(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Winter 2026  Issue #118) By Diane Menditto, OFS • National Vice Minister As Secular Franciscans, we are called not only to profess our faith but to exemplify it in our daily lives. Our Rule reminds us that our vocation is rooted in Baptism...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) By Mary Frances Charsky, OFS  • International Councilor Among the many treasures of our Franciscan heritage, few words echo more deeply than the closing line of the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “It is in giving...

By Christine Blood, OFS National Councilor, OFS-USA . Christine Blood, OFS National Councilor On the night of my Profession, I realized how blessed I was to have had excellent formators, true witnesses of our faith and the Order. They taught me well because I knew that I would forever be...

Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, the Year of St. Francis of Assisi, marking the 800th anniversary of his death.  All members of Franciscan religious orders and the faithful can obtain plenary indulgences by visiting any conventional Franciscan church or place of worship dedicated...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) In this issue, the final five of the 30 regions highlighted. Lady Region Poverty Lady Poverty is another region that covers parts of multiple states: the western half of Pennsylvania, an eastern sliver of Ohio, part of northern Maryland,...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) Meet your 2026 Q Planning Committee. (Pictured from left to right) Br. Bob Brady, OFM; Cathy Roszhart, OFS Joe Edwards, OFS; Susan Ronan, OFS Jim Graczyk, OFS; Claudia Kauzlarich, OFS Diane Menditto, OFS; Jane DeRose-Bamman, OFS What does it...

               Jesus comes with a new order of things, the Sermon on the Mount.  It’s more than a collection of moral directives, a profound declaration of the moral nature of the Kingdom, intended to shape the lives of His followers.  It’s the crucial role in Christian ethics, and offers a radical re-definition of...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) By Sharon Winzeler, OFS • Communications Committee Chair As part of their National Chapter, on Friday, September 12th, members of the Secular Franciscan Order set aside time for a half-day pilgrimage to St. Anthony Shrine in Ellicott City, MD....

by Kathy Vore, OFS Photo by Kathy Vore, OFS Italy joyfully celebrates every Christmas season from the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany, January 6, unlike the American Catholic Church, which celebrates Epiphany on the nearest Sunday.  Italians recognize Epiphany as a national holiday. As American Secular Franciscans, my husband...

“And as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Nelson Mandella’s 1994 Inaugural Address as President of South Africa Father’s Homily – video Father’s Homily – text

The...

Lay religious groups have been around the Catholic Church for centuries, but are little known.  They include the Secular Franciscan Order, Benedictine Oblates, and Lay Dominicans. Their members make simple professions rather than vows and commit to daily prayer, ongoing formation, community gatherings, and ministry. Members bring the spirituality of...

By Kathleen Molaro, OFS • National YouFra Commission Chair A story by Anthony De Mello, Jesuit priest, spiritual writer, and teacher, seems to define where we are in the process of introducing YouFra to the United States The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the...

What does Jesus see when He sees?  Seeing is a physical act.  It notices outward appearances.  Seeing is also a mental act.  It evaluates people and places them in social categories the mind uses.  But seeing is also a spiritual act.  It is aware of the spiritual nature of people. ...

By Mary Frances Charsky, OFS International Councilor, OFS-USA Mary Francis Charsky, International Councilor Our OFS Rule Article 5 reminds us that the heart of our vocation is encounter. As Secular Franciscans, we are called to seek the living and active presence of Christ in our brothers and sisters, in sacred...

Fr. Marek Stybor, OFM Conv., Fr. Jerome Wolbert, OFM , Fr. John DeLaRiva, OFM Cap. and (virtually) Mary Frances Charsky, OFS, Fr. Christopher Panagoplos, TOR and Corinne Lorenzet, OFS with Friar novices and formaters at San Lorenzo Novitiate, Santa Ynez, California. During the week of January 25-30, the CNSA Friars...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) By Joe Makley, OFS • JPIC Animator Our JPIC Award recipient for 2025 is Carolyn Townes, OFS. Carolyn has had a long and impactful history as the National JPIC Animator for over ten years, and currently serves on the...

Jesus’ message, “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.”  More than sorrow for sin, repent calls for a change of mind, not just in an intellectual sense, but a change involving a transformation of attitude at a deep, personal level, to be prepared to look at one’s life...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall 2025  Issue #117) Continued: Fr. Jerome also cautioned against relying too heavily on niceness and surface gestures, but instead, offering our neighbors true compassion. “You don’t need to be smiling all the time,” he said. “Smiles have their place, but sometimes others...

Standing united, we bear witness to the love of the Father revealed in Christ.  We fulfill the prayer of Jesus, who asked the Father “that all may be one,” so that the world may believe.  We recognize today that we share real, if imperfect, unity. Father’s Homily – video Father’s...

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Fall Issue 117) By Sharon Winzeler, OFS • Communications Committee Chair From daily Mass to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer was an essential element at the 2025 National Chapter at the Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland, and was led by...