Two friars from an order that is more than 800 years old and has a history of more than 100 years in Ohio have established a community at Columbus Holy Family Church.
The church’s pastor, Father Stash Dailey, said the Mercedarian friars arrived on Monday, Jan. 17.
“They will establish a student house for the residency of their student brothers who will be studying in preparation for the priesthood, making use of the academic and liturgical formation available to them at the Pontifical College Josephinum,” Father Dailey said.
“The friars will assist in the life of the parish and its many apostolates and perhaps in the future will expand to areas of education, formation of youth and chaplaincies in prisons and hospitals. In their brief time here, they already have taken upon themselves duties in the parish and works of charity by assisting with Masses in local convents and visiting the homebound of the parish.”
The friars at Holy Family are Father Michael Donovan, O de M, and Father Joseph Eddy, O de M.
Father Joseph Eddy, O de M
Father Donovan is from Chester, Pennsylvania and has served as a parochial vicar at Mercedarian parishes in Cleveland and Philadelphia and as pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Le Roy, New York and St. Edward Church in Starke, Florida. He also was involved in prison ministry in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida.
Father Eddy, a native of northern Pennsylvania, comes to Columbus from Cleveland, where he was pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. He also has served parishes in St. Petersburg, Florida and Philadelphia and was a teacher before discerning he was being called to the priesthood.
The Mercedarians – the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy – were established in Barcelona, Spain, by St. Peter Nolasco in 1218 to ransom Christians who were held captive in Muslim lands because of their faith in Christ. Their founder was guided by the words of Jesus – “I was in prison and you came to visit me,” and “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Other religious communities and organizations within the Church were dedicated to this work, but what made the Mercedarians unique was their Marian spirit and imitation of Christ the Redeemer.
In addition to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, a fourth vow was required of the friars: to give everything, including their lives should it be necessary, for the redemption of the captive and oppressed. This meant the Mercedarians sometimes physically exchanged themselves for suffering Christians, allowing their freedom.
Today, there are Mercedarians in 17 nations, including the United States, where they came in the 1920s to help Italian immigrants who in some areas were oppressed, neglected and in danger of losing their faith.
The friars first established themselves in this state in Youngstown and later were entrusted with the care of St. Rocco Church in Cleveland. They established Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in the same city in 1926.
Their United States vicariate is based at Our Lady of Mercy Monastery in Philadelphia. They also have communities in St. Petersburg and Jacksonville, Florida and Le Roy, near Rochester, New York.
In their American locations, the Mercedarians serve in parishes as pastors, parochial vicars or staff members; in schools as teachers, administrators or staff members; in hospitals and prisons as chaplains; and in other capacities such as spiritual directors and youth ministers.
The spiritual and communal life of the friars includes prayer, meditation, Mass, recreation and community work. Their life is based on the Rule of St. Augustine and the constitutions of their order.
Before becoming bishop of Brooklyn, New York late last year, then-Columbus
Bishop Robert Brennan invited the Mercedarians to consider Columbus as a place of ministry as well as a place of formation for their candidates to the priesthood. Theirs was one of the first orders Bishop Brennan invited to the diocese.
“He had first encountered them during World Youth Day in Panama and was deeply impressed by their zeal for souls, love of the Catholic faith and commitment to the most vulnerable – namely, those in danger of losing their faith,” Father Dailey said. “As the bishop became familiar with the life of Holy Family, it seemed to be an ideal place for the order.”
Father Dailey first heard of the Mercedarians while in seminary at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland. A close friend of his had discerned with the order and eventually became a priest for the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut.
“The charism of the order struck me as powerfully beautiful and incredibly pertinent to the times we are living in,” Father Dailey said. “Even though the order is more than 800 years old, there is still the pressing need to work toward the liberation of the enslaved.
“Given the location of Holy Family Church and its apostolates and ministries to the people of downtown Columbus and the city’s west side, the order’s charism fits perfectly. The reality of the appeal the parish has to Catholics from near and far allows the friars to speak the Gospel to the youngest of the young and the oldest of the old.
“The friars are marked by a beautiful and sincere love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and a fierce loyalty and devotion to Our Lord Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament. When understanding their faith and their commitment to charity, it doesn’t take long to see how the friars are a perfect fit at Holy Family.”
