On 17 April we were privileged to welcome three Franciscan Friars, Fathers Casey Cole, Tito Serrano and Jason Damon to the diocese. Fr Casey was well known for his Breaking in the Habit blog and social media presence.
Thanks to David Bellamy and a group of parishioners from St Francis’ Parish in Sheffield they had a very busy schedule visiting Padley Chapel in the morning then the brothers concelebrated the Mass at the cathedral with Fr Jason preaching. Afterwards, they ate lunch with some young adults and Fr Casey gave a 20 minute talk on evangelization, followed by a lengthy Q&A. People from across the diocese were joined by young people from Buxton in the diocese of Nottingham and Droylsden in the diocese of Salford.
Later that evening they celebrated another Mass, this time at St. Francis, followed by a potluck dinner and one-night mission of talks. Fathers Casey, Tito and Jason all spoke about different aspects of evangelisation giving insights in how to do it and some observations about how not to do it.
The Three Friars have recently founded SEARCH (Seek, Encounter, Accompany, Renew, Convert, Heal) This is a bold new Franciscan ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte USA bringing the Gospel beyond church walls—meeting people on the streets, in coffee shops, and wherever real life happens.
Their mission is to reach young adults, spiritual seekers, and those disconnected from the Church through authentic presence, conversation, and compassion. Rooted in the spirit of St. Francis, SEARCH is about walking with others, sharing Christ’s love, and inviting hearts to renewal and healing.
Their talks provided lots of inspiration as we consider our focus on Mission and the future of the diocese. Kevan Grady
