The Work of The Franciscan Friars

The hallmark of the Franciscans is caring for the poor and those on the margins.
Friars care for everyone with joyful exuberance, welcome, compassion and respect. Judgmental.

FRANCISCAN VALUES

All people are loved unconditionally by God – and because of that, all are invited and welcomed by the Franciscan Friars. It is our responsibility to answer the cry of the poor, and everyone who is calling out for help. Whether greeting someone with a sandwich, a hot meal, a warm sweater, or a bottle of water, or providing health care, addiction counseling, temporary shelter, or financial assistance to help pay the rent and a utility bill – we joyfully serve everyone with compassion, dignity and respect. And sometimes, it’s just a smile and kind words that give our guests and neighbors hope and assurance that God loves them. People call the Friars “down to earth. That’s because we live as brothers in fraternity – praying, eating, laughing and crying together, and consoling, supporting and sometimes even arguing with one another – doing everything that families do! One thing we can’t do without is your generous support of The Franciscan Challenge, is care for the more than 2 million people who we encounter at our service ministries.

Franciscan Stories

St. Francis Breadline

My rent devours most of my paycheck. The small amount of money leftover is no match for the sky-high cost of groceries. I can’t buy enough food to survive on. My family is gone, and I have no one to turn to for help. All I can do is skip a few meals and live with the rumble in my stomach. But how long can I go on that way? This was the terrifying uncertainty facing Reggie, who struggled to make ends meet and feed himself. And in New York City, where a collective hustle can make those in need invisible, help can be hard to come by. Thankfully, Reggie found Franciscan Bread for the Poor on West 31st Street.

St. Francis Seraph Ministries

I’d like to share the story of Reginald, a man who lives on the streets of Cincinnati. When the Friars first met Reginald, we were struck by his day-to-day reality. Years of homelessness, walking great distances, and neglect had taken a great toll on his feet. He was in a lot of pain and could barely walk—and it was the middle of winter. Thankfully, he was able to cross the warm and welcoming threshold of St. Francis Seraph Ministries, where he met Brother David.

St. Anthony Shrine

There’s nothing like the feeling of coming home, whether you were away for a long time or not. Home is a safe space, where we can feel comfortable, secure, and free from harm. But what if you didn’t have a safe space? What would happen to you? This petrifying unknown is a reality for the homeless women of Boston, who often fall victim to physical and sexual abuse and need safe spaces.

Negril, Jamaica

Did you know that zip code is a better predictor of health than genetic code? It’s true: where you live matters. Our access to security and opportunities has a direct effect on our health. For the residents of Negril, Jamaica—the homebound in poverty-stricken areas just miles from beach resorts—security and opportunities are basically non-existent. Crime is frequent and often goes unreported. There are no steady jobs. Families are a hurricane away from being homeless. The pursuits of education and health care take backseats to survival. It’s hard to think of families, let alone children, living without basic health services and hope.

St. Francis Inn

Ruth and her two young children are homeless. The single mother struggled to scrape up the next meal for her kids and dress them with warm clothes. In the winter. That was before Ruth found St. Francis Inn, the Franciscan soup kitchen in Philadelphia that feeds over 200 homeless, hungry, unemployed and poor guests every day. The Inn’s thrift shop makes sure the children have coats and sweaters.

Franciscan Outreach Food Bank

The people lined up outside the Franciscan Outreach Food Bank in Southfield, MI, provide a telling snapshot of our country’s wonderful diversity and troubled times. Some are black, some are white. Some are homeless or addicted. Some are Asian, some are Hispanic. Some are low-income seniors whobarely scrape by on social security. Some are young and nervous about the future. Some are unemployed parents who are struggling to care for their kids.

HOW WE MINISTER

When St. Francis of Assisi went into the streets to care for lepers, the sick, poor and marginalized, it was the beginning of the Franciscan call to service – going to people in need, and not waiting for them to come to us. The Friars continue the legacy of Francis started over 800 years ago – living and working among the poor and desperate we serve. Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, counseling the distraught, providing medical care to the underserved, offering rehabilitation to the addicted and shelter to the homeless – this is how the Franciscan Friars minister. Through the support and investment made by Franciscan Friars Charities – which combines under a single banner the names you know as FriarWorks, Franciscan Charities, Southwest Ministries and Franciscan Friars – the Friars go to some of the poorest communities and address needs, coast-to-coast in the United States, and in Puerto Rico, Cuba and our Franciscan Missions in Jamaica, Africa and South America.

The Franciscan Challenge Campaign is the Annual Fundraising Appeal That Supports the Works and Ministries of the Franciscan Friars coast-to-coast in the United States, and in Puerto Rico, Cuba and our Franciscan Missions in Jamaica, Africa and South America.

The Franciscan Friars urgently need your support – because without your generosity, we would be unable to care for the poor and those on the margins. Take The Franciscan Challenge. We are depending on you. The more than 2 million children, women and men that the Friars help are depending on you. Your generous support of The Franciscan Challenge allows the Friars to continue the 800-year legacy of St. Francis – meeting the people where they are, and providing food, clothing, shelter, medicine and other basic life necessities.