Every morning Mark Benson gets out of bed, brushes his teeth, puts on his running shoes and heads out the door for a 3-mile run. He’s done this for years, in Chicago, New York, California. It is often the best part of his day. “I like being alone, seeing what is going on in my […]

Give me someone with Parkinson’s disease, cancer, or a stroke, I told my hospice supervisor, I just can’t handle another person with dementia. This conversation took place in my third year as a hospice volunteer and after the third time I visited Alice. She lived in a small home with six other residents. Alice liked […]

Brandon Mathews is a 25-year-old professional golfer. He was in a tie for the championship of the Argentine Open when during his final putt someone in the crowd yelped. Distracted by the sound, Mathews flinched, missed the putt and lost. Back in the clubhouse he was angry until he was told that it was a […]

When I was in my twenties, I met and became friends with a woman named Kate. She was fun and funny. She was a big reader and always had something new and interesting to talk about. Sometimes, when she’d been drinking, she’d talk too much and too loudly, and get into some trouble, but I […]

Did you know that it was during St Francis’ life, spurred by the growth of the merchant class, that money first became widely used in Italy? In the midst of this growth of commerce, the friars developed a deep understanding of how economics affects people and communities. Coupling their observations and theology, the Franciscan developed […]

When you hear the word widow, what do you think of? Old ladies, spiders, the city of Nain, two copper pennies? Well, Amelia Nierenberg, a food writer for the New York Times, thinks of dinner! It is not as big a leap as it may seem. The idea that food soothes grief runs deep. It […]

Netflix is currently airing a three-part series on Bill Gates. It provides a great glimpse into a complicated man, his personal journey and his impact on society. At one point in the show, Bill describes becoming aware of the horrible physical, economic and social consequences polio has on the people who contract it. Though polio […]

September 2019 The centerpiece of our Franciscan ministry is the Gospel and its call to be disciples of Christ by serving others, especially the poor, the forgotten, and the marginalized. ~ Franciscan Leadership Guide You probably know who painted at least one of these paintings, even though you may have never seen them before. How? […]

Since the day of his death almost 800 years ago, the story of St. Francis of Assisi has captured the imagination of artists, theologians, musicians, and people of every faith. In our own time, the story of St. Francis continues to inspire Catholic men to religious life as Friars Minor (Lesser Brothers), as they place […]

The Office of Mission Integration and Ministry Support was established in January 2019 as a response to a changing world and the need for an increasing number of lay people to fulfill leadership roles in our ministries. Like other Orders who have reached this crossroad, we recognize the need to provide greater support, structure, education, […]