San Francisco & Berkeley

Jude is currently the Minister Provincial of the Province and lives at San Damiano Friary in San Franciso, where he has been for the past ten years since he transferred from the European Province. He trained in Zurich and London as a Jungian Analyst and has a small private practice working with people who do not have resources to afford this work. He is a spiritual director, facilitates groups and training for people in the ordination process. He also works for the San Francisco Night Ministry as a Night Minister on the streets from 10pm - 4am; he trains and supervises all the crisis line counselors who answer the phones during the night. He is associate priest at the Church of the Advent of Christ the King in San Francisco and in his spare times repairs and restores old clocks.

Br. Eric Michael lives at St. Clare House in Berkeley, CA, where he is the Brother-in-Charge. He is also the Provincial Treasurer. His ministry is as a counselor to people with mental illness and substance abuse issues in a residential program in San Francisco. He will be spending time within the European Province for one year, learing and living the life beginning in the summer of 2009.

Simon is the Provincial Secretary and is currently living at San Damiano Friary. In addition to his work as the Administrative Assistant at The Family Link, he is very active at St. Mark’s Church in Berkeley, and with the liturgy team of a new ecumenical street church ministry called Open Cathedral-Castro in San Francisco. He continues his volunteer work as a Crisis Line Counselor with the San Francisco Night Ministry, and his study of the cello and music theory. In August he will become the Brother-in-Charge of the new St. Francis Friary opening in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Jonathan Guthlac has been on the West Coast since August 2007. He is involved in ministry with the homeless, working at “The Sanctuary” a 24hr emergency shelter for the homeless run by the Episcopal Community Services , “St. Anthony’s Living Room” a feeding program supported by the Secular Franciscans & is presently worshipping primarily at Grace Cathedral. He is hoping once again to take part in the Aids/Lifecycle this year. Prior to coming to the U.S. he lived in various houses of the European Province where he was a member for 20 years having joined SSF in 1985; He currently holds The office of Provincial Secretary for the Order

Clark Berge, who is our Minister General of SSF, recently moved from his long term residency at Little Portion to our Berkeley house where he will rest and work as he prepares for his next leg of international travel in all of our Franciscan Provinces.
Please visit his blog at brclarkberge.blogspot.com

Br. Ivanildo comes to the U.S from Sao Paulo-Brazil. He lives at San Damiano Friary, where he is furthering his religious formation and he is improving his English. He ministers to the Latino Community in the Mission District of San Francisco. He serves both the Parish of St.John the Evangelist and El Samaritano in the Mission and El buen Pastor in Redwood City. During the week, he ministers at St.Anthony Dining Room,St.martim de Porres, The Latino Center and the lunch bunch at Church of the Advent of Christ the King. Br.Ivanildo enjoys his life of prayer in Community with his brothers.

Br. Richard Jonathan is both the Vocation Director and Novice Guardian. His priestly orders from the Roman Catholic Church were received by Bishop Marc Andrus on June 6, 2009. He is learning Portuguese in hopes to be of service to the brothers in Brazil. He is active in serving the LGBT community, primarily through Dignity/San Francisco and organizations working for marriage equality.

Br. Joseph-Marie is a professed brother who was born and raised in Southern California and comes to us after a long career in corporate retail management. He is the administrative assistant at the Church of the Advent of Christ the King in San Francisco. He is also an iconographer of some renowned with icons in the collections of churches and individuals throughout the world. He ministers as a crisis- line counselor with the San Francisco Night Ministry, and has lost his heart to the homeless and marginalized he meets to and from walking to work.

Br. Jacob is a novice living at San Damiano Friary in San Francisco. Coming to us from the East Coast where he worked as a resident sexton of a parish, Br. Jacob is a philosophy student with a concentration in religious epistemology. Currently Br. Jacob is volunteering with Saint Francis Senior Living Room, a breakfast program and hospitality center for marginalized and homeless elderly and is involved in campus ministry at the Ecumenical House of SF State University. In his free time he enjoys bicycling, archery, and continues his interests in philosophy.

Br. Aidan-Boniface relishes his work teaching adults literacy and his duties as a chaplain at a local county hospital, as well as preparing meals for the homeless. Although originally from the Bay Area, he has also lived in Germany, France, Spain, Taiwan and the U.K. He formerly taught Chinese, French, German, and Spanish in both public and private San Francisco secondary schools. In addition, he speaks fluent Dutch and Brazilian-Portuguese as well as smatterings of Hebrew, Yiddish, Japanese as well as Koine Greek and is now learning Italian. He voraciously reads Christian and philosophical literature, finding special inspiration in the works of K. Barth, A. N. Whitehead, P. Tillich, D. Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, J. Moltmann, K. Rahner, R. Rohr and J. Allison. He loves living in community and following Jesus is devoted to being a witness of Christ's love
in the world.

New York

Leo Anthony is the sacristan, novice tutor and assistant guardian at Little Portion Friary. He is also responsible for the Franciscan Bookshop.

Antonio Sato engages in the ministry of hospitality as a guest master at the Little Portion Friary. As a Episcopal priest he sees people for spiritual direction and confession. He is also available for quiet day and retreat. In February this year he visited Sao Paulo, Brazil for the ministry of retreat, preaching and Bible study. He also had a wonderful time with the Franciscan Brothers there. In June he is going to visit Hamilton, Canada to stay with his friend and to visit a few religious communities around Toronto. In October he plans to visit Tokyo, Japan for giving retreat and spiritual direction for the Community of Nazareth and for meeting with his friends and family.

Brother Dunstan is on the Diocesan Commision on Ministry. At 87 years old and over 50 years in profession, he is the keeper of our collective memory. During the spring and summer, he works constantly in the garden and in the winter, he curates one of the largest model train installations on Long Island. He also does spiritual direction and retreat work. This summer, he's off to Barbados for the first Anglican Cursillo on that island.

Brother Ambrose Cristobal is in the second year of the novitiate.  He's an accomplished pianist, works at Pax Cristi, the local homeless shelter, and is assistant sacristan.  His spirituality is informed by his Japanese roots as well as his considerable learning in New Testament history and theology.  He does days of reflection and workshops as well as outside preachments.

Brother Maximilian Kolbe, also in the second year of the novitiate, has recently moved to Little Portion from the house In Berkeley.  He's a visiual artist and printer, a musician, and a fervent ecologist.  He and Brother Ambrose are currently engaged in preaching at various churches in the diocese.

Brother Thomas is the guardian of Little Portion.  He's also the priest in charge at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, Deer Park, Long Island, and Assistant Minister Provincial.  Brother Tom speaks Spanish and does a lot of work with the community of migrant workers on Long Island.  He also writes songs and sings them whether asked to or not, and he spends a lot of time writing novels which have yet to be published.

Brazil

Brother Elton Philip was recently clothed with the habit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is active in the parish of Sao Joao and also does Night Minstry with Brother James, bringing food and other kinds of help to the homeless people of Sao Paulo.

Brother James is a former Roman Catholic religious who has taught for many
years and is now a principal assistant in the Public School System of Sao
Paulo, Brazil. He and Brother Elton Philip ministry at the Night Ministry
in which they give food and other kinds of support to those living on the
streets of Sao Paulo.