DIOCESAN NEWS
01/29/10
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Two Franciscan friars ordained priests
      FRANKLIN, Wis. – On Saturday, Jan. 23, Bishop William Callahan, OFM Conv., auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee, ordained two Franciscan friars — Father Jason Welle, OFM, and Father David Kelly, OFM — to the Roman Catholic priesthood. The Mass of Ordination was celebrated at St. Clare Church in Wind Lake, Wis. The new priests are members of the Assumption BVM Province of the Order of Friars Minor.
      Father Welle and Father Kelly earned Master of Divinity degrees from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 2009. There, they studied Scripture, sacraments, theology, church history, moral theology, and pastoral care, in addition to doing internships at parishes, hospitals, and working with the developmentally-disabled.
      They were ordained transitional deacons shortly after graduation, when they left for diaconate internships in parochial ministry. Father Welle served in Greenwood, Miss.
Father Welle, 31, son of John and Sandy Welle, was raised in Albany, Minn., attending Seven Dolors Parish. He did his undergraduate study at St. Olaf College and earned a master’s degree at the University of Notre Dame before entering the Order of Friars Minor in 2003. He professed his solemn vows in 2008.
      For his diaconate experience, he has served with his fellow Franciscans in Greenwood. The Franciscan friars and sisters serve four area parishes and St. Francis of Assisi School, as well as outreach ministry to inmates at the Delta Correctional Facility in Greenwood and Catholic students at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena.
      Father Welle’s interests include Hispanic ministry, youth ministry, music ministry, and interreligious dialogue. After ordination, he will serve in parochial ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
      Father Welle was scheduled to return to the Mississippi Delta for three weeks to celebrate Masses of Thanksgiving at the parishes served by the friars: St. Francis of Assisi in Greenwood, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood, Sacred Heart in Winona, and St. Thomas in Lexington and for the students at Mississippi Valley State University.
      This weekend Father Welle will celebrate Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 9 a.m. He will also celebrate Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart and a Mass for students at Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m.
      He will celebrate Mass on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 9 a.m. at St. Thomas, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis (followed by a reception), and a Mass in Spanish at 1:30 p.m. also at St. Francis.
      More information about the new priests can be found on the Assumption BVM Province website.
      The Franciscans of Assumption BVM Province belong to the Order of Friars Minor whose rule of life comes from St. Francis of Assisi. Their vocation is to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. The approximately 130 Franciscan Friars who make up the Assumption Province today offer the witness of brothers living fraternity as they proclaim the love of God to the world.
      The Franciscan Friars of the Assumption BVM Province serve in parishes, schools, hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and in the military.

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