St. Clare Novena
Prayer, Saint ClareSt. Clare of Assisi In honor of St. Clare, we invite you to pray an online novena, August 2 – 10, culminating on her feast day, August 11. Each day of the nine-day novena, you will receive prayers…
Read MoreJamaican Medical Clinic Challenge Grant
MissionsFriars and volunteers pose for a photo. Photo by Roanecia Reid. About five years ago, the friars began to address the urgent need for medical and dental care among the people in the small settlement of Revival, a…
Read MoreA Significant Date in the Life of St. Anthony
Saint AnthonyJanuary 16th is a significant date in the life of St. Anthony of Padua. Francisco de Zurbarán, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons In 1210, Anthony joined the Canons of St. Augustine in Lisbon, Portugal, to study for the…
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving
Newsletter, PrayerFr. John Bok, OFM Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder for us to really think about our many blessings and to give thanks to God for them. Most of us are fortunate enough to spend time with family and…
Read MoreGratitude and blessings
Senior FriarsA beautiful birthday cake celebrating Fr. Jeremy Harrington’s 90th birthday. Photos by Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM As Jeremy Harrington sat at his desk a few days after his 90th birthday on Oct. 7, he admitted feeling rather overwhelmed…
Read MoreThe Power of Novena Prayers
Prayer, Saint FrancisDetail of Christine H.’s painting inspired by Francisco de Zurbarán’s art on St. Francis’ death contemplation. Lately I’ve been going through a midlife crisis. My mom had a stroke in June of last year, and there’s an unresolved…
Read MoreAngels watching over Fr. John
PrayerA car goes airborne over Fr. John Bok’s vehicle. I believe in science and the laws of physics. My first assignment after ordination was to our Franciscan high school in Cincinnati. I taught various science classes including physics.…
Read MoreA Journey of Faith and Spiritual Preparation
Advent and Christmas, Prayer, Saint FrancisAdvent 2022 The first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2022, starts the new Liturgical Year—a new journey of faith and spiritual preparation. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to reexamine where we have been and where we want to…
Read MoreA place of prayer, presence and peace
Missions, PrayerBoard member Carol Swavely and Henry Beck welcome retreatants. Photos by Sr. Eileen Connelly, OSU “I feel peaceful here and very welcome.” ‘It’s as if the friars are opening their home to us.” “I experience God’s presence when…
Read MoreHistory of the friars in the U.S.
MissionsFriars from Austria began the Province of St. John the Baptist in Cincinnati. The first friars arrived in Florida in 1573 with the Spanish colonizers and ministered primarily to the Native Americans who were already living there. A…
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