Featured News A Video Visit with Friar Robert As part of his Documentary Production Class, at Syracuse University, Fr. Rijo Mulavarickal Polachan, OFM Conv. created the following video ... Read More A Virtual Pilgrimage to Assisi! Excerpt from the Assisi Virtual Pilgrimage Facebook post: Franciscan Pilgrimage Program was asked to create an alternative pilgrimage due to the limitations ... Read More Bro Time Zoom Chats with Br. Nick Read More Hispanic Heritage Month Talk with friar Cristofer Friar Cristofer M. Fernández, OFM Conv., a brother candidate of our province in studies at The Catholic University of America ... Read More Pallium Mass - Archbishop Hartmayer On October 7, 2020, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, ... Read More Welcome Back Home, Friar Noel! For the first Sunday since his near-fatal bout with the Coronavirus, Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv. returned to his parish ... Read More Fratelli Tutti ENCYCLICAL LETTER - FRATELLI TUTTI - OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON FRATERNITY AND SOCIAL FRIENDSHIP   Read More Francis Week 2020 Francis Week #1: Dedication to Christ in the Church Francis Week #2: Community Connection Francis Week #3: Concern for the Marginalized Francis Week ... Read More Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi Prayer Service at St. Bonaventure Church, Toronto, ON The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi: ... Read More 2020 Blessing of the Animals  If you missed out on these opportunities or any of the other Blessings held throughout our province, here again is ... Read More Virtual Blessing of Animals In honor of the October 4th Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, Fr. Richard-Jacob Forcier, OFM Conv. provides a ... Read More Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi On October 4, the Church observes the Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. For the friars, this joy-filled Solemnity ... Read More Virtual Tour ~ St. Francis High School For more information, visit www.stfrancishigh.org Read More Assumption Church Celebrates 175th Anniversary of Parish Founding Our friars serving at Assumption Church welcomed Bishop Douglas Lucia, Bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse, to celebrate the 175th ... Read More Outdoor (Garage) Mass at Duke DURHAM - Lawn chairs, blankets and music might describe a picnic setting, but on a fall Sunday, during a pandemic, ... Read More 103rd Anniversary of the Founding of the M.I. As we are about to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Militia of the Immaculate by our ... Read More Transitus & Blessing of Animals 2020 Due to this year's various COVID-19 Protocols, our annual Blessing of Animals may look a bit different at each of ... Read More Annual Linda's Walk ~ October 17, 2020 Every Year, St. Clare Inn (Toronto, ON) hosts two major fundraisers to help with operating costs. Since St. Clare Inn ... Read More Reprint - Bless Us O Lord for These Thy Gifts Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Br. Brian Newbigging, OFM Conv. has received permission to reprint, "Bless Us O ... Read More Tau Talks: Real. Catholic Friar Rick Riccioli, OFM Conv. hosted  Br. Nick Romeo, OFM Conv. - Vocations Director for our province, as they share ... Read More St. Francis of Assisi Bore the Stigmata September 17th - Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi Excerpt from the January 27, 2010 General Audience with ... Read More Priesthood Sunday ~ September 27th Each year, the Church celebrates Priesthood Sunday on the last Sunday in September. Priesthood Sunday is a time set aside ... Read More Woodworking Worship with Friar Peter This summer, Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Peter Tremblay, OFM Conv., Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life at ... Read More Students Serving Senior Friars   After working with our senior friars and the other residents at Our Lady of the Angels Care Center (Enfield, CT), ... Read More JPIC News - Farm Focus The farm has been firing on all cylinders lately! In the past month we have planted fall or winter crops ... Read More

We, Franciscan Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv.) are members of a worldwide Roman Catholic fraternity following the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit of our founder, St. Francis of Assisi. We invite you to take some time to explore our website to learn about us and our various ministries.

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Hope Amidst the Thorns (Spes inter Spinas)

Statement of the Four Ministers Provincial of the Franciscan Friars Conventual in the USA: The Franciscan Friars Conventual raise our voices in solidarity with all people of good will in grieving the death of George Floyd. In the wake of his killing, we echo humanity’s plea for justice, reconciliation, unity, and peace. May God fire our hearts these days with new hope.
At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ prayed for unity “that all may be one” (Jn. 17:21). After He took His last breath amidst the violence of Calvary, Jesus rose on the third day with an urgent message of hope for the world: “Peace be with you”! Empowered by the Risen Christ’s Gospel message of peace and hope, St. Francis of Assisi sent his followers to become instruments of peace and healing in the broken, fragile world of the Middle Ages.
Now in modern times, the message of Jesus and the mission of St. Francis are as crucial as ever for our country and world. As Franciscans, we friars understand the frustration and outrage of our African American brothers and sisters. St. Francis walked gently into tense situations of discord, seeking paths to peaceful reconciliation. He dialogued with the Sultan of Egypt during the divisive animosity of the crusades. He knelt to reverence society’s poor, and he stood to challenge society’s wolves and powerbrokers.
We friars reaffirm the words of the Second Vatican Council: “Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights, on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design” (Gaudium et Spes #29.2). There can be no peace without justice. Ever since the first Africans were brought to Virginia as slaves in 1619, a long history of systemic racism has existed in our country.
We Franciscan Friars pledge ourselves to prayer and witness in actions of solidarity for the ending of racial injustice and for peace in our streets. Prayer alone is not enough. We call for genuine dialogue among our country’s diverse peoples – the courageous seeking of ways to change disordered systems of human, economic, political, and ecclesial interaction which exclude and demean “the other.” We embrace a Gospel of Hope for the inclusion, equality, and unity of everyone in America “from sea to shining sea.” While we have time, let us do good.

Fr. Victor Abegg, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of St. Joseph of Cupertino Province
Fr. Wayne Hellmann, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of Our Lady of Consolation Province
Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of Our Lady of the Angels Province
Fr. Michael Zielke, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of St. Bonaventure Province

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