What Capuchin Friars Do

The life of a friar has three main components - Prayer, Ministry and Fraternity - that are intimately woven together. Friars pray together several times a day the Church's Liturgy of the Hours. Outside of these common prayer times friars have the opportunity for private prayer, as well as offering whatever they are doing as prayer according to the counsel of St Francis: to work "faithfully and devotedly that...they do not extinguish the Spirit of holy prayer and devotion to which all temporal things must contribute". 

Friars praying the Liturgy of the Hours

Our ministry and our life go hand in hand. Our first ministry, our first service to the Church and the world is our fraternal life. Though each friar comes from a different background and has a different history, we come together to strive to live the life of the Gospel as true brothers. In a lonely and fragmented world, the Gospel call to community is a powerful witness that unity and communion are indeed possible. The friars eat together every day, and often recreate together. This brotherhood is also a source of strength and support, especially for the demanding ministry the friars are engaged in outside of the fraternity. 

Living the Gospel in fraternity

Since our main charism is not a particular type of work but to live the Gospel, Capuchin friars are involved in all sorts of different types of works. In Australia, friars are involved in the pastoral care of several parishes, the National Shrine to St Anthony in Victoria, chaplaincy (ethnic groups, youth groups, universities, schools, nursing homes, various prayer movements and groups, Secular Franciscan Order), migrant work, preaching, spiritual direction, hearing confessions, youth and various other ministries, including service to the poor, as well as ministry within the fraternity in which the friars live. In living the Gospel fraternal life, we love the Church and seek to work in harmony with the local Church to help meet its needs. Most recently, this has meant becoming heavily involved in ministry to young people, especially now in the lead up to WYD08 and beyond.