On July 21, the Franciscan family, with the rest of the Church, celebrates the memory of St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619), who has been described as "the Capuchins' Renaissance man."
On July 19, Franciscans celebrate the memory of Saint John of Dukla, a noted friar preacher and pastoral leader.
On July 17, Franciscans in the U.S.A. honor the memory of St. Francis Solano (1549-1610), celebrated missionary to South America. The rest of the Order presently celebrates his memorial on July 14 [in the U.S., it's transferred due to the memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha].
On July 15, the entire Church joins Franciscans in celebrating the memory of St. Bonaventure (1217/21-1274), Doctor of the Church.
On July 13, Franciscans honor a medieval Franciscan woman leader and a group of 19th-century Franciscan martyrs.
On July 10, the Franciscan family celebrates the memory of Saint Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727), a Capuchin Poor Clare nun who is one of the foremost mystics in the Catholic tradition.
On July 9, Franciscans celebrate the memory of Saints Nicholas Pieck (1534-1572), Willehad, and their seventeen companions, martyred during the brutal religious wars that accompanied the Reformation in Europe.
On July 8, the Franciscan family celebrates the memory of Sts. Gregory Grassi, OFM, Marie Hermine, FMM, and Companions, martyred in China in July 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion.
What does it really mean to live a penitential life today? For members of the Secular Franciscan Order—or anyone drawn to Franciscan spirituality—this question echoes through centuries of tradition, personal devotion, and communal renewal. St. Francis and the Third Order: The Franciscan and Pre-Franciscan Penitential Movement offers a rich historical and theological exploration of this path, grounding the contemporary Third Order in its earliest roots.
