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Dear Friends of our friars and ministries,

Dear Friends,
Greetings from the friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation!

For us friars, the year 2026 will be filled with remembrance, thanksgiving, and hope. It will mark eight hundred years since our beloved St. Francis of Assisi “fell asleep in the Lord” on the evening of October 3, 1226.

It will also be the centennial year of our Conventual Franciscan Province, Our Lady of Consolation, founded in 1926. These two milestones invite us to pause, remember, and give thanks for all that God has done—and continues to do—through our Franciscan family.

To remember St. Francis’ passing to the Father is to remember how he lived. To remember the founding of our Province within the Conventual Franciscan Order is to remember our brothers of the last 100 years who prepared the way for us today. Join us as we pray during these milestone celebrations, that our current living of the pattern of the Gospel nurtures us and inspires us to look forward with joy towards the fulfillment of God’s plan for all.

May God bless you and fill you with the Peace of our Lord!

Sincerely in Christ and St. Francis,

Fr. John Elmer, OFM Conv.
Spiritual Director

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2026 marks eight hundred years since the Transitus—the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from this world to eternal life. To remember his death is to remember how he lived: utterly rooted in God’s Word. Francis did not only preach the Gospel; he returned to it repeatedly, letting it shape his every…
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