Over the past few years, the Province of St. Bonaventure in the USA (SB) [Midwest] has experienced an encouraging increase in the number of men discerning a vocation to our Order.
While all credit goes to the Holy Spirit, Friar Bernard Mary FONKALSRUD, Vocation Director for the Province, has been working hard to update materials, increase visibility, and build connections with dioceses, universities, schools, parishes, and men’s groups. With the addition of a Vocations Communications Coordinator, the Province has also been able to improve its online presence through a fresh website, regularly updated social media pages, and an expanding collection of videos showcasing the friars and their ministries.
The Province is home to the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe, known as “Marytown,” in Libertyville, Illinois, USA. Some men have expressed that they are attracted to the Saint’s selfless witness and Marian devotion, as well as to the way the Province of St. Bonaventure strives to continue Kolbe’s mission today. Others have encountered the friars serving at the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, or at the diverse and active Mary, Mother of God Parish in Chicago, Illinois. Still others simply meet us at events or find us online and are inspired to reach out.
Seeing the friars praying in common, reverently celebrating Mass, wearing their habits, serving others, and sharing authentic fraternity with one another—these have been key elements in drawing men to consider a vocation to the Conventual Franciscans. In a world that is often fragmented and abstract, men are searching for something concrete and beautiful to be part of, and thankfully, they are finding it within our community.
After several years with few or no vocations, the Province has seen a gradual rise in the number of men making inquiries and eventually entering formation. Whereas previously one or two men might enter every other year, the Province now has four friars in post-novitiate formation, three novices, and six postulants, with a steady flow of other men in the inquiry phase.
Friar Bernard Mary organizes three local “Come & See” weekends each year, and attendance has been increasing each time. Most recently, over the weekend of September 25–27, 2026, the Province hosted twelve men at its Chicago house of studies, where they were able to meet the postulants—eleven in all from the Conventual Franciscan Federation (CFF)—as well as the formators and other friars residing in the community.
It was a great blessing to have a full house of young men earnestly discerning God’s will for their lives. Over the course of the weekend, the inquirers prayed with the community, listened to vocation stories, learned more about the life of St. Francis of Assisi and the Conventual Franciscan tradition, visited local ministry sites, experienced our fraternity, and spent quality time discussing and sharing.
All the men expressed their gratitude for the experience, and many plan to attend the next “Come & See” weekend in December, which will be held at Marytown.
Vocation Office
Province of St. Bonaventure in the USA (SB)
