Our Ministries

We,the Capuchin Province of Our Lady of Lourdes - Southern Philippines are sent by the Lord to preach, first by example of our lives, then by many practical ways: prayer and contemplation, parish work and renewal, education, retreat giving, spiritual direction, mission activities, social service, etc. open to the myriad charisms the Holy Spirit implants on each person, we nurture whatever gift God has given us and place them to good use in His vineyard.

Prayer & Fraternal Service

The primary ministry of the Capuchin Franciscans, according to the Rule and Constitutions, is to live the fraternal Gospel life of St. Francis. This means that the life of the brothers and prayer have priority over active, outside ministry. As our Capuchin Constitutions state:

To live together as lesser brothers is a principle part of our Franciscan vocation.

Wherever the Capuchins find themselves, their primary ministries are living the Gospel life as brothers and spending significant time in prayer. Some of the friars in the province are wholly dedicated to fraternal services within the community and to lives of deep, contemplative prayer. Friars serve within the community in a variety of house-hold tasks: cooking, cleaning, repairs, etc. All of these are done in service to the community and build up the Gospel life of the friars. Elderly friars, who no longer serve in roles of active ministry outside the friary, give themselves completely to the life of prayer and contemplation.

The Gospel life of the friars and their deep commitment to prayer provide the necessary context for all of the outside, active ministries. What the friars do flows from who they are. “Therefore let us willingly live our fraternal life among the poor, sharing their hardships and humiliation in a very loving way.”

Brothers who are working on our farm in Our Lady of Lourdes Friary, Baluan, General Santos City.

Parish and Renewal Ministry

Parish ministry is not a traditional Capuchin ministry. However, the needs of the times and the shortage of diocesan priests in many dioceses have required the Capuchins to take on the role of pastor. In such cases, the Capuchins seek out the poorest parishes in the poorest neighborhoods, in keeping with their commitment to serve and live among the poor.

In Mindanao, the Capuchins serve at San Isidro Labrador Parish, in Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay, where diverse religions currently exists.

The flock of San Isidro Labrador Parish, Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Formation and Vocation Ministry

A sign of the life and vitality of a religious order is seen in its attraction to young people and their willingness to embrace such a life. The Capuchin Constitutions state:

Concern for vocations arises above all from the brothers’ awareness that they themselves are living and offering to others a program of life that is extremely rich in human and gospel values.

Vocation recruitment is one of major initiatives of the Capuchins in Southern Philippines . Each fraternities has a local vocation animator, work to promote the Capuchin vocation to young men throughout the country. They journey with potential vocation candidates in the initial stages of inquiry, answer questions and concerns regarding the life, assist them in matters of discernment and provide a first-hand experience of Capuchin life.

Formation and Vocation Ministry headquarters is in Padre Pio Formation House in Catalunan Grande, Davao City where the second year Post-Novices also undergoing formation.

Missionary Ministry

Capuchin friars have engaged in missionary work for most of their history and have seen their outreach to people around the world who do not yet know Christ as integral to their calling and their role in the Church. Capuchin missionaries lovingly work with the people in the mission areas they serve to help them to know Christ and to be the persons God has created them to be. By providing their physical and spiritual needs, our missionaries are very much the face of Christ to them and the missionaries truly encounter Christ in these people as well.

The Capuchin Medical Mission (CMM) and Tulay- Lingap ni Padre Pio (TLPP), are the concrete response of the Province.

We are also active in Ecumenical activities, collaborations with different religious communities, such as Francsican Healthcare Crossing Borders Inc., non-profit organizations to give hope and joy, and various needs of all people, especially in the peripheries.

Inter-Franciscan Programs here in Mindanao such as Franciscan Dialogue Program and Medical Missions

The Capuchin Medical Missions through the years

When times were at their worst and help was sorely needed, in places that were abandoned and where no one else would go, there you will find the Capuchin.” -Pope Pius XI