Our Fraternal living provides a center from which our friars go out and are nourished and strengthened in our shared resources to be of service to the Church.

OUR MINISTRY

Many of the religious communities in existence today were founded for a specific purpose or to meet a specific need in the Church.

For us, as T.O.R. Franciscans, as for Francis, this is not the case. Francis gathered brothers around him, because of the way he lived out the mandates of the Gospel in his life. Living the Gospel then is our reason for being and our form of life. Our primary apostolate is precisely this living out the Gospel and being heralds of the Good News. What ever ministry a friar is engaged in, must proceed from an intimate union with Christ. St. Francis observed, "We give birth to Him through a holy life which should enlighten others because of our example."   Consequently, as friars we strive to see fraternal life as essential to our apostolic endeavors, as we witness to the Gospel values we profess to live.

Since the friars have as their first responsibility the preaching of the Gospels, the friars of our province are engaged in pastoral work in parishes. Through participation in this important aspect of the Church's life and ministry, the friars try to perpetuate the zeal of St. Francis in calling the faithful to join them in the process of constant conversion to Gospel values.

The staffing of retreat centers is a major apostolate of the province.  The friars of our province staff two retreat centers, San Pedro Retreat Center, Orlando Florida and Priestfield Pastoral Center in Kearneysville.

In keeping with the Order's beginnings, there are friars who dedicate themselves to the care of the sick as health care professionals, doctors, nurses, chaplains. Like St. Francis they seek to bind the wounds and heal the brokenness of their sisters and brothers who share in the physical sufferings of Christ.

One of the important service dimensions of our Order and Province is foreign missionary activity. Franciscans of the Third Order Regular have a world consciousness which reflects the missionary stance of the Church. The needs of the people are staggering and sometimes the problems of their spiritual life, poverty, education and medical care are overwhelming. There is progress in our missions because our missionaries believe in the reality of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi,

LORD, WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR, LET ME SOW HOPE

Friars of our Province are also engaged in education. Those friars who are in this ministry seek not only to broaden the horizons and challenge the minds of their students but also strive to bring them to personal commitment to Christ and empower them to become instruments of peace and justice.

The Friars work closely with the Secular Franciscan Order

Secular Franciscans as their name implies, live ordinary lives in the world rather than in religious communities. They may be single or married, women or men, in all walks of life. (Some are diocesan priests and deacons.) They live the Gospel as consecrated laity in a Franciscan manner according to their own Rule which they profess after a period of initial formation. Profession as a Secular Franciscan is a lifelong permanent commitment.  If you would like more information on the Secular Franciscan Order, call: 800-FRANCIS