Get to know our Franciscan missions!
The Cracow Franciscan Province is very much involved in missionary activity, with over fifty friars serving in our missions in distant lands. In South America, our missionaries work in Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay. Others serve in Uganda in Africa, Uzbekistan in Asia. The missionaries of this province also work in Russia.
The Missionary Secretariat in Cracow
The varied and extensive activity of the missionaries is supported on several levels by the Missionary Secretariat in Cracow.
Prayer for the intentions of the missions and missionaries
Prayer for missionaries and their supporters – especially the Rosary and weekly Holy Mass – is the most important aspect of the Secretariat’s work. Every third Wednesday of the month, friars at the Franciscan Basilica in Cracow celebrate the Mass of the Martyrs of Pariacoto. Before Mass, they pray the Rosary for the intentions of the missions. After Mass there is the monthly meeting with missionaries.
Communication and support
The Secretariat is responsible for communication with each mission and provides information about their activities. It ensures that missionaries have conditions for rest in Poland and looks after their health by arranging medical treatments and providing medicine. Once a year, the Secretariat organizes a meeting of the families of missionaries.
Promoting the Missions
The Franciscan priests who work in the Secretariat are actively engaged in organizing Mission Sundays in parishes, preaching, conducting days of recollection, organizing exhibitions and meetings and also editing and distributing the bulletin Our Franciscan Missions. Secretariat employees and volunteers help collect and publish articles about missionary activity, curate and maintain exhibits in the missionary museum and archive letters, photos, films and other mission-related materials.
Material support
The Secretariat collects material resources in support of the missions and handles correspondence with the missions’ benefactors. It organizes school assistance for children in Uganda, Paraguay and Bolivia. The Secretariat also cooperates with other Franciscan and diocesan missionary secretariats as well as with the Polish Bishops’ Commission for Missions.
Address: The Missionary Secretariat in Cracow (OFMConv)
Ul. Zolkiewskiego 14, 31-539 Krakow
Tel. +48 505 560 771
e-mail: misje@franciszkanie.pl