The Conventual Franciscan Friars are one of the three main branches of the Franciscan Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). The Conventual followers of Francis chose to minister in the heart of the city rather than the more remote hermitages; they banded together in concentrated communities rather than wandering as itinerant preachers. Hence, the suffix, Conventual, comes from the Latin, convenire, "to come together. "Living in a convent (or friary in most of the English-speaking work), a stable dwelling the spiritual sons of St. Francis labored at change and transformation in every spectrum of society. The friars of St. Anthony of Padua Province, USA, minister in parishes, high schools, hospital, and college campuses along the east coast of the United States.  

In Memory