Franciscan Spirit

All Souls’ Day: The Beauty of Each Life

Darleen Pryds, PhD November 2, 2024

On my first visit to Rome, I rushed to see St. Peter’s. It was a church I had drawn when I was in third grade …

The Unfolding of Peace

Mark Forrester November 1, 2024

Often, I am haunted and healed by the words of the Spanish mystic Unamuno: “May God deny you peace but give you glory.” Unamuno’s tragic sense of life suggests that what too often passes for peace in our world is ...

Five Truths to Remember as Political Tensions Intensify

Franciscan Media October 31, 2024

Franciscans believe that God’s trajectory in the world is a humble one. God poured God’s very self into the universe, setting it into motion, and also became human through the person of Jesus Christ. So, what are the implications of ...

Study & Theology: A Franciscan Feast

Donna Foley, OFS October 16, 2024

When I was young, Thanksgiving dinners were never held in anyone’s house. My grandmother and her sisters decided that no one’s Philadelphia row house was big enough for the entire clan. Smart women that they were, we always took over ...

Study & Theology: ‘Where You Lead, I Will Follow’

Rebecca Freeman October 14, 2024

If I were to leave behind an epitaph, it would most certainly read, “Follow St. Francis!”

Francis: A Natural Spiritual Genius

Richard Rohr, OFM October 4, 2024

If our only goal is to love, there is no such thing as failure. Francis succeeded in living in this single-hearted way and thus turned all failure on its head. He even turned failure into success. This intense eagerness to ...