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’s Franciscan Institute hosts hundreds at its summer 2021 programs

Jul 23, 2021

The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University welcomed more than 420 people at its courses, seminars and workshops this summer.

As part of its mission of research and education, the Franciscan Institute offers a variety of week-long seminars in Franciscan spirituality and theology for those interested in learning more about the Franciscan movement’s history and relevance for today’s world.

As the summer’s intensive programming comes to an end, Fr. David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap., executive director of the Franciscan Institute, reflected on the summer events.

“This summer we got to experience the enthusiasm of hundreds of people from around the world who are fascinated by the Franciscan message. Virtual technology allowed us to connect teachers in Australia and the Netherlands with students in Kansas, India and Canada.”

This year’s program began with an academic conference on Franciscan ethics. Designed as a collaborative effort between the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University and the Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, the conference allowed a dozen scholars to provide lectures reflecting on a more relational form of ethics for today’s world. Those papers will be gathered in a book to be published by Franciscan Institute Publications in 2022.

Dr. Katie Wrisley-Shelby offered a master class on suffering in the Franciscan tradition.

“To think through the Franciscan response to suffering with a group of theologically and pastorally minded ministers and scholars — who all certainly approached the course content with a Franciscan heart — was both spiritually and intellectually rewarding,” said Wrisley-Shelby, who received a doctorate in Franciscan studies from Boston College in 2018.

Dr. Timothy Johnson, chair of the institute’s Research Advisory Council, offered the first in a five-part Ignatius Brady Lecture Series for 2021-2022, designed to introduce St. Bonaventure, the university’s patron saint.

“I was deeply honored to present the inaugural Fr. Ignatius Brady lecture this year on the Feast of St. Bonaventure and delighted to share my reflections on the Seraphic Doctor with individuals and communities around the world,” Johnson said.

Fr. David underlined the international popularity and reputation of the Franciscan Institute today.

“Every summer we are gathering hundreds of people together and offering them the opportunity to make St. Bonaventure University their intellectual home for Franciscan scholarship and study. It’s a wonderful experience,” he said.

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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 2020, St. Bonaventure was named the #2 regional university value in New York and #3 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.