God’s Fool ~ St. Francis of Assisi, by sculptor Frank C. Gaylord, Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois   St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved of all the saints. Movies, books, and garden statues reflect a love for him in our modern culture. Francis’s intuition was as simple as it […]

Sometimes I don’t see the obvious thing right in front of my face. Have you ever seen corporate logos with ‘negative’ space or hidden symbolism? It’s right there but we often don’t see it. Do you see the hidden images in these logos? I just love searching for the hidden meaning in everyday things. Look […]

We’re all probably well aware of the increasing amount of time we spend with technology, in traffic, on screens and inside the office (or home office). Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life, a little bit of nature can provide a welcome respite. There’s also a growing list of the positive effects of spending […]

Time Magazine recently featured a story about how people gossip – and how gossip can be a good thing! Darleen Pryds of the Franciscan School of Theology seems to agree – and shares some ‘holy gossip’ with us. Darleen proposes that our untamed and counter-cultural faith as Christians and Franciscans depends on us ‘spilling the […]

In September we celebrate the feast day of St. Rose of Viterbo, a fearless Franciscan lay woman. Darleen Pryds of the Franciscan School of Theology shares the story of Rose, a strong, articulate, young woman who answered the call to be a truthteller by preaching in the streets. Even as a child, she was fearless […]

A neighbor of mine recently told me that the people living in the canyon below my home are all mentally ill, carry guns, and want to be homeless. When I asked her how many homeless people she knows, she admitted that she doesn’t know any. I do, and her description doesn’t accurately describe a single […]

St. Francis Retreat is a full-scale retreat and conference center, offering varied conference spaces, highly rated food service and dining room, overnight guest accommodations and various outdoor amenities. We welcome all faiths and religions, non-profits and individuals to this “Franciscan” setting to reflect, refresh and grow. Back in 1947, our founders realized that people and […]

Inspiring. Challenging. Funny. Here are the books, TV shows, movies, and podcasts that some of our friars, ministry leaders and friends enjoyed most this year.

Mission San Luis Rey is a national historic landmark preserving educational and cultural sites including a museum, historic church, burial grounds, with soldier barracks and Lavanderia archeological sites. Alive as ever, Mission San Luis Rey is also home to an active community of Franciscan friars, Historic Church, a gift shop, along with an operating cemetery […]

St. Francis Center’s mission is to feed, serve, and walk with the poor as a community of hope in the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi. Since 1972, St. Francis Center has provided relief and support to homeless and extremely low-income individuals and families in Los Angeles. Much more than a soup kitchen or a […]