Franciscan Voice

Brother Solanus Mary talks about some of the early passages in the Gospels that detail events in Jesus' life and anticipate His Passion. These readings are great for Lenten meditations...

'God is beautiful!' is the theme of Friar Vince Petersen's reflection - "When we come to know God, when we come to have that spiritual awakening, we begin to see things differently... we fall in love again."

God is always ready to forgive. Friar Jude Winkler talks about the 15 friars who live near the Vatican and serve in the confessionals at St. Peter's Basilica. Some people who haven’t been to confession in 50 years realize the opportunity to turn their lives over to God and find His Peace.

There's not just one way of being a Franciscan. Friar Jude Winkler talks about how we can come together in spite of our differences.

When we truly recognize God’s deep love for us, we desire to share that love with those who need it most. Friar Jude Winkler provides the example of friars from Malta working in London hospitals.

Invisible Light takes us through the story of a man named Theophilus who shares with us his grief of losing his son and the struggle of living through a time of violence in Rome. He returns to the Gospel of Luke, which was dedicated to him, as a source of comfort and soon finds himself being transformed by the story of Christ's humble birth. What Theophilus soon discovers through Luke's Gospel is...

Invisible Light takes us through the story of a man named Theophilus who shares with us his grief of losing his son and the struggle of living through a time of violence in Rome. He returns to the Gospel of Luke, which was dedicated to him, as a source of comfort and soon finds himself being transformed by the story of Christ's humble birth. What Theophilus soon discovers through Luke's Gospel is...

Invisible Light takes us through the story of a man named Theophilus who shares with us his grief of losing his son and the struggle of living through a time of violence in Rome. He returns to the Gospel of Luke, which was dedicated to him, as a source of comfort and soon finds himself being transformed by the story of Christ's humble birth. What Theophilus soon discovers through Luke's Gospel is...

Invisible Light takes us through the story of a man named Theophilus who shares with us his grief of losing his son and the struggle of living through a time of violence in Rome. He returns to the Gospel of Luke, which was dedicated to him, as a source of comfort and soon finds himself being transformed by the story of Christ's humble birth. What Theophilus soon discovers through Luke's Gospel is...

Music Lessons Friars in Kazakhstan provide #music lessons. Friar Jude Winkler talks about this friary and how the #arts can give us new hope

Here's how friars simplified their way of life and have, through their kind sharing, brought a renewal of faith to those around them. Friar Jude Winkler talks about our friars in France -

Why should we love our enemies? Friar Jude Winkler talks about Jesus, Moses, and the film 'Gandhi' as he reflects on the Gospel of Matthew.

For us as Franciscans, we see the recent 700th Anniversary of Dante’s death as a time to rediscover and continue with the responsibility that Providence has entrusted to us. Friar John Heinz talks about the Dante Center of Ravenna in this conclusion of our series on Dante and the Franciscans.

A Priest, doorkeeper, counselor, whose prayers are credited with miraculous cures - Who is Blessed Solanus Casey? Friar Solanus Mary tells his story in this episode of Franciscan Voice. (Friar Solanus Mary's recording was produced by Christian Media Trust for South East Radio - both located in Wexford, Ireland)

From public readings, paintings, commentaries - Franciscans share their connection with Dante. Friar John Heinz continues the story of the ongoing relationship between Dante and the Franciscans.

According to tradition, Dante died on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in 1321. Almost immediately, a struggle began between Ravenna and Florence over Dante’s remains. Friar John Heinz talks about this conflict and how Dante's bones were hidden until rediscovered in 1865 as he continues the story of Dante and the Franciscans.

Driving from New York to Florida, collecting empty cans to raise money for the missions, Brother Vincent Vivian had a flat tire on a deserted back road. Listen to his story of faith, peace, and angels.

It has been noted that the Franciscan world is intertwined with the Christianity of the Divine Comedy. How did Dante first encounter the Franciscans? Which Canto is dedicated to St. Francis? Friar John Heinz continues the series on Dante and the Franciscans.

Friar John Heinz continues the journey through Dante's Divine Comedy. In part 7, he takes us through Paradiso - the eternal reality of the highest human desire; a reality that makes individual earthly events distant and small.

Part six of Dante and the Franciscans - Thomas Merton used Dante's description of purgatory for the title of his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain. Merton saw the description as an apt metaphor of our striving for holiness here on earth. Friar John Heinz takes us on a journey through Dantes' Purgatorio.

Friar John Heinz begins to talk about The Divine Comedy and describes Dante's underworld. Dante created a structure for the afterlife that had not existed before - giving Hell and Purgatory actual geographic locations.

The Corda Pia is a centuries-old sung devotion, unique to the Conventual Franciscan Order. Its earliest attestation is the 16th century, though it could be older. During the COVID lockdown, there was a craze of choirs on the internet formed of disparate individuals in different locations weaving their voices together through technology. Friar Peter Flynn had the idea of doing something like this o...

The Corda Pia is a centuries-old sung devotion, unique to the Conventual Franciscan Order. Its earliest attestation is the 16th century, though it could be older. During the COVID lockdown, there was a craze of choirs on the internet formed of disparate individuals in different locations weaving their voices together through technology. Friar Peter Flynn had the idea of doing something like this o...

The Corda Pia is a centuries-old sung devotion, unique to the Conventual Franciscan Order. Its earliest attestation is the 16th century, though it could be older. During the COVID lockdown, there was a craze of choirs on the internet formed of disparate individuals in different locations weaving their voices together through technology. Friar Peter Flynn had the idea of doing something like this o...

Last year’s 700th anniversary of Dante’s death has passed, but many people are still writing and talking about him and his Divine Comedy – just as they have ever since it was written. We Franciscans are still talking about it too, especially since we claim him as one of our own. To find out the many reasons why, you can listen to this series of podcasts based on our blog posts from the anniversary...