Province of Our Lady of Consolation

09/14/2026

In a world marked by division and uncertainty, what does it mean to become an instrument of peace? In the Summer 2026 issue of our St. Anthony Newsletter, Fr. Rijo Mulavarickal Polachan, OFM Conv., reflects on this question through the lens of his campus ministry in El Paso, Texas, where he encounters young people navigating many of the same tensions shaping our wider world.

In his reflection, “Walls to Protect or Walls to Divide?”, Fr. Rijo reminds us that the human family is larger than the divisions we create. Drawing on the Jubilee Year prayer of Pope Leo XIV, he invites us to turn toward the source of all reconciliation, the One who breaks down every wall and calls us back to one another.

Read the full piece here:

I am friar Rijo. I grew up in Kerala, India, and I now serve with the friars in El Paso, Texas. When I think of my childhood, I remember simple and joyful days. On weekends, my friends and I would wake up early in the morning and play cricket until our parents came looking for us and dragged us home...

09/09/2026

There are places that seem to invite us to slow down, become quiet, and simply be present with God. For generations, the Chapel at Mount Saint Francis has offered that kind of space. Friars, retreatants, visitors, families, and friends have come through its doors seeking prayer, reflection, comfort, and peace. Through the Chapel Renovation Campaign, we are working to preserve and renew this sacred place so that all who come to the Mount can continue to find a quiet space to meet God for generations to come.

Help us care for this beloved Chapel and the ministry of peace it continues to offer. Learn more: https://www.franciscansusa.org/support-our-ministries/chapel-renovation-campaign/

09/07/2026

As colleges and universities across the country settle into a new academic year, we ask you to join us in praying for all those who have just returned to campus. We pray especially for our Franciscan friars serving students and university communities through campus ministry. May God grant them wisdom, patience, and renewed energy as they offer a welcoming presence, accompany students in faith, and help build communities of prayer and belonging.

We also pray for every student beginning this new year. May they find friendship and encouragement, grow in knowledge and faith, and remain open to the person God is calling them to become.

09/04/2026

Tuesday, on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we reflected on Laudato si’ by Pope Francis, remembering “everything is connected.” Our relationship with creation is inseparable from our relationship with God and with one another. This call is reflected in the friars’ Franciscan Earth Care Initiative, which invites ecological conversion to be woven into our prayer, community life, ministry, and daily choices. It challenges us to reflect honestly on where we have failed to protect what God has entrusted to us and how our faith can shape care for our common home.

As we pray today, may we ask for the grace to hear both the cry of the earth and to respond with faithful action rooted in love, justice, and peace.
https://www.franciscansusa.org/category/franciscan-earth-care-initiative-news/

09/02/2026

Thank you to the News and Tribune for highlighting the exciting news about the Mount Saint Francis Chapel Renovation Campaign with our Southern Indiana community. Yesterday, our Province launched a $1.6 million campaign to restore the Chapel’s historic stained-glass windows, improve accessibility, and preserve the sacred space for future generations.

We invite you to read the News and Tribune’s story here: https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/friars-launch-1-6-million-campaign-to-restore-chapel-at-mount-saint-francis/article_7d2f0862-63f0-4ba3-907a-83aec1c7db70.html and visit franciscansusa.org/chapel to learn more about the project and how you can support the campaign.

MOUNT SAINT FRANCIS — As both the Province of Our Lady of Consolation and the Chapel at Mount Saint Francis celebrate their centennials throughout 2026, the Conventual Franciscan Friars have

09/01/2026

With grateful hearts, we are excited to officially launch the Chapel Renovation Campaign at Mount Saint Francis! For 100 years, the Chapel at Mount Saint Francis has been a place of welcome, prayer, worship, beauty, and peace. As we give thanks for a century of Franciscan presence, we are also looking with hope toward the future. The Chapel now needs our care so that it may continue to serve as a spiritual home for generations to come.

The Chapel Renovation Campaign will support the restoration of its historic stained-glass windows, important accessibility improvements, and the preservation and renewal of this nearly century-old place of worship. This campaign is about more than maintaining a building. It is about caring for a sacred space where countless lives have been touched by God’s grace and where many more will be welcomed in the years ahead.

And we need your help to carry this cherished legacy forward. You may make a gift, adopt a stained-glass window, offer a gift in honor or memory of someone special, or share the campaign with others who hold Mount Saint Francis close to their hearts. Together, we can help ensure that the Chapel remains a place of prayer, welcome, healing, and encounter for its next 100 years.

Learn more here:
https://www.franciscansusa.org/chapel-renovation-campaign/

08/17/2026

Saturday, on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pilgrims gathered at Our Lady of Consolation - Carey, Ohio to pray, process, and place their trust in Mary’s intercession. The Assumption reveals God’s promise of life beyond suffering and death. In Mary, we see a life fully open to God’s will, lifted into the glory of her Son’s resurrection. For generations, the friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation have helped care for this sacred place, welcoming pilgrims who come with gratitude, sorrow, prayer, and hope. Mary, Our Lady of Consolation, pray for us and guide us closer to Christ.

Photos by Anthony Gallina and Brother Randy Kin.

08/11/2026

St. Clare of Assisi chose a life of prayer, poverty, and trust, believing that God alone was enough. Though her life was hidden from the world, its impact continues to shape the Franciscan family. Clare teaches us that transformation often begins in silence and faithfulness.

May St. Clare’s witness inspire us to make room for silence, prayer, and trust in our own lives. This week, may we live like Clare by slowing down, listening for God’s presence, and becoming instruments of peace, humility, and light for others.

08/09/2026

Today, on the 35th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Michał TOMASZEK, OFM Conv., and Blessed Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI, OFM Conv., we remember two friars who gave their lives in Peru in 1991. On the anniversary of their martyrdom in 2025, friar Jarek Wysoczański, OFM Conv., reflected on the mothers of these blessed friars in Poland, connecting their sorrow to the grief carried by mothers of so many who have died anonymously in the desert while trying to cross the border in search of safety, dignity, and a better life.

We invite you to read the full story, and may these words offer a moment of prayer and reflection for all who mourn and all who seek hope in the midst of suffering:
https://ow.ly/UQ3o50ZciRp

07/31/2026

Last week, friars from across the Province gathered at Mount Saint Francis for Chapter, a time of prayer, fraternity, and shared discernment about the life and future of the Province.

Together, the friars considered important proposals, elected leaders to serve our communities and ministries, and renewed their commitment to the Franciscan mission entrusted to them. Please continue to pray for all our friars as they serve the Church and one another with humility, faith, and hope.