A native of Wisconsin, Bro. Costello has led the Capuchins' ministries in Michigan, Wisconsin since 2020, will serve until 2026
DETROIT — The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph has elected Bro. Mark Joseph Costello, OFM Cap., to a second three-year term as provincial minister.
Bro. Costello will continue to lead the Midwest province, which includes the Capuchins' ministries in Detroit and Wisconsin, following the conclusion of the friars' provincial chapter meeting June 5-9 at St. Xavier University in Chicago.
"I am humbled by the responsibility entrusted to me by my Capuchin brothers to lead the Province of St. Joseph for the next three years," Bro. Costello said. "The Provincial Councilors and I will do our utmost to continue our mission based on the model of our brother St. Francis of Assisi.
"The people of God whom we serve at our ministries, such as the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, Capuchin Community Services in Milwaukee and St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin, can be assured of our continued ministry, rooted in contemplative prayer, of putting the Gospel of Jesus Christ into action," he added.
Bro. Costello, a native of Fond du Lac, Wis., entered the Capuchin order in 1982 and was ordained in 1991. He has served in Capuchin formation and worked as an architectural and design consultant for churches across the United States. From 2015-20, he served in several parishes on the Crow Native American reservation in Montana.
He was elected to his first term as provincial minister in 2020.
During the chapter, the Capuchins also elected a new provincial council to serve alongside Bro. Costello, selecting first councilor and provincial vicar Bro. William Hugo, OFM Cap.; second councilor Bro. Tien Dinh, OFM Cap.; third councilor Bro. Biju Parakkalayil, OFM Cap.; and fourth councilor Bro. Nicholas Blattner, OFM Cap.
Bro. Hugo, a native of Chilton, Wis., currently serves as guardian of St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit. Bro. Tien Dinh serves as assistant director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. Bro. Parakkalayil, from Kerala, India, will minister as guardian of St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt Calvary, Wis. And Bro. Blattner, of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., serves as mission secretary for the province in Detroit.
The council's leadership term begins immediately and will last until the next provincial chapter in 2026.
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