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Discerning the future of Franciscan life

Franciscan Provincial Synod

Responding to Pope Francis’ call to embrace synodal listening and discernment, the Franciscan friars of the new Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe have embarked on a transformative yearlong journey to discern how best to serve the people of God. 


Accompanied by members of the Franciscan family and ministry partners, we are seeking concrete answers to pivotal questions that will shape our future.

The Franciscan Provincial Synod is designed to prayerfully examine and renew the friars’ hopes and expectations for three areas of life in our new province: charism, lifestyle and mission. Together with our partners-in-ministry we hope to: 

  • Discern the path we should walk together into the future, especially in the face of difficult choices about ministry, resources and lifestyle 

  • Engage deeply in a process of renewal of our charism, lifestyle and mission 

  • Further form our identity and our culture as one new province

News from the Synod

January 15, 2025

Day 1 of synod addresses ‘signs of the times for Franciscans’

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A group of men sit at tables watching a program on a screen. Some men are wearing friar habits.
January 13, 2025

The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe continues synodal process on national stage

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January 10, 2025

Franciscan friars engage in synod to chart a path forward

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Our synodal journey

By participating in the synod, we aspire to renewal, conversion and transformation. Therefore, weaving prayer throughout the experience is essential. A synod is not a business meeting, nor a congress, nor a parliament, nor a strategic planning session – it is a prayerful openness, an intentional listening together to the Holy Spirit to discern the way we should walk together. To create this openness, each step of the synod has been anchored in prayer through the use of common liturgies, antiphons and prayers. We have also used Conversations in the Spirit – a method of prayerful listening, reflection and communal discernment used at the October 2023 Synod on Synodality in Rome – to structure our gatherings in order to open ourselves further to the Spirit.  


January to June 2024: Local gatherings 



Hundreds of friars and ministry partners gathered in local friaries (houses) across the province to pray and discern answers to three key questions: 

  • Which facets of our charism are we called to express in fraternity, Church and world today? 

  • How are we called to live out fraternitas and minoritas concretely in our daily lives? 

  • What priorities should guide our mission and evangelization over the next three, six and nine years? 

Friars and ministry partners met three times to prayerfully reflect on each question. Every session was grounded in prayer, with participants using a common synod prayer and an antiphon to frame their prayer together.  

Fall 2024: Regional assemblies

More than 250 friars took part in seven regional assemblies held across the country. Grounded in common liturgies, the assemblies provided friars with the opportunity to reflect on and discuss the themes that emerged from the local synodal gatherings with friars from outside their local area.

December 2024: Young adult listening session

A diverse group of young adults from across the country gathered with friars to discuss:  

  • the hopes and dreams young adults hold for the Church 

  • the relevancy of Franciscan spirituality among young people today 

  • ways Franciscans can better accompany young people 

Participants included alumni of Franciscan schools, parishioners, YouFra leaders, Secular Franciscans and ministry partners, each bringing unique perspectives and shared hopes for the future of the Church. A list of concrete proposals from young adults will be discussed at the Franciscan Provincial Synod Event in January. 

This listening session was not just an exchange of ideas; it was an affirmation of young people’s passion for the Franciscan charism and the need for continued dialogue. 

January 2025: Franciscan Provincial Synod Event

More than 200 friars and ministry partners will meet in Kansas City, Missouri, from Jan 13 to 17 to take part in the Franciscan Provincial Synod Event. These women and men were nominated by local fraternities and the Provincial Council.  

Together they will reflect on the fruits of the conversations that took place during the local gatherings and regional assemblies to suggest priorities as the province clarifies its future direction and prepares for the 2026 Provincial Chapter.

Winter 2025 and beyond: Our journey continues

Following the Franciscan Provincial Synod Event, a report will be drafted that details the priorities suggested by the Kansas City synod. The report will be made available to the friars shortly after the synod concludes for a final round of feedback from the brotherhood. 

The final report will serve as a guiding document for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the friars prepare for the Provincial Chapter of 2026. The report also will be shared with the global Order of Friars Minor during its synodal Chapter of Mats.  

Frequently asked questions

Synodality is an ancient concept used by the Church to discern God’s will for its life and mission. It is a dynamic process of real encounter and deep listening that enables us to discern anew our call, as members of the Church, to be heralds of God’s kingdom for the people of our time. 

For Franciscans, synodality leads right back to our roots. In the 1200s, St. Francis of Assisi and the early friars used synodality to discern God’s call for them to “live the Holy Gospel” and rebuild his “house.” As Br. Russel Murray, OFM, writes in “Synodality and Franciscan Spirituality,” what the Lord is calling us to do “is only something we can discern together... in the dynamic interchange of service, prayer and fraternity, desiring nothing and seeking nothing except the good that the Lord would have us do – and be – in His name.”  

In our new Franciscan province, synodality is an essential means of determining how we should live our charism and what the people of God need from us. Our hope is that the Franciscan Provincial Synod will allow us to consider who we wish to be and how we wish to minister in a very deep and significant way. We’re doing so in a moment when Pope Francis is asking the whole Church to become more synodal, with the goal of engaging the laity. 

The synodal process invites people to share their experiences, and listen to and reflect on others’ experiences. This process of encounter and deep listening helps people see how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives – both as individuals and as a collective group – and perceive what the Spirit is calling them to do. 

A synod can refer to a gathering of people who assemble to discern certain topics or the overall synodal process, which can last several years. 

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe are coast-to-coast Catholic brotherhood devoted to living the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We serve the poor, the forgotten and the marginalized alongside people of goodwill at locations across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. 

Founded in October 2023, the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe was formed from five provinces with a long history of service in the United States: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Name, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sacred Heart and St. John the Baptist. Combining our gifts has allowed us to renew our Franciscan witness to society and begin an exciting new chapter of our history.  

We go forth under the guidance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness, whose compassion and advocacy for the oppressed and suffering calls the friars to live in solidarity with the poor and marginalized. 

“Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, may we always desire what pleases you and inflamed by the fire of your Holy Spirit may we make our way to You, Most High”
— Antiphon for the Franciscan Provincial Synod