Franciscan Spirit Blog

The Inbreaking of the Word: Week 4 of Advent

From Father Jim: "While we celebrate the birth of Christ as this great memorial, as this great celebration, as this great solemnity. We are a people with feet in two worlds, the world to come and the world that is ...
Read More →

A Celebration of St. Monica

Educated by a household servant, Monica cared for her father and siblings until she married Patricius, a pagan landowner and minor Roman official of the same town.
Read More →
Pope Francis walks with Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, left, and Omar Abboud, a Muslim leader from Argentina, as he leaves after praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in this May 26, 2014, file photo. In his official proclamation of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis called for "fervent dialogue" between Christians, Muslims and Jews. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Owning Our Cultural Biases

We’re living in a time when the far right and the far left in almost every institution are using the eccentricities and evils of the other end to justify their own extremes.
Read More →

Elizabeth Ann Seton: A Patron Saint in Times of Quarantine

At the beginning of the 19th century, New York City was a prosperous urban development. With a population of some 60,000 at the time, it served as a primary center for trade.
Read More →
Statue of the Virgin Mary

Mary: Mother of Mystics

Mary’s life, like that of her son, will be a living out of her own canticle.
Read More →

Father Casey Cole on Suffering

Who among us doesn't know suffering? We've all experienced these moments of pain, either physical, mental, or spiritual. In this video, Casey Cole, OFM, proposes that certain kinds of suffering can be beneficial and allows for immense growth.
Read More →
Hands together in prayer

A Time for Grace

When I first started going on contemplative retreats, I remember how difficult it was to give myself grace in my journey inward.
Read More →

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Includes Saint of the Day, Minute Meditations, and Pause + Pray.