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.
Crossing Borders: Conference Celebrates International Human Rights Day
NEW YORK — What links climate change and human trafficking? A lot more than one might think. The intersection of these issues was explored on Saturday, Dec. 13, through “Looking Beyond Our Borders,” a conference sponsored by The Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, West 31st Street. More than 100 people listened to the keynote address …
U.S. Provincials Greet Immigration Changes with Hope, Caution
The leaders of the OFM provinces in the United States sent a letter to President Barack Obama this week thanking him for his recent action on immigration and recommending further reform to achieve justice for all. The Dec. 1 letter, signed by the seven U.S. provincial ministers, told the president that “it is a just and good thing that as …
JPIC Continental Meeting Focuses on Enhancing Environmental Justice
BOGOTA, Colombia — Two representatives of Holy Name Province were part of a weeklong meeting last month to strengthen knowledge about environmental justice and better to prepare those responsible for justice, peace and integrity of creation advocacy. This “Fourth JPIC Continental Meeting of the Americas” included 25 JPIC animators representing countries from Canada to Chile. Joseph Rozansky, OFM, director of …
Franciscans Join Thousands in People’s Climate March
NEW YORK — Just two weeks before the feast of St. Francis, patron saint of the environment, thousands from across the United States assembled in Midtown Manhattan for the People’s Climate March to show their concern for the planet. The Franciscan call to care for creation was heard Sunday amid many passionate voices at the event, what some are calling …
NYC Migrant Center to Host Indie and Foreign Film Festival
NEW YORK — As New York City prepares to host the New York Film Festival this fall, the Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan is inviting moviegoers to attend its first indie and foreign film festival. The Sept. 16 to 19 festival — four feature films and four short films, all with justice …
Franciscan Friars Call on Obama to Address Border Crisis Compassionately
The Franciscan friars of the United States have called on President Barack Obama to address the growing humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexican border. In an Aug. 15 letter, the provincial ministers of the seven OFM provinces — including Kevin Mullen, OFM — asked the president to increase direct leadership to meet the immediate needs of the thousands of unaccompanied child …