia, and he would skillfully guide us out of that space.
Fr. Dan wanted us to live in the moment, not in the past.
No one personified a mission statement more than he did. He lived each moment to “Join with Jesus Christ in making all things new.”
We believe our best way to honor Fr. Dan going forward, a time that Br. Kevin Kriso, our Guardian, describes as “the end of our beginning,” is to follow a practice that Fr. Dan instilled in us – one called the Emmaus methodology.
We should REMEMBER Fr. Dan and the impact he has had on our life; We should REFLECT what he personally meant to us and the power of the community he founded and helped build; Then we need to RESPOND. How do we move forward so Mt. Irenaeus continues on a path of sustainable growth for years to come?EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATEOne key way we have responded is to reach a new agreement with Mike Fenn to remain as the Executive Director of Mt. Irenaeus. At this critical time of transition, at a time when we re-imagine what wants to become new, we couldn’t be happier to have Mike in leadership working closely with the resident community, staff, the Mountain Board of Trustees (and its committees), and with our co-ministry partners at St. Bonaventure. While Mike has served in the role since 2015, he has been involved with our life in some capacity since he was invited by Fr. Dan to visit in 1987. He is excited to “begin anew,” to be in leadership and collaborate with others on the Mountain’s future.
THE MANY FACES OF THE MOUNTAINAnother memory of Fr. Dan would be how uncomfortable he’d become when he was described as “The Face of the Mountain.” He recognized that we have grown only through years of collaboration, and this model has set us up for the future. With our resident community of four friars, Karen Pulaski (who lives among them the majority of the year), Natalie Pronio, our first full-time Ministry Coordinator, and scores of others dedicated to this way of life, we are poised to enter a new age, a time of newness and growth.
HEADING INTO THIS FALLWe’ve begun our life and ministry to the St. Bonaventure University community as the new academic year begins – and we’ll soon share further details of a new Mountain/SBU agreement that was finalized this spring with Fr. Dan’s blessing. In the span of one week, we’ve hosted 150 SBU students from four different groups. Each gathering was a unique, shared experience of prayer, fellowship and immersion into Franciscan spirituality.
We’re beginning to prepare for our first Board of Trustees meeting since Fr. Dan’s passing. It’s also the first meeting with a new Board leadership team that began its service June 1, led by our new chair, Kathy Colucci. We will have a chance to be with one another to continue our shared stories, continue our grief, and continue to imagine again the future of the Mountain guided by areas of our strategic plan.
Next week we will share details about a new Day of Giving that we began outlining months ago with Fr. Dan’s full support.
We are committed to share our progress along the way. Please pray for us during this time, and if you have thoughts you would like to share, please be in touch.
And as always, if you’re in the area on Sundays, you’re welcome to join us for Mass and brunch beginning at 11 a.m.!
Peace and Good to you all,
Mt. Irenaeus Resident Community, Staff and Board of Trustees
As is our custom at the Mountain, we invite your petitions and prayer requests. Submit yours online and pray for the intentions from our Mountain family.