Some years ago, Holy Name Province designated the colleges that it sponsors – Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., and St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y. – as centers for young men to experience spiritual growth and gain a deeper sense of the Franciscan way of life. Today, both schools host a number of activities, both on and off campus, for men who are interested in our way of life. These groups are a great way to be introduced to Franciscan life and ministry with no further commitments or obligations.

Spirituality Groups
Students at Siena and St. Bonaventure are invited to join the friars for prayer and information discussions. These spirituality groups are held on a regular basis in each school’s friary. Discussions center around various topics, including the life of St. Francis of Assisi, our spiritual life as Catholics, Franciscan community life, the Franciscan charism on campus, Holy Name Province and its ministries, and the Franciscan vows of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience. Guest speakers have included campus ministers, Secular Franciscans, friar professors and theologians, and Holy Name Province’s provincial minister and vocation director. In addition to participating in these spirituality groups, students are welcome to join the friars for meals as well as community prayer and the Eucharist.

Retreats
Once a semester, groups of students from both schools go on a weekend retreat. In the past, Siena students have visited the Benedictines of Weston Priory in Vermont, while the group at St. Bonaventure has visited Holy Name Province’s Mt. Irenaeus in West Clarksville, N.Y., and Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, N.Y. Students have also participated in the vocation office’s pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi.

Ministry
In addition to prayer, reflection and discussion, students are encouraged to engage in some form of ministry in their free time. Possibilities include tutoring, volunteering as a Big Brother, working with Habitat for Humanity, participating in campus committees and boards, and involvement in liturgy as a lector, Eucharistic minister or choir member. Students have also visited St. Francis Inn, the province’s soup kitchen in Philadelphia, during breaks in the semester.