The Church concluded the five-year anniversary celebration of the release of Laudato Si’ – Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical – with the launch on May 25 of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development. This is an appropriate time to focus on the message and goals of the encyclical, and to implement them as Franciscans.

Franciscan Leaders Urge President Biden to Take Action for Peace in Holy Land
Provincial Minister Fr. Kevin Mullen, OFM, and five other leaders of provinces in the United States belonging to the Order of Friars Minor recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden imploring him to increase the United States’ efforts to end the violence in the Holy Land and address the causes of the conflict. Add your voice to this effort …
Standing in Solidarity with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
In response to the increase of hate-fueled violence against Asian- Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Province’s Migrant Center of New York is providing education and advocacy programs, and HNP has released a statement expressing solidarity and support for the AAPI community.
Celebrating Earth Day and Integral Ecology
HNP friars, ministries, and partners-in-ministry will join the worldwide Order and people around the globe in celebrating the environment and focusing on ecological initiatives to improve the health of the planet commemorating the 51st annual Earth Day, April 22.
Franciscan Leaders Denounce Violence at the US Capitol
After the attack on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, the leaders of six OFM provinces in the United States – including Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM – sent the following letter to the members of their provinces. Friars and their partners-in-ministry at Franciscan ministry sites around the country pray for peace and unity during this turbulent phase in …
Sharing the Message of ‘Fratelli Tutti’
For the Franciscan community worldwide, Pope Francis signing his latest encyclical – “Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship – in Assisi, Italy, at the tomb of St. Francis, was more than a symbolic and historic gesture — it was a call to renewal.
Promoting a Consistent Ethic of Life
On Jan. 24, Franciscans participated in the 46th National March for Life in Washington, D.C., doing their part to promote the need to uphold human dignity and the common good.
Province Communities Observe Martin Luther King Holiday
Friars, congregations, and partners in ministry throughout the Province, like those across the nation and around the world, commemorated the life of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saying Yes to Life, Rebuilding God’s House, Healing Our Church
I have been participating in the March for Life for years. I do it because I believe in the sanctity of human life. As a Franciscan friar, I have preached and pastorally counseled women who dealt with pregnancies in very challenging circumstances and who struggled to choose life. I have participated in the March for Life because I have been …
CTU Students Learn about La 72 Project
CHICAGO – Members of the Catholic Theological Union community gathered earlier this month to hear a presentation from Ramon Marquez and Emelie Viklund on their work at the La 72 Migrant and Refugee Shelter in Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico. La 72 is a project that was started by the Franciscan Province of Southeast Mexico (San Felipe de Jesus Province) on April …
Franciscans Urge Country to Renew Struggle for Equality, Inclusivity
The friars urge all people to examine their attitudes about race and to promote actions that bring about acceptance and equality.
Franciscan Friars Energized by Pope Francis’s Encyclical
The encyclical’s title, “Laudato Si’” or “Praised Be,” is drawn from a prayer attributed to the friars’ founder, St. Francis of Assisi.