OFM Franciscan Friars - Australia/NZ

11/08/2026

11th Aug ~ Happy Feast of St Clare

‘Love God, serve God, everything is in that’ ~ St Clare of Assisi 😇🙏

10/08/2026

Franciscan Friars Discernment Evening (Sydney)
~ Prayer, Dinner, Fraternity & Exploring God's Call)
When: 18th August 2026, Tues 6pm
Where: St Francis of Assisi Church, Paddington NSW
(457-459 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021)

Join us for an evening to learn about the Franciscan Friars and explore the Life of a Friar—living the Gospel of Life based on how St Francis lived with simplicity, joy, service to the poor and love for all creation.

This event is open to single men aged 18–40 who are discerning a call to religious life or simply want to learn more. Come with your questions and an open mind.

08/08/2026

The Australian Catholic Bishop's have released the August 2026 social justice statement that is very much on a Franciscan theme. “Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division”.

Bishop Harris has warned Catholics that 'social cohesion cannot be assumed it must be must be renewed through acts of solidarity, hospitality and mutual understanding'

It calls on us to reflect on Christ's call for "sacrificial love' through the example of the life of our Franciscan brother Maximilian Kolbe.

"The Gospel offers a different path. It calls us back to Jesus Christ, who meets division not
with hostility but with mercy; not with the logic of ‘us and them’ but with the costly love
that heals and transforms.

Living the Gospel in these times is not a private devotion. It is a public witness that human
dignity is not negotiable, that truth matters and that peace is more than the absence of
conflict - it is the fruit of justice, reconciliation and communion.'

St Francis followed Jesus' call to "love your enemy" and called everyone brother and sister because we are all part of the family of Almighty God.

Full Statement: https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/

Secular Franciscan Order Australia
Franciscan Schools Australia

You created every person in your image and call us to live as one human family.
In a world marked by division, fear and misunderstanding, fill our hearts with the self-giving love of Christ. Teach us to see one
another not as strangers or opponents, but as sisters and brothers, worthy of dignity, respect and compassion.

Give us the courage to build bridges where there is distrust, to seek encounter where there is separation, and to work for justice with humility and mercy. Help us to listen with open hearts, speak with kindness, and walk together in the way of peace. May your Holy Spirit guide us to welcome the stranger, stand beside those on the margins, reject all forms of hatred and racism, and become instruments of reconciliation in our communities.

Through the example of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and all the saints, strengthen us to live the Gospel through sacrifice, generosity and
love, so that your light may shine through us and bring hope to our nation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

07/08/2026

Brisbane men discerning about joining the Franciscan Friars or other forms of religious life: The friars will be holding a night of discernment at our Kedron Friary on the evening of 27 October.

If interested in joining the friars - ask!. We will partner you with a Friar who can help you discern and can answer the questions that come to your mind and heart

19/07/2026

The Friars work with the broader Franciscan Family. With the Secular Franciscan Order Australia we act as Spiritual Assistants to fraternities of lay Franciscans across Australia.

Spiritual Assistants provide spiritual and formation support, and foster communion with the broader Church.

Thank you to our National Minister, Maria Iadanza, OFS and to Fr Joe McKay, OFM for leading today’s regional election of the new Council of Victoria. It was a fantastic day of prayer and fraternity.

15/07/2026

Br Bill Short OFM from the Franciscan School of Theology, San Diego gave the 10th Annual Bonaventure Lecture at Padua College.

He spoke on how the image of St Francis had been communicated by Bonaventure in a way that was acceptable to the Church and provided a theological basis for the way of life for the Franciscan family. This official image lasted to the late 1800s when other contemporary stories of St Francis were rediscovered and retold: Thomas Celaro, Julian of Speyer, the Assisi Compilations.

Bonaventure provide an image of St Francis for his time, what image and understanding do we need of St Francis in our times.

14/07/2026

For Brisbane: the Bonaventure Lecture on tomorrow

Padua College Kedron (Official)
Franciscan Schools Australia
Catholic Events - Brisbane

14/07/2026

Last week, the Friars gathered at St Francis Retreat Centre in Auckland for our Assembly—a time of prayer, reflection, and fraternity.

Br Bill Short OFM gave several talks reflecting on the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.

07/07/2026

Mass & Talk on Franciscan Spirituality

This Sunday, Friar Paul Rout OFM will celebrate Mass at 5:30 pm, followed by a talk on Franciscan Spirituality at St Dominic's Church, Flemington (Sydney NSW 2140).

Everyone is warmly welcome. Come and join us for an evening of prayer, reflection, and fellowship.

20/06/2026

Friar John Nguyen and Friar Harry Chan are attending the first Ignite Conference in Darwin. Both the weather and people in Northern Territory are very warm. Glad to see young people enjoying the Praise and Worship, keynote speakers, workshops, prayers, Mass and Adoration. Love the energy and enthusiasm.