Lectures on Franciscan Life, Spirituality, and History

St. Bonaventure Parish's young people learned about St. Francis of Assisi who lived from 1182 to 1226

St. Bonaventure Parish in Toronto, Ontario belongs to and is run by Conventual Franciscan friars. The friars have been with St. Bonaventure since it welcomed its first parishioners more than half a century ago.

The lecture series on Franciscan life, history, and spirituality was aimed for young people

Fifty plus years is a long time. Younger parishioners at St. Bonaventure might therefore not be as familiar with the Franciscans and Franciscan way of life as the parish’s earlier generations.  Rachel Nazareth – St. Bonaventure’s youth minister – decided to change this lack of familiarity this month when she instituted a three-part lecture series on the Franciscans and their way of life.

Young people who attended the series learned about St. Francis of Assisi, life in the 13^th century, the idea of Franciscan community, Franciscan spirituality, the Franciscan way of life today in the 21^st century, and other interesting subjects.  St. Bonaventure friars – including Friar Rick Riccioli, the parish pastor – presented the talks to their youthful audiences in the Parish Centre Francis Room. After each talk the group gathered around a table and shared a meal that had been prepared by volunteer cooks.

(Sources of all related images on webpage and homepage: St. Bonaventure Parish and www.wikipedia.org.)