Ever hear of the "the brown pope"? Probably not, because I'm pretty sure we just made it up. But if there was one, it would be Michael Perry, OFM, the former minister general of the Order of Friars Minor. As the leader of all the Franciscans in the world, he saw some wild things and has some crazy stories. He's also not taking to retirement well, starting international initiatives at Siena College.

It's not every day you get to speak with a guy ordained a priest under a day. What was ordination like? How did he feel during his first mass? How does he deal with being the youngest Franciscan priest in the country?

Br. Andy Brophy has not lived a conventional life. He trained to be a teacher but dreamed of being a missionary. When he was finally asked to be a missionary, he was too old for the job. So he started raising money for missions, now traveling the world to support the friars in nearly every country.

Franciscan life isn't about ideas or concepts, it's about relationships. Fr. Ed Shea, OFM knows a lot about that.

Br. John Barker, OFM is a man of many talents: accomplished chef, biblical scholar, and now excellent preacher. It's not everyday that you meet someone who completely changes their life plan... multitple times... but John shows that you should always be discerning God's call.

Few brothers live with more energy for the present moment than Fr. Juan de la Cruz Turcios. He's creative, joyful, and always ready to bring people together.

Fr. Jim Sabak, OFM has an interesting life. On the one hand, he is the chaplain to an elementary school and spends his days entertaining children with his gregarious personality and jubilant energy. On the other hand, he is the director of worship for a diocese, concerned with the most holy and solemn occasions of Christian life. 

Dominic Monti has seen a lot. Both in his life as a vicar provincial and in his study of Franciscan history. He knows the power of a story, and he knows that history isn't even a little boring when you know how to tell it.

Whem most people think of friars, the image of a short portly man comes to mind. This is not always the case. Some, like Fr. Steve Kuehn, OFM, are former D1 athletes that reached peak physical condition through many years of service in the Navy. What keeps him going years later? The same thing that always has: the brotherhood.

Fr. Mike Surufka, OFM began his life as a friar working for the U.N. This took him to war-torn countries but allowed him to meet inspiring people. Violence seems to follow him wherever he goes, but through a harrowing experience of a beloved friend's murder he grew in his need for forgiveness and now works in one of the most forgotten, dangerous place in the country. And he loves it.