Blessed William Joseph Chaminade founded the Society of Mary (Marianists) in France in 1817. The Marianists are an international Catholic religious order of brothers and priests. Almost 600 serve in the Province of the United States, which includes India, Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines. In the United States, Marianists sponsor the University of Dayton in Ohio, St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and high schools, parishes, and retreat centers.

We are a society of priests, brothers, and lay coworkers that establish Catholic mission communities and develop them into self-sustaining mission parishes in rural counties in Appalachia and the South, areas where before there was no effective Catholic presence. As home missioners, we are dedicated to serving the spiritual and material needs of people living in these areas. We’re committed to doing God’s work in rural America by reaching out to the Catholic minority, the unchurched, and the poor through ministries of Catholic nurture, ecumenism, evangelization and social outreach.

The Friars of Saint John the Baptist Province are part of the world-wide Franciscan Order which was founded by Saint Francis of Assisi over 800 years ago. The first members of our Province arrived in Cincinnati, OH in 1844. Since then we have been serving the Catholic Church in a wide variety of ministries. Presently we serve in schools (high schools and universities), parishes, hospitals (as nurses and chaplains), inner city ministries, retreat ministry, publishing (books, catechetical aids, CDs and audio books at Saint Anthony Messenger Press), and domestic and foreign missions.

For over 80 years the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular (T.O.R.), Province of the Immaculate Conception has served in a variety of ministries. Our Friars have served as pastors, retreat directors, chaplains, teachers, catechists, missionaries, and in many other ways. Originally established to serve immigrants, our community is seeking to find ways to serve the new wave of Hispanic immigrants present in the United States. We pride ourselves on our family-like spirit and flexibility in adapting to those who join us.