Followers of St. Francis

The Overseas Lay Mission program broadened this woman's understanding of Franciscan mission being rooted in a ministry of presence and accompaniment.

Sister Mary Gemma found encouragement in St. Francis, whose “radical love for God always inspired me. He set aside so many of the good things of this world in order to love Jesus and follow him more closely.”

“St. Francis is such a role model and is so important to our world today. The charisms that his life exemplified (poverty, contemplation, conversion, and minority) speak to me differently as I grow and change.”

“Transition comes to everyone,” Sister Jannette Pruitt, OSF, says “and when it does, I trust in God and try to take life one day at a time.”

For Friar Mike Lasky, OFM Conv, seeking social justice goes beyond platitudes or social media posts. It means getting to work.

A simple yes to a one-time good deed transformed into a lifelong ministry for Sister Damien Hinderer, OSF.

When Theresa Diersen walks into the dining room at St. Francis Seraph Ministries in Cincinnati, Ohio, guests immediately take notice: Faces light up; hugs are in abundance.

In response to the growing number of refugees, poor, and the homeless, Father Marcellino and the friars decided to transform their historic monastery’s former refectory into a soup kitchen.

As many as 4,538 residents experience homelessness on any given day. Milwaukee, in particular, is beset by homelessness, prostitution, and human trafficking.