A Franciscan Saint for the Entire World Dr. José Gregorio Hernández was a Venezuelan physician born in 1864 and a member of the Secular Franciscan Order since joining the Fraternity of La Merced in Caracas in 1899. As a physician and university professor, he stood out for his Christian and merciful care for the neediest …
Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, OFS, is being canonized Oct. 19, 2025 Read More »
Secretariat for Formation presents the first module on deepening our understanding of our way of life by examining the first three articles of our Rule (the identity of the OFS)(Concordances – 1) Concordances – 1 ({DF)
Jubilee Letter and Hope for Peace (PDF)
Luigi Guanella was born on December 19, 1842, in Fraciscio, a village in the Diocese of Como, Italy. Raised by practicing Catholic parents who prayed the Rosary daily and read the lives of the saints, he developed a deep devotion that shaped his future ministry. After completing his studies at the seminary in Como, he …
October 2025: Saint of Month – Saint Luigi Guanella (1842-1915) Read More »
Song of RECONCILIATION Letter to Franciscan Family (PDF)
Born to an Anglican vicar and his wife in Cumberland (now Cumbria) County, England, Bradburne was baptized into the Church of England. During World War II he served with the Indian Army in India, Malaya, and Burma. During the war, faith became the dominant impulse in his life. He also met the future Father John …
September 2025 ‘Saint of Month’: Servant of God John Bradburne (1921-1979) Read More »
by Virginija Mickute, OFS From June 2–8, 2025, the International Chapter of Mats was held at St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi. Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, Minister General, and his Definitory envisioned this Chapter as a synodal journey involving the entire Franciscan Family – friars, sisters, and laypeople – to prophetically renew the identity …
Son of Spanish gypsy parents, Ceferino Giménez Malla known familiarly as “El Pelé” was born in Spain in 1861—no one knows exactly where or when. Ceferino, like his family, was a Roma who lived his life according to Roma traditions and laws, both in his upbringing and throughout his life. As a child, he wandered …
August 2025 ‘Saint of Month’ – Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla (1861-1936) Read More »
KOINÕNIA – 02 – 2025: The creation – reason for praising God. (PDF)
Image: Father Tulio Maruzzo and Luis Obdulio Arroyo Navarro (ofm.org) Luis Obdulio Arroyo Navarro was a Secular Franciscan and one of the Martyrs of Izabal, Guatemala. He was born in Quiriguá, Los Amates, Izabal, Guatemala on 21 June 1950. He was raised in a devout Catholic family that instilled in him a strong faith and …
Blessed Luis Obdulio Arroyo Navarro (21 June 1950 – 1 July 1981) Read More »
