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Revitalization and Restructuring
Six OFM provinces in the US are working to create new energy in Franciscan life in the US, and to function more efficiently. By the Fall 2023, a new "coast-to-coast" province of the Order of Friars Minor will come into existence. The process to create this new province is called Revitalization and Restructuring (or by the nickname “R+R.”)
While the number of religious is growing in Asia and Africa, it is dropping in Europe and in the US. Provinces that comprised more than a thousand men are now down to apporximately 700; provinces that started with fewer friars are now similarly much reduced in number.
There are savings which can be gained by combining vocation offices, accounting offices, communication offices, etc. Restructuring will allow more of the money generously donated to the Franciscans by the people of God to be dedicated to our works.
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What’s going to happen to my parish/ministry/favorite friar?
From most peoples' perspective, not much will change. Many of the same parishes and institutions will be staffed by many of the same friar.
For the friars themselves, there will be a much richer variety of possible ministry opportunities available. A young man may want to serve in a California mission, or with migrants on the southern border, or in one of our colleges and universities, or in different parish settings, or with different language groups, or in direct service to the poor, or some mixture of these ministries during his life. No longer will he be restricted to those ministries available only in the area of the country served by his current province.
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History of the Franciscans in the US
The history of the Franciscan Friars (OFM) in the USA can be divided into two epochs – the period of mission activity during the European colonial period and then friars coming in the 19th and 20th centuries to minister to immigrants.
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