Franciscan Missionary Union

It seems remarkable and relevant that across four canonical Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth never instructed his disciples to pursue worldly power and authority ...to spread his message. He renounced the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scholars of Mosaic Law, the Chief Priests, the elders, and, ultimately, the pagan Roman occupiers. He never once encouraged his followers to become any one of them in order to further his mission. Without exception, relentlessly, vigorously, he sided with the disempowered and the dispossessed, and thumbed his nose figuratively (and, in the Temple courtyard and later before Pilate, somewhat more literally) at the powers that be. The Gospels record over and over that the Nazarene had no pretense to ruling in this world or having his disciples do so. To aspire to this, he quite expressly told the Apostles, would be to miss the point. To enshrine the Gospel in social and political law would be to cop out to say, I can’t handle the work of changing hearts, so I’ll let the coercive institutions of government do the work for me. It would be to deny that the weight of one’s faith must come not from the imposition of rules but the evangelizing that all Christians are called to do in their daily lives, through mere example and witness. You can’t force another person to act as if they were a Christian. You can only show them the way or what your very personal, narrow sense of the way suggest. Be advised: what the media tells you is a devout Catholic is not for the media or for us to decide. That’s a God-level decision. Be wary of those who profess otherwise.

Pictures from our latest pilgrimage to Assisi. Come join us if you like eating good food, visiting beautiful places, and learning more about the Franciscan traditions that make the Franciscans so relevant today!

Getting ready for this year's pilgrimages to Rome and Assisi!

The Franciscan Missionary Union family is excited to invite you on our Walk In My Shoes St. Anthony Pilgrimage to Padua and Venice! This Pilgrimage offers participants a chance to reflect on and learn from the vision and values of St. Anthony of Padua and the Franciscan Order. The Pilgrimage includes time for reflection, prayer, conversation, leisure, and visits to sacred Franciscan places in Padua and Venice. Learn more by visiting our website: http://bit.ly/2G0KVMj

Our kids need a chance this school year. We need you! Help our Friars provide 25 new Google Chromebooks for economically disadvantaged students at Christ the King Prep Newark. Give the #KeysForSuccess http://bit.ly/kfsfw

That man who stood out in church was a spy from the communist government in Cuba. He was watching us friars, listening to hear if the priests said anything against the government, said Franciscan Father Frank Sevola... https://rcdop.org/news/to-cuba-with-love

Happy Easter! #franciscanmissionaryunion #stfrancis #franciscan

Wishing all of our followers a #peaceful Palm Sunday! #franciscan #stfrancis #palmsunday #palms #franciscanmissionaryunion #hosanna

Want to experience the thrill of a mission trip right from your home? This #awesome video made by University of Georgia student @CourtneyRombaut can take you there! #missiontrip #cuba #travel#franciscan #fmu #stfrancis