Franciscan Spirituality

St. Clare’s Prayerful Life

Carol Ann Morrow July 25, 2021

The privilege of poverty, as much as I can embrace it, is an outer simplification. Advancing age reveals it to me, but Clare shows me how to maximize its revelations.

Perfect Joy

Christopher Heffron June 11, 2021

With the health crisis and unrest facing our world, finding a reason to be joyful may be hard. But it’s important that we smile—even if it’s through tears.

Why St. Anthony Holds the Child Jesus

Jack Wintz, OFM May 12, 2021

Next to Mary of Nazareth, the saint most often seen in artwork holding the child Jesus in his arms is St. Anthony of Padua.

Illustration of somebody with mental illness

Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness

Christopher Heffron April 24, 2021

For those who love somebody struggling with mental illness, our job is to be fully present and listen without prejudice.

The Other Mother’s Day: A Meditation on Mary

Kathy Coffey April 23, 2021

Here’s Mother’s Day in a different light.

The Spirituality of Subtraction

Kyle Kramer April 14, 2021

St. Francis lived the spirituality of subtraction. He let go not only of his property, but also of his status, his pride, his ambition, his ego, and his need to be right.

Lent with St. Francis: ‘Let Us Begin Again’

Diane M. Houdek April 4, 2021

Easter is a beginning, not an ending. And this Easter story from Thomas of Celano reminds us that for Francis, the challenge to remain true to the Gospel was one that needed to be renewed again and again.