The new Residence Hall will provide twelve bedrooms with a bath and shower in-between each bedroom; a laundry room on the second floor; and a large living room (735 square feet) where the friars can gather for community, seminars, and time together to build fraternity.

Let Us Build A House Where Love Can Dwell

San Damiano Friary in San Antonio celebrated the dedication of its new Residence Hall on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Our Minister General, friar Carlos Trovarelli, as well as friar Jude Winkler, Assistant General for the CFF, friar Ferena Lambe, Minister Provincial of the Province of the Protomartyrs in Zambia, friar Mario Castro Martìnez, Minister Provincial, Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, Mexico, and friar Wayne Hellmann, Minister Provincial of Our Lady of Consolation Province, were present. Community leaders and benefactors were also on hand to celebrate this dream becoming a reality.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like yourself, this addition to the friary will add twelve bedrooms, a laundry room, and a large living/recreation room that will accommodate the 19 friars in this friary. Seven provinces are represented in the friary: Our Lady of the Angels Province (OLA) in the East, Saint Bonaventure Province (SB) in the Midwest, Our Lady of Consolation Province (OLC) in the Midwest, Saint Joseph Cupertino Province (SJC) in the West, Our Lady of Guadalupe Province (OLG-M) in Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe Province (OLG-OFM) in New Mexico, and Holy Name Province (HN) in the East. Currently, the friar students are from Vietnam, Cameroon, Mexico, Togo, and across the United States.

Now, we will be able to open our doors to additional friar students from around the world. This will also allow us to welcome friars from other cultures into our formation team. The presence of international student friars will give our students from the United States a stronger sense of the global reach of the Franciscan Order. This will allow our province to invest financially with these other provinces that are rich in vocations but cannot fully finance the education of all their friar-students who desire to continue the mission of Saint Francis of Assisi in rebuilding the Church.

San Antonio, Texas, was selected by the friars as a site for a House of Studies because of the vast education opportunities at various Catholic and private colleges and universities. Our students can utilize the Oblate School of Theology to prepare for the priesthood or other pastoral ministries.

We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been part of this dream. The funding we needed for the new residence hall, our formation program, and our friar-students’ education comes from you, our faithful donors and friends. We ask you to continue your prayerful and financial support as we move forward as a global House of Studies. May God bless your generosity. We are so grateful to the movement and gift of the Holy Spirit, who reminds us the Church is about people and not buildings.