It is with great joy that the friars of the Province of St. Barbara invite you to share our passion for Christ’s love in our world — a world where we serve God every day with the vision of our founder, St. Francis of Assisi, as our guiding light.

Your prayers and friendship are central to the lives of our friars. Please join with us as we work together to:

  • Serve the material and spiritual needs of the poor, the outcast and the socially marginalized in a wide variety of ministerial settings.
  • Foster growth and development in Christian values through our work in parishes, retreat centers, missions and more.
  • Unite with our sponsored ministries, including the Franciscan School of Theology, St. Anthony Foundation, St. Francis Center, Old Mission San Luis Rey, Old Mission Santa Barbara and our retreat centers, as we work together for the greater good of the community.
  • Continue to care for our friars, whose years of service have touched hundreds of thousands of lives—maybe even yours!
  • Seek and educate men who will become our future friars, providing them with a meaningful formation program and educational background, as well as offer ongoing formation opportunities to our solemnly professed friars so they too can feel renewed and refreshed in their everyday lives.
  • Invite others into our lives to help meet the future needs of the Catholic Christian church in the spiritual tradition of St. Francis of Assisi.

Jesus has called us all to be the presence of God’s love. Our world needs the light of peace, justice, mercy and compassion that God alone can provide. As we follow in St. Francis’s footsteps, we urge you to join us to spread the Gospel across our world through your kind prayers, gifts and continued friendship!

Ministries

When St. Francis of Assisi set out on his path of loving service, it was by no means a clear one.  He was out on the road, connecting with others, accompanying the poor, and, without knowing it, establishing a new form of religious life.  While earlier forms, exemplified by monasticism, were based on the lifestyle of the earliest Christian communities...

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Missions

Our Franciscan friars in foreign missions proclaim the Gospel of God's Love in a ministry that is at the core of our Franciscan tradition. St. Francis himself envisioned friars taking the Gospel to the far reaches of the world, to cultures unknown to them.  There they would be challenged to serve in new ways and to share the Good News of love and reconciliation...

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Mausoleums & Cemeteries

In his famous song of praise, The Canticle of Creation, St. Francis refers to “Sister Death” as the companion who, at life’s final threshold, leads us all into the fullness of God’s love. For Franciscans this final journey, like every other part of the Gospel life modeled both by St. Francis and St. Clare, is to be marked by “the spirit of prayer and holy devotion”.

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Franciscan School of Theology

The Franciscan School of Theology (FST), is the only freestanding Franciscan graduate theological school in North America dedicated to the Franciscan intellectual tradition. An independent, accredited institution, it enjoys a service and curricular affiliation with the University of San Diego. FST is located on the grounds of the historic Old Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California.

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Franciscans for Justice

Franciscans for Justice is a joint project of the O.F.M. Franciscan Friars of the St. Barbara Province and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province. Franciscan Friars are a Roman Catholic religious community called and committed to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the prophetic spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. We work with others to promote justice, peace and care for creation, in our times.

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Featured Focus

Events

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