Student volunteers pause for a photo at the Empty Bowls & Baskets Dinner and Auction.

St. Bonaventure University

University Ministries


University Ministries welcomes students of all religious affiliations to participate in a variety of opportunities for spiritual growth, service learning, social action and community building.

Pictured_The McGinley-Carney CenterAs the nation's first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure affirms the unique dignity of every person and invites everyone into a community of  acceptance and understanding. All are welcome here.

University Ministries is the focal point for forging these loving bonds of belonging, and for extending this sense of community beyond our campus borders. We strive to share God's unconditional love, particularly with marginalized populations — the needy, ignored and excluded.

We're located in the McGinley-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministry (pictured), located in the center of campus. Opened in 2017, the center houses offices, an interdenominational prayer tower, a great room for student gatherings, and kitchen facilities.

We are committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside of the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship.

Our liturgical life, centered around Sunday Eucharist, invites all members of the Bonaventure community to join in various liturgical ministries and many prayer opportunities.

Franciscan Center for Social Concern


Your hub for service-learning, whether it's feeding the hungry, befriending a child, or visiting with a senior citizen. Be a leader in service to others.

The FCSC

Mt. Irenaeus


The resident friars of this Franciscan community near campus welcome all to relax, hike, garden, sit and talk, or share a home-cooked meal. A special ministry, a special place.

Mt. Irenaeus

Faith formation, worship & ministry


We invite all into the life of the Catholic Church, with liturgical programs, sacraments, worship experiences and opportunities for spiritual growth.

Faith, worship & ministry

Mass Card Requests


Mass intentions to honor the living and remember the deceased may be ordered online.

A donation to the Franciscan Friars of $15 is suggested for each Mass intention requested. We can accept up to two intentions for each Mass.

During the academic year, the Franciscan friars offer daily Mass at 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Great Room of the McGinley-Carney Center for Franciscan Ministries. Sunday Masses are offered in the University Chapel at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

You may choose from a selection of cards and make your donation online. (Card #1 is the Mass card for deceased; Cards # 2 and 3 are Mass cards for the living). We will send you a confirmation with the date that the Mass will be offered, and, if you desire, we will inform people in the university community.

We welcome your Mass requests.

For questions or more information, please email Brian Negron or call him at (716) 375-2662.

Order Mass cards online


News-Publications-Research- Banner

St. Bonaventure to host talk on Franciscan influence on health care in 2030

Sep 05, 2019

St. Bonaventure University will peer into the future of health care Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Rigas Theater in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

“A Franciscan Perspective on Health Care Delivery in 2030” runs from 7-9 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The keynote speaker is John J. Finan Jr., executive emeritus at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His talk will be followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer period featuring:

  • Dr. Kevin Watkins, MD, MPH, public health director of the Cattaraugus County Department of Health and vice president of the New York State Association of County Health Officials Board of Directors;
  • Dr. Claire Watson, assistant professor, founding director of St. Bonaventure’s public health program, and the former executive director of SBU’s School of Health Professions initiative;
  • Athena Godet-Calogeras, MS, chair of the Health Care Access Coalition, a grass-roots community organization committed to affordable and quality universal health care, and a volunteer educator with the Cattaraugus County Department of Health.

“The Franciscan movement that emerged in response to health care conditions in the Middle Ages offers us insights, encouragement, and inspiration today,” said Jean-François Godet-Calogeras, professor emeritus and organizer of the evening’s event. 

Finan has more than 50 years of experience in healthcare leadership and operations.  He has held senior positions in the Midwest and in Louisiana, and is active in many professional organizations. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Catholic Health Association in 2017.

Finan is a former chair of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Health Association and a former member of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees.

He is a former board chair of not-for-profit VHA which is known today as Vizient; former chair for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry; former member of the Board of Directors of the Council for a Better Louisiana; former chair of the Board of Trustees of Loyola University in New Orleans; former vice chair of the Mercy Health System Board of Directors in St. Louis; and former chair of the Board of Governors at the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health.

Finan has held academic appointments at Southern Illinois University, Washington University School of Medicine, University of Alabama School of Health Related Professions, and The George Washington University.

Finan received his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University at New Orleans and his MBA from Loyola University of New Orleans.

The event is sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Health Professions, Franciscan Institute, and Visiting Scholars Committee.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2019, St. Bonaventure was named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.

About the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System: The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System was founded by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters and today is one of the largest healthcare systems based in Louisiana and the leading healthcare provider for more than half the state’s population. The health system is a non-profit, Catholic organization sponsored by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady.

Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the ministry serves patients in Louisiana and Mississippi through a network of hospitals, ambulatory centers, clinics, physicians, residential nursing care, elderly housing and integrated systems. The ministry’s seven hospitals include St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and Gonzales, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Women's & Children's in Lafayette, Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa and St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. For more information, visit www.fmolhs.org.