Check out the cable news. Or your social media feed. There you will find an abundance of issues to address, including immigration, the environment, justice for the poor, and the values of democracy itself.
Yet it can be overwhelming, easy to fall into a kind of numbed paralysis. Where do you turn?
Finding ways to address issues consistent with Franciscan values is the Franciscan Action Network (FAN).
Formed after a conference of Franciscan entities in 2007 and based in Washington, FAN brings together some 50 institutional Franciscan groups, among them the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. FAN also boasts some 20,000 individual supporters.
For Michele Dunn, executive director, the focus is on generating Franciscan energy on big national/international issues while allowing local entities room to explore action and coalitions in their own communities. The group advocates in Washington through the efforts of a small staff, but the action really happens on the grassroots level across the United States.
Some 35 Franciscan Justice Circles, small communities dedicated to addressing social concerns, are sponsored by FAN, all bringing a local dimension to Franciscan spirituality in action.
Included are five circles on college campuses, including St. Bonaventure in Olean, New York, and Siena University in Loudonville, New York, two schools established by the OFM friars. The hope is to build involvement that will extend over generations, tapping into the idealism for social causes shared by many young adults.
“We are trying to encourage young adults to help them find a way to do advocacy rooted in the Franciscan tradition,” said Michele.
FAN holds an annual conference each fall in Washington, sponsored in part by the OFM friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 2026, a Spring Break conference in Baltimore will focus on youth involvement in environmental justice concerns. That event will include opportunities for service and education in Maryland’s largest city.
Besides environmental justice, FAN also promotes democracy. The group joined other interfaith groups as poll chaplains, witnessing at polling locations during the 2024 elections. The idea was to promote democracy as a means to address social problems without resorting to violence.
“We want to be sure that American democracy can be preserved,” said Michele, noting that concern remains a FAN interest. The group addresses a range of issues ripped from the headlines.
One concern is immigration. FAN has joined with other faith groups to work on reform of the U.S. immigration system, providing a legal pathway for immigrants to become formally part of American life and emerge from the shadows experienced by the undocumented.
Franciscan concern for the poor, particularly on issues of hunger and good support, is another project for FAN and its partner groups.
FAN is involved in the Green Amendment campaign, which encourages state constitutions to incorporate the right to a healthy environment for all its citizens. So far, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania have signed on, and the campaign is seeking support from the remaining 47 states.
Finding ways to discourage gun violence and to promote peaceful solutions to international conflict rounds out the wide breadth of Franciscan concerns addressed by FAN.
Michele, a Secular Franciscan, became FAN’s executive director in 2021. She formerly worked for the U.S. State Department and was involved in other advocacy organizations.
She found that FAN provided a response to social issues that incorporated her Catholic and Franciscan values.
“I found that this is a way for me to be active on issues I care about that fits completely with my faith and Franciscan spirituality,” she said.
Today, a major FAN focus remains its outreach to young adults. Michele is looking forward to bringing more youthful energy to the group’s conferences in Baltimore and Washington in 2026.
FAN, she emphasized, is much more than a staff of advocates in Washington, a place where groups focused on communicating with Congress and other federal entities abound. The grassroots focus on FAN makes it a galvanizing force for those concerned about contemporary issues, providing a place where they can also feel true to their faith.
“What I hope for is that people will say, ‘FAN gave me an opportunity to advocate on the issues I cared about while being rooted in Franciscan values,’” she said.
More information on FAN can be obtained by calling 202-527-7575 or via email at info@franciscanaction.org. Their postal address is 1400 Quincy Street NE, Washington, DC 20017.