Franciscans International

From March 1-18, 2009, I was preaching in Singapore (Lion City) and Malaysia to SFO’s and Franciscan Friars. While there I heard Sr Denise Boyle offer two presentations about Franciscans International. I learned more than I ever knew about this most important ministry of our Franciscan Family’s world-wide joint efforts for greater justice, peace and care of creation.

Sr. Denise is a Franciscan Sister from Dublin, Ireland. She was a missionary in Australia for 15 years and in Zimbabwe, Africa, for ten years. Now Sr. Denise is the Executive Director of Franciscans International with offices at the United Nations in New York, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and in Bangkok, Thailand.

For the last five days (April 1-5, 2009), I have been driving Sr Denise Boyle to visit six different Franciscan groups from Wheaton and to Manitowoc WI.
Sr. Denise was President of the Board of Directors of FI (Franciscans International) and several months ago was elected to be Executive Director of FI. The purpose of her Chicago area visit was to make face to face contact with the groups of Sisters and Friars who have been supporting FI. I continued to learn more about FI as we visited the Franciscan Sisters of Charity in Manitowoc, WI, the Felician Sisters on Peterson Ave in Chicago, the Franciscan Sisters in Wheaton IL, the Friars in the formation Friary at Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, the School Sisters of St Francis of Milwaukee, and the Joliet Franciscan Sisters. Palm Sunday, Sr. Denise and I participated in Mass at St Peter’s in the Loop where she meet many Friars. I then drove her to Midway Airport for her flight back to New York and then on to Geneva, Switzerland.

Franciscans International is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with General Consultative status at the UN, uniting the voices of Franciscan brothers and sisters from around the world. FI operates under the sponsorship of the Conference of the Franciscan Family (CFF) and serves all Franciscans and the global community by bringing spiritual, ethical, and Franciscan values to the United Nations and international organizations.

FI closely follows the tradition of St Francis and Saint Clare, striving to put Franciscan ideals into practice at the international level. FI is guided by the Saints' loving concern for the poor, care of creation, and peacemaking. As the poorest people are being exploited in systemic ways, and global peace is increasingly threatened, Franciscan commitment is needed more urgently than ever.

Franciscans around the world run schools, hospitals, Justice and Peace offices, shelters, and specialize in many services for the poor. The programs at FI bring grassroots Franciscans to the United Nations forums in New York and Geneva, influencing international human rights standards and bringing witness to human rights violations.

Franciscans International is supported by the freewill offerings of Franciscan communities and our partners. A large part of our funding comes from individuals who support Franciscan work for human rights, care for creation, and peacemaking.

Mission Statement of FI: Franciscans International works at the UN and international organizations to influence decision makers on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Vision Statement of FI: We are men and women who are committed to the ideals of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. As St. Francis once addressed the social leaders of his time with the challenge of peace, so today we are called to engage policy makers and world leaders at the United Nations for the work of justice, peace, the care of creation, and the promotion of human rights.

History of FI: The seedlings of Franciscans International sprouted in 1982 when two Franciscans, a sister from the United States and a brother from Malta, saw the potential for effective Franciscan input at the United Nations. Aware of the indispensable role of NGOs in UN decision-making, the two suggested the idea to their respective Justice and Peace Committees. The idea of Franciscans at the UN was met with approval and excitement. It quickly grew into a common project of the Franciscan Family and an interfamilial Preparatory Committee was organized for this future ministry. This Committee prepared the FI Vision Statement centered on three main goals: raising awareness of the interconnectedness of all creation, and thus stressing the need to care for creation – both human and environmental;
promoting peace; voicing concern for the world’s poor.

While gathering strength and momentum within the Franciscan Family between 1982 and 1989, Franciscans International was officially recognized as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) in 1989. After further organizational work, smoothing out a membership plan, and opening an office in New York, FI was approved for NGO Category 1 Status. This was a major step for Franciscans International.

Having General Consultative Status (Category 1) with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) enables FI to participate in all activities of the Council through written and oral statements. This means that FI is able to be present at UN World Conferences and their Preparatory Committees, General Assembly special sessions, the UN Commission and Sub-Commission on Human Rights, and the committees that monitor States’ compliance with specific international treaties. Furthermore, this status gives FI a critical responsibility to provide technical expertise and advice to governments and the UN Secretariat. Thus, FI was challenged to strengthen ties with Franciscan brothers and sisters in the field, often in developing countries, to enable meaningful contributions to UN forums.

In 1997, Franciscans International expanded to Geneva, Switzerland, where we concentrate on the promotion and protection of human rights and their civil, cultural, economic, political, and social manifestations.

A key shift in our short history took place in 1999 when the Conference of Franciscan Family (CFF) redefined the notion of membership for FI. As opposed to maintaining select membership in which individuals or groups choose to become members of FI through contributions, the CFF approved a more inclusive membership policy. All Franciscans within the jurisdiction of the CFF are automatically members of FI. Therefore, FI provides a service to all Franciscans based on their need for access to the international community, research, or advocacy to address a local challenge. This membership change has implications for funding – we are funded by voluntary contributions from members of the Franciscan Family. Often, those who need our services the most cannot help support us financially. Contributions from Franciscan communities in the developed world enable us to serve the friars and sister from poverty stricken areas of the world.

Though our history remains brief, we have made great strides in the growth of FI and are reaching a peak of effectiveness, attaining a strong reputation both in NY and Geneva, Bangkok, Thailand, and strengthening our visibility as a service within the Franciscan Family.

SFO’s (Secular Franciscan Order) are members of Franciscan International as are all Franciscans. I would encourage you to learn more and to keep informed of FI’s efforts (our efforts) for Justice, Peace and Care for Creation. Check FI’s web site: www.FranciscansInternational.org.

Peace and Everything Good!