Missions
From Franciscan Wiki
letoc4tcn Franciscans have been involved in missionary activities since the very beginning of the order.
Contents |
Brief History
Pope Innocent III orally approved the Rule of the Order of Friars Minor in 1210, and by 1217 five friars were sent to preach to the Moors in the Kingdom of Granada. By 1263 there were 22 friaries in the Holy Land, and six Poor Clare monasteries. The first mission to China started in 1245 when Brother John of Pian Carpino left for Manchuria. The first saint born in the Americas was a Franciscan, Brother Felipe de Jesus of Mexico, martyred in Nagasaki, Japan in 1597.
Situation Today
Today the Franciscans have 5,400 missionaries and 800 missions throughout the world. They serve the poor on every continent, following in the steps of St. Francis of Assisi.
Lay Mission Opportunities
Overseas
The Franciscan Mission Service provides mission opportunites for lay people wishing to work in other countries.
In the United States
These groups provide opportunities for mission work within the US:
- Franciscan Volunteer Ministry (Philadelphia & S. Carolina)
- Franciscan Outreach Association (Chicago)
- Capcorps (East coast & Midwest)
- Volunteer Covenant Program (West Coast)
- Franciscan Workers of Junipero Serra (Salinas, California)
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