Our cause
The Franciscan Friars hasten to the cries of everyone: the poor, desperate, hungry, homeless, addicted, mentally ill, jobless, incarcerated, sick, elderly, and other communities and individuals that society finds easier to ignore than embrace. We beg for those who can’t beg for themselves and each year, we help and offer guidance to over 5 MILLION people who come to our breadlines, soup kitchens, rehabilitation residences, health centers, and other outreach ministries.
Our work brings relief, kindness, and hope to EVERYONE. EVERY DAY.
In New York, NY, we provide food, hope, and guidance at the St. Francis Breadline and Franciscan 360, a resource center that connects guests to housing assistance, employment services, and more.
In Hartford, CT, at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, we serve the poor and hungry and work to create a more just society for those pushed to the margins.
In Boston, MA, at St. Anthony Shrine, we serve those in need with over 30 outreach ministries, including the Franciscan Food Bank and the Shrine’s Women’s Clinic, a safe haven for the city’s most vulnerable women.
In Philadelphia, PA, at the St. Francis Inn, we provide food, shelter, clothing, and life-changing resources to those in desperate need.
In St. Louis, MO, at the St. Anthony Food Pantry and Franciscan Connection, the friars meet with over 40 families each week to provide utility assistance, and hundreds of people are given meals, clothing, and medical resources.
In Cincinnati, OH, at St. Francis Seraph Ministries, we provide warm meals at the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room, and vital foot care to those who live on the streets and walk miles each day to survive at Foot Care for the Souls.
In Southfield, MI, at the Franciscan Outreach Food Bank, we provide groceries to the hungry, homeless, and those struggling to make ends meet.
In Navajo Nation, AZ, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and the Kindness Center Food Bank, we provide food, support, and spiritual guidance to isolated and underserved communities.
In Alaska, we live and work among the Athabaskan Indian community, seeing to their sacramental and pastoral needs in six remote and impoverished villages along the Yukon River.
In Jamaica, we feed the hungry at the St. Anthony Kitchen, provide roundtrip transportation to life-saving education with the Get Kids to School program, and so much more.
In Puerto Rico, we provide children a safe place to learn and develop essential life skills at the Niños de Nueva Esperanza (Children of New Hope) education center.
In Cuba, two Franciscan parishes are home to soup kitchens that provide free meals twice a week, and mini-clinics that supply basic toiletries to those in need.
Our cause
Your support FRANCISCAN FRIARS Charities provides care for our beloved retired and elder friars, who have devoted their lives to serving communities with humility, love, and dedication. For decades, they’ve been a source of comfort, guidance, and support to countless individuals, walking beside them in faith during moments of joy, sorrow, and challenge. Because of you, we can honor their past and secure their future by ensuring they age with dignity and have a continuity of care.
“Even as I age, I’m still a friar. I still listen, pray, and share joy with everyone I meet.”
—From an elder friar in one of our Franciscan care facilities.
Our cause
Your support of FRANCISCAN FRIARS Charities makes Franciscan education and formation possible for our young friars. Every donation we receive helps a young friar study for the priesthood, learn and develop valuable skills in our various outreach ministries, and begin to serve the Lord in Franciscan parishes, schools, and where the needs of the poor and marginalized are great. Your kindness makes these vocations a reality!
“I’m deeply grateful for the donor support that makes Franciscan education and formation possible. This education doesn’t just form ministers; it forms Franciscans like me who serve with both heart and conviction wherever the Lord calls. Thank you to all those who helped pay for my support and education. I am a Franciscan priest because of your help. I will be praying for you daily.”
—Bro. Matt, upon earning his Master of Divinity