Franciscans Archives

Franciscans mark 800 years of serving in the Holy Land
- Global Church
- October 18, 2017
The Franciscan mission to the Holy Land was commissioned in 1217 by St. Francis of Assisi himself, and over 100 years later – in 1342 – the Holy Land province of the Franciscans were officially declared the custodians of the holy shrines by Pope Clement VI. In a message marking their 800 years of service, Pope Francis called them “ambassadors of the entire People of God.”
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Pope recognizes martyrdom of Franciscans killed in Guatemala
- Catholic News Service, Vatican
- October 10, 2017
Pope Francis advanced the causes for sainthood for nine people on Tuesday October 10 at the Vatican. Two of those, a priest and a layman, were Franciscans who were martyred in Guatemala. They were killed shortly after Blessed Stanley Rother was martyred there. Rother was recently beatified in Oklahoma.
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Living in that same light as St. Clare
- Interviews
- August 11, 2017
St. Clare of Assisi — her feast day is observed on August 11— sought to live Franciscan spirituality from within the enclosure of her cloister. While the Franciscan friars were preaching in the cities and rebuilding churches externally, Clare and the sisters were living within the enclosure with a stronger focus on contemplation, intimacy, and relationality.
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Holy Land Festival unites Muslims, Christians for peace

The fourth annual Holy Land Festival was held July 15 in Washington. The festival cultivates a conversation of hope around the Holy Land, with many groups coming together to engage visitors with the situation of Christians and of peace in the Holy Land.

Franciscan friar trades a field of dreams for an empire for the poor

Franciscan Father Flavian Mucci wanted to put into practice what the founder of the Franciscans called them to do: love the poor. For fifty years he has lived in El Salvador, and his focus has always been on the poor, through the war, the gang violence, and the abandonment of the country by others due to hardships.

Pope chooses Franciscan friar to lead his Lenten retreat

Pope Francis has chosen Father Giulio Michelini, a Franciscan professor of biblical theology, to lead his annual Lenten retreat. Michelini will lead meditations on the Gospel of Matthew’s description of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus at the Pauline Fathers’ retreat center in Ariccia, 20 miles southeast of Rome.