We are a group of Franciscan Friar Brothers and Priests following the example of St. Francis. Together, we help one another live lives in light of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do this in prayer, by living in community, and in service to the poor/neglected of our world.Who is Saint Francis?A medieval man of radical action and a challenger of the status quo – in today’s vocabulary, the life and work of Francis of Assisi would be considered both unconventional and innovative. He spent years searching for a new way of life, a pursuit that led to two radical breaks: firstly, with the world's conventions and the obligations attached to them; secondly, with the established codes of conduct followed by the religious communities of the time. Francis was an open, communicative individual, inspired by nature - qualities which challenged the Italy of the thirteenth century. He overcame numerous setbacks and – eventually – even saw his vision endorsed by the Papacy in 1209.

But what made him so different? His central cause appears at first somewhat unspectacular: he wanted to share the Gospel with humankind, attesting to the infinite love of God. Yet this is the very thing which makes his philosophy stands out – it is shaped by sharing. Up until then, religious orders had lived a life of seclusion within their cloisters, shut off from the challenges and problems of the outside world. Then along came a young man who had broken with his family publicly and spectacularly in order to become involved in the lives of the people, in a spirit of dialogue and solidarity. Over the course of 800 years, Francis of Assisi has proved an inspiration to many men and women.

We pray God leads you into a stronger relationship with Christ, and others. May you grow in your own awareness of the mercy of the living God, and share that hope with those most in need. 

       150 YEARS OF LOVING SERVICE THE SACRED HEART PROVINCE

Just as the Cross is integral to Christian living, so mission is 

an integral part of the 

Franciscan life right from the 

beginning.   

 Thus, we embrace the world 

as the privileged place where 

we experience God in all of 

created activity, in all human 

enterprises.  The invitation to 

transformation and purposeful 

movement gives us a radical 

new vision to detect and 

respond to this life and life in 

abundance. 

 This movement – both for 

us and for the friars in the past – 

has three things in common.  

First, it begins with a vision. 

 Secondly, there have to be 

visionaries who step into the 

future without certainty and see 

signs of the holy in everyone 

and in everything. 

 Thirdly, there is that 

determined action to lay claim 

to God’s original plan for 

humanity, for the life of the 

world, for God’s life for us and 

within us, and for God life in all 

of creation – a life which favors 

the poor and the marginalized. 

 This is the gospel project to 

which we are called. This is the 

invitation of Jesus to return to 

the source of life. Let us begin! 

Sacred Heart Province

Loving God, by Your design, it is in time, in the currents of history, that Your children see Your finger at work.

Under the guidance of our Father Francis, our brothers brought gospel living -- the Tree of Life -- from the hills of Umbria, across the Alps to Germany. That young plant blossomed there for centuries, sending roots deep into lands watered by the rivers of Paderborn.

A hundred and fifty years ago, pushed from their homes and shaking the dust from their sandals, our brothers carried this plant of gospel-living to a new country, to lands watered by other rivers.

Wrapped in coarse brown wool, hidden in ancient books of parchment and paper, the friars brought the tree of gospel life to this continent. They cared for it so that its fruit might sustain your people, here, in this place -- the native, the immigrant and the children of slaves -- those filled with new hopes and yearnings yet bound by fears and home-sickness.

O Lord of Time, You do not ask us to repeat the past but to cooperate with You in some holy newness. You do not demand that we hold fast to time but that we discern Your urgings in it. You do not seek our withdrawal from the world but our gospel response to it.

As we reflect on our Franciscan forebears, may we learn from their experience, may we be inspired by their example and may we be challenged by their courage.

We ask this in full confidence because we pray in the name of Jesus Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit. Amen.

Statement of Beliefs

We believe that as followers of St. Francis of Assisi we are "Lesser Brothers" called to be centered in Christ with the Gospel as our Rule life.

We believe that fidelity to our calling is expressed in loyalty to the mission of Jesus continued in His Church, in a spirit of prayer and contemplation, with a special love for the poor, and reverence for all God's creation.

We believe that we are called to fraternity, to share a life of joy and peace, to draw our inspiration from the cross of Jesus, and to be renewed continually through our celebration of the Eucharist.

Statement of Purpose

Our mission is to permeate our society with Gospel values. We are to be instruments of change and heralds of peace in a broken world, serving all people, especially the poor and marginalized, through reconciliation and healing.

Our mission, in a variety of ministries, is to try to respond to the needs of the Church in fidelity to our Franciscan ideals.

Statement of Commitment

Rejecting greed, manipulation, and consumerism, we commit ourselves to a life style that effectively witnesses the Gospel values of simplicity, joy, and brotherhood.

We commit ourselves to forward the evangelizing mission of the Church for our day with primacy of concern for issues of justice and the rights of minorities, the poor, the homeless, and refugees.

We commit ourselves to the development of the laity in order to call forth their gifts and talents toward a greater participation in leadership roles in both Church and society.

We commit ourselves to a readiness to relinquish ministries that can be provided for by others, in order to respond to more urgent needs consonant with our Franciscan charism and the demands of ministry.

We commit ourselves to a genuine Christian formation of our friars as well as the people we serve, sensitive to cultural identities and values, rooting out prejudice in all its forms.