All over the world, the Church is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, with a year of jubilee proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV. “We are looking forward to celebrating this event in the life of the Church and the Order. May it be a grace-filled time for all of us. May it be a source of renewal for us and for the Order, as well as an opportunity to draw vocations,” said Br. Gerard Mulvey, who is coordinating commemorative efforts in the Province.

In this jubilee year, the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence when they go to confession and receive Holy Communion at a Franciscan church. Accordingly, the Province is planning a Camino-style pilgrimage to encourage the faithful to visit our Capuchin churches. Beginning this August, you can obtain a passport from any Capuchin parish in the Province and get a stamp when you visit any of our churches. Click HERE for a listing of parishes. See how many stamps you can get!

Our public commemorations began on April 11. The friars celebrated a festive Easter octave liturgy in the majestic chapel at St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, N.Y., with friends and benefactors. Then the assembly gathered for brunch in the seminary refectory. There, Br. Charles Sammons, who is the parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Yonkers, gave a talk related to the Year of St. Francis. Brother Charles recounted a few episodes from the final days of Francis’ glorious life and drew out the Christian virtues he exemplified as he prepared to return to his Creator. Click below to watch Brother Charles’ presentation. We hope you will come away from Brother Charles’ talk and as edified as we were.

In recognition of the Franciscan jubilee year, Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, N.Y., unveiled a commemorative banner that hangs outside the school at the entrance to the Sacred Heart Parish office. Accompanied by several students, Br. Robert Abbatiello offered a prayer and blessed the banner. Sacred Heart High School also hosted a logo contest, inviting students to create designs that captured the spirit of St. Francis through themes of peace, simplicity, care for creation, joy, and service, while also reflecting Sacred Heart pride. The winning logo was created by senior Olivia Martinez. She explained the inspiration behind her beautiful design: “My design reflects St. Francis’ teachings through symbols of peace and faith. St. Francis is depicted admiring a dove, representing peace and care for creation. “Behind him is the Tau Cross, symbolizing devotion to God. Its placement in the background emphasizes how God is and must remain the center of our lives. “Finally, I encircled the design with a green ring to represent Sacred Heart. This signifies how our school community embraces St. Francis’s teachings of service, humility, love for God, and care for creation.”

Check in with our website, www.capuchin.org, for jubilee year updates. There are also jubilee year resources on the website for the General Curia of the Capuchin Order, www.ofmcap.org/en. They have a document titled Francis of Assisi: A Seed for Eternal Life: The Spiritual Legacy of a Christian Man. It is a great tool for personal and communal reflection and prayer for the jubilee.◼︎