Who We Are
As St. Francis of Assisi approached the church of San Damiano, he was taken by its disrepair. Inspired, he went into the church to pray. Suddenly he heard a voice say to him, quietly, “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.” Moved by the spirit, Francis set about repairing the church itself, though the instruction was to repair Christ’s Church worldwide. Francis was compelled to do both—and he did. By virtue of his life, St. Francis of Assisi guided both the faithful and the fallen away back home. And that is what we continue to do at Franciscan Media.
We have been helping people grow in their love of Jesus based on the life and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi since 1893. He radically loved Jesus and understood that Christ was in all of creation. St. Francis learned to imitate Christ and to recognize Christ in everything. Because of this, St. Francis lived a life full of great joy. He saw that the Church was imperfect and wanted to live the Gospel—not just preach it—so he sought permission from the Church to do so. Thus, the Franciscan Order was born.
At Franciscan Media, we long to help people understand this love and help them find their connection to creation as sons and daughters of God. As disciples of Christ, we help people discover new lives full of great joy. We help people seek the transformative love of Jesus. We provide a light to point people to Jesus and his love for us. People who love God want others to know God. We will provide our audience with the resources to share the Good News.
Today, the Church is polarized. Just as St. Francis wanted to be part of the solution in his day, Franciscan Media wants to be part of the solution today. With joy and with purpose, we seek to follow in the footsteps of our founder, St. Francis of Assisi, and share with our audience the grace of our loving God.
We offer several free subscriptions, each designed to enrich your spiritual life. If you are drawn to words of inner reflection, Minute Meditations could be for you. If you find strength and solace in the lives of the saints, you’ll love our Saint of the Day. If you are looking for a simple way to pray, Pause+Pray can provide an easy structure to create a daily routine.
Our magazine, St. Anthony Messenger, is widely regarded as a Catholic publication that speaks to both the richness of our tradition and the social issues of our time, and we are a proud publisher of some of the most thoughtful Catholic books on the market. Each and every product we offer furthers our Franciscan mission to encounter a God of love through compassion and connection.
May our offerings be a blessing as you pursue the peace and wholeness found in Christ.
A Message from Deacon Matt Halbach, PhD
As the new president and publisher of Franciscan Media, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Matthew Halbach. I live in Ankeny, Iowa. (You may recall the movie Field of Dreams: “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa!”) I am a husband and father of six children (I know, it’s a lot!). I hold a PhD in Catechetics from the Catholic University of America. I’ve spent a number of years working in Catholic publishing, and I am a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church.
First off, I am grateful for the leadership of both Kelly McCracken, our former president, and Father Dan Kroger, OFM, our former publisher. Their legacy is observed and felt in many ways. I especially sense it in Franciscan Media’s culture—in the professionalism and passion of the staff, and in their obvious commitment to Franciscan ideals. I also sense my predecessors’ legacy in the inspiring resources for which Franciscan Media is well-known: St. Anthony Messenger magazine, countless books on Franciscan prayer and spirituality, numerous online resources like Pause+Pray, Minute Meditations, and the always popular Saint of the Day. I am truly humbled by the opportunity to carry their leadership forward.
So where does Franciscan Media go next? Or, to put it another way, why am I here? The next step forward for us, as I see it, is actually a step back—far back! The future of our organization can be found in the rediscovery and reappropriation of a very pivotal experience from the life of St. Francis: when he heard God say to him, “Rebuild my Church.” This call came to Francis while he was kneeling before a crucifix in the church of San Damiano, which was in disrepair. Upon hearing God’s call, Francis immediately began to stack stones, one upon the other.
I sense that many of us feel like we are standing in the midst of a Church (and a world, for that matter) in disrepair. According to a 2019 Pew Research study, people continue to leave the Catholic Church at a ratio of 1:6 (for every newly baptized member, six members disaffiliate). Our world is becoming increasingly polarized and hostile. Listening and dialogue are lost arts; acknowledging God’s creation as our common home, and treating one another as our neighbor are at a premium. On an individual level, many of us probably feel like our lives are a little worse for wear—perhaps in need of spiritual renovation.
To support Francis’ mission to rebuild the Church, we at Franciscan Media will aim to provide faithful, inspiring, and challenging resources that call individuals, families, and communities to participate in the work of rebuilding and renewal. We want to help people identify the “stones” that need to be stacked in their lives, while offering gentle guidance on how to stack them in ways that lead to greater wholeness, holiness, and connectedness with God and one another.
We also want to be good ambassadors of the need and value of rebuilding. This is a way of saying that your feedback matters! Your companionship helps us to help others more impactfully. Let me simply invite you, now, to consider how else you might share in this great mission of rebuilding and renewal that we are undertaking. I look forward to accompanying you on the journey of faith and life, and I look forward to your companionship.
Please pray for us at Franciscan Media. We are praying for you!
