• The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the fourth Monday of each month, from September until June.
• The purpose is ongoing spiritual development focusing on St. Francis and Franciscan spirituality with topics like prayer, charity, peace, social justice, the integrity of creation, the environment, and the love of all creatures.   
• The group which started 40 years ago in the parish is part of a worldwide organization of over a million members today, founded by St. Francis of Assisi 800 years ago and is open to all adult practicing Catholics.
• Visitors are always welcome at the meetings. A link can be provided to anyone who wishes to visit the online meeting, by contacting Kate Klassen at -  [email protected] 

• The group has also been fortunate to have a Franciscan spiritual assistant, Father Joe Glaab, who participates in the meetings whenever possible via the internet. 
• Happily, some new people were welcomed into the group recently, with possible Professions in the future. The group studies some aspect of spirituality each month, with an on-link being forwarded prior to the meeting to allow everyone to prepare for a discussion. Normally the meeting consists of prayer time, spiritual development discussion time, and some time for business to discuss the ministries of the group.  The meeting lasts no more than 2 hours.
• The group has been taking a particular interest in the document Laudato Si and how it relates to our daily life, and what possible changes we need to address.  Excellent resources are available online as we educate ourselves on food production worldwide, our use of land and of plastics, and the impact of this on wildlife and the earth. 
• The group has a selection of Franciscan books available for anyone to borrow and the parish library also has Franciscan books available. Contact Bernadette at [email protected] if interested.

For more information contact:

Kate Klassen, cell 204 955 0756, or email - [email protected]

Bernadette McCann, 204 474 0320 or email - [email protected]

• Franciscan prayer Feb 2015.pdf

Over the years the Franciscan group in the parish has initiated projects and programs.  These ranged from:

• Representing Development and Peace in the parish some years ago.

• Starting the collection of food for Agape Table.  This continues now with a parishioner who volunteers to collect the donations regularly and deliver them to the downtown site.

• Organizing the annual Chili Dinner for the Immaculate Conception Drop-in Centre downtown on behalf of the parish. This ministry has continued with the tremendous support of the parishioners but has been on hold during the COVID restrictions.

• Financially supporting a family in India through the Save a Family fund. Over the years a number of the families assigned to the Franciscans have attained financial independence.  Some families have received assistance with education, new housing, a sewing machine for a home business, animals for breeding, etc.

• Each Friday during Lent the Stations of the Cross have been organized and led by this group.

• Workshops have been offered to the parishioners a number of times in the fall, focusing on St. Francis.

Check out some Franciscan websites for interesting topics:

http://franciscansinternational.org/home/

http://www.franciscanvoicecanada.com/

http://www.ofsnational.ca/