Followers of St. Francis

‘The Promise Is So Great’

These are the words of Mike Carsten, OFS, a Secular Franciscan and cofounder of Franciscan Ministries of Detroit. When you spend time with Carsten, you quickly realize that he is a man of action. The seeds of Franciscan Ministries were planted in the early 2000s while he was attending a national chapter meeting of Secular Franciscans. Carsten remembers discussing with some fellow members from across the country questions such as: What are we called to do? How can we, like Francis, serve those most in need?

Carsten’s ministry was born out of need. Working in downtown Detroit, in the middle of a 7.2-square-mile green zone of economic refurbishment, he witnessed the homeless population being pushed to the outer boundaries of the city. As the city of Detroit was renewing itself, gentrification took hold and the poor, homeless, and mentally ill were being pushed out farther away from the shelters and institutions that serve their needs.

Carsten recalls a prayer he said many years prior, “Whatever door you open for me, I will walk through.” He has walked through many doors since then with only the eyes of faith. “I operate out of abundance,” he shared, “an abundance of grace and an abundance of the Spirit.”

October 4, 2014, the feast of St. Francis, is significant in the life of his ministry. The IRS letter granting Franciscan Ministries 501(c)(3) status arrived in the mail. That is the official birthday of the ministry. However, Carsten was already actively engaged in serving the homeless population prior to that official designation.

“In four areas of the city, we serve men, women, and children caught in isolation,” he explains. “Extreme poverty, homelessness, mental illness, gentrification, a lack of work, a lack of clean water, and institutionalized violence tear at the dignity of the individual.” Franciscan Ministries responds

Mike Carsten, OFS

by means of intentional individual encounter in four different ways currently in four communities within the city. “Cars and trucks carry food, water, and winter survival gear into two of the city’s more desperate areas, searching for and serving those trapped in severe poverty,” Carsten says. “Franciscan Ministries’ two warming centers, the Canticle Café Midtown and the Canticle Café East English Village, serve impoverished seniors; homeless men, women, and children; and the working poor.”

Carsten says that the material goods Franciscan Ministries delivers come in as fast as volunteers can give them out. Recently, Franciscan Ministries opened its fourth location in the city—in an area without a Catholic or Franciscan presence—in a building that was purchased with a donation from another Secular Franciscan.

He was amazed that within two weeks they were serving meals: “Once the community discovered why we were there, the food and items needed started to pour in.” One of the blessings of this ministry is witnessing how communities come together to meet a need. The people who make up these communities are not all Catholics, but rather from a variety of faiths. Once trust has been established, Carsten has the chance to share his faith and Franciscan charism, while respecting cultural and religious backgrounds.

Pope Francis has called Secular Franciscans to live up to what is promised during the rite of profession, “to be the visible face of the Church.” Carsten challenges his fellow Secular Franciscans to be people of encounter: “We should be fearless in what we do, [in] how we engage the world.” —David Seitz, OFS

s ST. ANTHONY BREAD s

FRANK JASPER, OFM

The National Shrine of St. Anthony is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Consecrated in 1889, it includes a first-class relic of St. Anthony and serves as a center for daily prayer and contemplation.

The Franciscan friars minister from the shrine. To help them in their work among the poor, you may send a monetary offering called St. Anthony Bread. Make checks or money orders payable to “Franciscans” and mail to the address below.

Every Tuesday, a Mass is offered for benefactors and petitioners at the shrine. To seek St. Anthony’s intercession, mail your petition to the address below. Petitions are taken to the shrine each week.

viSit our webSite to:

StAnthony.org s mAil poStAl communicAtionS to: St. Anthony Bread 1615 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 s