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Roger Bacon High School in St. Bernard (Cincinnati), Ohio, marked a historical milestone on Aug. 11 with the dedication of the Anne Nurre Heidt Atrium and Our Lady of the Angels Chapel. Archbishop of Cincinnati Robert G. Casey presided at the Mass, celebrating the first dedicated chapel in the school’s nearly 100-year history.

During the liturgy, the altar was consecrated, officially marking the sacred space as a place of worship and prayer for the Roger Bacon community. The dedication coincided with the feast of St. Clare, highlighting the Franciscan values of prayer, humility and devotion that inspire the school community. A number of friars, including Provincial Councilor Br. Roger Lopez, OFM, who formerly ministered at the school, and representatives from the local Poor Clare community were present for Mass and the luncheon that followed.

The dedication also served as a milestone in the “We Are the Good Soil” capital campaign, which reached its $10 million goal and supports many of transformational investments in the Roger Bacon campus, including the new atrium and chapel, expanded parking, additional classroom space, campus improvements and scholarships.

“Rooted in faith, guided by humility and inspired by the spirit of St. Francis, we pray that this building and chapel will be a sanctuary of prayer, a home of peace and a beacon of joyful service,” said Roger Bacon President Steve Schad. “As Roger Bacon prepares to celebrate a century of God's faithfulness and dedicated service to our community, may this building and chapel stand as the cornerstone of our future.”

A space built to foster Franciscan values

Beyond the building itself, the new space represents the school’s commitment to providing students with an education rooted in Franciscan values and honors the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi and the friars.

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“The new space is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful addition to the school,” said Br. Jim Bok, OFM, past teacher and principal and current member of Roger Bacon’s board of directors. “I appreciate all the effort that went into making sure it’s very, very Franciscan.”

Br. Jim is especially excited that his great-nephew Charlie Strunc and his fiancé Bella Nye, both 2021 Bacon grads, will be the first Spartans (the school’s mascot) to be married in the chapel in January 2027. He will be the celebrant.

The new worship space is the fulfillment of a longtime dream for Br. Fred Link, OFM, who became involved with campus ministry at Roger Bacon during his tenure as pastor at nearby St. Clement Parish.

“It’s a beautiful space and it’s obvious it was designed with great care. It combines a contemporary, yet scared, style while also incorporating many aspects of Franciscan tradition and spirituality,” said Br. Fred, who serves on Roger Bacon’s board and Mission Enhancement Committee and had long promoted the need for a dedicated chapel at the school. “I pray that our students will embrace the opportunity to use the chapel for both group prayer and private visits with the Blessed Sacrament.”

Br. Fred is looking forward to celebrating the First Friday Mass for Roger Bacon alumni and friends in September.

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Once you hear their stories, it’s hard to stay silent. That’s why Mary Grace added a name to the Children’s Shroud, a large white cloth that bears the names of over 18,000 Palestinian children known to have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

This simple gesture makes a clear statement: all life is precious.

Handwriting names of the deceased children on the shroud echoes a tragic practice in Gaza where parents write their children’s names on their bodies so they can be identified if their home is bombed. As she wrote a name on the Children’s Shroud, Mary was brought to tears.

"I was crying; It touches the heart to know the name, to make that connection," said Mary, who belongs to Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina, a church that is stewarded by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. "These are the names of real little kids killed in a series of horrific attacks, a genocide."

Friars of the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe have joined an interfaith effort led by Doctors Against Genocide, Priests Against Genocide and Justice for All to bring the Children’s Shroud to churches and other religious sites to raise awareness for the plight of the Palestinian people and highlight the moral urgency to end the genocide.

At the heart of the Franciscan charism is a recognition of the infinite value of each and every human life. That spiritual and moral conviction informs the Church’s commitment to justice and peace. Recently, Pope Leo XIV appealed again for an end to the "to the repeated acts of violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank" during his weekly Angelus on Aug. 16.

An act of solidarity and prayer

Mary recently hosted a section of the Children’s Shroud at her home in Durham. At that gathering, Br. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, a recently appointed animator of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shared with the invited members of her interfaith circle – including some members of the Jewish community – about his recent experience in the West Bank and how it was moving toward a full-fledge ethnic cleansing. The gathering concluded with guests inscribing the names of children to the shroud. The next day, at Sunday morning Mass, many others had an opportunity to take part in this project at Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham.

St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, and New York’s Siena University have also invited their communities to host the shroud to educate people of goodwill about the atrocities being committed in Gaza. The United Nations described the acts of genocide in a recent report.

People of all ages have seen the shroud, learned about the ongoing genocide and taken the sacred step of inscribing a child’s name as an act of solidarity and prayer.

"Any parish can do it; any community can do it. You don’t have to be Catholic or Christian. Anybody can do this and it just becomes a meaningful move toward a recognition of the humanity of these children and families," Mary said.

"It's been really gratifying to see how much people care about what's going on in Palestine now. The tide is shifting in the United States, and more people are saying, ‘Oh, this is horrible. We have to stop it," she added.

A future of justice and peace for all

Franciscans have been entrusted to care for religious sites and people in the Holy Land for 800 years, and they have decried the systemic violation of basic human rights. The Palestinian people have endured decades of military occupation and gross injustice.

In recent years, some people have hesitated to speak the truth for fear of being labeled as antisemitic. Mark Braverman, a prominent Jewish-American author, activist and psychologist, has challenged Franciscan-hearted people to claim their tradition and a moral courage.

"I understand the reluctance of some to challenge the actions of the State of Israel, but I say this to you. To allow the shutting down of faithful and legitimate protest out of a feeling of love and support for the Jewish people is not an act of love," said Mark.

In a powerful video message, Mark speaks about his work as a Jewish man to promote justice for the oppressed people of the Occupied West Bank and that he understands well the collective trauma and existential fear that grips both sides.

"I pray for a future of dignity and peace for both peoples," said Mark.

How to get involved

The Gaza Children’s Shroud is an interfaith nonviolent movement aimed at ending the genocide and helping to bring a just and lasting peace. It helps to wake up the collective conscience of our nation and empowers us to claim our God-given power to be instruments of his peace. For more information, contact Br. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, at jorzechowski@friars.us.

On Sept. 1, the entire shroud will be displayed at City Hall North in Philadelphia, the first stop in a yearlong traveling exhibition to hold up the truth that our freedom and the freedom of the Palestinian and Israeli people – which includes a freedom from fear and from want – are intimately connected.

On Sept. 16, the shroud will be displayed at the United Nations Church Center in New York City, where various non-governmental organizations and ambassadors will have the opportunity to inscribe some of the remaining names onto the shroud. In October, the shroud will travel to Washington, D.C., before continuing to other cities.

To learn more about the Children's Shroud, visit GazaChildrenShroud.com.

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One year ago, Br. Joshua Richter, OFM, professed solemn vows as a Franciscan friar. On Aug. 21, he will take another step in his vocational journey when he is ordained a priest for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. His childhood, a close family friend and the sounds of nature helped him to discover his calling and become the person he is today.

(In the photo above, Br. Joshua serves at St. Peter's in the Loop in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Br. Octavio Duran, OFM)

Br. Joshua began to feel the stirrings of a vocation to the priesthood as a 12-year-old. He would observe his pastor during Mass at St. Julie Billiart Parish in Hamilton, Ohio, wondering if perhaps one day he could have a similar impact on others.

"I was trying to figure out what to do with my life," Br. Joshua, now 29, recalled. As he grew older, he embraced the idea that "I wanted to help others find the love of God, to find peace in their daily struggles."

Br. Joshua also felt the pull of contemplation in nature, much like St. Francis of Assisi. His Franciscan-like reflection began as he wandered through a forest near his home.

"I would go into the woods to pray and talk to God," he said. What he found there was not necessarily quiet. The calls of the birds and other animals often filled the air. It was the beginning of a discovery that "I could find God in the sounds of nature."

Growing up as a middle child – one of seven children – Br. Joshua experienced community life at a young age. He was homeschooled, and his devout mother frequently volunteered and worked at the parish. Daily Mass was a part of his school day.

When his family befriended Br. Manuel Viera, OFM, who served in Cincinnati at the time, Br. Joshua felt called to explore Franciscan life, even sharing meals and reflections with local friars.

What he discovered there was a joyful, welcoming community.

"They were a great group of guys who truly loved each other. They knew how to pick on each other; but they also knew how to back each other up," he said.

Br. Joshua spent part of his younger years helping with the family’s pizza business, joining his uncle and cousins, learning how to be part of a working team.

After graduating with a degree in environmental studies from Miami University in Ohio in 2019, he entered the postulancy program in Silver Spring, Maryland. During his years in formation, he learned about the diversity of Franciscan ministries around the country, from Cincinnati to Chicago to Santa Barbara, California. The process shaped his understanding of Franciscan values, and he applied what he learned to his experiences.

"It taught me about the integration of God with my spiritual life, with myself and my human life," he said. "I will not do everything completely perfectly. But there is healing in that."

During his studies, Br. Joshua served with Reading Partners, providing guidance to young students in the Washington D.C. area. He found fulfillment in supporting students who struggled in the classroom, helping them to eventually reach above-average standards. "I was amazed to see how these students developed."

In Santa Barbara, he worked with the elderly at a facility run by the Daughters of Charity, helping residents navigate email and other electronic forms of communication. In Chicago, he worked in religious education at St. Jerome Catholic School and assisted at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii in Little Italy. In Philadelphia, he served guests at St. Francis Inn’s soup kitchen. Many of the guests contend with poverty yet, through long conversations, he discovered that "they could see how God was working in their lives." In New Orleans he ministered at a largely African American parish.

Through it all, he brought the faith he first encountered back home in Ohio.

"I was set on fire by my faith," he recalled from his younger years.

Br. Joshua currently serves as a religion teacher at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati.

On Friday, Aug. 21, Brothers Joshua Richter, OFM, and Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, will be ordained priests at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, eight friars will profess solemn vows at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland: Brothers Domingo Martinez, OFM; Tyler Grudi, OFM; Kevin Hamzik, OFM; Phillip McCarter, OFM; Brian Menezes, OFM; Joan JP Perez-Lombera, OFM; Carlos Portillo, OFM; and Nathaniel Tran, OFM.

This article was originally published in The Franciscan Way, a publication of Franciscan Friars Charities, the charitable arm of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

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On Aug. 21, Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, will take another step in his vocational journey when he is ordained a priest for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. His path began in an unlikely place. Despite anti-Catholic oppression in his home country, he found peace and purpose as a Franciscan friar.

(In the photo above, Br. Maikel is ordained a transitional deacon at Mother of the Americas Catholic Church in Chicago on Oct. 19, 2025. This is a stepping stone to being ordained a priest. Photo by Jesus Martinez)

Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, grew up in Cuba, a country where the presence of the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Order have long been oppressed.

Despite the challenge of government restrictions on religion, Br. Maikel discovered St. Francis of Assisi. Reading about St. Francis' life inspired him to learn about the Franciscan Order.

He related to the medieval Italian saint in many ways. He too experienced a longing for God, a search for community and a troubled relationship with a father who had little regard for faith.

"I fell in love with the history of his life, all of his spirituality and his works," said Br. Maikel, 46, speaking through a translator.

Br. Maikel entered the Franciscan Order in Havana more than a decade ago. Even before beginning postulancy, he was living Francis' spirituality on his own, nurturing the faith.

In Franciscan community and ministry, he felt at home.

"I have been attracted to the Franciscan way of life. I choose to live in fraternity,"" said Br. Maikel.

A new family is formed

His Franciscan formation (training) took him around the United States and the Caribbean. He studied in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and ministered to migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas.

Currently he serves the Latino and young adult communities, as well as the homebound, at St. Peter Claver Parish in Macon, Georgia, a ministry he will continue after ordination. Macon's Catholic community is small, augmented in recent years by a growing Latino presence. Like much of the South, it is a city filled with churches, but only three are Catholic. St.Peter Claver has emerged as a center for Latino ministry.

As his ordination day approaches, he is grateful for a new family that has welcomed him with love and care. He has no siblings his mother is deceased and most of his relatives are still in Cuba. His brother friars and friends have walked with him throughout these years of discernment, study and ministry. Many of them will travel from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Georgia to attend his ordination.

Br. Maikel is inspired by the story of Francis' conversion. Like Francis, he encountered a difficult relationship with his dad.

"There have been moments where I tried to get close, but he didn't respond," he said. As a result, Br. Maikel looked to faith and his brother friars.

A grandmother's legacy of faith

Being ordained a priest and having the opportunity to preach and celebrate Mass will add another dimension to his ministry, said Br. Maikel.

"By making Christ present to everyone in the consecration, it's a way of serving an entire community," he said. He believes that offering the sacrament of healing in confession will also be a blessing.

While his Franciscan connection emerged largely through the study of St. Francis, Br. Maikel said much of his Catholic faith was nurtured through the example of his late grandmother, who lived through times when witnessing faith in Cuba required courage in the face of persecution. Unfortunately, this is still the case.

"Much of my Franciscan formation comes from the testimony of my grandmother. She comes from a place where the Church has been persecuted for so long. The government has many times been against us," he said, noting how as a priest, blessed with the example of Francis and the life of the Franciscan community, he will continue to carry on the faith his grandmother lived.

On Friday, Aug. 21, Brothers Joshua Richter, OFM, and Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, will be ordained priests at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, eight friars will profess solemn vows at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. The newly professed friars are Brothers Domingo Martinez, OFM; Tyler Grudi, OFM; Kevin Hamzik, OFM; Phillip McCarter, OFM; Brian Menezes, OFM; Joan JP Perez-Lombera, OFM; Carlos Portillo, OFM; and Nathaniel Tran, OFM.

This article was originally published in The Franciscan Way, a publication of Franciscan Friars Charities, the charitable arm of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

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Discovering Clare through her own words

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Later this month, the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe will gather for a joyful celebration of 10 friars who are celebrating significant milestones in their Franciscan journey.

Two friars will be ordained on Aug. 21 and eight friars will profess solemn vows on Aug. 22 at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. Surrounded by fellow friars, family, friends and their partners-in-ministry, they will commit themselves to serving the people of God and deepening their relationship with Jesus.

Livestreams

The ordination and solemn profession will be livestreamed.

• Ordination – Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Click here to watch.
• Solemn Profession – Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. Eastern. Click here to watch.

Solemn profession candidates

Br. Tyler Grudi, OFM

Br. Tyler Grudi, OFM, grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania - “The Sweetest Place on Earth,” where his parents provided him with a wonderful Catholic example. When he started at St. Bonaventure University in Western New York, he immediately connected with the friars and students discerning a Franciscan vocation. He was drawn to their authenticity and their commitment to serving Jesus in the poor. He was also inspired by the life of St. Francis and his search for both God and his purpose.

In 2019, Br. Tyler graduated from St. Bonaventure with a bachelor’s in journalism and he joined the postulancy the same year. He professed simple vows in 2021, and in 2025, he earned a master’s in missiology and Intercultural theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

His formation included one year in Jamaica with Brothers Walking Together. He also ministered to people in need at St. Francis Residences in New York City and St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, as well as with Pueblo Native Americans in Laguna, New Mexico.

After solemn profession, Br. Tyler will move to San Antonio to begin studies and formation for the priesthood. He is grateful to his parents for all their support, as well as his brother friars and mentors in formation.

Br. Kevin Hamzik, OFM

Br. Kevin Hamzik, OFM, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and says he grew up with the Franciscans having attended Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio and St. Bonaventure University in Western New York. He especially came to appreciate the friars’ ability to find God in the beauty around us and within us.

Br. Kevin entered the postulancy in 2019 and professed simple vows in 2021. Past ministry experiences include farming with sustainable agriculture at Levo International and teaching art classes to immigrants at Jubilee House, both in Hartford, Connecticut. He also volunteered at the Migrant Resource Center in Agua Prieta, Mexico, and has helped lead pilgrimages to Assisi with the Franciscan Pilgrimage Program.

He completed the Padua Program for Franciscan Leadership at the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University in 2026, earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago in 2025, and a Certificate of Interreligious Studies from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 2023. Br. Kevin is grateful to family, friends, educators, formators and all his fellow pilgrims.

Br. Domingo Martinez, OFM

Br. Domingo Martinez, OFM, was born in Long Beach, California, and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. He worked with the labor movement on political campaigns before deciding to discern a religious vocation. He learned about the Franciscans online and many facets of friar life appealed to him, including the diversity of the brothers and their incarnational spirituality.

He joined the postulancy in 2020 and professed simple vows in 2022. During his time in formation, he focused on social justice advocacy with the local labor movement and parish ministries at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee. He enjoys spending quiet time in nature, watercolor and sci-fi/fantasy. He is grateful for his family’s support, especially his parents, who have always supported him and his siblings in their decisions.

Br. Phillip McCarter, OFM

Br. Phillip McCarter, OFM, is from Cincinnati. As a young adult, he attended a special event to venerate the relics of Padre Pio, where he met a friar who invited him to a vocations retreat. Drawn to the community’s joy and brotherhood, he entered the postulancy in 2020 and professed simple vows in 2021.

His ministry experiences include tutoring students in D.C., distributing meals to migrants at Langley Park in Silver Spring, Maryland, teaching Confirmation classes at St. Benedict the African Parish in Chicago and providing support to migrants in Agua Prieta, Mexico. He also served as administrator of St. Anthony’s Kitchen and St. Mary’s Clinic, both in Jamaica.

He says he encounters Christ every day in the people he serves and his biggest blessing is journeying through life together with his brothers. He received a certificate in Addiction Studies from The City Colleges of Chicago – Kennedy King College, completed theology and philosophy courses at the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio and completed the Franciscan Journey Institute. He is grateful for his formators and mentors.

Br. Brian Menezes, OFM

Br. Brian Menezes, OFM, was born in Kuwait and later immigrated to Mississauga, Canada, which he still calls home. After researching religious orders on vocationnetwork.org, he discovered the Franciscan charism perfectly aligned with his heart’s desire, especially the ability to serve God and all of creation as a religious brother.

He entered the postulancy in 2019 and professed simple vows in 2021. He has enjoyed serving at St. Francis Seraph Ministries in Cincinnati, where the people he encounters bring him great joy. His past ministry experiences include serving the elderly as well as young immigrants and university students.

Before becoming a friar, Br. Brian primarily worked in the financial sector, as well as hospitality, security and logistics. His career did not offer him fulfilment nor peace; so, he determined that the best way forward was to “let go and let God.” He earned a bachelor’s in criminology from the University of Western Ontario in 2010, and a master’s in intercultural ministry from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 2024. He is grateful to God for his family, his brothers and sisters from Franciscan communities and for all those who have supported his growth and faith all these years.

Br. Joan (JP) Perez-Lombera, OFM

An immigrant from Mexico at 13, Br. Joan (JP) Perez-Lombera, OFM, grew up in San Jose, California, where he met friars as a member of YouFra (Franciscan Youth). He admired their simplicity, humility and closeness to the people, especially the forgotten and the suffering.

He entered the postulancy in 2019 and professed simple vows in 2021. Before becoming a friar, he worked as a logistics coordinator and furniture installer. Ministry experiences that have helped him grow in compassion and service include St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, St. Francis Center in Los Angeles and St. Anthony Shrine in Boston.

He enjoys listening to people’s stories and accompanying them in practical and meaningful ways. He attended Mesa College in San Diego in 2024, and the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2025. He is currently studying nutrition at San Francisco State University, and cooking is one of his hobbies. Br. Joan is grateful to family, friends, friars and all who have encouraged and prayed for him throughout the years.

Br. Carlos Portillo, OFM

While working as director of food services for a senior living residence, Br. Carlos Portillo, OFM, wanted to find a Spanish Mass he could attend on weekdays and discovered St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. Seeing the spirit of the friars as they serve in fraternity and joy inspired him to join the postulancy in 2018, and he professed simple vows in 2019.

During his time in formation, he has helped with youth ministry, ministry to the sick, music ministry and catechesis. He enjoys serving the people of God with joy and sharing fraternity with his brothers.

Br. Carlos was born in El Salvador and attended university there. He also attended DePaul University in Chicago and CareOne Nursing School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is grateful to God for His infinite goodness, as well as his family and brother friars for all their support and love.

Br. Nathaniel Tran, OFM

Br. Nathaniel Tran, OFM, is from Orange County, California. After encountering the friars at Saints Simon and Jude Parish in Huntington Beach and being deeply inspired by the conversion story of St. Francis, he entered postulancy in 2018 and professed first vows in 2020.

Before entering religious life, Br. Nathaniel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and worked in business marketing and product management for the medical technology industry. As a Franciscan friar, he has found great joy and fulfillment in responding to the call of missionary discipleship, serving among people on the margins, including the elderly, adults with intellectual disabilities, individuals experiencing homelessness and Native American communities.

He earned a Master of Divinity and a Certificate of Priestly Formation from the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego in 2024 and completed a Clinical Pastoral Education internship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He expresses his deepest gratitude to his mother, siblings, friends and formators for their enduring support, encouragement and accompaniment throughout his vocational journey.

Ordination candidates

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe joyfully celebrate the ordination of our brothers:

Br. Joshua Richter, OFM

Br. Joshua, from Hamilton, Ohio, considers Chicago and Cincinnati home. At age 12, he was inspired to become a Franciscan by the legacy St. John the Baptist Province friars, particularly Br. Manuel Viera, OFM, who assisted Spanish-speaking newcomers at his parish. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability from Miami University (Ohio) in 2018, then entered the postulancy program and made his first profession in 2020. He was solemnly professed on Aug. 23, 2025 and ordained to the diaconate on Oct. 19, 2025. He earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in May.

Br. Joshua teaches theology at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati. He has diverse experience in tutoring, assisting after-school programs, teaching religious education, and feeding the hungry. He hopes to use his teaching and environmental science skills in various ministries. He is grateful to his formators, mentors, spiritual directors, family and friends for their support.

Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM

Br. Maikel Gómez Pérez, OFM, grew up in Holguín, Cuba, where his faith was nurtured by his late grandmother. After discovering St. Francis of Assisi and reading about his life, he was inspired to join the Franciscan Order. He entered the Order in Havana, made his first profession in Dec. 28, 2015, and completed initial formation in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He was solemnly professed in Dec. 11, 2021 and ordained to the diaconate in Oct. 19, 2025.

Br. Maikel has ministered to migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, and currently serves the Latino, young adult and homebound communities at St. Peter Claver Parish in Macon, Georgia, where he will continue to minister after ordination. He is grateful to his brother friars and friends who have supported him throughout his vocational journey.

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The Georgia Martyrs are five Franciscan friars who gave their lives for the sake of the Gospel. In honor of their upcoming beatification on Oct. 31, the Franciscan friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe are hosting a Virtual Youth Event that will feature young people who are boldly living their faith.

This event will not only shine a light on heroes of the past; it will celebrate young people today who are fearlessly following Christ with the same faith and passion as the saints who came before them.

That’s why we’re inviting youth ministries, young adult ministries, campus ministries, Catholic schools, parishes and other Catholic communities from across the country to submit a video of courageous discipleship that will be featured during this historic event.

Submit your video by Sunday, August 30!

We will be showcasing young people (ages 13-39) from across the country who are courageous disciples – just like the Georgia Martyrs. They surrender their lives to God daily through prayer, service, evangelization and faithful action. Like the Franciscan friars who left everything behind to share the Gospel with the Guale people of the past, we invite you to submit a video that provides an inspiring example of how young people are living courageously for Christ today in their schools, campuses, workplaces, parishes, families and communities.

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Video content suggestions:

• A praise and worship song
• A testimony of faith and conversion
• A reflection on discipleship
• A story of mission, service, or evangelization
• A witness to how God is moving within your ministry
• A message encouraging other young people to follow Christ

Video submission guidelines:

• Length: 3–5 minutes
• Format: Landscape (16:9)
• Resolution: 1080p preferred
• Include your ministry name and location
• Include a parent/guardian image consent form for minors that appear in videos
• Content should be rooted in Catholic faith and discipleship

How to submit your video:

Send videos and questions to Chris Rivera, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe | crivera@friars.us

Join modern-day friars for this historic moment

A select group of young people will be chosen to receive tickets to join the Franciscan friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a pilgrimage to the Beatification Mass and other celebrations in Savannah, Georgia, surrounding the Beatification.

As the Church honors Franciscan missionaries who helped establish some of the earliest Catholic missions in what is now the United States, we want young people to be a part of these important celebrations so they can carry on their legacies to a new generation.

Plan a watch party on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m.

Make plans now for your community to join youth and young adults from across the country for the Georgia Martyrs Virtual Youth Event on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. on the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s YouTube channel.

Plan a viewing event/watch party to help young people engage more deeply in their mission to encounter Christ, grow as disciples and become courageous witnesses to the Gospel. The virtual event will include keynote presentations from Franciscan friars who will:

• Share the story and significance of the Georgia Martyrs
• Challenge young people to embrace courageous discipleship
• Introduce the Franciscan charism and missionary spirit
• Invite participants into fraternity, formation and mission
• Present opportunities for leadership development and vocational discernment

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Our Provincial Chapter was a moment of renewal, fraternity and hope that brought together 300 friars to pray, discern, dream and make decisions about the future God is calling us to embrace.

With the spirit of the Chapter still strong in our hearts and minds, the Provincial Council reflects on its experiences of the Chapter and shares its hopes for the years ahead. Their words reveal a common vision: a province united as one brotherhood, strengthened by the Gospel, rooted in fraternity and committed to serving God’s people with peace, compassion and joy.

Get to know the Provincial Administration

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Br. Michael Perry, OFM, Minister Provincial

Before the Chapter, Br. Michael served as director of the Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology at Siena University in Loudonville, New York.

He professed simple vows on Aug.11, 1978, followed by solemn profession on Oct 10, 1981. He was ordained a priest on June 2, 1984.

He served the Order of Friars Minor as Minister General, the 120th successor of St. Francis of Assisi, from 2013 to 2021, as well as Provincial Councilor and Provincial Minister for the legacy Sacred Heart Province.

Br. Michael worked at the International Office of Justice and Peace at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as Catholic Relief Services and Franciscans International, which works on human rights, poverty, peace, and integral ecology at the United Nations. He also served as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire).

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Quincy University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in in Missiology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and a Ph.D. in religious anthropology from the University of Birmingham, U.K.

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Br. Erick López, OFM, Vicar Provincial

Br. Erick served on the first Provincial Council of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Born in Cuba, he migrated to Colombia as a young adult and in 1999, he moved to the United States. He professed simple vows on June 3, 2006, followed by solemn profession on Aug. 21, 2010 and ordination on May 21, 2011.

Br. Erick ministered for nearly nine years at St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. He also served on the novitiate formation team at Old Mission Santa Barbara, California. He has served as regional vocation director, guardian, Provincial Councilor of the legacy Holy Name Province, and board member of Siena College (now Siena University).

Br. Erick holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a Master of Divinity from Washington Theological Union.

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Br. John Aherne, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Before the Chapter, Br. John served as pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, a suburban church of about 2,800 families.

He was born in the Bronx and was raised in Queens, New York. He first encountered Franciscan spirituality as a teenager attending St. Francis Prep, a ministry of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn. While attending New York University and working as an editor, he became reacquainted with the friars at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Manhattan.

He professed simple vows on Aug 5, 2012, followed by solemn profession on Aug. 27, 2016. He was ordained a priest on June 23, 2018.

He holds a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological University and a Master of Science in Church Management from Villanova University. He has worked as an editor and taught Irish dancing.

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Br. Peter Boegel, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Before the Chapter, Br. Peter served at San Solano Missions in Topawa, Arizona, 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border on the Tohono O’odham Nation. He previously served as the province's Secretary of Missions and Evangelization and director of the province’s Mission and Evangelization Office.

He answered God's call to become a Franciscan, professing simple vows on Aug. 23, 1987, and solemn vows on Dec. 1, 1990.

His ministry experience includes church restoration, facility maintenance and repair, serving eighteen years on the Mescalero Apache reservation and ten years on the Tohono O'odham reservation. He has served the fraternity as a guardian, syndic/bursar, Provincial Councilor for the Province of St. Barbara (2003-2009) and Secretary of the Province of St. Barbara (2009-2016).

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Br. George Camacho, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Before the Chapter, Br. George served as a member of the novitiate formation team for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Based at Old Mission Santa Barbara, California, he mentored novices as they deepened their relationship with God and their Franciscan identity.

He is originally from Rosedale, New York. Before his current role, he served as director of the Damietta Cross-Cultural Center at Siena University in Loudonville, New York.

He professed simple vows on June 11, 2011 and was solemnly professed on Aug. 27, 2016.

Br. Henry Fulmer, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Before the Chapter, Br. Henry served as guardian for Holy Name College Fraternity in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has experience with African American ministry, parish ministry, multicultural ministry, retreat/preaching and vocations/formation.

He professed simple vows on May 28, 1988, and solemn vows on June 19,1993. He was ordained as a permanent deacon on April 20, 1996

He has served as board chair of Franciscan Bread for the Poor, parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Tampa, Florida, and pastoral associate and administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Wilmington, Delaware.

Br. Colin King, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Before the Chapter, Br. Colin was assigned to the missions of Western Jamaica, serving as pastor of Mary, Gate of Heaven Catholic Church in Western Westmoreland, St Mary Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Revival and St Luke Catholic Church in Little London. He has served in Jamaica since his ordination on June 10, 2017.

Br. Colin was born and raised in Central Ohio and worked as a special education teacher before entering the Order of Friars Minor, which he says felt like a homecoming. He professed simple vows on June 11, 2011, followed by solemn profession on Aug. 23, 2014. He has a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union and an Executive Masters of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He has served as a dean and Vicar of Education for the Diocese of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Br. Roger Lopez, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Br. Roger served on the first Provincial Council for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, he attended the University of West Florida and became a firefighter before entering the Order of Friars Minor.

Br. Roger professed simple vows on June 15, 2009, and solemn vows on Aug. 25, 2012. He was ordained a priest on June 11, 2016. He earned a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and an Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Br. Roger served as theology teacher and director of community outreach at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati. He also has experience with youth and young adult ministry, service to the poor, campus ministry and hospital chaplaincy.

He has served in various roles with the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, Padua Franciscan High School, Academy of American Franciscan History and the Secular Franciscans (Northwest Region).

Br. Rommel Perez Flores, OFM, Provincial Councilor

Br. Rommel served on the first Provincial Council for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Raised in a large Mexican family, he first learned about the Franciscans when he met a friar from Puerto Rico who taught him about St. Francis. He was drawn to community life and the joyful, faithful witness of the friars he met.

He professed simple vows on June 15, 2007, and solemn vows on Aug. 28, 2010. He was ordained a priest on May 7, 2011.

He finds great fulfillment in fraternal life, parish ministry and by accompanying people as they journey through spiritual life.

His ministry experience includes co-director of formation, pastor, vicar of three different friaries and served on the last provincial council of legacy Sacred Heart.

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All are invited to host the Children’s Shroud, a global movement of remembrance, solidarity and action in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This initiative responds to a recent call from the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor who, in light of the war in the Middle East, urged all Franciscans to “be builders of peace, workers of justice, capable of denouncing evil wherever it comes from.” 

Get involved today by contacting Br. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, at jorzechowski@friars.us.  

(Photo caption: Br. Jay Woods, OFM, signs the Shroud of Remembrance in St. Louis, MO, on July 14, 2026. Photo by Teresa Peterson) 

What is the Children's Shroud?   

The Children’s Shroud is a large white cloth that will display the names of more than 18,000 children who are known to have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Over the past several months, Christians, Muslims, Jews and other people of goodwill have invited their communities to inscribe the names of the children as a way of affirming their lives and dignity. Inspired by a similar project organized by Priests Against Genocide, the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe began this interfaith project in May. Franciscan parishes in Maryland and North Carolina, and a local fraternity at a Franciscan university are among the groups that have participated. 

Why is this important?  

A recent, dire report from the United Nations depicts the horrific reality faced by the Palestinians, especially children.  Br. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, who is organizing the province’s involvement with the project, says the report highlights the moral urgency to end this tragedy. He adds: “I hope that as we celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ Transitus, we can continue his prophetic legacy and help end the United States’ complicity in the horrible suffering of the Palestinian people in the Holy Land. The goal of this initiative is to wake up the moral conscience of our nation and do our part as people of faith to help end the ongoing genocide. We cannot remain on the sidelines.”   

How does the Shroud make a difference?  

As thousands of people across the country write a child’s name on the cloth, they participate in an act of prayer, remembrance and moral witness. The Shroud is a way of lifting up the dignity of the oppressed Palestinian people and responding to the prophetic call of the Christian churches in the Holy Land. It invites a diverse group of people in the United States to come together, appealing to the conscience of our nation and encouraging us to respond to the cries of the oppressed with charity and restorative justice.    

What happens to the shroud after all the names are added?   

On Wednesday, September 16, the shroud will be displayed at the UN Church Center in New York City, where various non-governmental organizations and ambassadors will have an opportunity to inscribe some of the remaining names onto the shroud. In October, the Shroud will travel to Washington, D.C., before continuing to other cities.   

How can I get involved?  

To bring a section of the Shroud to your community, contact Br. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM (jorzechowski@friars.us). 

What other ways are Franciscans promoting peace and reconciliation in Gaza?  

From the time of St. Francis of Assisi and the early friars, with their simple greeting of “Pace e Bene” (“Peace and All Good”), Franciscans have been heralds of peace. 800 years ago, the Church entrusted the guardianship of the Christian religion in the Holy Land to the Order of St. Francis. Franciscan friars continue to care for Christians and all peoples in the land of Jesus today. 

In response to the ongoing war, the Provincial Council of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe has called for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance, a limitation on the U.S. Government’s arms sales to Israel, and steps of reconciliation to transform the current trajectory of death into a long-term and sustainable peace. Recently, 12 Franciscan Provincial Ministers in the United States sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to help stop increased attacks against Christians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. 

Through our partnerships with organizations like Churches for Middle East Peace, the province supports educational series about the history of the conflict in the Holy Land and ongoing joint advocacy efforts for peace in the United States. The soon-to-be released book titled “Palestine, Israel, and Catholic Social Teaching” provides a great opportunity for Franciscan-hearted people to learn and be empowered as instruments of God’s peace in the Holy Land.  

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From the Earlier Rule (1209/10) and the Later Rule (1223)  

When the brothers go through the world, let them takenothing for the journey, neither knapsack, nor purse, nor bread, nor money, nor walking stick. Whatever house they enter, let them first say: Peace to this house.  

From the Testament of Saint Francis (1226)  

The Lord revealed a greeting to me that we should say: “May the Lord give you peace.”  

From Chapter 15 on Peace from The Admonitions (date unknown)  

[XV: Peace]  

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
Those people are truly peacemakers who, regardless of what they suffer in this world, preserve peace of spirit and body out of love of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

From the First Book of the Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Thomas of Celano  

In all of his preaching, before he presented the word of God to the assembly, he prayed for peace saying, “May the Lord give you peace.” ... To those he met and to those who met him. Accordingly, many who hated peace along with salvation, with the Lord’s help wholeheartedly embraced peace. They became themselves children of peace...  

The word “peace” echoes over 80 times in St. Francis of Assisi’s early writings and his early biographies. It has become an attitude so characteristic of St. Francis that it goes without criticism to call him a “Man/Saint of Peace.” 

But what did Francis mean when he used the expression “peace be with you” so frequently in his interactions with others? Today peace seems to be held as an absolute – an existence free from worry, anxiety or harm. Yet this is not how Francis understood peace, nor how our Christian tradition embraces it.  

For St. Francis (and for St. Clare), peace is better understood as a yearning and hope bestowed upon all creation. This is why Francis expresses it as a statement in the subjective tense, the tense of possibility and potential, which is introduced in the words, may or might. It is a way of speaking that expresses possibility and openness to God’s work in us if we dare open ourselves to him. 

Francis viewed peace as a surrender to the belief that God knows what God is doing. Peace exists even when things do not go as planned, in times of crisis or anxiety, and if we find ourselves marginalized or forgotten.  

Peace is a trust, which dares and challenges us to believe that when we experience the greatest conflict, God is there leading us through it, knowing we belong always to God. Peace is a spiritual experience, not other-worldly or supernatural, but knowledge which fortifies and sustains us, as it did St. Francis, in all we experience. Despair and hopelessness never succeed; a confidence that God is ultimately with and for us always prevails. 

This understanding of peace has its challenges. We never hear of a reconciliation between Francis and his parents, especially with his mother, in any of the sources. We hope that there may have been a peaceful reconciliation. Perhaps the reason it is not recorded is that it was so personal that it need be known only to God, St. Francis and his family. An experience of peace like this brings us to the height of personal transformation that furthers the peace found only in God. 

Reflect

How have you experienced a profound sense of peace in your life? What was the situation or context where this peace was found? How have you carried it with you?  

What stands in the way of accepting the type of peace Francis lived, in your life? To what must you surrender to experience this peace?  

How do we move beyond the desire to experience peace as an absolute – where everything is right, without anxiety or worry – in a complex world? How can we learn to trust, like St. Francis did, that God knows what God is doing?  

Image: The oldest portrait of St. Francis, a mural painting in the sacred grotto “St. Benedict's Cave” in Subiaco. 

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Fr. Joseph Ricchini, OFM, 94, passed away on July 30, 2026, in Cincinnati, after a brief illness. After 70 years of Franciscan life marked by compassionate accompaniment and a gift for meeting people where they were, Fr. Joe is remembered as a counselor, formator, spiritual director and friend. He dedicated his ministry to helping others recognize God's presence amid the joys and challenges of everyday life.  

Visitation for Fr. Joe will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at St. Clement Catholic Church, 4536 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45217, followed by the Funeral Mass at 10 a.m.  

Born on Jan. 12, 1932, in Philadelphia to Joseph and Mary (née Russo) Ricchini, Fr. Joe attended Southeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He then entered the U.S. Air Force and worked as a radar mechanic from 1951 to 1954. He served at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, and on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and received the National Defense Service Medal. 

He entered the Order of Friars Minor on Aug. 15, 1955, and professed first vows on Aug. 16, 1956, and solemn vows on Aug. 15, 1959. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Duns Scotus College in Southfield, Michigan, the following year and, after completing his theological studies at St. Leonard College in Centerville, Ohio, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1964. 

Fr. Joe’s first assignments were at St. Bonafice Church in Louisville, Kentucky (1964 to 1969) and St. Bonaventure Church in Cincinnati (1969 to 1971). After seven years in parish ministry, he earned a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from the University of Detroit and became a counselor and instructor at St. Leonard College, the theological school of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province. In 1981, he earned a master’s degree in spiritual studies from Loyola University Chicago.  

Fr. Joe then served as St. John the Baptist’s director of post-novitiate formation at Our Lady of the Americas Friary in Cincinnati and St. Mary Magdelene Friary in Chicago. After six years as a formator, he began 20 years of conducting retreats, offering spiritual direction and counseling, and accompanying countless people as they sought to deepen their relationship with God, while living in Chicago and Cincinnati.  

After his retirement in 2008, he moved to St. Anthony Friary in Cincinnati, where he remained active, offering Mass and spiritual direction. 

Fr. Joe was known as a person-to-person teacher whose style was better suited to interactive learning than lecture halls. Easy to befriend, he took a pastoral approach to ministry, moving with compassion and concern for everyone he encountered. Throughout his years of retreat ministry and spiritual direction, he encouraged people to trust in God’s unconditional love and to recognize God’s presence in their lives even amid struggle and uncertainty. 

The ministry that would shape much of Fr. Joe’s life began unexpectedly. While serving on the faculty at St. Leonard College, he reluctantly agreed to lead a day of recollection, convinced he was unsuited for retreat work. The experience led to additional invitations and ultimately to decades of retreat ministry, spiritual direction and preaching.  

Fr. Joe enjoyed watching movies and sports and was an avid walker. Beloved for his gentle humor and wit, he loved to cook and was especially proud of his gnocchi, a reflection of his pride in his Italian heritage. 

Please keep Fr. Joe’s family and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in your prayers. 

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As the feast of the Portiuncula approaches each Aug. 2, I find myself returning to the small chapel where St. Francis first gathered his brothers and where St. Clare stepped into Gospel life. This year, I want to bring that memory home to the cotidiano: the ordinary, unremarkable ground where we live our faith. What does a 13th-century friar’s walk into a sultan’s camp, or a papal gathering of religious leaders, have to do with your ordinary day? More than it first appears.  

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A grace small enough to fit a life 

The Portiuncula is one of the small, ruined churches Francis rebuilt with his own hands, so modest that it now sits, almost shyly, inside the grander basilica built around it. And yet it is the place where he first received the brothers and Clare into the Gospel way of minoritas. It is the little portion of land from which he sent friars out two by two into the world. 

The most consequential sending in Franciscan history did not happen from a place of power. It happened from a room barely large enough to hold twenty people in prayer. 

This influences how we imagine our own cotidiano. We assume the significant things that God cares about – dramatic decisions, once-in-a-lifetime encounters – happen elsewhere. The Portiuncula insists otherwise. The little church is where the sending began. Our little portions – our rooms, kitchens, commutes, shift changes – are not the waiting rooms before spiritual life. They are where we encounter God and where God finds us. 

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Peacemakers, not soldiers 

There are two famous paintings that depict dramatic moments in Francis’ and Clare’s lives: Francis daring the Sultan’s holy men to an ordeal by fire, and Clare driving off attacking Saracens with the Eucharist raised like a mighty sword. Neither occurred that way. 

Hoping for martyrdom, Francis crossed into the Sultan's camp not as a combatant but as a guest. He was welcomed, listened to and sent home alive, having neither converted the Sultan nor been martyred. The only fire was that of the Holy Spirit moving both men to listen to each other as brothers. Francis left the encounter alive and changed. 

Clare was too frail to have physically driven anyone off. Witnesses at her canonization instead describe her praying before the Blessed Sacrament for her sisters’ safety and, I would like to believe, for the safety of the very people threatening them. 

Neither fought. Both made peace from a position of vulnerability, not strength.  

Our cotidiano is full of Saracens: neighbors whose politics alarm us, relatives we have stopped talking to, friends who ghosts us, coworkers whose faith – or lack of it – we quietly judge. The temptation is always toward the dramatically painted version of the story: the ordeal by fire, the vindication. The Spirit of Assisi asks something less satisfying and more difficult: showing up in the room with the person we fear and praying for and with them rather than against them.  

Living quietly among the rest 

 After his return from Egypt, Francis instructed brothers living among Muslims to live simply and quietly as minores, admitting to being Christian without argument or debate; and let any preaching arise from the Spirit. 

The friars who were killed in Morocco a year later did the opposite. They argued, they insulted, and they died for it — a testimony less to holiness than to how quickly quiet witness curdles into contest and one‑upmanship. 

Our divided age still rewards what Francis warned against: winning the exchange rather than living the witness. The question is not what you would say to the people who trouble you, but whether you are willing to live faithfully among them first – and let speech guided by the Holy Spirit come later, if it comes at all.   

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The pardon that needed no battlefield 

Plenary indulgences in Francis’s day were earned by fighting in the Crusades or making huge donations to the Church. Francis asked Christ for something else: that anyone who entered this small chapel, confessed, and prayed for pardon would receive the same remission – no battlefield required, no donation needed.  

Miraculously, he got Rome to ratify it. He made the economy of the Crusades’ grace obtainable by walking into a room the size of a bedroom and being honest before God.   

That is the socio‑spiritual heart of the Pardon of Assisi: grace was never only for to the heroic, violent or wealthy. It was always available in the small, repeatable, unglamorous act. Confession. Prayer. Eucharist. Presence. Enter the little chapel wherever you happen to find it – your life, your cotidiano.  

¿Y qué?  Where this leaves us 

St. John Paul II, gathering religious leaders in Assisi in 1986, said that peace is built through a thousand small acts of daily living, and in the ordinary way we treat those around us; we are choosing for or against it.  

That is the Spirit of Assisi translated into our cotidiano. Not a summit nor crusade, holy or otherwise. A thousand small choices, repeated, in spaces too modest to be painted.  

As the feast of the Portiuncula approaches, I’m not asking you to travel to Assisi. I am asking where your own little chapel already is: the car before you go inside, the five minutes before your shift starts, the meal where a hard conversation awaits.  

Go in. Confess what needs confessing. Confess you are a sinner. Confess your faith in the Triune God. Pray for Pope Leo’s wellbeing. Pray for the person you would rather not. Give Eucharistic thanks. Let pardon and wellbeing (pax et bonum) be as available to you today as they were to a 13th-century penitent walking into a rebuilt ruin outside Assisi.  

¿Y qué? Now it is your cotidiano, and your turn to live the Spirit of Assisi. 

Editor’s note: This post first appeared on the blog Gilberto Cavazos-González, OFM and has been republished here with permission.

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Friars, formators, and formation alumni and their spouses from across the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe are invited to gather at Holy Cross Retreat Center in Mesilla Park, New Mexico, Oct. 1 to 4, 2026, for the Franciscan Alumni Association’s annual reunion. 

“The theme for the reunion will be our reflecting together on the Franciscan presence among the peoples of the Southwest.  We want to reflect on the reciprocity of these relationships, and how we are all richer for them,” said Br. Henry Beck, OFM, provincial liaison to the Franciscan Alumni Association. 

In addition to talks, faith sharing and fellowship, the reunion will be a time to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Transitus of St. Francis. Participants can also explore local points of interest, such as the Basilica of San Albino in the historic Mesilla Valley and the Franciscan Missions in El Paso, Texas. 

The Franciscan Alumni Association was founded in 1989 by students who attended St. Francis High School Seminary and the Brothers’ School when they were part of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province that was based in Cincinnati. 

Organizers encourage participation from all legacy OFM provinces across the United States in hopes of developing a fuller vision for Franciscan formation alumni and their spouses across the country.  

Registrations and payments must be received by Sept. 1. Click here to learn more. Click here to register. Please note: The closest airport to the Holy Cross Retreat Center is in El Paso. 

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Fr. Edward Sarrazin, OFM, died on July 25, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona, after a brief period in hospice care. He is remembered for his gentleness, kindness, simplicity and subtle sense of humor. Devoting his life to the example of St. Francis, he accompanied the marginalized and spent more than 10 years ministering to the Native peoples of south-central Arizona. 

A Funeral Mass for Fr. Ed will be held on Wednesday, August 5 at 3 p.m. at San Xavier Mission Church, 1950 W. San Xavier Road in Tucson followed by visitation in the church and a reception in the school cafeteria. The Rite of Committal will take place on Thursday, August 6 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Francis Cemetery at 2033 N 48th Street, Phoenix, Arizona, 85008. 

Born in Montebello, California on July 29, 1960, to Joseph and Irene (née Poty) Sarrazin, he graduated from Montebello High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Los Angeles in 1986. 

His path to a religious vocation was slow and purposeful. He first considered joining the Benedictines and then the Vincentians. However, after spending time at Old Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California and reading the Rule of the Friars Minor, he knew he had found his calling. He made simple vows as a Franciscan friar on July 14, 2001; professed solemn vows on Aug. 20, 2005; and was ordained a priest on June 16, 2007, by Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson. 

Leading up to and after ordination, he served at San Xavier del Bac Parish, a historic mission church built by friars in the late 18th-century in the Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation.  

In 2016, he started new responsibilities as parochial vicar of St. Mary’s Basilica, the oldest Catholic parish in Phoenix, Arizona, and a historic downtown landmark. After care of the Basilica was returned to the Diocese of Phoenix in July 2023, he returned to San Xavier del Bac as parochial vicar. 

Fr. Ed is survived by his brother Victor of Middletown, New York, other family and friends, and the friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

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When men choose Franciscan life, they rarely know where the journey will lead. Yet for the friars celebrating jubilee anniversaries at the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s 2026 Provincial Chapter, one thing has become clear through decades of ministry and brotherhood: God's love often appears in places they never expected.

Reflecting on 25 and 50 years of profession or ordination, these jubilarians shared lessons from lives shaped by fraternity, prayer, service and trust in God's providence. Their stories offer a glimpse into the joys and challenges of Franciscan life – and what can happen when someone responds to God's invitation with a wholehearted “Yes!”

Brotherhood that becomes home

Franciscans do not walk alone. For these jubilarians, fraternity is more than sharing a home; it is the relationships that have sustained them through decades of ministry, personal growth and prayer.

Discovering a life you never expected

Few jubilarians describe their Franciscan journey as carefully planned. Instead, they recall unexpected turns, surprising ministries and doors that opened only after they stepped forward in faith. Over time, they discovered that God's plans often reached beyond anything they had imagined.

##ImageBlockToken|path=/2026/july/jubilarian_wisdom_3.png|alt=Br. Robert Lentz, OFM, works on an icon. Through lives of service and prayer, learning and Scripture, friars find Christ in so many ministries that deepen their faith. (POLG file photo)##

Growing closer to God

Across decades of Franciscan life, jubilarians found that a vocation is sustained by a relationship with God that deepens over time. Through humble service and prayer, learning and Scripture, these friars discovered new ways of encountering Christ and growing in faith.

Listening across generations

Through Franciscan life, jubilarians learned the importance of listening to both the friars that came before them and the generations that followed. When they created space for honest dialogue, they found themselves as both teachers and students, discovering that dreams for the future are strongest when they are shared with brothers.

Could God be calling you?

The jubilarians’ lived experience reveals a common truth: Vocation isn’t about knowing all the answers. But it starts with the willingness to step in and trust where God leads.

Learn more about becoming a friar today.

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The election marks a significant moment in the life of the province, which was established through the unification of five U.S. Franciscan provinces in 2023. It is the first Provincial Chapter of Elections held by the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe since that historic union.

The Provincial Administration for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is as follows.

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(St. Louis, MO) More than 300 friars have arrived at St. Louis, Mo., to begin their first Chapter of Elections since the historic unification of five U.S. Franciscan provinces in 2023. The multilingual celebration began with the hymn, Veni Sancte Spiritus, as the Book of the Gospels was enthroned with the presider calling all friars to prayer.  

Together, the friars have much to discern this week as they have gathered to elect a new Provincial Minister, and Vicar, who will serve the next six years in office and a Provincial Council that will serve a three-year term. Together, they will help guide the province’s mission and the future of the Franciscan friars (OFM) in the U.S.  

As the brothers gathered in the 12th floor chapel of the Renaissance Hotel, Visitator General Br. Teofil Czarniak, OFM, read a message from Minister General Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, reminding the friars that this season of change serves a greater purpose. 

“As a new province you are on a journey, a time of purification, in which you are being formed as a people that learns again whose it is and where it is being led,” wrote Br. Massimo. 

A poignant and symbolic moment came when Provincial Minister Fr. Lawrence Hayes, OFM, relinquished the seal of the province, ending his term as leader and paving the way for the next administration. His brothers expressed their appreciation for his leadership with a robust round of applause shortly after he said: “I have done what was mine to do.” 

At the event, the Rule of the Friars Minor was read in nine different languages, showcasing the diversity of the U.S. province and the richness of the friars' cultures coming together as one. The evening ended in fraternity with some brothers meeting for the first time.   

About Chapter of Elections  

A Chapter is a major gathering during which friars come together to elect leadership, review reports and proposals, and make decisions that guide our mission. Part of the upcoming Chapter will focus on choosing the next Provincial Minister, Provincial Vicar and Provincial Council. Capitulars (voting members of the Chapter) will discuss and vote on proposals that will provide broad direction and guidance for the new Provincial Administration. 

About the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Order of Friars Minor)  

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe form a coast-to-coast Catholic brotherhood devoted to living the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi and in imitation of Jesus Christ. The friars’ work is rooted in prayer, fraternity, care for the poor, education, art and social justice. Founded in October 2023, the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe was established through the unification of five U.S. provinces that belonged to the Order of Friars Minor, and includes missions in Puerto Rico, Alaska, Cuba and Jamaica. Combining their gifts has allowed the friars to renew their Franciscan witness to American society and begin an exciting new chapter of their long history in the United States. They go forth under the guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness, whose compassion and advocacy for the oppressed and suffering call them to live in solidarity with the marginalized. To learn more, visit friars.us and connect with @friarsguadalupe on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.    

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One year ago, three Franciscan friars arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a simple conviction: if they wanted to reach young adults, the religiously unaffiliated and those living on society's margins, they could no longer wait for people to come to them.  

Brothers Casey Cole, OFM, Jason Damon, OFM, and Roberto “Tito” Serrano, OFM, came to a city marked by rapid growth, a booming population of young professionals and no prior Our Lady of Guadalupe Province presence. Supported by the Diocese of Charlotte but not tied to a parish, they set out to build relationships by meeting people where they were.  

That meant stepping beyond church walls. The friars struck up conversations in breweries and coffee shops. They organized trivia nights, Bible studies and holy hours, attended community events and walked Charlotte’s streets, offering food, prayer and companionship to people experiencing homelessness.  

The goal for SEARCH – seek, encounter, accompany, renew, convert and heal - was not simply to invite people to a program, but to accompany them wherever they found themselves on their faith journeys.  

“We just meet people wherever they are on that stage,” Br. Casey said. “Maybe they need healing, maybe they need conversion, and maybe they need something in between.”  

How that vision took root – in just 12 short months – surprised even the friars.  

A weekly Wednesday night gathering now regularly draws dozens of young adults seeking community, conversation and a deeper understanding of faith. For Br. Tito, this reaction to the offering affirmed what the friars had hoped all along.  

“I was surprised by the immediate response,” he said. “That 40 to 45 came the first night and that it has been consistent since then tells me there’s a deep desire for something like this. People want it.  

“Younger generations have not felt looked at in the Church. They’re just waiting for someone to ask them.” 

Relationships take root  

Over the past year, that approach has taken many forms, from conversations in breweries and outreach among Charlotte's unhoused population to a weekly gathering that has become a spiritual home for many young adults. The three-friar fraternity had a sponsor for the first year and has raised funds for part of the next year. They’ll also be able to make a contribution to the province. 

Dinner is not the starting point of the ministry. Rather, it is a place where relationships already taking shape throughout Charlotte are given room to deepen.   

Some first met the friars at public events or Bible studies. Others came with invitations from friends. It’s on Wednesdays that many of those encounters begin to converge.  

The evening begins simply enough. Young adults filter through the doors, greeting familiar faces, filling plates and taking seats around crowded tables. A meal leads to prayer and small-group discussion about faith and everyday life. Yet what makes the gathering remarkable is not the program itself, but what happens after it officially ends.  

It's late on a weeknight, and the dinner and discussion have long since concluded. Plates have been (mostly) cleared. Still, no one seems to be in a hurry to leave.  

Groups linger as the friars move from cluster to cluster, listening, laughing and checking in. Long after the final announcements are made, the room remains full — a quiet testament to the relationships that have taken root over the ministry's first year.  

On the rare occasions a gathering must be canceled, the announcement is often met with a collective groan – a small but telling sign of how much the community has come to mean to those gathered.  

Among those who’ve found a home here is Paola Robelo. Her search for a community like this has been a long one.   

In Charleston, where she had lived for years, a Catholic presence existed, she said – but it didn’t quite meet what she was looking for.    

“I didn’t feel as if it was doing anything for me,” she said. “I felt a little void. There’s something else out there. I’m hungry for this.”    

She’s been there every Wednesday since. Now she invites friends to join her – and it’s nearly impossible to distinguish those she’s brought from those she’s met along the way.    

“When you’re single, in a new city, you don’t know anyone and you don’t have a family here. We’re all looking for this,” she said.    

After graduating from Western Carolina University, another Wednesday regular, Catie Lazaro, said she hoped to find a similar faith community.         

When she learned that the Franciscans were coming to Charlotte – shortly after visiting Assisi herself – her interest was piqued.    

“It’s that midweek check-in – like, you went on Sunday, and now you’re doing something with your faith on Wednesday, too,” she said. 

More than a Wednesday gathering  

For Br. Jason, the ministry’s growth points to a deeper hunger that reaches beyond Wednesday nights.  

“There’s a lot of opportunities for our friars, regardless of what ministry, to walk in accompaniment and offer something for young adults because they're thirsty for that opportunity,” he said.  

The Wednesday dinners may be the ministry's most visible expression, but they are only one part of the friars' broader presence in Charlotte. Throughout the week, relationships continue to unfold in coffee shops, breweries, public spaces and on the city’s streets.  

One year after arriving here, the friars discovered that many people were waiting for exactly that invitation. 

To help support SEARCH in Charlotte, click here. 

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