Friar honored for decades of service to the poor

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After nearly four decades of serving people in need at St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, Br. Michael Duffy, OFM, was honored by Franciscan Mission Service with the 2026 Fr. Anselm Moons Award. He received the recognition for his work in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia and for creating a volunteer ministry program, during the Franciscan Mission Service’s World Care Benefit and Celebration on April 29 at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, D.C. 

In his remarks, Br. Michael reflected on his formative volunteer work in Jamaica during the 1960s – a pivotal experience that inspired his Franciscan vocation and later led him to establish the Franciscan Volunteer Ministry program in the late 1980s. 

The Franciscan Volunteer Ministry is a group of lay men and women who dedicate themselves to a year of ministry to the poor and marginalized in collaboration with the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Franciscan Volunteer Ministers (FVMs) pray together and live in community, and they commit to a simple lifestyle in solidarity with the people they serve. 

As Br. Michael describes, the ministry has always centered on accompanying young people as they discover their place in the world.  

“One of the joys of working with young people at that stage of life is helping them find their place,” he said. “Being with them and helping them along is really enjoyable.” 

While living alongside those who are poor or marginalized, volunteers experience a transformation that shapes their lives in lasting ways.  

“Because we place our volunteers with people who are poor, they begin to see the world through the eyes of others,” Br. Michael said. “It changes how they think, how they act – and even how they live their lives.” 

Over the years, nearly 300 volunteers have participated in the program at various locations along the East Coast, carrying the Franciscan spirit into communities far and wide.  

“To think that there are 300 Franciscan hearts out there working in the world, that’s very satisfying,” he said.  

The Franciscan Mission Service’s sold-out event drew attendees from throughout the Franciscan family, creating a joyful and memorable gathering. 

“What makes Br. Michael worthy of the award is that Fr. Anselm Moons believed in lay men and women working shoulder to shoulder with religious in missionary work,” said Br. John O’Connor, OFM, a member of the FMS board. “St. Francis Inn has been a model of that collaboration, ministering to the poorest of the poor in Philadelphia.” 

Anna Marie Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, delivered a moving keynote address. Oriana Cappella, a student at Stonehill College in North Easton, Pennsylvania, was also recognized with the San Damiano Servant Leadership Award. The evening concluded with uplifting remarks by Br. John. 

“There was a true spirit of Franciscan joy and hope,” said Br. John, reflecting on a ministry that continues to shape lives far beyond a single night’s celebration.