The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University will this summer initiate the first International Franciscan Blog in partnership with The Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

Developed by the Institute’s executive director, Fr. David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap., and Dr. Krijn Pansters, S.T.D., of the Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University, the blog will provide a new platform for sharing current Franciscan scholarship across the world in a medium accessible to all generations of educated readers.

The International Franciscan Blog, to be named Franciscan Connections, “brings together the talents and scholarships of two great Franciscan research centers, in Europe and in America, to showcase the depth and range of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition.,” said Fr. David.

The purpose of the Franciscan Blog is to offer a website that connects the best of Franciscan learning with the wider world of scholars, educated professionals and communities of practice.

The blog will post contemporary and applied Franciscan scholarship, as well as contemporary issues in politics, society, ethics and church. Contributions will include: 1) articles; 2) scientific news; 3) opinion pieces and discussion; 4) literature reviews; 5) portraits of Franciscan scholars and professionals; 6) videos and podcasts; 7) news from the Franciscan Study Center and the Franciscan Institute, and other items, as appropriate.

“As a scholar working in the field of Franciscan Studies, I have often missed a website that connects the best of Franciscan learning with the wider world of scholars, educated professionals and communities of practice – and this in an intelligent, non-emotional way. Well, here it is!” said Dr. Pansters, chief editor and staff member of the Franciscan Study Center.

“This is the 80^th anniversary of the Franciscan Institute and we are celebrating the fact that the Franciscan Institute has been providing the best education in the Franciscan intellectual tradition to generations of Franciscans. Now, with the Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University as a partner, we can go global and expand the reach of the scholarship of both of our institution,” said Fr. David.

An Advisory Council of European and American experts in Franciscan studies, both lay and religious, has been set up to oversee and participate in the development of the blog, with representation from institutions such as Marquette University, Boston College, University of Tubingen, and Durham University.

The Franciscan Blog is a service of the Franciscan Study Center and the Franciscan Institute and will not charge readers for its services. Visit the Franciscan Blog at www.franciscanconnections.com.

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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.