Mountain Auction Recap

The 14th Annual Mountain Auction marks success in a new location.

Just as Mt. Irenaeus rejoices “to make all things new,” this year’s fundraising auction in Olean drew upon that spirit as the Mountain Auction marked its 14^th year, but at a new location.

Auction chair Michael Sullivan of Elmira, SBU Class of 1989 and a Mountain board member, received a multitude of compliments from the more than 160 guests who were pleased with the additional space for gathering and conversation.

Held at Premier Banquet Center in Olean Nov. 1, the auction featured more room for seating, the silent auction display and for guests to socialize. Prior to the auction, a Mass was celebrated with Fr. Dan Riley, ofm, as homilist.

Though preliminary figures are not yet in, the assortment of gifts once again demonstrated the commitment and creativity of Mountain friends and supporters.

Joining the array of local products, gift baskets, jewelry and getaways were many thoughtful, one-of-a-kind gifts:

• a case of “Swan Song” beer crafted by Fr. John Coughlin, ofm, before he left the Mountain for his new posting in Georgia. The beer, featuring original artwork by Dan Riley, fetched more than $18 a bottle!

• a dinner with the Mountain friars and eight to 10 guests to be prepared by local chef Sheila Darrow; and

• a collection of beautiful black and white photos taken at the Mountain by St. Bonaventure student Christian Seno.

The auction committee also collaborated with The Pink Pumpkin project this year to support local breast cancer initiatives and provide one-of-a-kind table centerpieces.

The friars and Mt. Irenaeus Board of Trustees extend a huge thank-you to all who participated in the auction, which supports the Mountain’s building maintenance fund and the Mountain operating budget. The auction committee collaborated with The Pink Pumpkin project this year to support local breast cancer initiatives and provide one-of-a-kind table centerpieces.

For Mountain friends who weren’t able to attend the event that evening, the online auction has some wonderful items up for bid and runs Nov. 14-23.

The Mountain Auction committee continues to welcome new voices and enthusiasm. If you’re interested in joining the group to make plans for 2015 – or perhaps you’d like to host a gift-gathering social in your community – please contact Michelle Marcellin at mmarc@sbu.edu.

Voices from the Valley

Maura Parda shares her "Mountain story" from northern Virginia.

How I connected with the Mountain:

I grew up in Olean, N.Y., and come from a large family, many of whom attended St Bonaventure. I was a teenager at the time and remember my Mom’s excitement when the Mountain first came to be in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until my adult years that I truly “connected” with the Mountain when I returned to attend Mass with my family and my husband. From the moment I entered the chapel, I felt like I was coming home.

Where I am now:

I live outside of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia.

How the Mountain had an impact and how I keep the connection with the Mountain alive:

The Mountain has become a part of my daily life, even though I haven’t been back in more than a year.  I love to read Fr. Dan Riley’s daily tweets as part of my morning reflection, as his words of wisdom help me start my day with the intention of “making all things new” in Christ. I look forward to his podcasts, and often take them with me on my walks. 

I try very hard to carve out time for a trip back to Western New York every year or two so I can once again experience the peace and joy of physically being on the Mountain. Most recently, even when I am not physically on the Mountain, I am able to experience the Mountain spirit by being part of a mid-Atlantic “Mountain in Your Home” community. As fellow sojourners, we gather a few times a year in someone’s home for fellowship and shared reflections. Short of being on the Mountain, it’s the next best thing. I would encourage anyone who is interested to come and see for themselves, as all are welcome!

Favorite memory:

It is hard to carve out one “favorite” memory, as every moment spent at Mt. Irenaeus is meaningful and etched in memory. However, the one that stands out the most is one I shared with my sister. 

Our family was at a difficult point, and we were both struggling with how to move forward. It was a beautiful fall day, and so we spontaneously decided to go to the Mountain, and take a walk up the hill.  By the time we reached the top of the Mountain, we both felt the burden being lifted with each step, and at the top we had an experience of God’s forgiveness and grace. We had a chance encounter with Fr. Dan on our walk back down that lasted less than five minutes, and by the time we left the Mountain, we knew we had experienced God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness in a profound way. 

That was a turning point for both of us, and a memory I come back to often through prayers of thanksgiving for how God helped us get through that painful period. It was truly the Spirit at work.

Life in the Way of St. Francis: Seeing the God of Love Everywhere

Suzanne English, a secular Franciscan, shares her thoughts on the example of St. Francis of Assisi.

As the Feast of St. Francis approaches, I find myself reflecting on the meaning and expression of Franciscan life. What does it mean to live a life in the way of Francis, whose entire life after his conversion was dedicated to imitating Christ – and am I?

A core belief of the Franciscan way of life is that it is a life of love, one of the heart more than the mind. We know the source of that love. During a St. Bonaventure summer conference kicking off the celebration of the centenary of Thomas Merton's birth, fellow Bonaventure graduate Fr. Dan Horan, O.F.M., noted that Merton himself was a proponent of supralapsarian belief – that God did not send Jesus simply to repair the damage done by man's fall from grace, but would have sent Jesus even had the fall not occurred, out of his surpassing love.

That sense of God's overflowing, undeserved love and grace, too powerful to contain, washing away all my sins and holding me in his loving gaze, is what sustains me every day and is at the heart of our faith.

Beyond that basic characteristic, though, the two aspects of Francis' life - contemplative and evangelistic - are both attractive to me.

Francis was deeply prayerful. In her book Franciscan Prayer, Sr. Ilia Delio, O.S.F., notes that "to enter into the mystery of Christ through prayer ... is to enter into the mystery of the Trinity, and to live in the Trinity is to live in relationships of love.

"Because Franciscan prayer is focused in the person of Christ, it is affective. It is prayer of the heart rather than head, and it seeks to center one's heart in God. The heart that is centered in God views the world as the place where God dwells."

That perspective of seeing the world - all creation, all people, not just the good and the beautiful – as of God, is a wonderful gift. But God did not call us as people of faith just to contemplate his goodness. Francis, in addition to being prayerful, was an evangelist and an exemplar to all those around him, of dedicated, penitential practice. His life was a reflection of the Gospel call.

We are to go out to all the world - God's amazing, glorious world, filled with beautiful, imperfect people like us - and let God's love shine through us as we go out about our work and the normal tasks of daily life. Perhaps our most difficult task is to get out of the way so He can.

A simple phrase attributed to Francis – based in his admonition to his brothers to preach with their deeds – is "Preach always. When necessary, use words." May our lives be open to God's action in us so that His love and joy draw others, not to us, but to Christ. Wishing a happy Feast, and a life of love and joy to all!

"A New Life" for Annual Mountain Auction

This year's Mountain Auction offers some exciting changes, along with renewed energy from our dedicated auction committee who has made this event successful year after year. 

The 14th annual Mountain Auction will be held Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. at Premier Banquet Center in Olean. Traditionally held in Doyle Hall at St. Bonaventure University, the new location will provide additional room for more guests, greater handicapped accessibility and abundant parking. With this larger facility we’ll also be able to offer more room for the silent auction display and for guests to socialize.

We will also again offer our online auction, to be held in the weeks following the live auction. More information will be coming soon.

The auction, Mt. Irenaeus' largest fundraising effort, raises more than $30,000 annually. The proceeds cover a significant portion of the Mountain's operating budget and help fund myriad improvements and expenses. Most recently, auction proceeds helped fund the resurfacing of the chapel's structure and window replacement.

Donated items will be gratefully accepted until mid-October, but will only be listed in the printed booklet and online if received before Oct. 1. Items that do very well at the auction include gift cards to local or national stores and restaurants, tickets to sporting events, gift baskets of local or “themed” merchandise and handmade crafts.

Tickets are available now for $50 per person and include cocktails, food stations and desserts. Tickets usually sell out quickly. Please contact Michelle Marcellin (mmarc@sbu.edu) for tickets and more information. 

We appreciate all of the gifts provided. Your contributions to this fun event help sustain our Mountain life and allow us to continue our ministry at home and on the road.

Ending the Summer with a Smile

Mike Madonna reflects on his time as a Mountain companion.

What can I say about my summer at the Mountain? It was so many things for me. It was fun, exciting and sometimes a little scary. It was frustrating at times, and peaceful at others. It’s hard to try and talk about nine weeks’ worth of memories, so instead I think I’ll talk about what made the summer so amazing for me and why I’ll never forget it.

I love the Mountain and have for a long time now. I actually wanted to apply for this position for summer 2013, but family obligations prevented me from doing so. I honestly think God may have had a little to do with that because I wouldn’t trade my summer at the Mountain for anything. If I had gone any year but this one I wouldn’t have had the wonderful pleasure of meeting so many of the people who visited during my time there. It is because of my interactions with people that my time at the Mountain this summer was such a rich and wonderful experience.

First and foremost I have to thank my other Mountain companion, Gabi Levine. When I first met her I wondered what she was doing living in the woods for nine weeks. However, by the end of the summer I considered her a very close friend and that friendship kept me strong during those times when I was worried or upset (not that there were too many of those).

Sister Clara, a Korean Poor Clare Sister who stayed with us on the Mountain, had a big impact on my time there as well. Her warm and honest smile is something I will never forget.

Part of the reason I love The Mountain is because I believe it brings out the best in people, and I got to see so much good this summer from people who taught me so much, whether they know it or not. So to those of you I met this summer who are reading, thank you. I am a much better person because of all of you.

And how could I forget the friars (my adopted uncles)? I still find it hard to believe God saw fit to have such a great group of men come together and make themselves available 24-7 to me and to all those who need them.

I didn’t realize how much they meant to me until I heard Fr. John Coughlin was leaving. I still feel the hole he left behind. However, John took it all with a smile on his face. His fortitude really inspired me. So when it came time for me to leave the Mountain, I too left with a smile. That is probably the most important lesson I learned this summer and I hope that lesson helps others, too.  

Never stop smiling.