Mission and ministry
Prayer, fraternity and mission are the three pillars of our life as Franciscans. But prayer is where it begins. Each day we rise and remember our calling to praise God for his presence among us, in all of creation. Whether our communities are small or large, gathering for prayer is an essential part of our lives together. The Eucharist,
the divine office, meditation, reading and reflection, spiritual accompaniment; these are just a few of the ways that we come to an ever greater awareness of God in our lives, of the footprint of God in our lives.
We pray together, but we also enjoy prayerful solitude, time aside, time for reflection and for this growing awareness that God is among us and at the very heart of who we are as Franciscans. As St Francis said, “Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks and serve him with great humility.”
Pastoral work
As Franciscans the way we live, as brothers in fraternity, is our primary form of evangelisation. The example of our lives is far more significant than any words we may utter. This principle is lived out, first and foremost, in our Franciscan communities; and out of our practical love for each other as brothers flows the meaning of our evangelisation, of our mission, and of the various manifestations of how we serve those with whom we come in contact.
Like St Francis who dismounted and embraced a leper and chose to live among lepers as his brothers and sisters, we try to meet others at their level and be part of their lives, sharing it with them, serving as their brothers. It is our way of being God’s ‘Instruments of Peace’.
Mission
We are academics, builders and handymen, canon lawyers, counsellors, parish priests, teachers, historians, social workers and pastoral theologians. We are engaged in Interreligious Dialogue. We support homeless people and refugees. We serve in and support missions around the world from Russia to the Middle East to Timor Leste. For Franciscans, the job you do is never as important as the way we do it, as brothers to all.
