Two Franciscans from the Order of Saint Francis join me to talk vocation, discernment, and Saint Francis himself—with lighthearted moments that remind us holiness doesn’t have to be too serious.Brother Andrew, OSF, lives in New York City with his husband. He is a Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, serving at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. With the Archdeacon of the Diocese, he co-founded Ecclesia in the Bowery, a street ministry that gathers every Sunday afternoon to welcome the homeless and all who might feel unwelcome in traditional church spaces. The ministry invites neighborhood congregations to share in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the offering of bag lunches in community.

Br. Andrew also serves as liturgist for St. Ann’s Church for the Deaf, the oldest Deaf congregation in the United States, where he interprets and translates Scripture into American Sign Language (ASL) for weekly worship.

He serves the Order as Vocations Director, accompanying those in the initial stages of discernment and formation. During the week, he works as Parish Administrator at the Church of the Ascension in Manhattan.

Brother Sam attends Christ Church Cathedral in Downtown St Louis, Missouri. He is a Life Professed Brother of the Order of Saint Francis and has been in the Order for nine years. He serves on the Companion Diocese Committee between the Diocese of Missouri and the Diocese of Puerto Rico. He serves as an Acolyte and a Eucharistic Minister. Brother Sam serves on the Communications Committee and handles the Cathedral and the Order of St Francis Facebook page. He has a personal ministry called, “Coffee with a Friar,” where he sets up about twice a month at different coffee houses in St Louis and buys people coffee and just listens to their stories.