Franciscan Brothers of Peace

One of the added benefits to attending the March for Life is the joy of meeting new friends and seeing the body of Christ at work in pro-life ministry. I met a group of Franciscan Friars from St. Paul whose mission is to promote the Gospel of Life and speak out on behalf of the least of these in our society: The unborn, the elderly, the frail and the disabled. Jesus said "whatsoever you do to the least of these that you do unto me." These brothers have taken that message to heart and to the road as well. They now travel nationally to promote the cause of the frail, the unborn and the elderly. They joined with Terry Schiavo's family in Florida and you may recall the friar that was the spokesman for them on network news, Brother Paul O' Donnell.
Their mission gained its inspiration from the catastrophic illness of their founder, who suffered severe brain injury after a pneumonia. In the efforts to support and care for him, they were faced with much opposition from the health care community, continually trying to get the brothers to not persist in their efforts to keep their founder alive. After experiencing this firsthand, they have been inspired to protect the life of the those who are unable to speak for themselves.

"We recognize the inestimable value of each and every human life from fertilization to natural death, and we commit ourselves to love and defend the most vulnerable among us, the weak and poor in body and spirit.

We pray for God’s grace and strength as we strive to give witness to the sanctity of human life and to foster growth in holiness and spiritual life among all people. And we pray that all we do, both in word and in action, will be holy, true, and according to His most perfect will.

May Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the GOD of LIFE reign in our hearts forever! Amen."

From the Franciscan Brothers of Peace