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Mark Soehner, OFM

Mark Soehner, OFM, is a Franciscan friar and priest with over four decades of pastoral, formation, and leadership experience in the Order of Friars Minor. Throughout his ministry, Fr. Mark has served in diverse settings including homeless shelters (St. Vincent Hotel in Dayton and Zacchaeus Friary), campus ministry at the University of Cincinnati, and parish leadership. From 1995 to 2008 he served as Pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit, guiding the community through significant change while also maintaining a licensed professional counseling practice (M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland). He has been deeply involved in Franciscan formation as a formator in Chicago and Cincinnati/Detroit, and served on the Provincial Council. In 2017 he was elected Provincial Minister of St. John the Baptist Province, and in 2023 was elected Vicar Provincial of the newly formed Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Known for his compassionate presence, commitment to those on the margins, and dedication to Franciscan life, Fr. Mark brings a wealth of wisdom, lived experience, and spiritual insight to conversations on faith, service, leadership, and community.

Grief, Grace, and Letting Go

Mark Soehner, OFM June 5, 2026

Father Mark Soehner, OFM, walks us through his journey as a Franciscan Friar, his love for his vocation, and how grief and grace can be connected.

Becoming Church

Mark Soehner, OFM June 5, 2026

This friar writes of a need for all of us to become one Church.

‘We Will See Him’: An Easter Message

Mark Soehner, OFM March 24, 2023

This Easter we, too, will gather with our hopelessness and despair over our world’s tragedies. But if we will allow it, also with all our potential, we will become witnesses to the Resurrection.

A homeless woman holds a container bearing a sign reading "Please Help Me" as she begs for money on a street in Sydney Oct. 28, 2016. In a pre-election statement, Australian bishops did not endorse an political platform, but said voters should consider candidates who might prioritize people who need palliative care, those in low-paying and insecure jobs, First Nations peoples, asylum-seekers and refugees. (CNS photo/David Gray, Reuters)

Loving the ‘Least of Us’

Mark Soehner, OFM January 25, 2023

Moving is disorienting, no matter how often a person has done it.

A Franciscan Response to COVID-19

Mark Soehner, OFM March 30, 2020

By now, no one needs to tell you about the impact of the pandemic we’re experiencing. There are a great number of inconveniences. There is also a lot of fear and confusion. Social distancing and the rate of change make all of our daily lives more difficult.