The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University graduated 22 men and women from its Padua Program on June 12.

The Padua Program is a yearlong certificate program of Franciscan mission-based leadership training for lay and religious leaders of Franciscan institutions.

In a ceremony of blessing and thanksgiving, Fr. David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap., director of the Franciscan Institute, highlighted the unique nature of the participants’ training.

“We have always thought of ‘vocation’ as a lifetime commitment, an obligation by vows or solemn promises that is lifelong. It seems to me (and others) that the Spirit is doing something new in the Church, providing for a vocation that is both intensely spiritual, powerfully committed but temporary and transient as well,” he said.

“This is what (program instructor) Dr. Julianne Wallace proposed with her evocative insight about an ‘institutional vocation.’ It is a vocation that serves the transformation of institutions of charism and service. It is a calling to a particular ministry for a time in institutions dedicated to the common good and upbuilding in Christ’s name,” Fr. David added.

This year’s graduates formed the sixth cohort of students from Franciscan schools and colleges, social service agencies, religious congregations, and hospital systems. Students are instructed on the core vision and values of the Franciscan intellectual tradition, serving as a foundation for mission, alongside the latest insights in organizational development.

Among the graduates of this year’s program were two employees of St. Bonaventure University, Dr. Erin Sadlack, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Alex Payne, administrative assistant to the dean of the School of Education.

The other graduates are Yvette Batts (Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, Jamaica), Brendan Butcher (principal of St. Paul School, Florida), Debbie Coakley (board representative, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany), Brian Dearinger (director of communications, Conventual Friars), Dr. Diedre DeBose (vice president for mission and equity, Hilbert College), Melanie Douglas (major gifts officer, Conventual Friars), Fr. John Elmer (Mission Advancement Office, Conventual Friars), Michael Fenn (Mt. Irenaeus), Nicki Franklin (Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, Jamaica), Katrina Gill (Mission Integration coordinator, Bay Care Hospitals, Tampa, Florida).

And Shaunna Graf (director of major gifts, Conventual Friars), Anne Holliday (communications coordinator, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany), Paula Lyn, Cheryl Maggio and Robin Roche (associates, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany), Tom Manhart (chaplain, Franciscan Healthcare, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity), Regina Proctor (major gifts officer, Conventual Friars), Dr. Michelle Robinson (private medical practice, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany), friar Mario Serrano (Conventual Friars), and Barb Spies (director of Mission Services, Felician Sisters of North America).

Fr. David was joined in the ceremony of blessing by Jeff Papia, director of strategy for Our Lady of Victory Human Services in Lackawanna, New York. Their other colleague, Debi Haug, director of mission for the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, was leading a pilgrimage to Ireland and unable to attend the ceremony.

The seventh cohort begins its on-campus program July 9-12. For more information or to register, visit www.sbu.edu/franciscaninstitute.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).