Father Bernard Creighton, OFM, an Elmira native, recently celebrated 50 years as a Franciscan friar.
Father Creighton professed his first vows in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1967. He had joined the order through the influence of Franciscans who staffed Olean’s St. Bonaventure University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Throughout his 50 years of ministry, Father Creighton has served in several educational and editorial roles. His first assignment was editing The Provincial Annals, an annual historical publication, which he did from St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City. In 1972 he was assigned to the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure, where he stayed through 1994, taking care of the business aspects of running the institute and proofing the scholarly materials. He managed the institute’s printing, overseeing brochures and assuring that manuscripts were correct. He also welcomed scholars and experts who traveled to St. Bonaventure from around the world.
Father Creighton currently resides at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, N.J., where he is the residence’s vicar. He and other friars marking golden and silver anniversaries of religious life were honored June 20 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City. Father Creighton belongs to Holy Name Province, the largest community of Franciscan friars in the United States,
