Our friars come to understand and start to demonstrate these values even as they study and prepare to go into ministry. While they are going to school in Boston as part of their formation program, some of them work at St. Francis House, an institution that provides shelter and rehabilitative services for the poor and homeless. Others work at a local hospital that provides healthcare services to the indigent. Some also work in local parishes and nursing homes. 

Capuchin Appalachian Mission

For over 20 years, Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries (CYFM) in Garrison, NY has organized the Capuchin Appalachian Mission, a nine-day program in which young volunteers travel to Harlan County, Kentucky, and distribute clothing and children’s books, volunteer at a nursing home, organize a vacation bible school, and provide home improvements for low-income families. Also, during both the summer and the winter, CYFM organizes a week of service opportunity for high school students. Participants work at various jobs around the Hudson Valley area. These work locations include Habitat for Humanity sites, nursing homes and hospice care centers. Hundreds of young people have participated in these CYFM outreach programs.

Hundreds have been inspired to help those in need. Whether it’s through their own work or by working through others, the Capuchins continue to follow the example of St. Francis. They continue to go out into the world to carry Christ’s message of peace, love and promise to those who are often forgotten, and to assist those struggling to maintain their place in society.